Beowulf Is A Hero's Quest
Beowulf The Hero
Stories fan the flames of fame, and we are all simply burned by them. A story can consist of practically anything but the intention is almost always the same, to spread the word about something. Such as in Beowulf, if one were to read the poem with no prior knowledge, you would easily come to the conclusion that Beowulf is a legend… All because of the tales of his adventure and quests. The archetype of “the quest” is used all throughout the story to, not only drive the story along, but develope Beowulf himself as a character. Without these quests, the story would fall flat because Beowulf would have no reason to come to the foreign Kingdom of Geats, and if he did for some reason, Beowulf would be an incomplete character. The …show more content…
reader could hear of his tales and adventures, but if he doesn’t actually do anything in the story they could easily be forgotten as the story progresses. A quest is a task that is given from one person to another, this might include traveling to a specific place in order to solve a problem or retrieve an item. In most cases, a quest is compensated for if completed. In the story, The compensation that Beowulf sought was multiple things, but mainly fame and glory. “Therefore, to heighten Hygelac’s fame And gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand is how it will be, a life-and-death fight with the fiend” (line 440). In this quote from the text, Beowulf was only told to get rid of the monster, but due to him wanting to make Hygelac and himself famous, he goes the extra mile and chooses to fight the demon bare-handed. Although this turned out to be the only way of actually slaying the beast, Beowulf had no real reason to do this except to show off and guarantee a great amount of fame and glory upon completion. This not only gives Beowulf a purpose for completing the quest, but it also develops his character. Since all that Beowulf needed in order to do the task given was fame and glory, the reader can easily tell that Beowulf is a noble bent on improving his status in the kingdom. Since this story was made back in a time where status is very important the story and character of Beowulf were greatly influenced. Of course, as per most quests, Beowulf probably received some form of currency as another part of compensation for completing the quests given, but due to his “heroic” and “noble” nature, he doesn’t ask for more money compensation.“I come to proffer My wholehearted help and counsel.” (Heaney 5). When he approached the king to offer his services he claimed to be doing this out of the kindness of his heart. The first quest that was given to Beowulf was the task of taking down Grendel. Beowulf is from an entirely different country than the one Grendel was attacking. Since Beowulf was an outsider, how did he get entrusted to take down Grendel in the first place? Beowulf had used his past achievements as a form of verification in order to get into the land and approach the king. Since he had done so many deeds in his home land, he was able to allow his reputation to do most of the convincing for him. “The king recounts Beowulf’s deeds as a hero whenever Beowulf was attempting to enter Herot. After recalling the deeds the King let him into his country without hesitation” (Heaney 5). But unfortunately, his reputation wasn’t enough by itself so he had to give a sort of boast to allow the King to fully soak in how great he is. “Time and again, foul things attacked me, lurking and stalking, but I lashed out, 560 gave as good as I got with my sword. My flesh was not for feasting on” (Heaney 7). In this text, Beowulf is boasting about how he refused to be slain by giant sea monsters. He most likely did this in order to also let the king know that he had plenty of experience in battle. If and when Beowulf completes the task given to him by the king, he’ll have more trusty and notoriety throughout the kingdom. Beowulf was chosen to do all the other quests he has gotten because of the success of this first quest. This allowed the story of Beowulf to continue.
After Beowulf fought and defeated Grendel, a new threat emerged… Grendel’s mother. To exact her revenge, Grendel’s mother kills the old king’s closest friend. Due to the fame and respect he earned from his last mission, Beowulf was immediately sought out and sent to kill the cain-related beast. While reading this section, the reader can notice a slight difference in the author’s dicton. During the fight the author referred to Beowulf as “the hero”. “The hero observed that swamp-thing from hell” (line 1518). This is a subtle way for the author to show off Beowulf’s newfound fame. However, this fight and quest does more than show off his popularity, it builds his character. This is more than a simple grab towards fame, this quest is a quest to avenge a fallen comrade of the old king. In completing this quest, Beowulf show’s both the people of Geats and the reader his sense of respect. Adding more to his legacy and this poem as whole. This means that the quests given to Beowulf are changing him as a person, which is a very important staple in the hero’s quest archetype. This represents both the “call to adventure” and the “return with the elixir” parts of the hero's quest. In fact, Beowulf has changed so much, he eventually became king of Geats.
After the battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is crowned king of Geats. This represents the hero’s inner journey, “committing to change”. Once he became king of Geats, he stayed king and kept the peace of the land for about fifty years, or “fifty winters” (line 2208). The story then recalls Beowulf’s acts of valor and bravery, acts that wouldn’t have been possible without the quests that were given to him. Then, one day, a dragon began attacking the kingdom. Even in his old age, Beowulf’s confidence was still strong and unfading. He took it upon himself to fight the creature destroying everything that he had worked hard to achieve. Beowulf most likely knew this would be his last quest. But the entire fate of his Kingdom he worked so hard to keep was on the line. So he knew that he must stop the dragon at any cost, including his life. His acceptance with his fate shows that he, as a person has changed completely. The young and adventurous Beowulf that wanted to make a name for himself wouldn’t have accepted this fate so easily. During the fight, Beowulf was poisoned by the dragon, and the author’s diction changes to let the reader infer Beowulf’s demise in this battle. “but now, for the king, this would be the last of his many labours and triumphs in the world. (line 2710). This quest in particular allowed us to see how wise Beowulf had become, he knew he was going to perish from the poison and planned out his burial with a comrade. He made his grave quite extravagant in order to show how great he was in life. He grave lied next to a river to remind passing sailors of his deeds. He allowed the stories of his quests to be passed to future generations. Which brings this hero’s quest full circle, and ends it.
The entire story of Beowulf is essentially multiple versions of the “Hero’s quest” packed into one epic poem.
“The poem contains clear examples of the initial stage of the Call to Adventure.” (Kelley 7). The “Call To Adventure”, is when the hero’s world is introduced to a new threat. In beowulf’s case, that threat was Grendel. The journey itself could be labeled as another part of the hero’s quest called “The Approach” where the hero and his/hers allies must prepare for a challenge (Vogler 1). However, there was another journey occurring as Beowulf went to fight Grendel, the hero’s inner journey. The first step to the hero’s inner journey is “Having limited awareness of the problem” (Vogler 1) and Beowulf, to some extent, had limited awareness of the problem because he had no idea that his quest would cause him to undergo a change of a lifetime. The fight with Grendel’s mother is a repeat of the “Call to adventure” and “The approach” but it furthers the inner journey of Beowulf. It was the step of “Preparing for major change” because Beowulf was becoming more attached to the kingdom, which allowed Beowulf to be better prepared for taking on the role as “King of Geats”. After being crowned king and the dragon attacks, the hero’s quest cycle repeats once again, but, the inner journey is furthered because Beowulf had came to accept his possible doom at the hands of the dragon. Also, the hero’s quest is furthered because this fight can be labeled as “The Ordeal” Where the hero faces their greatest challenge/fear (Vogler 1). Beowulf’s fight with the dragon ended with both the dragon’s and Beowulf’s death, which is one of the last steps to the hero’s quest cycle, “The Resurrection” where the hero dies or sacrifices something and resolves all conflicts (Volger 1). Beowulf’s death allows the kingdom live on, but his death is never
forgotten.
Throughout the poem the reader can progressively see how quests in the story not only spread the word of Beowulf’s greatness, but also shape his character as a whole. In his quest to battle Grendel, he was able to show off his confidence to the readers. During his quest to defeat Grendel’s mother, Beowulf showed off his compassion and ability to connect with other people. His final self-given quest to defeat the dragon led to Beowulf showing his confidence and wisdom, he was able to deduce that he would not survive this battle and planned accordingly. Once again, it’s no wonder why the name of this poem is “Beowulf” and not “The Kingdom of Geats”. Works Cited
"Beowulf." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Oct. 2006.school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Beowulf/78692?opensearch=Quests%20in%20Beowulf. Accessed 31 Mar. 2017.
Heaney, Seamus. Heaney's Beowulf. Foster City, CA, IDG, 2000.
Kelley, James B. "The Hero's Quest in Beowulf." Critical Insights: Hero's Quest, Oct. 2012, pp. 132-147. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&db=lkh&AN=83406990&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Volger, Christopher. "INTRODUCTION." Hero's Journey. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.
Stories fan the flames of fame, and we are all simply burned by them. A story can consist of practically anything but the intention is almost always the same, to spread the word about something. Such as in Beowulf, if one were to read the poem with no prior knowledge, you would easily come to the conclusion that Beowulf is a legend… All because of the tales of his adventure and quests. The archetype of “the quest” is used all throughout the story to, not only drive the story along, but develope Beowulf himself as a character. Without these quests, the story would fall flat because Beowulf would have no reason to come to the foreign Kingdom of Geats, and if he did for some reason, Beowulf would be an incomplete character. The …show more content…
reader could hear of his tales and adventures, but if he doesn’t actually do anything in the story they could easily be forgotten as the story progresses. A quest is a task that is given from one person to another, this might include traveling to a specific place in order to solve a problem or retrieve an item. In most cases, a quest is compensated for if completed. In the story, The compensation that Beowulf sought was multiple things, but mainly fame and glory. “Therefore, to heighten Hygelac’s fame And gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand is how it will be, a life-and-death fight with the fiend” (line 440). In this quote from the text, Beowulf was only told to get rid of the monster, but due to him wanting to make Hygelac and himself famous, he goes the extra mile and chooses to fight the demon bare-handed. Although this turned out to be the only way of actually slaying the beast, Beowulf had no real reason to do this except to show off and guarantee a great amount of fame and glory upon completion. This not only gives Beowulf a purpose for completing the quest, but it also develops his character. Since all that Beowulf needed in order to do the task given was fame and glory, the reader can easily tell that Beowulf is a noble bent on improving his status in the kingdom. Since this story was made back in a time where status is very important the story and character of Beowulf were greatly influenced. Of course, as per most quests, Beowulf probably received some form of currency as another part of compensation for completing the quests given, but due to his “heroic” and “noble” nature, he doesn’t ask for more money compensation.“I come to proffer My wholehearted help and counsel.” (Heaney 5). When he approached the king to offer his services he claimed to be doing this out of the kindness of his heart. The first quest that was given to Beowulf was the task of taking down Grendel. Beowulf is from an entirely different country than the one Grendel was attacking. Since Beowulf was an outsider, how did he get entrusted to take down Grendel in the first place? Beowulf had used his past achievements as a form of verification in order to get into the land and approach the king. Since he had done so many deeds in his home land, he was able to allow his reputation to do most of the convincing for him. “The king recounts Beowulf’s deeds as a hero whenever Beowulf was attempting to enter Herot. After recalling the deeds the King let him into his country without hesitation” (Heaney 5). But unfortunately, his reputation wasn’t enough by itself so he had to give a sort of boast to allow the King to fully soak in how great he is. “Time and again, foul things attacked me, lurking and stalking, but I lashed out, 560 gave as good as I got with my sword. My flesh was not for feasting on” (Heaney 7). In this text, Beowulf is boasting about how he refused to be slain by giant sea monsters. He most likely did this in order to also let the king know that he had plenty of experience in battle. If and when Beowulf completes the task given to him by the king, he’ll have more trusty and notoriety throughout the kingdom. Beowulf was chosen to do all the other quests he has gotten because of the success of this first quest. This allowed the story of Beowulf to continue.
After Beowulf fought and defeated Grendel, a new threat emerged… Grendel’s mother. To exact her revenge, Grendel’s mother kills the old king’s closest friend. Due to the fame and respect he earned from his last mission, Beowulf was immediately sought out and sent to kill the cain-related beast. While reading this section, the reader can notice a slight difference in the author’s dicton. During the fight the author referred to Beowulf as “the hero”. “The hero observed that swamp-thing from hell” (line 1518). This is a subtle way for the author to show off Beowulf’s newfound fame. However, this fight and quest does more than show off his popularity, it builds his character. This is more than a simple grab towards fame, this quest is a quest to avenge a fallen comrade of the old king. In completing this quest, Beowulf show’s both the people of Geats and the reader his sense of respect. Adding more to his legacy and this poem as whole. This means that the quests given to Beowulf are changing him as a person, which is a very important staple in the hero’s quest archetype. This represents both the “call to adventure” and the “return with the elixir” parts of the hero's quest. In fact, Beowulf has changed so much, he eventually became king of Geats.
After the battle with Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is crowned king of Geats. This represents the hero’s inner journey, “committing to change”. Once he became king of Geats, he stayed king and kept the peace of the land for about fifty years, or “fifty winters” (line 2208). The story then recalls Beowulf’s acts of valor and bravery, acts that wouldn’t have been possible without the quests that were given to him. Then, one day, a dragon began attacking the kingdom. Even in his old age, Beowulf’s confidence was still strong and unfading. He took it upon himself to fight the creature destroying everything that he had worked hard to achieve. Beowulf most likely knew this would be his last quest. But the entire fate of his Kingdom he worked so hard to keep was on the line. So he knew that he must stop the dragon at any cost, including his life. His acceptance with his fate shows that he, as a person has changed completely. The young and adventurous Beowulf that wanted to make a name for himself wouldn’t have accepted this fate so easily. During the fight, Beowulf was poisoned by the dragon, and the author’s diction changes to let the reader infer Beowulf’s demise in this battle. “but now, for the king, this would be the last of his many labours and triumphs in the world. (line 2710). This quest in particular allowed us to see how wise Beowulf had become, he knew he was going to perish from the poison and planned out his burial with a comrade. He made his grave quite extravagant in order to show how great he was in life. He grave lied next to a river to remind passing sailors of his deeds. He allowed the stories of his quests to be passed to future generations. Which brings this hero’s quest full circle, and ends it.
The entire story of Beowulf is essentially multiple versions of the “Hero’s quest” packed into one epic poem.
“The poem contains clear examples of the initial stage of the Call to Adventure.” (Kelley 7). The “Call To Adventure”, is when the hero’s world is introduced to a new threat. In beowulf’s case, that threat was Grendel. The journey itself could be labeled as another part of the hero’s quest called “The Approach” where the hero and his/hers allies must prepare for a challenge (Vogler 1). However, there was another journey occurring as Beowulf went to fight Grendel, the hero’s inner journey. The first step to the hero’s inner journey is “Having limited awareness of the problem” (Vogler 1) and Beowulf, to some extent, had limited awareness of the problem because he had no idea that his quest would cause him to undergo a change of a lifetime. The fight with Grendel’s mother is a repeat of the “Call to adventure” and “The approach” but it furthers the inner journey of Beowulf. It was the step of “Preparing for major change” because Beowulf was becoming more attached to the kingdom, which allowed Beowulf to be better prepared for taking on the role as “King of Geats”. After being crowned king and the dragon attacks, the hero’s quest cycle repeats once again, but, the inner journey is furthered because Beowulf had came to accept his possible doom at the hands of the dragon. Also, the hero’s quest is furthered because this fight can be labeled as “The Ordeal” Where the hero faces their greatest challenge/fear (Vogler 1). Beowulf’s fight with the dragon ended with both the dragon’s and Beowulf’s death, which is one of the last steps to the hero’s quest cycle, “The Resurrection” where the hero dies or sacrifices something and resolves all conflicts (Volger 1). Beowulf’s death allows the kingdom live on, but his death is never
forgotten.
Throughout the poem the reader can progressively see how quests in the story not only spread the word of Beowulf’s greatness, but also shape his character as a whole. In his quest to battle Grendel, he was able to show off his confidence to the readers. During his quest to defeat Grendel’s mother, Beowulf showed off his compassion and ability to connect with other people. His final self-given quest to defeat the dragon led to Beowulf showing his confidence and wisdom, he was able to deduce that he would not survive this battle and planned accordingly. Once again, it’s no wonder why the name of this poem is “Beowulf” and not “The Kingdom of Geats”. Works Cited
"Beowulf." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 26 Oct. 2006.school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Beowulf/78692?opensearch=Quests%20in%20Beowulf. Accessed 31 Mar. 2017.
Heaney, Seamus. Heaney's Beowulf. Foster City, CA, IDG, 2000.
Kelley, James B. "The Hero's Quest in Beowulf." Critical Insights: Hero's Quest, Oct. 2012, pp. 132-147. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&db=lkh&AN=83406990&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Volger, Christopher. "INTRODUCTION." Hero's Journey. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.