Erika Showalter Final Exam

A hero is defined as a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. The story of Beowulf, while and exciting epic tale, does not show all the proper elements of the Hero's Journey. Although he could be mistaken for a hero at first with his distingushed sheer strength, his qualities are anything but noble.
The first stage of the Hero's Journey is Separation. The separation consists of the calling, the threshold, and the descent. Beowulf's calling is when King Hroðgar asks Beowulf to defeat Grendle, a horrible monster terrorizing the village of Herot. Beowulf doesn't really have a threshold. I suppose you could say his journey to Herot but this journey is not really covered in the story. Beowulf's Descent is when he sleeps in Herot and waits for Grendle to attack.
The second stage of the Hero's Journey is Initiation. The initiation consists of the abyss, a mentor, and a transformation. In Beowulf, the abyss would be when he enters the swamp in search of Grendle's vengeful mother. Beowulf doesn't have a mentor by any traditional standards. The only thing remotely similar to a mentor would be the Giant's Axe he finds and uses to defeat Grendle's mother. The final element of transformation is also lacking in the story of Beowulf. The closest thing to a transformation he has is conformation of his He-Man invincibility attitude, which in my opinion is just his shallow attempt at compensating for his lack of any empathetic emotion.
The third and final stage of the Hero's Journey is the return. The only element of the return is creation. Beowulf doesn't create anything. Some may argue that he made Herot a safe place, which is true to some degree, but in protecting Herot he puts his own home in danger.
So, in conclusion, although Beowulf is a mighty warrior, he is no hero. His main motivation is his own glory and wealth. Beowulf is nothing but a self-centered stereotypical He-man egotistical blockhead.