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Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf

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Everyone has had a moment in their life when they have been evil. In the poem Beowulf, good vs. evil is greatly used in conflict between many of the characters. Beowulf, a warrior helps out Hrothgar when his land was being attacked by a monster named Grendel, who was an ugly beast. Beowulf defeats Grendel and kills him with just his hands. Grendel’s mother becomes very angry that Beowulf killed her son so she wants revenge. Beowulf kills her with a sword and heads back to Geats. There is a final battle which is Beowulf vs. the dragon. At first, Beowulf could not kill the dragon but with Wiglaf’s help the dragon dies. Beowulf gets hurt and dies. He is then buried by the sea. Evil has evolved over time due to beliefs, cultures, and origins changing tremendously. In Beowulf, people who are evil are demon-like creatures: who are cannibals, horrible heroes who only venture out to hurt kinsmen, and immoral humans hating on God. Grendel, the demon from the epic poem, chose a unique way to kill people and that was to eat humans. He had a dark and monstrous demeanor as well as huge claws and enormous teeth that he used to kill with. The monster …show more content…

The article “Ways that abortion is evil” states that, ”Abortion is never a more personal choice but a grave offense to God and his creation. God’s plan for the little ones have been ruined” (Geoffery). Baby’s lives can be taken away very quickly and without any consent. In the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel took many lives away and didn’t care at all who it was or anything. The quote from Beowulf, "Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend/Grendel who haunted the moors, the wild/Marshes, and made his home in a hell” (Heaney 101) creates a horrible person who takes away lives for no reason except for pleasure. These two are related very much because they both are very evil and could be

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Good vs Evil in Beowulf Evil profoundly immoral and malevolent Good to be desired or approved of. Although the two adjectives are the polar opposites from each other complete In the Anglo Saxon poem Beowulf, the reoccurring theme of good versus evil is used to contrast the ideal Anglo Saxon person with its flawed opposite. Anglo Saxon literature was typically written in Latin, which is known as “the language of learning” (Amodio).

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Beowulf exemplifies the concept of good and evil. It includes the archetypical hero who battles multiple monsters and faces struggles along the way. Even though Beowulf is thousands of years old, the theme of good vs evil is still seen in modern literature, on television, and in many other places. Good vs evil is seen in many places in the present time period, especially in superhero comics and movies.

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Beowulf and Grendel`s mother are in a dispute where Beowulf defeats and saves his fellow people from this evil entity. The battle of good and evil is portrayed throughout the whole poem, but the hero succeeds slaying the evil. Beowulf and his men go off to Grendel mothers lair where “the water [is] calm and clean” and Beowulf

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Beowulf is injured in the fight, and he dies along side his defeated

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He alleviates the innocent people from a terrible, mysterious evil, but he never truly satisfies his hunger for victory. Even fifty years past his prime, Beowulf, not content with his spectacular defeat of both Grendel and Grendel’s mother, hungers for more battles to win. Beowulf sees a conflict and aims to resolve it, no matter what obstacles stand in his way. However his need for glory ends up getting the better of him, and his final battle with the dragon ends up in their mutual destruction.

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The horrific monster, Grendel "Like Cain, was jealous of the joy of Hrothgar's people" Grendel was like a "cunningly creeping spectral stalker" attacking Hrothgar and his people feasting on them like "raven-harvest" he killed the men also as some of the warriors "stretched in sleep, supposing nothing". For twelve years, this went on plenty of "battle-sweat" thus. Grendel's life was snatched from the hands of the mighty Beowulf. The Danes at last thought they had freedom from this killing. But that is only until Grendel's mother the evil beast had come for her revenge of her slain son.

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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

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Alexander Hamilton once said, “There is a certain Enthusiasm in liberty that makes Human nature rise above itself, in acts of bravery and heroism.” Beowulf is an epic poem in which the main character Beowulf did acts of service, but he fought for those who couldn’t fight. The overall theme of good versus evil in Beowulf had Beowulf dealing with challenges that no ordinary man would be able to handle unless they were a true epic hero. Throughout the poem Beowulf proves to be an epic hero by his strength, bravery, and sacrifice.

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In the poem Beowulf, there is a contrast between good and evil. This distinction is presented through the monsters Grendel and his mother, in parallel to the hero Beowulf. The themes of evil and monstrosity are therefore used in the story, as a way to create the notion of Grendel and his mother as monsters. Beowulf therefore appears as a character representing good. Although Beowulf shows traits of abnormal power, like Grendel and his mother, his motifs are interpreted differently.

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“A villain is just a victim whose story hasn’t been told” (Colfer) can be related to the three so-called bad guys from the poem, Beowulf. Everybody sees the mighty and magnificent hero as Beowulf, Hygelac’s great Thane, but people seem to neglect the antagonist’s points of view. The three main statements that most of the audience have in mind are: Grendel, a demon who kills 30 men in one night, along with controlling people with fear for 12 winters, Grendel’s mother that kills Hrothmund’s dear friend, Aeshere, and the dragon that burns down villages. From their perspective, these three fiends are pure definition of a villain, where as Beowulf is the great vanquisher. The antagonists that the audience claims from the poem should be reconsidered

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A genuine definition of a monster is an "imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening," but in the poem Beowulf a monster has much more meaning than just an imaginary creature. Monsters were commonly used in stories written during the pagan times. Throughout the plot of ‘Beowulf,' the protagonist Beowulf faces many obstacles that include fighting monsters: Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a Dragon. The monsters in Beowulf are present for a substantial reason to contribute towards the story, and they are symbolic of many qualities in the Anglo-Saxon culture.

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Being an epic hero, Beowulf was very brave and battled many immortal creatures. One monster he came across was Grendel. “Conceived by a pair of the monster born of Cain, murderous creatures banned by God..,”(44), Hrothgar’s men would say. This is a reference from the Bible, showing the evil portrayed in the monster Grendel. This monster went to Herot and killed thirty men just because he was hungry.

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Beowulf vs Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon all represent a creature from hell and Beowulf is a god-like warrior who ends up slaying evil. “Like a man outlawed/for wickedness, he must await/the mighty judgement of God in majesty” (Beowulf 976 - 978). This quote talks about Grendel and his demonic soul. Beowulf points out that he is an evil creature and no creature ever to exist is powerful enough to smite God. Once Grendel dies, Grendel will be in God’s hands and Grendel will regret ever being evil or committing any evil action to anyone or anything on Earth.

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Pride Will be the Death of Him People deal with fighting evil in a more intelligent way as they mature and as the degree of evil increases. This progression is illustrated in the epic poem Beowulf as the epic hero, Beowulf, constantly duals the hands of evil in three major fights until his heroic death. Beowulf is talking to the people of Herot when he says, “I have heard moreover that the monster scorns/ in his reckless way to use weapons;/ therefore, to heighten Hygelac's fame/ and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce/ sword and the shelter of the broad shield,/ the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand/ is how it will be, a life-and-death/ fight with the fiend" (Heaney 433-440).

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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.

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