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
“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