Dr.
Zimmermann
Beowulf and his Shadow
Foil
A foil
is any person in literature who through contrast underscores the distinctive
characteristics of another.
Archetype
A term
brought into literature form the work of psychologist Carl Jung. According to Jung, each individual’s
unconscious holds the blocked off memories of the past—the collective unconscious of the human race. This memory takes the form of powerful images shaped by the repeated
experiences of our ancestors and expressed in myths, legends, folktales, and
fairy tales. In literary studies an
archetype is an image, a character, a plot, an event that appears repeatedly in
any form of literature.
The Shadow
The Shadow is the easiest of the archetypes for most persons to experience. We
tend to see it in "others." That is to say, we project our dark side
onto others and thus interpret them as "enemies" or as
"exotic" presences that fascinate. We see the Shadow everywhere in
popular culture. He is Batman.
The Shadow is the personification of that part of human, psychic
possibility that we deny in ourselves and project onto others. The goal of
personality integration is to integrate the rejected, inferior side of our life
into our total experience and to take responsibility for it.
Instructions
In the chart below, find quotes that address for each characteristic of
Beowulf and Grendel.
Copy the quote, the page number, and the line.
|
|
Beowulf |
Grendel |
|
Strength |
|
|
|
Community |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Warrior |
|
|
|
Family |
|
|
|
What
does Grendel’s role as shadow reveal about Beowulf
and the society he protects? |
||