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Jennifer Herrera

Mrs. Dill

British Literature

5 December 2018

Pride and Greed in Character Archetypes

Pride and greed are human tendencies present in many different types of literature. To

incorporate these human tendencies in their writing, authors use character archetypes to propel

character external battles and actions. Anonymous, the author of the epic poem ​Beowulf​, writes

about the said hero who travels to Denmark to stop the vicious monster Grendel from harming

the Danes any longer. The various characters incorporated in the epic each correlate to a specific

character archetype through the use of specific key aspects and characteristics. In the epic poem

Beowulf​, the author Anonymous implements certain character archetypes to expose human

tendencies of pride and greed through the use of external battles.

Anonymous designed Beowulf to match “The Hero” archetype to showcase the human

tendency of pride through the use of an external battle with his malicious opponent, Grendel. A

hero is a character who “leaves the familiar to enter an unfamiliar and challenging world”

(“Character Archetypes”). When Beowulf learns of the monster Grendel and his actions towards

the Danes, he makes it his mission to eliminate Grendel and bring peace to the Danes. As a

result, Beowulf leaves Sweden, and he enters the unfamiliar Danish territory to confront the

monster. Beowulf even declares to everyone present in the mead-hall that his “hands/Alone shall

fight for [him], struggle for life/Against the monster” (ll. 172-174). To delineate, fighting a

bloodthirsty monster with no means of protection, besides his bare hands, requires a lot of
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courage, virtue, and bravery, all of which are fundamental hero archetypal traits. Anonymous

conveys the human tendency of pride through the use of this archetype because Beowulf’s need

to be brave and courageous makes him unwilling to use his weapons during the external battle

with Grendel. Anonymous makes Beowulf weaponless because he does not want him to seem

weak and cowardly especially since the monster does not use any weapons to fight either. If

Beowulf were to win the battle using weapons, the weapons, not his potential, would get the

credit. To advance the idea, Anonymous makes Beowulf possesses hubris, or excessive

confidence in his abilities. As a result, he does not allow anything to take a blow at his pride. He

does not want the Danes to think of him as a coward but instead as the mighty hero that will save

them all.

Beowulf is the quintessential hero and his role in that archetype will bring about

his pride-influenced decision and his external conflict with Grendel. In addition to this, the

monster Grendel fits “The Devil Figure” archetype to demonstrate the human tendency of greed

through the use of his external battles with the Danes. In the epic, Grendel is “The Devil Figure”

because his “character is evil incarnate” (“Character Archetypes”). For twelve years, Grendel has

raided, killed, and harmed the Danes with no provocation for his actions. As a result of Grendel’s

evil deeds, the Danes see him as an enemy and often refer to him as “that demon, that fiend,

Grendel” (ll.16-17). Anonymous included Grendel as “The Devil Figure” so that other

archetypes, like the mighty “Hero,” would be able to confront him and lead to external battles

between good and evil. Grendel’s deadly nightly raids on Herot reveal the human tendency of

greed because Grendel continues to mercilessly murder Hrothgar’s men for pleasure. To further

prove this point, Grendel continues to come day after day which conveys the fact that he has no
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intentions of stopping his assaults. He does not care about the pain that he is inflicting on the

Danes; instead, all he cares for is satisfying his own vicious enjoyment. In the epic, Anonymous

explains that “Grendel came again, so set/On murder that no crime could ever be enough,/No

savage assault quench his lust/For evil” (ll. 50-53). Judging by the fact that Grendel had an

unquenchable thirst for blood and death, Anonymous makes it evident that Grendel is greedy for

the misery and laments of the Danes.

The author of ​Beowulf ​incorporates Grendel as “The Devil Figure” and uses his

assaults on the Danes to expose the human tendency of greed. Similarly, Grendel’s mother fits a

character archetype as well; however, her character archetype is “The Creature of Nightmare”

instead. “The Creature of Nightmare” archetype is “a monster usually summoned from the

deepest darkest part of the human psyche to threaten the lives of the hero/heroine” (“Character

Archetypes”). According to Anonymous, Grendel’s mother lives in a dark underwater cave in a

murky lake that instills fear into every living being. The author describes that the “Roots… reach

as far as the water/And help keep it dark… [and that] no one knows it’s bottom. No wisdom

reaches such depths” (ll. 551-554). After her son’s death, need for revenge summons Grendel’s

mother from her dark hiding place in her deep underwater cave. To avenge her son’s death, she

is set on killing Beowulf, which leads to an external battle with Beowulf where he defeats her as

well. Furthermore, “The Creature of Nightmare” archetype that Anonymous includes showcases

the human tendency of greed because Grendel’s mother wants to do anything she can to satisfy

her desire for revenge no matter who she harms in the process. To further prove this point, the

fact that Grendel’s mother came out of her cave for the sole reason of obtaining revenge

highlights how greedy she is to inflict the same misery and grief that she is experiencing onto
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Beowulf and the Danes. Her greed resides in the fact that she only cares for herself and her own

emotions.

Grendel’s mother fits “The Creature of Nightmare” archetype to create an

external conflict with the heroic character and to consequently expose the human tendency of

greed. Another character archetype that Anonymous incorporates into ​Beowulf​ is present in

Unferth and his match to “The Threshold Guardian” archetype. A “Threshold Guardian”

character archetype “tests the hero’s courage and worthiness to begin the journey” (“Character

Archetypes”). In the epic, Unferth tells Beowulf that he is prideful, conceded, and arrogant if he

thinks he can defeat Grendel. Basically, Unferth insults Beowulf, tries to humiliate him in front

of the Danes, and says that he has only “been lucky in… battles” (l. 258). By doing this,

Anonymous shows that Unferth is trying his best to insult him but is also testing Beowulf’s

bravery and worth. Because of Unferth’s match to “The Threshold Guardian” archetype, his

actions fuel and lead to his external conflict with his powerful opponent Beowulf. Since Beowulf

is able to put all those past defeats aside and turn the tables on Unferth by humiliating him

instead, he is demonstrating his worth, intelligence, and power to the Danes. He is also proving

that he is ready to take on the journey to defeat Grendel. Additionally, this archetype that the

author includes also demonstrates the human tendency of greed because Unferth is not happy

with the fact that Beowulf, a newcomer, is getting all the glory and praises after doing nothing

but boast about his vast number of achievements. To highlight the extent of his greed,

Anonymous makes it known that Unferth is aware that he is not worthy of any praises after

doing the unthinkable and killing his brothers; however, that does not stop him from desiring

those compliments. Unferth’s envy and bitterness over the idea that someone could possibly be
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better, braver, and more successful than he could ever be, fuels his greed for everything Beowulf

is receiving and causes him to test Beowulf’s worth at the same time.

Anonymous matches Unferth to “The Threshold Guardian” archetype to include an

external battle between two characters to consequently expose the human tendency of greed.

Likewise, Anonymous correlates the dragon with “The Shadow” archetype to reveal the human

tendency of greed through the use of an external battle with Beowulf and the dragon. “The

Shadow” archetype matches a character who is “a worthy opponent with whom the hero must

struggle in a fight to the end” (“Character Archetypes”). The dragon, as a matter of fact, is the

final and most worthy vicious opponent that Beowulf will battle in the epic. Anonymous proves

the dragon’s worth when he makes Beowulf decide to neglect his pride and use weapons against

the dragon. The author proves the dragon’s worth yet again when Beowulf says, “We shall see,

soon, who will survive/This bloody battle” (ll. 680-681). Admitting to his potential downfall

presents the dragon as the final dangerous obstacle that Beowulf will face in an external physical

battle to the end. Correspondingly, the dragon showcases the human tendency of greed when he

becomes Beowulf’s vicious final opponent. Anonymous shows the human tendency of greed

when the dragon engages in a battle to protect his treasure hoard from Beowulf and the men who

plan to take it. To further prove this point, the dragon was not happy and was ready to fight

Beowulf’s people over one stolen gold cup. Judging by the fact that the dragon did not want even

one of his valuables missing from his hoard, the author makes it clear that the dragon is

incredibly selfish and greedy. The dragon does not care about killing or harming the men with

his strength and power; instead, his greed for his treasure makes him protect it from any potential

threat no matter the cost.

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The dragon fits “The Shadow” character archetype to exhibit the human tendency of

greed by becoming the final vicious opponent that Beowulf will have to confront. Finally,

another archetype that Anonymous incorporates into the epic ​Beowulf​ is the “Loyal Retainers”

archetype that presents the human tendencies of greed through the battle between Beowulf and

the dragon. The “Loyal Retainers” character has a “duty… to reflect the nobility and power of

the hero” (“Character Archetypes”). During Beowulf’s battle with the dragon, he has a group of

loyal men with him to aid him if he is ever in danger. However, when Beowulf needs their help

to battle the dragon “none of his comrades/[Come] to him [or help] him… [instead] they [run]

for their lives” (ll. 746-748). Anonymous explains that the only person among the men who

stayed and defended the king from the dragon was Wiglaf. Since Wiglaf is the only loyal retainer

of the group, it highlights the fact that the other men did what they did out of greed. The men

have an obligation to remain loyal to their King and even die if needed; however, the other men

betray their king and choose self-preservation over loyalty. To further elaborate on this point, the

author shows that Beowulf’s men are greedy for the chance to stay alive and did not think twice

before fleeing the scene. The men evidently do not care about anyone but themselves because

they know it would not end well for them after seeing their great leader slowly losing the battle

with the dragon. By including their choice of flight over confrontation, Anonymous demonstrates

the men’s self-concern and greed for their own lives instead of the life of their king. The

character archetypes Anonymous presents within each distinct character propels the epic forward

with external battles that expose the human tendencies of greed and pride throughout the entirety

of the epic poem ​Beowulf​.