Reaction to Beowulf

Reading Beowulf reminded me a lot of high fantasy and video games in my youth. The goal of both Beowulf and the high fantasy was to defeat the enemies and obtain as much treasure as possible. Beowulf, in slaying the many enemies of the kingdom is granted rich rewards in terms of battle armor, weapons, gold, and prestige. He eventually becomes king of the Geats through his actions. Many modern day high fantasy stories and video games promote these actions as well. In many games your character must slay monsters in order to advance and gain treasure. Most times, your character gain a reputation depending on what you slay. You also obtain rare items and money for slaying monsters, much like Beowulf obtained treasure for slaying the dragon. Also, in high fantasy stories and video games, the scenery often changes for each monster fought. In Beowulf, he fights Grendel in the Heorot, a hall, Grendal's mother at the bottom of the swamp, and the Dragon in a cave. The scenery changes allow for a change of pace in the story and to elaborate on the hero's travels.

Another aspect shown in both is the concept of time passing and growing stronger monsters. First, Grendel is slain by Beowulf easily, then Grendel's mother requires a special sword, then the Dragon is not slain by Beowulf himself but by Wiglaf after the Dragon and Beowulf mortally wound each other. In many high fantasy games, the stakes and monster difficulty grow higher the farther the characters advance. The 'final boss' of many stories is much more difficult than the first monster fought. Many bosses also require special equipment to be slain, much like Grendel's mother required a unique sword.

Many stories that pattern themselves after Beowulf (such as the high fantasy stories and video games discussed earlier) often emphasize the hero's journey in terms of places gone, monsters slain, and treasure collected. The Hero's Journey in other stories are often different in that they usually discover something about themselves and accept themselves. Sometimes the Hero has to show mercy and save others in order to truly become the hero. Other times the Journey is an inward one. However, in Beowulf and in stories like it, carnage and violence toward 'monsters' that are different from and destroy people are emphasized as the mark of the hero. The possession of trophies and riches are the sign of the completion of the Hero's Journey. Positions of power and glory are what makes a 'Hero' in these stories.