The story of Beowulf is about a mighty warrior that saves the land and defeats the monster. In the story Beowulf is the warrior who does the great deeds for the safety of his land and others’ land. Within Beowulf, the plot of the story follows a mythological or archetypal hero quest. A hero quest is a pattern, or motif, that describes the average journey of a hero. The hero will endure three major parts of this quest which are the departure, initiation, and the return. Each of these major parts have smaller steps within them that are parts of a task the hero takes on. Now Beowulf is of course the hero of the story. He goes out and volunteers to fight Grendel for the Danes who had been dealing with him for twelve years nonstop. Beowulf also goes and defeats Grendel’s mother when she awakens from her den and tries to avenge her son. Then after fifty years of ruling a country, Beowulf goes and fights a dragon who wreaked havoc on Beowulf’s homeland. The hero in a hero quest is the character which is larger than life …show more content…
When Beowulf goes to fight Grendel, he is called to the adventure by the word of Grendel’s attack being spread from country to country. Beowulf then goes to Daneland to tell the King Hrothgar, he is there to defend them. He crosses the first threshold by walking into Heorot and waiting for Grendel to attack again. In the story Beowulf, Beowulf does not encounter any temptresses or any ladies that could deter him from his quest. Hrothgar though does give Beowulf his blessing in fighting Grendel, and then that time comes. The fight with Grendel happens and when it is over Beowulf is celebrated for winning against the heinous demon. When he returns home, his is greeted by his people and is crowned king of the Geatland, ruling for fifty years before the fateful fight with the
The Quest archetype in "Beowulf" is represented by the titular hero's journey to defeat the monstrous Grendel and later the dragon. Beowulf is depicted as a great warrior and a hero who is willing to risk his life to protect his people. The Quest serves as a demonstration of Beowulf's bravery and his determination to overcome evil and restore peace to his kingdom. Through the Quest, Beowulf becomes a symbol of hope and inspiration for his people, demonstrating that even in the face of great adversity, one can rise above and triumph.
The story of Beowulf successfully follows every step of an Archetypal Hero Quest; the hero, Beowulf, answers a call, makes a decision, prepares, faces obstacles, reaches a climax, and returns home. Beowulf is met with three large battles within Beowulf, first with Grendel, then with Grendel’s mother, and his last fatal battle, with a dragon. Each battle carries aspects that add to the Hero Quest but do not fully create one until all are together. The call is the beginning of a Hero Quest.
Beowulf took on both Grendel and his mother with the intentions of saving the Danes, whether he survived or
Meghana Sunder Mr. Wachtor English 12 31 August 2015 Beowulf Character Analysis In the poem Beowulf, we see the Anglo-Saxon hero. It is an epic of a hero who embodies the honor of the Anglo-Saxon culture and tradition. The poem in itself is an elegant script of Anglo-Saxon times. Composed in 8th or 9th century the epic was passed down from generation to generation orally and has no known author.
Beofwulf’s structure, events, diction, and the story of a complete warrior depict what a true epic poem looks like. The poem shows the reader many events and tragedies that create a long line-filled poem. Beowulf endures many journeys throughout the narrative that solidify as heroic and truly legendary. Many unlikely and superhuman abilities are displayed throughout Beowulf as well. Structure, heroics, and superhuman abilities in the narrative Beowulf, which tells of Beowulf’s journeys, provide a great example of an epic.
A hero's journey is a pattern of narrative identities that appears in many dramas, storytellings, myths, and psychological development. The journey consist of twelve different steps and in the story Beowulf we read about the magnificent and rough journey that Beowulf and this men accomplish. Many people question if Beowulf is considered a hero and if what he did was good. The journey that he embarked on, leads me to believe that Beowulf is a hero and always will be. The first step in the hero's journey is called the “call to adventure” this is when something is disturbed from external pressure of from inner conflict.
In today’s society, anybody can be considered a hero. A hero is a selfless person who is admired for their courageous achievements. A mother, celebrity, or even a mailman can be a hero to someone. In Beowulf, the epic poem translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf is recognized as a hero who craves too much glory. In today’s world, Beowulf is viewed as an irrelevant hero since he displays poor qualities of arrogance and selfishness.
As the story progress, Beowulf became king of the Geats for 50 years when suddenly a dragon emerged from slumber began to burn down villages. However, Beowulf didn’t pay the slightest attention, but instead ignored what was happening. Finally, when the dragon burns down Beowulf’s throne room Beowulf decided that he needs to deal with the dragon. In Beowulf 's eyes, the lives of his citizens couldn’t even compare to his throne room. When Beowulf prepared to fight the dragon he said, “Now I am old, but as king of the people I shall pursue this fight for the glory of winning” (lines 2512-2514).
The knight from the Canterbury Tales is considered the protagonist as he serves as an honorable servant to the king. Beowulf and The Knight both compare through their loyalty and humbleness. Beowulf is considered as a protagonist as he embodies strength and courage while defeating the evil of Grendel, Grendel's Mother and the dragon. He is reluctant to back down from battle, just so he can save the people from evil. He signifies the true heroic character
Once upon a time, there was a marvelous warrior that was a hero to so many and king to some. In the story of Beowulf, the hero, Beowulf, must follow and go through the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey has twelve stages, or three acts. The stages go in the order: 1) The Call to Adventure, 2) Assistance, 3) Departure, 4) Trials, 5) Approach to the Inmost Cave, 6) Crisis, 7) Treasure, 8) Result, 9) Return, 10) New Life, 11) Resolution, and 12) Status Quo (Winkler). Since Beowulf is facing three different monsters, there is not only the story’s significant journey, but also multiple inside it.
The story of Beowulf isn’t just any ordinary story, but a story that has been told for centuries. A story of a hero who’s legacy has been told for so long. Beowulf’s life shows the characteristics of a true epic hero. He showed bravery, he used his strength against his enemies and in the end gave the ultimate sacrifice for his people.
This is seen multiple times throughout the poem beginning with his quest to kill Grendel. Beowulf personally sought out permission from Hrothgar to help the Danish people. Beowulf was able to help the suffering community; furthermore, he had a chance to receive great recognition for his actions. After defeating Grendel, Beowulf was given the opportunity to receive more glory and once again help Heorot by taking the life of Grendel’s mother. This was an extremely dangerous challenge because he knew her capabilities.
Beowulf went through so much to prove he was worthy enough to protect their kingdom and defeat Grendel. The story Beowulf was a great story to read and a great movie to watch; however, the battles were very eye catching and had a lot of extravagant and heroic doings of Beowulf. The first scenario that I’m going to discuss in the movie and story of Beowulf is The Battle with Grendel. In the movie Grendel attacked Beowulf in the Heriot while everyone was dancing and singing.
Although some might think the epic poem, Beowulf and the animated movie, Aladdin may have nothing in common, these two works actually have many relatable aspects. One of these common characteristics is the type of the plot that both of these works contain, the Hero’s Quest. However, with these similarities come many differences in these respectable works of literature. These similarities and differences include the Hero’s Quest, the type of villain, and the hero portrayed in each plot. Which one fits the Hero’s Quest better?
Beowulf is one of the oldest and most well-known epic stories throughout the world. The main character in this story is Beowulf himself. Beowulf is a true and epic hero, who ultimately loses his life while trying to protect the he cared for. Beowulf was a man of great strength, which allowed him to defeat monster and make him the hero that he was. He did not have this strength on his own accord, but was assisted with some divine intervention.