Beowulf is one of the most famous historical poems. With 3,182 lines, the Old English epic poem uses many literary devices including alliteration, assonance, symbolism, imagery, and so much more. It was written sometime between the 8th and the early 11th century and is based on what is now known as Sweden and Denmark. Although there are only a few main characters, each one of them brings a different vibe to the story. My personal favorite character is Beowulf, and his character development and traits contribute to the multiple themes of the story. Beowulf is very brave and uses that to his advantage. At the beginning of the story, he defeats Grendel with no armor. Perhaps this represents one of the first themes in the story which would be to give others the same fairness you would want to have. Since Grendel did not have a weapon, Beowulf figured it was only fair to fight him without having a weapon himself. This defeat leads to a huge celebration at the Heorot hall because everyone was glad Grendel could not bother them anymore. …show more content…
She put up a stronger fight than Grendel, which ultimately caused Beowulf to kill her with a sword. Even though Grendel’s Mother attacked Heorot hall, she was only grieving the loss of her son. Beowulf’s actions were possibly unjustified considering he killed Grendel, yet this would also make Grendel’s actions unjustified. This is a cycle that reflects this poems time periods society and still is a present theme in today's society. People often seek revenge when something bad happens to themselves or a loved one, but the thing about revenge is that it can go on