Month: October 2017

In the story “The Knight of the Cart”, there is no question that Sir Lancelot is the heroic figure. However, he makes a few decisions that are less than wholesome and less than that of a hero. When the Woman approaches him to welcome Lancelot into her home and sleep with her, he initially chooses the right thing and says he should continue on his way instead. He eventually gives in to her offer and finds himself in a bad place. A true hero would have stuck to his word and found another place to sleep or continued on the quest. Even when Lancelot sees the armed men raping the women who invited him in he hesitates and debates in his head whether or not to save her. He questions himself on if he could defeat the armed men even though he is one of the best fighters in the land. He finally jumps in and saves her before its too late but his hesitance proves that he is not a flawless hero, he is a normal human being that questions his own actions and gives in to the temptations of life. These little lapses of heroism show us that even heroes have flaws and that nobody can be perfect. In the end he does the right thing and everything works out but if they did not and Lancelot just walked away in the first place would he still be hailed as a hero?

 

If he had chosen a different path in his life would he still be considered a hero or would he be a normal man like you or me?

When I read the article “A Practical Guide To Joseph Campbell’s ‘The Hero With a Thousand Faces’” by Christopher Vogler, I realized that this hero circle concept is used in almost every country and every region around the world and has been for some time. The significance of this is that we are all more alike than we think we are. Since all the stories and tales have similar components, cultures that seem to contrast each other are more similar than they seem. Stories can connect different cultures and once they break through the language barrier, they can let outsiders see into an unknown world and further understand how others live their lives. This can also apply to history, such as the many renditions of Beowulf or the first heroes journey, The Epic of Gilgamesh. These texts provide an insight into the past and proves that people throughout history were more relatable than the majority realizes. Stories like these can and should be used to bond people and cultures.

   

When I first saw the stages of the hero’s journey, I immediately thought of Bilbo Baggins in the book “The Hobbit”. In his book, J.R.R. Tolkien follows the hero’s journey almost exactly. The story starts in the Shire and he is called to adventure by the thirteen dwarves and a wise old wizard named Gandalf. He reluctantly leaves his home and continues on his way with many different tasks and trials including run-ins with trolls, elves, goblins, Smeagol and of course a greedy dragon. During the battle of the five armies, he is knocked out and literally resurrects when he takes of the ring. He then returns to his hometown a changed man and also a lot richer because of the gold he was awarded.