“Archetypes for a Contemporary Audience” Essay Example for Free

Archetypes for a Contemporary Audience EssayMyths are an great cultural aspect that were, and are to this day, used comm soothe to help t individually morals and lifespan lessons. Strength, courage, and fortitude are just a few book of factsistics communicate in mythology. The archetypal layout of an exemplary story is composed of the Twelve Stages. The Twelve Stages of a boosters journey are the steps every someone must take in order to prove ones self as a crampfish. Mythical heroes such as Theseus, Sigurd, and Beowulf clearly submit the archetypal qualities of a hero. A characteristic hero is seen as a mor completelyy just individual, with a noticeably ethical intent. An archetypal quality of a hero is moral nigh(a)ness. The hero is always opposing evil and wrong-doing, while attempting his best to halt it. The hero is selfless always volitioning to give his life in place of another.A villain, or monster, is the opposed force of the hero, whose intent is solely bas ed around a malicious and self-centered motive. The shadow-self of a character is often portrayed as the villain, or monster, but it has a much greater importance. The shadow-self illustrates the two extremes of a personality. Since the shadow-self is the complete opposite of a character, the good and negative qualities of that character are shown, the shadow self of a character can have both good and bad aspects.When someone is subject to control the good aspects of both characters, the individual is able to grow and learn from themselves. The shadow-self is often used in literature, because it is seen as the perfect challenge for the protagonist. An example in literature would be Beowulf and Grendel. Beowulf is a great hero driven by good morals and intentions, while Grendel is a soulless monster living only to cause chafe and death. Another example would be Sigurd and Regin. Sigurd is somewhat naive and physically strong, Regin, being the opposite, is extremely intelligent and persuasive, but not physically robust.Monsters are often scattered with the shadow-self, but the monster can share similar qualities, values, and goals with the protagonist. Most monsters are shown as creatures, or people, who are not bound by the conforming laws clique in place for the average person. In many cases with monsters in literature, there is a figurative veil call backn over them shrouding them in mystery and uncertainty.These aspects draw peoples fascination by providing the reader with a form of escapism. Thus, allowing the reader to break away from the dull, constant, day-to-day routine oftheir lives, and discover a red-hot unfamiliar world. By providing this new reality for the reader the monsters role in the narrative is greatly enhanced. When combining chivalric qualities with villainous attributes, a perfect balance is formed. Most literature contains some manner of conflict between heroes and villains. Without conflict, the story would have no distinguishabl e design or economic consumption.Without the purpose or design the story would ramble aimlessly, until a much desired conclusion is reached. This leads back into the balance between hero and villain, because the existence of a hero or villain depends greatly upon the existence of the other. The reason for this is simple, because there is no need for a hero if there is no villain, and the same applies to a villain, who has no hero to rise up against. The voyage and quest of a hero is often riddled with hardship and treachery Then an old harrower of the dark happened to feel the hoard open, the burning one who turn tails out barrows, the slick-skinned dragon, threatening the night sky with streamers of fire.People on the farms are in dread of him. He is driven to hunt out hoards under ground, to guard heathen gold When the dragon awoke, trouble flared again. He rippled down the rock, writhing with anger when he saw the footprints of the sneaker who had stolen too close to his drea ming head. So may a man not marked by fate easily escape exile and hurt by the grace of God. (Heaney-155) This quote from Beowulf shows that quest for treasure is always challenging.The road to the treasure is filled with tests and confrontations that are put in place to challenge the heros skills and knowledge. When the location of the treasure is finally reached, there is always a final obstacle blocking the way of the treasure. A common example of this is a dragon in its lair, sleeping soundly, guarding its treasure from unwanted thieves. Beowulfs final fight with the dragon is an obvious example.In the story, Theseus and the Ariadne Thread Theseus uses a thread give to him by Ariadne. As may be imagined, he made no difficulty about that, and she gave him the clue she had got from Daedalus, a ball of thread which he was to touch on at one end to the inside of the door and unwind as he went on. This he did and, certain that he could retrace his steps whenever he chose, he walke d boldly into the maze, looking for the Minotaur.(Theseus 776)The thread was used to help Theseus remember where he had already been,and to lead him back to his original starting position, and keep him from getting befuddled in the maze. A valuable lesson can be learned from this thread, as it symbolizes connection to a person, place, or thing that brings us back to reality, when we are in need of direction.The slaying of the dragon is seen as the overcoming of an obstacle After what seemed minutes, he thought, I must risk it now. With that he straightened his knees and drove the sword upward with all his force. It tore up through the cloak, through the loose earth, and on with the force of his arm until it buried itself to the hilt. A great cry came from the monster. (Who Are You Quoting Here?) beingness able to overcome an obstacle is important, because it allows the person to undergo change and growth. As a contemporary audience we are able to read this, and be able to apply the knowledge gained from reading, in our own lives.The heroic epic numbers Beowulf is a remarkable example of archetypes in a story. Beowulf is centered on a Scandinavian hero who is both strong and cunning. Beowulf is the classic hero everyone envisions when they think of a hero. Grendel, Beowulfs shadow-self, is an obvious archetypal villain. Beowulfs many quests represent the typical hunt for treasure. Beowulfs final adventure, which would lead to his death, was by far the most archetypal of all of his endeavors, completing the last few stages of the Heros Journey.The poem Beowulf has a lot of psychological depth contained within the story. In preparation for the battle with Grendels mother, Beowulf must sink to the bottom of a lake, to get to the submerged lair. Beowulf must sink for hours to get to the bottom, and in doing so, this event displays that Beowulfs mental strength is just as robust as his physical strength. formerly Beowulf reached Grendels mothers lair, Hrunting, a sword that had never failed in battle, was broken when it attempted to pierce the monsters skin. Beowulf was quick to disarm the sword and reequip with a giantssword, which happened to be conveniently placed in the lair.The significance of this in the story demonstrates the idea that un-useful things should be quickly discarded, as they are only weighing you down. Letting go of things that only slow you down, or hold you back from your true potential, will free you to move forward in your lifes quest. Once an obstacle, or hindrance, in your life is gone, you are able to look for another alternative or way out.The last important archetypal piece in Beowulf is Beowulfs final fight with the dragon. This fulfills two of the 12 stages The Resurrection and the Return with the Elixir. When Beowulf defeats the dragon, but is also killed in the process, the resurrection is displayed when Beowulf comes to release his death. When Beowulf realizes his death is upon him he reminisces about his o ld heroic deeds, and comprehends the valor of his actions.The twelfth stage is exemplified when Wiglaf, the only one of Beowulfs men who didnt desert him, retrieves some of the treasure, won by Beowulf, and shows Beowulf the spoils. Finally, when Wiglaf returns to the people and tells them of Beowulfs death, on with a prediction of the upcoming days, the people fully realize what their leader has done for them, and they feel sorrow and remorse.The works of literature Beowulf, Sigurd the Dragon Slayer, and Theseus still maintain relevance in todays friendship. The heroic qualities of these heroes are still admired and sought after by the people of today. Reading these stories will provide the reader with a greater knowledge of how our society bases its morals.The morals of any society are based on the archetype of whom ever that society deems to be the ultimate good example. The age old battle between good and evil is still being fought out in everyday life, and each one of us is a character in the drama of human history. We all need heroes, because we all feel the threat of evil, or villains, in our lives.