is an archetype and how are they important in the epic poem Beowulf? An archetype can be manifested as a character, situation, event, or a symbol. They have such a significant part in literature because they the reader have a better understanding by providing more characteristics and illuminating the personalities of the archetype. For example, some of them: are the devil figure, the scapegoat, the damsel in distress, the magic weapon, the quest and others. Even though there are many of them, they are facile to identify since they are universal. Some of the archetypes represented in Beowulf throughout the story are: the creature of nightmare, the journey, and light vs. darkness. Grendel projects the creature of nightmare, a creature darkness is a symbolic archetype shown that can be interpreted in many different ways. Herot hall represents light because it illustrates delightful characteristics that can describe a place similar to heaven. For example, not everyone is allowed in the hall, only Hrothgar and his men are there because they are considered the good people. In fact, the author states, referring to Grendel, “…He never dared to touch king Hrothgar’s glorious throne, protected by God─ God, whose love Grendel could not know” (l. 82-85). This leads to darkness which is represented by the lake in which Grendel and his mom lived. Their lair is portrayed as a dark, eerie, and slimy setting. To illustrate, “They live in secret places, windy cliffs, where water pours from the rocks, then 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 keep it dark. At night that lake burns like a torch” (l. 425-433). It is tremendously murky that even a deer would rather die than save its life in the water. Given these facts, there are diverse characters and settings that identify the light and the darkness in the
Order an Essay Now & Get These Features For Free:
Turnitin Report
Formatting
Title Page
Citation
Outline
