In the story by Burton Raffel, Beowulf is portrayed as the hero archetype. Throughout the story he must face many situations where he uses he courage and bravery to lead him to victory. Beowulf is first asked to defeat a monster, Grendel, who had previously attacked people in the mead hall, Herot. “That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man whose hands were harder,” (42-44). The previous statement shows that Grendel was overwhelmed by how strong Beowulf actually was on their first encounter. A line that depicts Beowulf as a man that people look up to is: “That mighty protector of men...” (81). After he defeats Grendel, Beowulf is asked to kill Grendel’s mother as well. “...He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone’s answer...” (179-180). That line lets the reader understand that Beowulf was eager to help protect anyone. He did not think twice about anything when asked for help defeating one of the monsters. Beowulf easily represents a true hero when he does everything within his own power to avenge the people that Grendel and his mother had harmed. “But Beowulf repaid him for those visits, found him lying dead in his corner, armless, exactly as that fierce fighter had sent him out from Herot, then struck off his head with a single blow. The body jerked for the last time, then lay still...” (269-275). In the second part of the story Beowulf is asked to defeat a dragon, and he again agrees to do so. During this time it was appropriate for a man like Beowulf to boast or to brag about his bravery. “I shall win the gold by my courage...” (294-295). This shows that he was determined to win and would do so by his immense amounts of courage. A hero can be defined as a person admired by his or her brave deeds and noble qualities. In this story Beowulf portrays the hero archetype by slaying monsters that had harmed the people ruled by King Hrothgar. Not only is he victorious in his battles but he does so with a...