Beowulf Expository Writing Project

Introduction

There is a significant difference between a hero and an archetypal hero. Archetypal heroes are ordinary in epics and mythologies and are known for possessing the distinct traits of strength, bravery, and nobility. Beowulf is such a hero as he went through a lot to give service to his country and people which made him an archetypical hero. Beowulf became an archetypal hero due to his supernatural strength, bravery, and the ability to fight for good and thus being of great importance to his country and people.

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Beowulf, an Archetypal Hero

Beowulf had superhuman abilities that made him more potent among other individuals. Beowulf exhibits extraordinary strength that makes him unique in the poem. This notion is evident when Beowulf leaves his homeland to search and fight Grendel and his mother who he gracefully defeated. "Now, with that night's fierce work; the Danes had been served as he'd boasted he'd serve them; Beowulf, a prince of the Geats, had killed Grendel, ended the grief, the sorrow, the suffering forced on Hrothgar's helpless people by a bloodthirsty fiend. No Dane doubted the victory, for the proof, hanging high from the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monster's arm, claw and shoulder and all" (Anonymous 53). His strength is evident when he slays the dragon by delivering a deadly blow to it even after realizing that his sword does little damage to it. This ability to fight and defeat supernatural beings shows the features of strength thus separating him from the rest of the society and tags him as an archetypical hero.

Beowulf's bravery is another characteristic that makes him an archetypal hero. Beowulf exemplifies bravery when he fights the dragon even after previously defeating his two other foes 'Grandel and his mother' Beowulf stands fast and slays the dragon. Dragons are believed to be difficult to kill but not for Beowulf. Since Beowulf "rose, still brave, still strong, and with his shield at his side, and a mail shirt on his breast, strode calmly, confidently, toward the tower, under the rocky cliffs: no coward could have walked there!" (Anonymous 63). According to the poem, only a great man could kill a dragon without fear of losing his life. Other warriors cowered away, but Beowulf due to his bravery fights the dragon, defeats it, and loses his life which makes him a classical hero in the poem.

Additionally, Beowulf fights for good which makes him an archetypal hero in the poem. Just like any classical hero, Beowulf loses his life while in service for his people. Besides, the fact that Beowulf did not seek compensation for his services and was merely satisfied with helping others. The ability to fight for good is evident when "the treasures they'd taken were left there, too, silver and jewels buried in the sandy ground, back in the earth, again and forever hidden and useless to men" (Anonymous 70). Beowulf displays the ability to fight for the good of his people and does not mind dying while in service which makes his an archetypal classical hero.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the archetypal image presented by Beowulf shows the real qualities of a hero. Beowulf is presented as merely a man with superhuman strength, bravery, and the ability to fight for right unconsciously personifies the archetypal image of a hero who is strong-willed and acts in spite of the great pain he might exhibit. Beowulf continually develops throughout the story by rectifying the imbalances that Danes to defeat the Grendel monsters and then back to his country to fight the last remaining imbalance, the dragon, which resulted in his death. Hence, "Beowulf" describes the deeds and adventures of an archetypal hero who possesses superhuman strength, bravery, and the ability to fight for good.

Works Cited

Anonymous."Beowulf."Literature California Treasures. Translated by Burton Raffel, Mc Graw-Hill, 2010, pp. 40-75.