Beowulf: A Hero's Journey

Beowulf demonstrates the function of myths through his transformation. The poem explores the maturity in his youth and age through the conflicts with Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. Although we can view these three encounters as expressions of a hero, there is a clearer understanding between Beowulf’s youthful heroism as a fearless warrior and his mature heroism as a true king. Each fight will represent a development in Beowulf’s hero’s journey.
In the beginning, Beowulf possesses an immense amount of strength and courage. His defeat of Grendel and Grendel’s mother confirms his status of bravery and as a hero. Having expelled Denmark of its plagues and established himself as a hero, he is ready to enter into a new phase of his life, the hero’s journey. Hrothgar, the king of Denmark, begins to deliver advice on how to act right and just. Instead of being boastful, Beowulf should acting with his mind not with his muscles. Though Beowulf does not become king for many years, his career as a warrior has served in part to prepare him for his ascension to the throne.
During his time in Geatland, the poem focuses on the very end
Beowulf’s moral status becomes somewhat ambiguous at the poem’s end. Though he is celebrated as a great hero and leader, his last courageous fight is also somewhat reckless. The poem suggests that, by sacrificing himself, Beowulf unnecessarily leaves his people without a king, exposing them to danger from other tribes. To understand Beowulf’s death strictly as a personal failure, however, is to neglect the overwhelming emphasis given to fate in this last portion of the poem. The battle can be interpreted as a matter in which Beowulf has free will at all. Additionally, it is hard to blame him for acting upon what a hero should