Baseball player Jackie Robinson once said, “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” In both Beowulf and the Arthurian Legend, the characters play roles in how many everyday people attempted to live their lives. Each individual character is assessed with certain qualities that contribute to the story in many different forms and fashions. The qualities the characters possess play into different archetypes in the story. Archetypes are used to describe different backgrounds and cultures expressing how the ideal life for that certain culture is to be obtained. During the stories of both Beowulf and the Arthurian Legend, specific archetypes are expressed through characters such as Beowulf, Sir Bors, and other knights …show more content…
As Beowulf enters the last battle of his heroic career, he “addresses each companion” and submitting to his destiny he informs his loyal men that he will fight alongside them, “one final time” (Haney.7642). When the Geat hero Beowulf is about to finally meet his match, he considers the great Thanes above himself and realizes there would have been no success without them. Beowulf evidently illustrates why he is the ideal German because even after all the things he has achieved in his lifetime, he looks back and humbly says the Thanes are greater than him. His reward for all his loyalty to the Camitatus is the acknowledgement from them that his heroic work will never be forgotten. Another example occurs before Beowulf’s battle against Grendel the great dragon as he recognizes that it was different to see the “other rigged out in his gear” and “ready for battle” (1470). As Beowulf is about to fight an underwater battle, he valorously reassures his Camitatus that no matter what happens in this battle, it will be alright. Being the leader of the Geats, Beowulf personally feels responsible for assuring the people and his comrades are safe and by stating it will be alright gives his people hope, just as the whole story of Beowulf tried to provide hope for the ordinary German tribes of the Middle Ages. Twice proving his loyalty to the Camitatus, Beowulf is considered the ideal man and a hero. On the other hand, in the Arthurian Legend just after watching the noblest of knights attempt to wield the sword stricken in the stone, “no other knight” attempted to nudge the blade and the hunting group of the