Beowulf Hero's Journey

A real hero is one who falls and fails; otherwise, they are nothing more than a stale perfection. Having fallen to their knees, a real hero always manages to rise again. Their strength and courage allows them to propel away their weaknesses. When faced with numerous struggles and obstacles, the ascertained downfalls no longer provide a threat to the combatant. Thus, throughout the hero’s journey, their shortcomings become the power required for victory. With that victory, their nobility is achieved. The computer animated version of Beowulf portrays an excellent example of what a hero should be.
When he answers the call to be a hero, Beowulf is a flawed character. Upon their arrival to the land of the Danes, Beowulf and his men are presented …show more content…
After celebrating in the mead hall with Hrothgar, Beowulf and his lackeys lie in wait for Grendel to appear. The lackeys are just as confident in defeating Grendel as Beowulf; however, his pride will not allow his men to defeat Grendel. Beowulf strips off all clothing and removes him weapons; he believes that if the monster had no protection or weapons, he should not either. The horrifying monster, Grendel, attacks the mead hall, and Beowulf battles him with all his strength. Of course a number of his men die while fighting for the hero that they believed in. Later in the story, Beowulf is sent by Hrothgar to kill Grendel’s mother after she took revenge for her son’s death. He enters her lair with confidence that he will be victorious. Unfortunately, Grendel’s mother uses her beauty and manipulative words to fool Beowulf. Upon his return, he lies to all the Danes, Hrothgar, and his remaining followers that he killed Grendel’s mother. (Beowulf). In both the film and poem Beowulf faces the same threats, but the poem’s version of Beowulf does not mention him struggling at all. When he fought Grendel, his first attack ended the fight. Grendel lost his arm and tried to flee from Beowulf. He does not deny his men’s support in the battle, but they die regardless. His encounter with Grendel’s mother was somewhat the same. Although he is at her mercy, Beowulf still manages to kill …show more content…
He is not perfect from the very beginning; on the contrary, he begins as a man with multiple shortcomings and grows to be an excellent hero. Beowulf lies to those that looked to him as their savior, and he did so to protect his legitimacy. He withstood the fight against Grendel on his own to show his strength. Also, Beowulf was entranced by Grendel’s mother and failed to kill her; it all led to his miserable life as an old king of the Danes. Beowulf still fights in his old age against the dragon, but gave his life in the process. Although he was dishonest, prideful, and naïve, Beowulf reflects how a true hero is to come into