Throughout Beowulf, the writer stays very close to the idea of a Hero’s Journey or monomyth. Beowulf can be seen as a hero in many different ways. One of the major similarities Beowulf has to a hero is his hubris or tragic flaw. His tragic flaw is similar to many other heroes tragic flaws which is his overconfidence. This can especially be seen at the end of the book during the fight against the dragon. Beowulf assumed that he was just as strong as he was 50 years in the past when he fought Grendel and Grendel’s mother. Beowulf went into the battle with far too much confidence and it ended up costing him his life. This situation is similar to many different heroes throughout history, aligning with many myths from Ancient Greece and Rome. This
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Herot is the bar or pub where most of Beowulf takes place. For many years Grendel has been attacking Herot uncontested. Everyone has been too afraid to even attempt to try and stop Grendel so each year, many lives are lost. Eventually, Beowulf hears of this town being terrorized by a horrid monster and feels it is his duty to come and assist them. This is another similarity to a monomyth because the hero feels the need to put others safety before his own. Once he arrives he alerts King Hrothgar of his plan to kill the beast. King Hrothgar is skeptical because Beowulf says he is going to fight Grendel unarmed which is a bold move yet it shows Beowulf’s confidence which will later lead to his death. Beowulf also shares characteristics with many previous tragic heroes such as impeccable strength, humbleness, and of course, massively confident. When he fights Grendel everyone is surprised that he is winning the fight by himself and once Grendel is dead he is praised by all those who are around him. His humble side comes out during this scene where he does not give in to the glory and merely brushes all of it off. He knows what he did had to be done and that is all that mattered to him. Towards the end this bravery and confidence lead to his
Herot is the bar or pub where most of Beowulf takes place. For many years Grendel has been attacking Herot uncontested. Everyone has been too afraid to even attempt to try and stop Grendel so each year, many lives are lost. Eventually, Beowulf hears of this town being terrorized by a horrid monster and feels it is his duty to come and assist them. This is another similarity to a monomyth because the hero feels the need to put others safety before his own. Once he arrives he alerts King Hrothgar of his plan to kill the beast. King Hrothgar is skeptical because Beowulf says he is going to fight Grendel unarmed which is a bold move yet it shows Beowulf’s confidence which will later lead to his death. Beowulf also shares characteristics with many previous tragic heroes such as impeccable strength, humbleness, and of course, massively confident. When he fights Grendel everyone is surprised that he is winning the fight by himself and once Grendel is dead he is praised by all those who are around him. His humble side comes out during this scene where he does not give in to the glory and merely brushes all of it off. He knows what he did had to be done and that is all that mattered to him. Towards the end this bravery and confidence lead to his