Archetypes are a recurring pattern of human behavior, symbolized by standard types of characters in stories. And to come up with different kinds of archetypes, we need to evaluate the story after reading it carefully and understand the different characters perspectives, just like Beowulf Part one that is translated by Burton Raffel and Beowulf part two by Seamus Heaney which the two of them shows the battles that happened with Beowulf perspective. While the Grendel novel by John Gardner showing the story from Grendel perspective. Which means in this way and by comparison would affect the reader understanding to the better than reading it from the other point of view. The hero, shapeshifter, and light versus darkness are important archetypes and they are the most eminent in the story.
Beowulf story itself is deeper than just a passing story. It’s carrying the mysteries of that era at that period and suffering from injustice. Stories of dreams and myth, a narration of monsters and God made arms, fighting from mold to underworld to sky with the Dragon, the story of hero seek for a community that threatened by the power of evil, story of people who gained a freedom after years of persecution. It is not just a story about a hero and a monster, but the story of the suffering of people have given their freedom after all patience against the evil ( Element of Literature p. 20 ).
The hero of the epic poem is a man who is not an ordinary man, who's a hero came to rescue and save the people from the monster Grendel, a man that is not afraid of facing any non-human being, and would accept any challenge or request. He’s more above human limitation, just like when he sank under the water bearing the pressure to reach Grendel mother and kill her, that itself prove that he’s not an ordinary human “ He sank through the waves,” ( Raffel line 181). Beowulf represents a different kind of archetypes. Specifically he represent the example of an epic hero a man whose show us the meaning of loyalty to himself and his words, whose get rid of evil people in society, those who harm and try to disturb the peace. It prove that he is a phenomenal man, a man with a superior physical strength who’s embodies the idealistic culture of the Anglo-Saxon. Also, Beowulf represents the blockade community that was living at that period which facing the evil forces that latent at that savage society (Raffel). In Beowulf part one epic poem the feeling of, spirit and passion coming out from him, showing a man not afraid of difficulties or from the fate itself, showing no concern for circumstances, aiming for victory to gain glory by to get rid of the monster that disturbed the purity of the life of people. Then when he goes for Grendel mother it was for fame and fortune after the king offers many to him to kill her, and her the rule is a change for Beowulf since all heroes typically aim for glory, honor, and pride, but here he changes it to be for money.
Switch to the Beowulf part two, the reader, could notice the change of the hero behavior and thoughts, not seeing the complete absolute confident that the reader could sense especially when he fights Grendel and the mother in the first and second battles, here instead he starts to give his concern about the fate and also start the Pagan Nation reference of fate that during his discussion comes up, which shows the impersonal force that predetermines the outcome of that anonymous event that might happen. That concept is known as Wyrd, and it was central to Anglo-Saxon beliefs, “ what occurs on the wall between the two of us will turn out as a fate,” ( (Heaney line 284-285 ). Moreover, a hero fighting alone with a fire-breathing dragon in this epic poem is an image of one of the most archetypal images in the Western heroic literature (Element of Literature p. 35 ). In his battle against the dragon, he shows his concern about the outcome, in the same time don’t show his fear from dying versa it appear how he is ready to die for his goals, to gain glory, honor, and pride, dies trying instead of living a life of shame. From the first battle to the last one with dragon start to shows Beowulf believe and thoughts from an absolute confident to a sense of destiny awaits him and to catch him anytime.
In the Grendel novel, the reader will be able to learn more about the character Grendel or the monster which represent one kind of the damsel in distress archetype, a sort of a shapeshifter which is also referred to his mom “ The mighty water witch “(Raffel line 204). Grendel is an original character that comes up to be a posing villain personality obsessed with bloodshed, that what we conclude from this monster in Beowulf part one. While jumping to the novel that talked about Grendel thoughts, from his perspective it’s change everything to the opposite direction, since the monster that in the epic poem is different in this novel just like a baby who learn everything by observing his surrounding and concluding what the right and wrong, but for him it may be what is right is just wrong indeed. He wasn’t killing for fun in the novel he only kills to eat, to silent his hunger only, he’s a monster but in a good thought, since he compared himself with human and conclude for sure that he is better than them since he killed to eat and not for joy or desire. This character continue to change over time, and those thoughts start to turn to an evil monster, seeks to kill as much as possible and that attitude have been develop after his meeting with the dragon, whom pictured for him the image, feeling and reaction of the human when they sees him by experiencing on his own, just like how he feels when he meets the dragon and gets scared of his appearance, which made him after that thirsty for killing and bloodshed for fun only. Then after doing what he aim for, Grendel start to think more in a logic way; which is it if he keeps on eliminating human there won't be anything to kill later on, and that would make him enter the circle of tedium, and that’s the worst feeling that his night had. After that, the stranger comes whose refer to Beowulf and here he start to sense a danger coming near him as if he knew that his end is approaching him. He tries to convince himself that this man kills before and the same goes to him, so that there is no much different between them and he can defeat him and that play as a way to relieves himself. And when he was on the brink of death he realized the cruelty of the world. Eventually, it shows he transferred to complete evil monster by going through three stages of change in personality and thoughts just like Beowulf.
Moreover, the nature of the place where the story takes place is divided between light and darkness which is one type of the archetypes. If we come to the dark side of the story; this symbolized by the nature of the place that Grendel and his mother live in which it mostly look like a cave under the ground full of turbid water where there is no light, only darkness, and mud. While if the reader takes a look at the outside of this cave the outside world; everything will look bright from the ground to the trees to the sunlight, the air, humans and animals, a perfect combination of a person. Living thing with non-living things, and with the nature of the environment that will give a feeling of hope and revive the heart to complete the day, not like were Grendel lives. His surroundings refer to the violence and darkness, a place with no hope or the desire to live, an isolated area filled with feelings of loneliness. And it’s obvious that Grendel goes out to the brightened world to search for distracted and forget his dreariness and getting out from this grooming area radiates with life. With that if it’s compared to the author philosophy and considering the period that this novel represents, this will gives the idea that the nation back then was subjected to injustice an evil society that needed someone to take it out from the darkness from the cave underground to the light above ground to applied justice and fee their community.
Archetypes help to understand the story goals and help the reader understand the story connection with the different situations, which was that society is going through. And since the author himself hadn't mentioned his name in the novel at that time, then that prove how the community was threatened by the evil, dark and destructive power of its rulers, that the monster represents in this narration. Also how Beowulf presented how this community been set free and get rid of evil and how their motivation to glorify these people who have set them free.
Thanks for reading :)