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'Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf'

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A battle between good and evil shows apparently in “Beowulf”, the very first epic in our literature, was written way back in the Anglo-Saxon centuries. Character Beowulf is a significant hero, who have supernatural power and was admired by everyone. Meanwhile, Grendel is described as a pure evil monster, a descendant of Cain-the one who was cursed by God, and fed on thousands of human to stay alive. The theme of good against evil is popular and common in the world of literature, and “Beowulf” is believed to be the first great epic with that theme. As I read the epic, and carefully look between the lines, I discovered the interesting hidden stories behind each character. Beowulf is the strongest men on Earth in the story, who had the ability to defeat the unbeatable monster, Grendel. Surprisingly, there …show more content…

Look at the story in Grendel’s eyes, since his father is assume to be a murderous monster, it's influence him to be one too, it's fate which pushed Grendel to be a dangerous monster. “The Almighty drove those monsters out, their exile was bitter, shut away from men; they split into a thousand forms of evil…” this line clearly highlighted the fact that he was shut away and so on turn evil like his dad. Lived in the forest and “haunted the moors, the wild marshes, and made his home in hell”, where its misty and dirty, he wasn't accept by anyone so it's the life he had faced with. Hatred in his heart rose as others live happily while he's the innocent one and had to become the outcast. Therefore, making the king who protected by God suffer like how he's is his goal, he killed and fed on the King followers to revenge. To sum it up, Beowulf’s an amazing, brave warrior but to conclude the battle between the good and bad in this epic is not realistic and unfair, since Gendel is a tragically misunderstood outcast, who is forced and pushed to the limit of a human to become a evil

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Grendel: Human or Monster In the story Beowulf, the character Grendel is highly misunderstood. Grendel was born in the wild marshes outside of Herot. Being raised in such harsh conditions, Grendel grew to hate the Danes and God. As a descendant of Cain, he was banished as a small child and forced to live in exile with his mother.

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Throughout the poem, Beowulf fights three different monsters and in each of these situations he chooses to begin the fight without their help. He enters into combat with his men by his side, but when the actual fighting begins he defeats the monsters with very little help from them. Beowulf’s strength and physical prowess was unlike any other man in comparison to his height and incredible grip. Furthermore, Beowulf can be categorized as an outcast based on his personality traits. The main character is set apart from the other warriors because of his courage and humility.

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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.

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Beowulf: A New Translation for Oral Delivery, translated by Dick Ringler, utilized the dark and the ominous to foreshadow or to portray the impending savagery of mankind. Darkness could be defined either by the absence of light or by the lack of intellectual enlightenment. The monstrous creatures are shrouded within the darkness or associate with the ominous. Throughout Beowulf the theme of violence and darkness are intertwined, which is manifest by correlating the darkness with the unknown through Grendel. The unknown generate fear among the mass through their inability to control and understand the existence of inhuman beings.

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After Grendel’s death, she channeled all that hatred and grief towards the people that harmed her child. Her love for her child lead her to commit these acts. Even though her actions are considered evil, it is natural to feel some sort of pity and sympathy for Grendel’s mother after her loss. Unlike Grendel, Grendel’s mother doesn't kill or destroy randomly. It is clear that she only wanted to take revenge for her son and targeted those that harmed him.

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