Archetypes And Ideals Of Beowulf And King - 892 Words

â€Å"A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway†-Joseph Campbell. Stories have so much power connect you to another world and teach you lessons that are needed throughout history. Archetypes give the story a focal point and shape the lesson the author is trying to get across. When ideals get embedded into stories, usually it’s when the hero does something noble and valiant so they want their readers to follow in his footsteps. The Anglo-Saxon Beowulf and Medieval Christian King Arthur display many archetypes and ideals to shape the story and make it exciting. The Beowulf and King Arthur storytellers use archetypes to create stories with suspense and have their heroes display values of loyalty to their respective listeners. Beowulf, king of the Geats, engages in battles in order to protect his community from physical creatures while King Arthur’s knights engage in spiritual battles against evil temptation which lurks around every corner. Beowulf proudly displays his prowess before he must confront Grendel, the â€Å"God-cursed brute† when he declares with bold confidence that he â€Å"can calm the turmoil† (Heaney 11, 21). Beowulf boasts of his strength, pledging to kill Grendel with his bare hands. Grendel, the cursed descendant of Cain, enjoys death and destruction, ruining Hrothgar’s reputation with every attack on his kingdom. The monster kills one of his men, angering the Thanes and encouraging them to fightShow MoreRelatedThe Role Of Women In Literature1587 Words   |  7 Pages When people are going through events in his or her life they look for a way to express or find something that relates to the feelings that they have. Majority of the time these feelings are exp ressed through literature. 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