Beowulf - The Immortal Hero Essay

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.

In the beginning of the book Beowulf is described as the greatest hero of the world. Beowulf comes to hear about the destruction Grendel has caused and travels to the land of the Danes to try and help Hrothgar defeat Grendel. He brought to sea with him 14 brave warriors and voyaged to Hrothgar’s kingdom. As they exit the boat the mounted guard asks what Beowulf and his warriors are doing, Beowulf responds in a long message about what they are doing there and who they are going to save. The mounted guard responds “I believe your words, I trust in your friendship. Go forward, weapons and armor and all, on into Denmark. I’ll guide you myself and my men will guard your ship, keep it safe here on our shores” (Raffel 15). Beowulf gives off the feeling to people that do not even know him that he is a great hero and that he can be trusted.

Beowulf is superior to the average person in many areas, among them physical strength. Throughout the poem, Beowulf accomplishes feats that no other man would be able to survive and proves his boundless might. Beowulf is described to Hrothgar, king of the Danes, by a messenger as "...a mighty warrior, powerful and wise" (line 370). Beowulf himself challenges the insults of Unferth by saying, "...no strength

In the movie Spider-Man, the hero has a rivalry with the Green Goblin. The Green Goblin taunted Spiderman for a very long time until the alter ego of Peter Parker had enough of the Goblin. Every encounter between Spiderman and Green Goblin always turn into a retreat of the Goblin but at the very end of the movie, Spiderman turns out to be victorious. Spiderman is considered to be a modern day hero. An Anglo-Saxon hero is a hero from the Medieval years and fights with swords, not spider webs. Just like Beowulf, he wins a lot of his battles. Each hero has his own special characteristics that make him unique. In the poem Beowulf, the hero clearly demonstrates bravery, boastfulness and super strength within his fights.

Word has traveled across the seas to Geatland of a great disturbance in Heorot. A threatening creature has befallen on Hrothgar, King of the Danes, and his people. In no time, a Geat by the name of Beowulf arrives at Heorot. However, why would one man, an unpopular man at that, not known of possessing any strength or talent, travel a great distance to offer his services to the Danes? Textual evidence provides that Beowulf, although he proves himself brave and strong, expresses his ego through boasting of his epic deeds, illuminating on his strength and wit. In addition to feeding his ego, it can be proved that Beowulf is out to make a legend of himself since he comes from a broken lineage, and in the time of the Danes and

To most of society, a hero is one who is courageous, honest and acquires worthy qualities. There have always been heroes whether they are not here today, a modern day hero or a hero in literature. Those who advocate for the cause they believe in are heroes, they are able to use their own platform for people who are not able to. To most, people who are courageous and inspiring are seen as heroes especially when describing an epic hero. An epic hero are usually people in an epic poem awarded for their achievements and have strong and noble qualities. A hero shows great courage and strength like Beowulf, Michael Brock, from The Street Lawyer, and Michelle Obama who are great inspiring advocates that have gained trust from the people they advocate for.

     Some literary scholars maintain that Beowulf developed character flaws through the course of the long narrative poem, and that at the time of his death he was a victim of pride, avarice, selfishness and an inordinate craving for glory. The purpose of this essay is to show that he was a tremendous hero from beginning to end.

As him and his men see the shining reflection of the Danes’ spears, Beowulf feels and interprets the uncertainty they feel, for he is this mysterious man showing up to this island filled with turmoil. As the Geats are reluctantly let in, Beowulf introduces himself and gives detailed backgrounds of his many battles, flaunting his accomplishments and emphasizing his triumphs. In the midst of his storytelling he says, “‘I had a fixed purpose when I put to sea. / As I sat in the boat with my band of men, / I meant to perform to the uttermost / what your people wanted or perish in the attempt / in the fiend’s clutches. And I shall fulfil that purpose, / prove myself with a proud deed / or meet my death here in the mead-hall’” (43).

The epic poem Beowulf describes the most heroic man of the Anglo-Saxon times. The hero, Beowulf, is a seemingly invincible person with all the extraordinary traits required of an Anglo Saxon hero. He is able to use his super-human physical strength and courage to put his people before himself. He encounters many monsters and horrible beasts, but he never fears the threat of death. His leadership skills are outstanding and he is even able to boast about all his achievements. Beowulf is the ultimate epic hero who risks his life countless times for glory which to him meant eternal life.

Beowulf is an epic poem that, above all, gives the reader an idea of a time long past; a time when the most important values were courage and integrity. The only factors that could bestow shower fame upon a person were heroic deeds and family lineage. Beowulf, as the paradigm of pagan heroes, exhibited his desire to amass fame and fortune; the only way to do so was to avenge the death of others. This theme of retribution that is ever present throughout the poem seems to color the identities of its characters.

Every epic hero possesses certain heroic characteristics. Beowulf, like other epic heroes, possesses the following heroic qualities: epic heroes are superhuman types of beings. They have a noble birth and show great bravery. They display great intelligence and resourcefulness. They have a reverence for G-d and for the values of their society. They are dominant male figures and suffer severe pain, but in the end, they conquer evil (Vivone 9/27/99). In addition to Beowulf’s heroic qualities, he is very strong. Beowulf was said to have “the strength of thirty [men] in his mighty handgrip” (Bloom 11). Early proof of Beowulf’s extraordinary strength is evidenced by his dismemberment of Grendel’s limb, the fight in the cave under water, and the

Beowulf is a splendid legendary account of heroism that influences the audience to live about their lives heroically without succumbing to illusions and false hopes. There is no mortal man who is strong enough to prevail against death itself, but Beowulf has illustrated how the human will can transcend and overcome the obstacle opposing the most ruthless of human fears. After gathering all the evidence and symbols, herein lies the three evils that Beowulf exemplified: Physical, moral and metaphysical. The Physical evil

Beowulf was a highly skilled and great fighter, but because of his over-confidence in himself the

A way Beowulf demonstrates his heroism is the way he stays true to the Geats by honoring them. Before

Many readers of the poem Beowulf may find it difficult to distinguish the 'good' kings from the rest – indeed, almost every man who holds a throne in the epic is named at one point or another to be 'good'. By examining the ideals of the time period as identified by the 'heroic code', it becomes clearer that a truly 'good' king is one who generously distributes treasure and weaponry to deserving retainers to honour courage and strength displayed in battle and to encourage the defense of the kingdom (Intro). When Beowulf ascends the throne of the Geats, the heroic traits of courage and strength for which he was so highly praised as a warrior do not serve well in making him a good king. Indeed, by exhibiting the traits of a thane, that is, by