Beowulf Hero's Journey

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Beowulf is a novel written to depict a valiant warrior on a heroic quest. It is known that the main character in this novel, Beowulf, was a hero, regardless of his unfortunate ending. Beowulf was able to move through all aspects of the hero’s journey, despite the odds against him. Beowulf experienced positive moments during his journey, as well as several defeats. Beowulf embodies these particular characteristics that make up a hero. On the other hand, Grendel is a main character in the novel Beowulf that serves the opposite purpose. Grendel is a cruel, envious, and furious monster. Grendel’s incredible anger towards the people of Heorot stems from a place of jealousy. These specific details provide evidence that Grendel is meant to be an archetypal …show more content…
When Beowulf leaves the land of the Danes and returns to his home, he is taking the road back to the ordinary world, given that he has fulfilled his duties. Lastly, Beowulf’s return with the elixir can be seen when he fights his final enemy, the dragon. More so, it was made evident which of his warriors were there to assist Beowulf and which were cowardly. Although Beowulf was not fortunate enough to live to see it, the treasure that he was initially after became accessible to his people. With the evidence now provided, it is clear that Beowulf was an accurate illustration of the archetypal hero. Beowulf’s storyline, persona, and determination are all characteristics that align with the archetypal hero description. Although Beowulf faced a tragic death, the fight that he encountered with the dragon was not useless. Beowulf was nonetheless able to retrieve the treasure for his people, although the outcome was not ideal. During Beowulf’s quest, he faced many challenges, including fear, loss, and defeat. When Beowulf arrived at Heorot, he confronted his first round of fear. Without the waves of fear that Beowulf experienced, he would not have been the hero he

Essay on Beowulf and the Hero's Journey

Joseph Campbell’s term monomyth can be described as a hero’s journey. Many heroic characters follow the monomyth, no matter the time period or culture the literature was created in. The poem Beowulf is known to follow the adventure of the hero described in Campbell’s monomyth . The hero’s journey consists of three rites of passages: separation, initiation, and return. Beowulf endures each of these stages throughout the epic poem, so his journey does follow Campbell’s monomyth. The separation is…

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Beowulf Hero's Journey

determine the life we lead. In the epic poem Beowulf, one can notice that the three major battles that Beowulf engages in, can represent more than just a fight itself. These drawn out battles go through the different phases of life and relate to almost anyone’s struggles and growth of aging. As Beowulf begins his life and his journey into battle, it can reflect on challenges and accomplishments in a person's journey. These three battles show how Beowulf evolves, which can be interpreted to our lives…

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Comparing Beowulf And The Hero's Journey

In order to be a legitimate hero – at least in Joseph Campbell’s eyes – the hero must embark on and a journey that meets “[his] standard storyline which he call[s] the ‘monomyth’” (Who was Joseph Campbell?). Many of the stories we read and the movies that we watch all portray a hero who “give[s] his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (The Hero’s Adventure, 151). For instance, Beowulf enters the Land of the Danes in order to save the people from the terror-filled nights that Grendel and…

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Beowulfs Journey Exemplify The Archypical Hero's Quest Analysis

How does Beowulf’s journey exemplify the archeypical hero’s quest? Beowulf was first known for being the monster that kills in the middle of the night, but throughout the journey he was a leader that was looked up by the people even if it had costed him his own life. Even though he did not start off as one of the best characters, you can see him grow and think more about others than just himself. Beowulf’s past was horrific, he had a history of killing 30 men in the middle of the night and for killing…

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Michael Jordan Vs Beowulf Research Paper

Michael Jordan was a hero to all athletes just like Beowulf was a hero to the Geats. Both were looked up to for their strength and dominance, and both fulfilled their goals; thus, allowing them to achieve fame and glory. Both Beowulf and Jordan earned a reputation for being strong and courageous. Beowulf got his reputation for killing 9 sea monsters, all while competing in a swim race. Although he didn't win the race he earned a bunch of respect when people heard his story. “They have seen…

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Role Of Heroism In Beowulf

Beowulf as an Epic Character There are certain aspects of epic poetry that transcend author and time period. The poems are long narratives and are written or spoken in a sophisticated style, often coupled with a repetitive meter. And while they are not pieces of prose, epics tell a story of heroism, where the protagonist is of national importance (Downes 2). A combination of style, plot, and character mesh together to define the unique genre of epic poetry. Beowulf, the eponymous hero of the story…

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Beowulf And Lord Of The Flies Comparison Essay

to the time periods in which each text was written, the overall style of storytelling varies largely between “Beowulf” and “Lord of the Flies”. The two texts are not only formatted in different ways, but also have many small details that oppose the other, adding up to create two unalike stories. When comparing the texts, it’s quite simple to see the differences between the two. Beowulf, a story from 500 a.d., and eventually written down in 700 a.d., is considered to be an epic poem - a long narrative…

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Divine Nobility In Beowulf

in time, novels have opened minds of many people. It causes people to travel to a place beyond the physical world, where every word imprisons them in suspense and urges them to read on. When one takes the journey to this dream world, in their mind, they often replace themselves with the Hero's position. Why is this? As humans we all want one thing or another in this life, yet it all boils down to greatness. Now what does greatness mean, it is simply the quality of being great. Oxford defines great…

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Essay about Smith 1

Comparing Beowulf and Hercules Many of the world’s myths and legends focus on a hero, a man or a woman who triumphs over obstacles. The classic hero is not necessarily all-powerful and immortal. Heroes represent the best of what it means to be human; they demonstrate great strength, courage, wisdom, cleverness, or devotion. The hero’s quest is often seen as a symbol of the journey of self- discovery, a quest to overcome inner monsters and finally achieve an understanding of themselves.…

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A Hero's Motivations In Beowulf

A Hero’s Motivations (An Analysis of Beowulf’s Motivations) What is a hero? Some people's first thought goes to those who perform need jobs like military service or doctors. But another common thought that springs from the word ‘hero’ is superheroes.The entertainment industry has capitalized on this topic, creating many well-known series. But where did such ideas originate? The idea of a superhero originated from the Anglo-SAxons epic poem Beowulf. Not only is the main character, Beowulf, the…

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