How is the archetype of the Beowulf monsters relevant today?

ar·che·type –noun

the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype. (dictionary.com)

 There are three monsters in the poem Beowulf: Grendel, Grendel's Mother, and the Dragon. It is said that Grendel is one of the oldest known fictional monsters and may have, perhaps, set the standards for monsters through the rest of history. Many stories we've read as children have monsters or "bad guys" attacking people and a great hero that jumps in and saves the day. Monsters are in movies, books, sometimes songs. They are the ones that keep us up at night. The thought of something lurking in the dark gives just about anyone the chills.

Many books and many, many movies have monsters in them. Think Dracula, werewolves, Frankenstein, the Blob. It's all a part of entertainment for us. People enjoy the thrill and rush of being scared. People also like money. Put two and two together and we have ourselves some reasons to continue creating such monstrosities. Beowulf could have been just a running start for our ideas today. People in trouble by crazy monster, man crazy enough to help town, man kills monster, man becomes hero. Sounds to me like Sleepy Hollow or Van Helsing or maybe even Clash of the Titans. Everyday there are more and more movies and books being made that have monsters in them. I'm sorry but these monsters just will not be going away anytime soon.

 

"archetype." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 06 Nov. 2010. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/archetype>.