On Beowulf, and The Hero's Journey

I would like to start by saying that I apologize for the long lay-off in between activity. Things have been extremely busy for me, but I should be back to regular reporting as of right now. Anyway, let's get on with the important stuff.

If you are aware of the history of English literature, then it is an almost a certainty that you have come across Beowulf (at least the name). It is an epic-ish poem about Mr. Beowulf, a prince who faces three important foes in his warrior centered life. The only reason I add an -ish on the end of epic is because an epic poem would be something like the Iliad or the Odyssey or Dante's Divine Comedy. All of those are ridiculously long. Beowulf, in comparison, sits at a modest number of just over 3,180 lines of verse.

Is this how you see Beowulf?

More importantly, Beowulf, stands a classic example of that lovely concept known as the Hero's Journey or the monomyth. The single story that gets told and retold under a multitude of extraordinary and very ordinary disguises. You'd think they find another story to tell in the who knows how many years humanity has been around. Well, apparently they haven't, which is probably why something like Beowulf still manages to be relevant today.

Our journey with Beowulf begins when an evil and dastardly being by the name of Grendel, a descendant of Cain, surfaces in the kingdom ruled by King Hrothgar (which is not just a place in Skyrim). He brutally attacks a group of thanes, devouring and looting them after robbing the noblemen of their lives. Understandably, there's a great deal of distress in Hrothgar's kingdom. What is this called in the monomyth? That's right, the inciting incident. The action begins and the stage is set for the hero to save the day.

This is where Beowulf is introduced. He is a foreign prince, who has heard of Grendel and offers to remove the beast as a threat. Hrothgar gladly accepts his offer. For anyone adhering to the ancient code of honor and nobility, this is the point of no return. Beowulf will simply not go back on his word, as it is not in his nature to do so. During this meeting, two and maybe three boxes are checked on the hero's journey. (There is no refusal, and if there was it happened back at home before he is introduced) Beowulf meets his mentor, Hrothgar; Beowulf crosses the first threshold by claiming the responsibility to hunt down Grendel; and Beowulf figures out his allies and knows the name of his enemy.

Beowulf is on his way.

Then, in the middle of the night, Grendel strikes again, killing another large group of men when they are sleeping. By this point, Beowulf is aware of the nature of his enemy. He sets out to fight him, but without his armor. Grendel has no armor, and being a man of honor and nobility, Beowulf decides the armor would be an unfair advantage. He knows that God will either grant him victory or not, and doesn't appear too worried about it. I'm not sure how many boxes are checked, but a second point of no return has been passed and he approaches the showdown with Grendel.

When he comes face to face with Grendel, Beowulf grabs him by the arm with a grip strong as a that of thirty men--an English speaking Hercules of sorts. Grendel struggles and struggles to break away, but he cannot. He knows this, but is not willing to give in, so the beast forfeits his arm, allowing it to be torn from him as he attempts to flee. Grendel succeeds in getting away, but his victory is only temporary. Death is a certainty to him. At this point, Beowulf's ordeal with Grendel is complete. He has conquered and vanquished his foe. 

The rest of this episode is the falling action, as he is given his just rewards by Hrothgar and his men celebrate. Here's where the end would be fitting. However, it isn't the end of Beowulf's story. Grendel's death is merely the inciting incident for the second heroic episode of for the noble prince. I will not go into the details there, as I would be repeating myself. The same points will be hit although in a different setting and will have different details, which is why storytelling hasn't been phased out by humanity. There is still a great deal of originality.

10 Great Screenplays: #6 Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (1969)

When I picture bank robbers and criminals, the last guys that come to mind are Robert Redford and Paul Newman. Those guys, by virtue of their popular image, were supposed to be the essence of cool. They have to look good, even at the expense of a solid acting performance. Then I saw Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, and now I can't see the pair as anything else but a couple of bickering bandits.

Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?

Anyway, onto the screenplay. William Goldman, the imaginative author of The Princess Bride, delved into the pages of history with Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid. Butch and Sundance were the last of the great Western-style bandits, gunslingers who accomplished their deeds on horseback. Also, as Goldman portrays them, they were prone to light-hearted bickering and the occasional unnecessarily long frolicking escapade on a bike. 

The playful duo pull a couple of bank robberies and then danger comes, the kind of danger that says flee instead of stand and fight--a super posse. An angry railroad baron calls for their heads and assembles an unrivaled gang of lawmen and trackers to make sure they don't get away. Every time Butch and Sundance think they're free, the posse shows up, foiling any feelings of relief.

Who are those guys?

After a daring escape that involves a leap of faith, Butch and Sundance go to the only friend they've got, Etta Place. She's also Sundance's girl. At Butch's behest, they head south to Bolivia and find a very impoverished situation. Of course, they remedy this by robbing banks and pissing off the government. 

At the end of the day, Goldman's masterful screenplay is all about dialogue and every writer's friend, the monomyth. The dialogue, on top of completing it's primary purpose of moving the story forward, is simply dripping with wit. There are seemingly more moments that illicit laughter than there are moments of intense drama. In short, it's fun, it's got action, and it's got drama, and that's rare for a screenplay. Also, by virtue of being a Western, the Hero's journey or monomyth is on full display. Yes, every story contains the monomyth in some fashion, but here it is more prevalent. All the boxes are checked very clearly. Does that make it formulaic and unoriginal? 

Not in the slightest.