The Hero Essay, Research Paper

English Literature 261

The Hero

Zorro, Lassie, Hercules, and Beowulf all have something in common, they are all

considered hero? s. It does non count if the hero is a adult male, adult female, animate being or an confidant object

that springs to life. It does non count where the hero comes from or how old he or she is. The

merely thing that a hero needs to make to be a hero, harmonizing to Joseph Campbell, is follows a

predefined way of a hero and have some common features of one, excessively. Joseph Campbell in

one of the most knowing people on the topic of a hero. Harmonizing to Joseph Campbell

many hero? s have completed the same title over and over once more throughout history. He points out

that a hero is non limited to one peculiar clip or topographic point. Campbell explains the inside informations about what

makes a hero a hero in his treatment The Hero? s Journey. The narrative of the hero must hold a

mystical quality. A hero? s features should include making something beyond the normal

scope of a human and giving up one? s life for something bigger. A hero? s sequence of events is

began by the hero deliberately puting out on 1s ain to finish a physical title for a moral

aim. The hero is seeking to determine a barbarian universe out of his bing universe. The hero departs

from his place to carry through his title and so returns place once more. The hero undergoes a mental

development throughout the narrative through different tests that he or she is confronting. This transforms

the heroes province of consciousness. The hero learns to populate in the system in which he or she is and

does non fall victim to it. Last whatever is accomplished by the hero is lost when he or she dies.

In the narrative of Beowulf the chief character follows Campbell? s lineation of a hero. It is an

Anglo-Saxon verse form that recounts the life of the hero Beowulf and this verse form is one of the oldest

bing verse forms in the English linguistic communication.

First of all for a hero to be a hero he needs to be present in a narrative that has a mystical

quality about it, harmonizing to Campbell. The reader can see this mystical quality in Beowulf

everyplace he or she looks. First of wholly as the narrative begins it talks of a folk of people, called the

Danes, delivering a outcast babe at sea. The babe that the folk deliverances turns out subsequently to be their

male monarch. Another mystical quality that the narrative has is its monsters. Grendel, Grendel? s Mother, and

the firedrake are all enemies that intend on killing Beowulf in the narrative. Each monster possesses strength

and powers beyond the scope of any human. The hero himself conveying a mystical quality to the narrative

by besides possessing strength beyond the scope of any other homo. The narrative even possesses a

mystical because of a blade that is in it. The blade that Beowulf battles Grendel? s Mother with is

stronger than any blade of all time made by adult male because is forged by giants.

For a hero to be a hero he has to possess certain features which make him one. One

of these features is making something beyond the normal scope of a human. Beowulf does

this each clip that he fights a monster. When Beowulf fights Grendel it says that while the two

were fighting Grendel? Knew at one time that nowehere on earth/Had he met a adult male whose custodies

were harder? ( Raffel 46 ) . A monster that no other adult male could contend before with arms and win,

Beowulf fought without any arm and won. When Beowulf fought Grendel? s Mother, he goes

into a lake that no other adult male has of all time went into before and came out alive. While in the cave

under the lake Beowulf fight a conflict with a blade forged by giants that no other adult male could raise

and wins that conflict, excessively. Beowulf carries the caput of Grendel, which was in the cave with his

female parent, back to his work forces by himself. It takes four of his fellow warriors to transport the caput of

Grendel that Beowulf carried by himself. Finally when Beowulf is contending the firedrake after being

bitten in the cervix and filled with toxicant he still manages to kill the firedrake and talk to his lone

loyal warrior for a few proceedingss before he dies.

Besides making something beyond the normal scope of a human, Beowulf besides gives up his

life for something bigger than himself. This is another feature of a hero harmonizing to

Campbell. Beowulf gives up his life to salvage his people when he is king. Since no other warrior

will contend the firedrake that is looting the small town Beowulf must travel to support his land. Beowulf? s

shield is melted while he is contending and the firedrake takes his opportunity and bites Beowulf in the

cervix and injects toxicant into him. This is a fatal lesion but Beowulf still kills the firedrake by

knifing him. Beowulf? s lesion is to great and he dies after salvaging his land from the atrocious

monster.

Other than holding the features of a hero, a character must besides follow the way that is

predefined for the hero, accourding to Campbell. The first measure on this way is the hero must

deliberately sets out on his or her ain to finish a physical title with a moral aim. He

decides to go forth his fatherland and travel to the land of the Danes. Beowulf plans on supporting the

Danes from a monster he has heard about that is assailing the Mead hall. Beowulf sails off with

his fellow warriors to the land of the Danes and travel to visti Hrothgar, the Danes male monarch. Once there

Beowulf announces that he is traveling to free the land of Grendel. The ground Beowulf gives for

assisting Hrothgar licking Grendel is that long ago Hrothgar one time protected Beowulf? s male parent,

Ectheow, in a clip of expatriate. The physical title that Beowulf carries out is killing Grendel. The

two fight a difficult conflict in the Mead hall the dark that Beowulf arrives. Beowulf defeats the

monster by rending his arm off from the shoulder down. In the forenoon everyone comes and sees

Beowulf? s victory.

Another measure, harmonizing to Campbell, is the hero departs from his place to carry through a title

and so return place once more. Beowulf leaves the lone land that he has of all time cognize to travel and contend a

monster that is terro

rizing another land. Beowulf goes and slays two monsters. Fist he slays

Grendel. Grendel is defeated, but a 2nd job arrises. When Grendel? s Mother finds that

her boy is dead she is angered and vows retaliation on the people who did this. Beowulf so has to

battle Grendel? s Mother because she attacked Herot, the Mead hall, and putting to deaths Aeschere, the male monarchs

most sure thane. After murdering the female parent Beowulf goes back place to see his ain male monarch.

Another measure on the way to becomming a hero, harmonizing to Campbell, is to determine a

barbarian universe out of the bing one. Beowulf does this by contending for what is right in the universe.

When of all time a monster threatenes to destruct something in the land he is in he goes and battles it.

When Grendel threatenes the Danes, Beowulf kills Grendel by drawing off his arm. When

Grendel? s Mother threatenes the Danes, Beowulf goes into a dark lake to a cave and slays her

with a mystical blade. When a firedrake comes and threatenes to destruct the full land of the

Geats, Beowulf goes and murder it. Even when Beowulf is king of the Geats he is determining a

barbarian universe into a tame one. For the 50 old ages that Beowulf regulations there is no type of force

go oning in his land.

The following measure that is on the way to becomming a hero is that of the mental development

through tests which transformes the heros province of consciouseness. The reader sees the

transmutation in Beowulf each clip he prepares to travel and contend a monster. At first when

Beowulf is contending Grendel he wares no helment, uses no blade and carries no shield. He goes

into the conflict wholly unarmed and expects to win easy. The following conflict that Beowulf battles

is against Grendel? s Mother. For this conflict Beowulf does non travel in empty handed. Beowulf now

barrows a blade and puts on a suit of armour and a helment. He now assumes that he is traveling to

need more than merely bravery to contend the monster at the underside of the lake. The last conflict that

Beowulf battles he puts on every type of defensive device he can happen. Not merely does he set on a

suit of armour, a helment, and take a blade, he has a shield made merely for this conflict. Each clip the

reader can see that Beowulf is becomming wiser in his determinations and his province of consciousness is

transformed.

Another measure that a hero takes, harmonizing to Campbell, is to take attention of his moral

duties. Each clip that Beowulf went into conflict he did so because of a moral duty. The

first duty he has is to Hrothgar for salvaging his male parent a long clip ago. Since Hrothgar did

salvage Beowulf? s male parent Beowulf decides that he is obligated to assist out the male monarch when he is in

problem and being discraced. The following moral duty that Beowulf has is to kill Grendel? s

Mother since it his mistake she is assailing the Mead hall. Grendel? s Mother is disquieted because her boy

is dead and she plans on taking retaliation out on Hrothgar? s people. The following moral duty that

Beowulf has is to turn over the wealths that he received when he goes back place. All of the gold

and gems and conflict equipment that Hrothgar gives to Beowulf for his protection he gives to his

male monarch. The last moral duty that Beowulf fulfills is to contend the firedrake looting the land

when he is king. Since no 1 will contend the monster it is up to Beowulf to defeand his people.

The following measure that is in the sequence is to populate in a system and non be eaten by it. Beowulf

tells the reader that he did this when he is reflecting back on his life before he goes to contend the

firedrake. He reviews his life with no feelings of sorrow or guilt because he knows that he has

followed the Torahs of his society. Beowulf did everything which he is supposed to make throughtout

his life and at no clip does he go a corrupt individual who is merely interseted in his ain well

being.

The last measure in the procedure is that whatever is gained by the hero is lost when he or she is

gone. This happens in Beowulf because Beowulf gives his life protecting his land and winning

hoarded wealth from a firedrake. After Beowulf? s decease the land is traveling to be at war and the peace he has

worked tested to keep for 50 old ages will be lost. The hoarded wealth that Beowulf won by killing the

firedrake is locked up inside the grave in which Beowulf is buried and will ne’er be seen once more.

In reasoning a hero is formed by the features he or she possesses and the way that

he or she follows harmonizing to Joseph Campbell. The narrative itself must hold a mysterious quality

about it. The blade and the monsters provide this quality in Beowulf. The features that the

character demands to be a hero are to make something beyong the normal scope of a human and giving

up 1s life for something bigger than him or herself. Beowulf is stronger than any other mand

and gives his life to protect his people. To be a hero a character must besides follow the way of a

hero. First by puting out on one? s ain to finish a physical title for a moral duty.

Beowulf leaves Geatland on his ain to kill Grendel to refund Hrothgar for his kindness to his

male parent. Carry throughing each moral duty is a measure on the way of being a hero. Beowulf kills each

monster because of a moral duty and gives his king the wealths he receives from each because

it is his moral duty to make so. A character departs from his or her place to travel on an escapade

and so return place once more. Beowulf leavs his land to kills two monsters and so returns place

once more. Next a character will determine and savage universe and through tests transform to a different

province of counciousness. By contending monsters and governing the land Beowulf grows smarter and less

selfish than he was earlier. The last measure is to populate in a system and eventually hold everything that is

gained by the character lost. Beowulf lives in his system without becomming corrupt and in the

stop the peace and hoarded wealth that he fought for is lost by his people. When a character has the

features and follows the right way so he or she is a hero. Beowulf is a hero.