Examples Of Archetypes In Beowulf

In Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon poem, written about a hero named Beowulf who aids the King of Danes to battle monsters. With his powerful strength, he was able to slay Grendel and Grendel’s mother. However, in his last journey, fifty years later, to battle the dragon, he succeeds but dies in the process. Throughout the whole poem, it is apparent that one important theme present is the display of pride and strength of the people in that society at the time. One of the first displays of pride and strengths in Beowulf can be seen in the first battle with Grendel.

In the epic poem Beowulf, the archetype of the hero is shown when Beowulf uses strength, bravery, and loyalty to defeat evil. The Anglo – Saxon values these qualities. Since Beowulf was a great warrior, his name was well known for all his accomplishments. Beowulf wanted to be remember for what he did. Bewoulf wanted to be remember like his father was remember.

Somewhere far away a lizard sits on a tree branch in the African plains, contemplating her existence as a reptilian being. She ponders the evolution of her kind and theorizes how she would have survived as a dinosaur in Jurassic period. The lizard recounts all the teachings she learned in lizard school and how the land she now roams was once so different. She delves deeper into thoughts of how her counterpart of that time would have been wildly dissimilar, although they are technically the same. Like the lizard, the world as viewed now is so vastly different from the way it was at the dawn of time.

Beowulf’s Motivations (An Understanding of the motivations of Beowulf to Fight the Three Monsters) Every human being has a certain code with which they follow, most are outlined by the Anglo-Saxon, better known as Viking, code. This code itself was depicted through the epic poem known as, “Beowulf,” and more importantly, Beowulf’s motivations. His first motivation for fighting Grendel, is because he believes it is his duty to fight the monster. Secondly, Beowulf believes that fighting Grendel’s mother would help him in receive glory.

Beowulf, the eponymous epic telling the tale of a heroic warrior, embodies the philosophy of honor. Beowulf battles three separate enemies, each more formidable than the last. However, the protagonist, known as “the Geatish hero,” ensures that during his fight, there will be “no weapons, therefore, / for either this night” (683-684). Consistent with the morals of the time period, Beowulf intends to battle Grendel without armor or weapons, thus adhering to his honorable persona. Moreover, Beowulf maintains his obstinate confidence even as his challengers grow in strength and size; he conveys his honor by battling as if he is not challenged.

Readers can learn some things about Grendel in Beowulf but in order to dive deeper into the character and who he is, people go to the book Grendel. The book takes a closer look at Grendel and how he discovers the order and disorder of people and the world (Sanchez). Grendel is thought to symbolize the dark side of humanity, or the sins of man (Farrell). It’s easy for readers to sympathize with Grendel at points because he is a natural outcast of society. He is said to be the son of Cain and because of that he was labeled from day one (Sanchez).

Beowulf possessed the poised demeanor necessary to defeat all evils by the arrogant swing of his sword. The commitment shown by lending his life to the welfare of his people was imperative in order to be called a flawless warrior. Beowulf embodied the determination that Anglo-Saxons saw as unmeasurably valuable. If nothing more than just fiction, Beowulf is the ideal hero of the people from who he originated. “They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.”

After a fierce battle, the dragon is slain, and our epic hero is mortally wounded. Beowulf said” "I have wrested the hilt from the enemies' hand, avenged the evil done to the Danes; it is what was due." (1668-1670). A face of good-will in the poem, the

In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, faces three “monsters” at different times in his life. The poem begins with Grendel, a monster who attacks only in the dark of night, tormenting the kingdom of Hrothgar. The last two sections of the epic detail the conquering by Beowulf of Grendel’s mother and the dragon. The battle between the monsters and Beowulf represent the theme of good versus evil in the poem, as well as the fusion of pagan and Christian ideals in the changing Germanic society. Grendel’s mother’s actions directly juxtapose the role of a woman in this time period, and the greediness of the dragon with his treasure contrasts with the virtues of what would be considered a good king.

Beowulf embodies many universal societal heroic values that are signified in the modern world like courage, bravery, and strength. In the poem, Beowulf displays courage. “Now, I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat” (Heaney 425-426). This quote shows courage because he’s telling them that he can fight Grendel and wants to weather he wins or loses.

Instead of easily killing Grendel, Beowulf is ready for a fair fight. “no weapons therefor, for either his night: unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares” (55.685) Beowulf is very confident in himself, he has a good heart which makes people realize how great of a man he is. Beowulf realizes he could easily kill the monster, but he wants to be equal to Grendel. If Beowulf wanted to gain the attention of the thanes he could have easily used weapons to execute Grendel, but instead he shows his hospitality by being fair. At first he doesn't want anything in return but that soon changes as the story

Compare and Contrast In both Grendel and Beowulf, Beowulf is perceived as a warrior who ultimately ended Grendel's life. However, there are different standpoints of the way Beowulf acted and how he took Grendel's life. From both books, you can see the likeness and also the differences in which Beowulf made himself out to be in the book Beowulf and how he was actually seen by Grendel in Grendel.

Grendel in both stories is described as a vicious "Monster", but is viewed differently. The character of Grendel, in the novel by John Gardner, portrays a different visualization than that of Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf. In the novel the story is told in first person point of view which gives Grendel human qualities while Grendel in Beowulf is told in third person point of view not giving Grendel his standpoint. In both works, the authors give two different perspectives of Grendel. Grendel in the novel is not seen as a "Monster", but as a human that has emotions and is very sympathetic about everything that comes his way.

Flaws by Contrast Comparisons and contrasts play a huge role in literary works, especially between characters. Not only do they show similarities and differences between various characters, but they also bring out specific qualities that make a character unique and help guide the readers towards a common conclusion. In the popular Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist and hero, Beowulf, is emphasized for his extraordinary greatness. Throughout his story, he, as an advocate of good, encounters many opposing forces in the form of other characters. In a society where heroism and bravery are honored as essential aspects of culture, the contrasting values of these characters, or foils, help define Beowulf as the model hero.

Throughout the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, problems arouse and a warrior steps up and defeats the enemy, but is that a definition of a true warrior? Aside from the ability to fight and kill, a warrior should have more significant values than that. He shall attain the values of loyalty and liberality to be considered a true warrior. In the poem Beowulf, the presence of loyalty and liberality heighten the quality of an Anglo-Saxon hero by showing true commitment to the warrior’s path opposed to others who do not show it.