Beowulf Good And Evil Essay

Nick Gardner

Ms. Kelton

British Literature

22 October 2015

Beowulf essay Good and evil are age old forces that have influenced the human mind since the beginning of time. Good people are often portrayed as heroes to society and represent a role model who people look up and try to emulate their behavior after. A hero will face the issues that everyone else fears and always makes the decision that will benefit the people he is trying to help. Villains are those who ignore what is right for society and will try achieve their goals that will benefit only them by any means necessary. Villains are outcasts to their society as they try to undermine and attack society to get what they desire rather than making the right decision. Beowulf is a hero

“I had a fixed purpose when I put to sea. As I sat in the boat with my band of men, I meant to perform to the uttermost what your people wanted or perish in the attempt, in the fiend's clutches. And I shall fulfill that purpose, prove myself with a proud deed or meet my death here in the mead-hall." (632-638) This quote represents the good inside Beowulf because he is going to face the demon Grendel because he wants to protect the people of Heroet Hall whom Grendel has been terrorizing. Heroic acts define the qualities of good inside a person and Beowulf’s bravery and courage to go fight the demon whom no one else would dare face to protect innocent lives from this great beast. Beowulf’s desire to protect innocent people from danger benefits the human society which demonstrates a selfless feeling bravery and courage that represents the good each individual is capable. Beowulf chose to do great good for the benefit of others which shows the ability to great good was inside

“So times were pleasant for the people there until finally one, a fiend out of hell, began to work his evil in the world.” (Green 99-101) Grendel represented the complexity of evil that everyone is capable. He is satanic beast from Hell but can understand sensitive feelings such as hope and beauty. However, he has a deep sense of bitterness because all of his positive feelings are temporary and leads to immense rage towards humans as he is taunted by their ability to fully possess and understand the beauty of life. He often has deeply morbid thoughts such as cutting Weathlow into two pieces so he can stop thinking bout her or depicting Shaper because of the beauty in his songs. Grendel’s feels jealousy because others have what he cannot and he wants to eliminate these feelings because if he cannot understand these feelings, he does not want anyone else to either. This represents evil because Grendel is trying to derail a significant part of human emotion out his jealousy which does not benefit society, only himself. Grendel's desire to damage society because of his personal self pity represent great evil because is slaughtering innocent people due to the fact they have something that he does