Beowulf As An Archetypal Hero

Is Beowulf, the strong and epic hero of legends, battling against a force he could not aspire to overcome? J.R.R. Tolkien, a famous scholar and writer, believes the epic hero is in a hopeless struggle; many people support the notion of Beowulf’s certain demise as well. There are parts in the legend that may lead to the impression that Beowulf may not have had the potential to conquer the aggressive world he is met with.

What does it mean to be a hero? Like anything else in this world, the definition of the word hero can be argued. Some may say that a hero can be passive, that is if he or she refrains from doing a certain action it makes them heroic. Others would argue that to be truly heroic the character must never turn tail and always face the obstacle head on even though he or she may die in the process. So is Beowulf a hero? Yes, Beowulf is a great epic hero, but his greatness comes only from his sword and not from his mind.

Christopher Reeve once said “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endures in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” In other words, a hero is a normal person who is able to be strong and persevere despite difficult obstacles preventing them. In the book, Beowulf, the the nephew of the king of the land of the geats, helps Hrothgar, another king, kill a series of monsters that threaten his kingdom. He helps Hrothgar kill Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and The Firedrake. Beowulf is a hero because he is just an ordinary person who finds the strength to persevere and endure despite the overwhelming obstacles preventing him from doing so. Beowulf embodies Christopher Reeve’s definition of a hero because he defeated the flesh-eating Grendel, who could not be stopped even by groups of elite soldiers. Beowulf also killed Grendel’s mother, a much eviler being who lived in a cave in an endless pool of blood that led to hell. Finally, he defeated The Firedrake, who swelled up and breathed fire when angry.

There have been many grand stories about great warriors, and champions; those about epic heroes however, are the truly exceptional tales. One such tale, over a thousand years old, stands out from all the rest: Beowulf, the tale of a great warrior, on his quest to achieve eternal glory, defeating great opponents. Throughout the whole story, Beowulf demonstrates most –if not all- of the qualities that an archetypal hero possesses. He embodies the highest ideals of his culture, travels to find adventure, and is not emotionally connected to his followers. Beowulf undertakes his journey to achieve something of great value to himself and society, defeats monsters, yet maintains humanity. Although Beowulf experiences

When discussing epic heroes, some of the more prominent ones that come to mind are Beowulf (from Beowulf), Hektor (from The Iliad), and Achilleus (also from The Iliad). These are all characters from literature who have displayed a multitude of the characteristics embodied in epic heroes. Each one of these literary figures has exhibited necessary traits needed to be considered an epic hero. Whether those traits are some of the common ones such as strength, honor, loyalty, perseverance, and bravery, or some of their own such as pride, intelligence, and morality. Whatever the case, these three have undergone difficulties and shown ties to the values held by their cultures within how they deal with issues. In this essay, I will attempt to

The concept of hero is never outdated in literary. Every author has their own understanding of how a hero should be like, and all heroes live and behave differently according to the society they live in. The definition of hero is much broader than a man with superpower. In Beowulf and The Great Gatsby, both of the protagonist, Beowulf and Jay Gatsby are considered heroes in the story. Although both of them embody the values of their societies, Beowulf is a more successful hero because he truly reaches the expectations that his society has for a hero and embraces the reality, which leads him to sacrifices his life for a more worthy cause.

A hero is defined as “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, and noble qualities.” In the classic epic, The Tale of Beowulf, Beowulf shows many qualities of a hero. Three examples of honorary qualities Beowulf possesses are bravery, selflessness, and loyalty.

Archetypal heroes are found in many literary works, and in varied forms. In literary terms, a hero (male) or heroine (female) is defined as a character that goes against adversity, has great strength, courage, bravery, and who makes unselfish sacrifices, usually for the greater good. The Collins English Dictionary defines “archetypal” as a perfect example of something. Archetypes in literature was first applied by Carl Jung (1875-1961), a Swiss psychiatrist. Jung recognized patterns in mythologies and stories regardless of the time period that was covered by the literary work. Archetypal heroes present in various forms including warriors,

“… A fiend out of hell”(Heaney 100). These words describe the monster Grendel, who is truly an evil entity. Only an epic hero with strength, courage and confidence is able to defeat this mighty foe. This hero’s name is Beowulf. He displays all of these throughout the epic.

Beowulf is an epic poem whose earliest surviving copy was written in 1000 A.D. The story consists of three thousand one hundred and eighty two lines that follow the life of the title character. The original author of the epic poem is unknown mainly because it started as a verbal tale passed down orally through the ages. Finally someone wrote it down in a document now called the Nowell Codex. The epic tale is centered on Beowulf and his actions in an adventure to repay a debt owed by his father to Hrothgar, a Danish king. A gargantuan monster that is terrorizing Hrothgar’s mead hall is Beowulf’s target and Beowulf sails across the sea to aid his father’s

Many heroes have been known for being brave, courageous, and strong; Beowulf is one of these heroes. Every hero is brave, some heroes may not start out that way at first. Heroes become brave by fighting in battles and slaying their enemies. Courage is not only a trait of heroes everyone has some courage somewhere deep inside them. Heroes use their courage to slay dragons and fight monsters just like Beowulf did. Not every is physically strong, but also strong minded. Heroes have to pay attention to their surroundings in order to stay alive. Heroes use their strength to save their kingdoms, if that hero is lucky they might even become king just like Beowulf. All of these traits help to make up a great hero.

An epic hero is a brave and noble character in an epic poem, admired for great achievements or affected by great events. Beowulf, an epic hero in the epic poem Beowulf, is a prime example. Beowulf was an epic hero, because he was significant and glorified, on a quest, had superior strength, and was an ethical man. He also, risked death for glory, performed brave deeds, was a strong and responsible leader, and lastly, reflected the ideals of a particular society. Throughout the epic, Beowulf managed to show all of these characteristics while protecting his people and battling heinous monsters.

Epic heroes have many common characteristics, many of which are portrayed by the hero Beowulf throughout the poem. These common characteristics are generally heroic in nature. Beowulf has inhuman strength which is most notably displayed when he tears the monster Grendel's arm clean off. He is extraordinarily loyal to his men, his own king, and the king Hrothgar. His most impressive heroic trait however, is his courage.

In the story Beowulf there were many different characteristics that symbolized and made Beowulf a hero/ symbolized heroism. There are many different sections in the book that talked about he was the mighty one and other parts talked about how he was the “evil” one.

Judging from this passage, it appears as though Beowulf is being honored more lavishly than most of the Danish kings and warriors had been in the past. Beowulf's tragic death caused him to be remembered fondly and honored accordingly during his funeral: