A hero and a monster show the constant battle between good vs. evil through Biblical allusions. Beowulf is a mighty warrior who fights a disruptive monster, Grendel. Beowulf is represented as God, the good, and Grendel is represented as Cain, the evil. Through the analysis of Beowulf`s ability to do well and Grendel`s vengeance, the reader understand that the battle of Christianity and staying loyal is shown by a dispute. In the translation Beowulf, by Burton Raffel, allusions to the Bible reveal a conflict between good vs. evil.
In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, faces three “monsters” at different times in his life. The poem begins with Grendel, a monster who attacks only in the dark of night, tormenting the kingdom of Hrothgar. The last two sections of the epic detail the conquering by Beowulf of Grendel’s mother and the dragon. The battle between the monsters and Beowulf represent the theme of good versus evil in the poem, as well as the fusion of pagan and Christian ideals in the changing Germanic society. Grendel’s mother’s actions directly juxtapose the role of a woman in this time period, and the greediness of the dragon with his treasure contrasts with the virtues of what would be considered a good king.
Jorge Barrera English 9 18 September 2018 Good vs. Evil In Beowulf good and evil go hand in hand. We see many examples of the two based on the situations in the epic. Given that fate is a huge deal in Anglo-Saxon literature, good and evil play a significant role. Beowulf’s whole story line revolves around the balance between good and evil.
Everyone has a perspective on good and evil; the battle line between good and even runs through the heart. “Beowulf” illuminates characters that come from dark and deep backgrounds that construct their dauntless actions. In the heroic tale “Beowulf,” the author’s tones strongly demonstrates themes of loyalty, honor, and courage. Raffel’s tones remotely displays the act of loyalty within multiple characters. “Hail to these who will rise to God, drop off their dead bodies” (101).
Sophie Sollid Section Number (18) Loyalty and integrity are common foundations for ethical structures demonstrated in poems during the Pre-Christian era. Beowulf takes place in the Germanic era that is in danger due to the lack of loyalty and trust in contracts and clans. The incongruent nature of words and actions creates chaos for this society which Beowulf, the hero of the story, tries to mend. Eventually, the society of Beowulf was destroyed due to the lack of integrity for verbal contracts which was evident in marriages, promises, and verbal contracts. Beowulf demonstrated that to have order and harmony between nations and people, fulfilled promises and good deeds need to exist.
His paranoia causes him to order the deaths of close friends and allies. This transformation demonstrates how evil takes over good compared to Beowulf where there is already an evil creature present. Beowulf is a story about an evil creature named Grendel who terrorizes the castle of Hrothgar, killing many. Hrothgar calls Beowulf to kill Grendel and other villains which shows the distinct line between good and evil. Evil is worse in Macbeth, because it slowly seeps in and ultimately takes over Macbeth’s character, whereas in Beowulf, it is stagnant, remaining in the souls of the
The Anglo-Saxons were a tribe who traveled throughout the endless vast sea and battled many European tribes. Many poets have retold and sung Anglo-Saxon epics of noble heroes battling vicious creatures, but none were as experienced as Beowulf. Beowulf, a young honorable Geats warrior, travels throughout the islands to fight anyone or anything that comes to battle him. Beowulf shows the Anglo-Saxon beliefs of good vs. evil, the nation’s fate, and glory.
Beowulf represents the overall saint or the good. Grendel the demonic hell-driven monster represent evil. At just a glance this is the initial good versus evil. This reveals Anglo-Saxon views of right and wrong. At the beginning of the epic Grendel is already described as a “murderous creatures banished by God”.
It is not clear if the poem was written from a Christian perspective or if it was just a pagan theology. However, there are many allusions to Christian beliefs. Beowulf’s epic poem is a contrast of good and evil in which Beowulf represents good while Grendel, his mother and the dragon are the embodiment of evil. Through a Christian perspective, Beowulf can be seen as a Christ figure in the sense that both come to the people in a time of need, acknowledge God as their protector, and sacrifice themselves in life and body to protect mankind from evil.
The quotation shown from Beowulf presents that the people who lived at that time became to have an unsympathetic mind towards their own lives and the others. As the quotation stated, “better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning,” the king kept arousing the evilness deep inside the people’s heart and got rid of the merciful mind. Moreover, this could presents the people at that time may values the desireness rather than the sympathetic feeling. Through forcing people to be an evil, concept of violence in people’s mind would become more lenient and motionless as the time passed. Also, the poem, itself, expressed that people are fighting over to get a power and to satisfy their desire of obtaining.
In the Anglo Saxon poem Beowulf, the battle between good versus evil explains Beowulf’s entire life showing that though the struggle may be different, good will always overcome evil. In the beginning, there were three groups, the Anglos, the Saxons, and the Jules. In an effort to defeat a common enemy the Anglos and Saxons decided to merge in order to defeat the Jules. Their goal was to retrieve
In conclusion, evil is or will be and it is good’s job to keep evil away, which in Beowulf when he dies he passes the job down to Wiglaf to keep the cycle never
The epic poem Beowulf, wrote in Old English and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. A date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating relating to a manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025. The author was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet. The poem is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar.
As Christianity began spreading across England, the cultural ties with paganism were not so easily broken and tossed aside, for the Anglo-Saxons still incorporated fate, dragons, knights, and damsels-in-distress into their everyday folklore. But, by being caught in such a cultural crossroads, Beowulf exhibits a linguistic tension not found in any other piece within this paradigm. The thought present during the Christian paradigm transitioned from a purely metaphoric understanding to a slightly more metonymic understanding. Truth went from being a unified concept to being more of an attainable object, but in the case of Beowulf, it was a unified and attainable through the renunciation of pagan rituals followed by the wholehearted embrace of Christian thought, of good over evil, of salvation from God. It is curious to think about how the Anglo-Saxons gave up their known morals in lieu of something unknown.
The epic poem Beowulf is a classic tale of good versus evil. Good, as shown in the story, is any action that fights evil and defends the community and the people of it. The evil intent of Grendel, the story’s antagonist and cannibalistic murderer, who is depicted as a “fiend out of hell” (99), is strongly countered by the heroic actions of the stories main protagonist, Beowulf. The noble King Hrothgar is a role model for young Beowulf at the beginning of the epic, displaying acts of charity and wisdom throughout his life.
