In the epic poem, Beowulf an unknown author tells a story about a Geat named Beowulf. Beowulf travels from Sweden to Finland to help King Hrothgar. The problem the kingdom faces is a creature that is half man half animal that has been devouring King Hrothgar’s people. The kingdom has lived with this fear for twelve years on the account that no man has been able to kill it. Upon hearing of the monster, Beowulf plans to kill the villain and gain fame as a hero. Beowulf achieves this task to become the quintessence of an archetypal hero, by following Anglo-Saxon ways, and his actions in the narrative. An archetypal hero is a hero that is universally recognized and as each culture presents them they show the values of that society. Beowulf presents himself under this elite category by proving to society that he can successfully achieve the task of ridding Grendel from King Hrothgar’s kingdom. By doing this he will have to follow the steps of the Monomyth by Joseph Campbell. The first step of the monomyth is the call to adventure; when he hears about Grendel, the man slaughtering beast. The next step he accomplishes traveling from the sea to the kingdom of Hrothgar. The major step in these guidelines of defining a hero is the completions of the road of trials. The first trial that he successfully accomplishes is doing away with Grendel. After this huge victory the kingdom realizes that Grendel’s mother is an additional problem that Beowulf has to take care of. This additional task must be completed for him to be categorized as a hero by society. He has to go down to the lair of Grendel’s mother where evil is prominent. Swimming into her fortress underwater, fire is building upon him where, “some other [evil] world” immerses him (95. 1349).
The Essay on Beowulf vs. Grendel
Beowulf is the hero of the Geats and comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, to help him get rid of a monster name Grendel who was attacking king Hrothgar’s mead hall. This epic is told in third person, and focuses on Beowulf’s point of view. John Gardner’s Grendel is written in the first person and is in the monster Grendel’s perspective. The setting is in Denmark, 1000 A. D. , and ...
In this other worldly environment he accomplishes a miracle; killing Grendel’s mother. These accomplishments allow Beowulf to boast about his heroic actions. In Beowulf’s society the Anglo-Saxon heroic expectation is that you take pride in your actions and revenge for tragic acts that monsters inflict on people. Beowulf understands that now that he has proven himself, it is time for boasting. Beowulf pronounces a major boast by, “cut[ting] the corpse [of Grendel’s] head off” (109.1590).
This shows Beowulf as someone who is very egocentric that even after he has successfully killed the monster he brings the head back as tangible proof. In addition, the kingdom of Hrothgar can perceive the head as a symbol of revenge. By the kingdom saving this they will always remember the terror they were in when Grendel was alive, which shows what happens when one attacks the people of the kingdom. By doing these acts of boasting it successfully labels him as hero. Beowulf’s actions that make him become a hero relate to his successful attempt of doing away with Grendel. When he first arrives at the kingdom of Hrothgar, people doubt the success he will have killing Grendel. But, Beowulf knows that in the end that, “fate goes ever as fate must” (31.455).
This means that Beowulf leaves his success up to the gods. The gods had prevailed and successfully let him accomplish his first rode of trial. Then Beowulf went to the gruesome area where Grendel’s mother lived the, “holy God decided the victory” on the account of Beowulf (107.1554-5).
This successfully shows that Beowulf’s actions were on the account of fate and his strong will to become a hero. Beowulf is being presented as an archetypal hero as recognizes him as a man who takes pride in his glorious actions to get rid of Grendel and his mother. To be a hero in this time period Beowulf has to boast and advertise his actions to make sure society perceives him as not just a man but a symbol. In the end, Beowulf’s main goal is to be represented as a hero all over any land known andhis story to be embellished to its fullness is accomplished
The Essay on Beowulf The Ultimate Hero
Beowulf: The Ultimate Hero A hero is one who places himself or herself at risk for another by performing great deeds of courage. Often in our society today, athletes are looked up to as hero's. Brett Favre is an excellent example of a modern day hero. He is looked up to by many for his strength, leadership, and success. While on the football field, he is willing to risk his 'life' by running the ...