Test_Essay

In the story “Beowulf” there are many characteristics that make this story a fundamental epic. Some of those characteristics are character, situational, and symbolic archetypes. For example a character archetype that appears in Beowulf is The Monster of Nightmare. “Grendel snatched at the first Geats / He came to, ripped him apart, cut / His body to bits with powerful jaws, / Drank the blood from his veins and bolted / Him down, hands and feet […]” (Beo 262-266). This quote describes this archetype, it describes a monster called Grendel that threatens lives and that is extremely evil. Therefore Grendel is a great example for The Monster of Nightmare. Furthermore Loyal Retainers is another character archetype that appears in Beowulf. “None of his comrades / Came to him, helped him, his brave and noble / Followers; they ran for their lives, fled / Deep in a wood. And only one of them / Remained, stood there, miserable, remembering, / as a good man must, what kinship should mean. / His name was Wiglaf […]” (Beo 268-275). Wiglaf like the quote says, is the only one that is brave enough to stay and help Beowulf while fighting the dragon. In other words he is a great example of a Loyal Retainer because he is somewhat of a hero for trying to save Beowulf. Also another example is Battle Between Good and Evil, this is a situational archetype that contains the story of Beowulf. “Then he stepped to another / Still body, clutched at Beowulf with his claws, / Grasped at a strong-hearted wakeful sleeper / ---And was instantly seized himself, claws / Bent back as Beowulf leaned up on one arm. / That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, / knew at once that nowhere on earth, / Had he met a man whose hands were harder; […]” (Beo 268-275). This quote describes a part of the battle between Grendel and Beowulf. This battle is definitely a battle between good and evil. Thus this describes very well this archetype of Battle Between Good and Evil, obviously Grendel would be the evil and Beowulf would be the good. Moreover the sword that Beowulf used to kill Grendel’s mom is clearly an archetype of Magic Weapon. “Then he saw, hanging on the wall, a heavy / Sword, hammered by giants, strong / and blessed with their magic, the best of all weapons / But so massive that no ordinary man could lift […]” (Beo 513-516). This sword like the quote mentions it was a special sword because not everybody could use it to its full potential. However Beowulf uses this weapon successfully when he kills Grendel’s mother. In addition the symbolic archetype Light vs. Darkness was another archetype that made Beowulf a fundamental epic. “They live in secret places, windy / Cliffs, wolf-dens where water pours / From the rocks, the runs underground, where mist/ Steams like black clouds, and the groves of trees / Growing out over their lake are all covered / With frozen spray, and wind down snakelike / Roots that reach as far as the water / And help keep it dark.” (Beo 425-432). In this case the darkness is the house of Grendel’s mother’s. This darkness signifies the unknown of what’s going to happen between the battle of Grendel’s mother and Beowulf. In conclusion, there are many archetypes that make Beowulf a fundamental epic, including symbolic, situational, and character. Some of these archetypes are very easy to identify, but others are not as clear. In other words this is definitely a fundamental epic.