The Hero’s Journey

Objective: Recognize the Hero’s Journey throughout the text of Beowulf. Assignment – complete the hand out provided with notes about the Hero’s Journey. Tomorrow – connect the material in the text of Beowulf to the specific components of the Hero’s Journey. Due date – this assignment will prepare you for your essay test and the hand out will be turned in Friday.

Joseph Campbell Campbell was perhaps the leading expert on World Mythology. His books on The Hero’s Adventure created a framework for understanding both life and literature.

The Archetype of the Hero’s Journey Joseph Campbell developed this chart as a guiding metaphor for the challenges and trials that all human beings face in life. Campbell believed that all men and women have the destiny and potential to be heroic.

Campbell’s Hero The hero must pass through several steps: The Call The Threshold The Challenges The Abyss The Transformation and Revelation Atonement Return with a Gift

The Call The CALL invites the initiate (hero in training) into the adventure, offers the opportunity to face the unknown and gain something of physical or spiritual value. The CALL comes as a realization of an imbalance or injustice in life.

The Threshold The THRESHOLD is the Point of No Return. This point is the interface between the known and unknown. The initiate often encounters Threshold Guardians at this point.

The Call and Initiation Stage George Lucas used the Hero’s Journey as the framework for his full Star Wars movie series.. In Star Wars episode 4, we meet Luke Skywalker, an initiate (hero-to-be) who is a young man longing for an adventure..

The Threshold Guardians Luke’s Aunt and Uncle on his home planet of Tattoine serve as his threshold guardians. They do not feel that he is ready to move out into the adult world.

The Young Hero’s Tension All young people, like Luke, must come to a point in their journey where they must “Cross the Threshold” from the world of childhood to the adult world of responsibility. The Threshold Guardians try to hold them back as the young initiates struggle to break away from home.

The Threshold is also the The young initiate has now made the key life decision to step out on his/her own into the unknown adult world. This line represents: The THRESHOLD The Threshold is also the "Point of No Return."

The Challenges The CHALLENGES are often temptations that the initiate must face. Early CHALLENGES are easy, but they increase in difficulty as the journey continues. CHALLENGES often strike the initiate’s weaknesses.

Challenges and Temptations A young person’s journey to adulthood is full of trials and temptations. In any true Hero’s Journey, it is the challenges and dangers that turn the child into an adult - the initiate into a True Hero. Just like Luke Skywalker, think of all the ways that Beowulf must prove himself to become a HERO.

WHAT IS BEOWULF’S ABYSS? The Abyss At some point, the initiate must confront his deepest and darkest fear. In most legends, he must confront EVIL or death itself. In Luke’s case, the challenge is both PHYSICAL and EMOTIONAL, because his father is DARTH VADER. WHAT IS BEOWULF’S ABYSS?

What is your ABYSS? What are your greatest Challenges and Temptations?

The Transformation and Revelation The TRANSFORMATION allows the initiate to change and this initiate will be reborn as a hero - a part of the initiate dies so that a new part can be born. The REVELATION is a sudden, dramatic change in the way one thinks or views life. The REVELATION usually occurs after the abyss.

The Transformation and Revelation At this stage, the initiate has survived the Abyss and has faced his greatest fear. He has now proven himself a worthy Hero, and he is ready to accomplish the great deed that is his true destiny.

The Atonement The ATONEMENT occurs after the transformation. The ATONEMENT implies that the initiate is “at one” with his or her life. The initiate has accomplished his or her task in the journey and is “reborn” into a hero.

The Return (with a Gift) To truly complete the Hero’s Quest, the new Hero must return to his home as a truly “new person.” He will bring home the “gifts” of protection, wisdom, and guidance to his home.

How does the Hero’s Journey connect to Beowulf’s character? You will now apply the knowledge you learned in this PowerPoint and connect it to the text of Beowulf. Complete the hand out with an example and explanation from the text for each of the parts of the Hero’s Journey. Find a specific quotation for each section, cited properly.