Examples Of Good Vs Evil In Beowulf

Beowulf is very strong man. In the book it’s quoted that Beowulf was “The strongest of all the Geats and anyone else in this world.” Beowulf tore off Grendel’s arm with his bare hands. In the book, Grendel was scared of Beowulf, and his actions and emotions prove that. “His mind was flooded with fear- but nothing could take his talons and himself from that tight hard grip. Grendel’s one thought was to run from Beowulf, flee back

As a “bloodthirsty fiend,” Grendel was the first of the foes Beowulf battles. (line 407) He is “a powerful monster,” who “was spawned in... slime.” (lines 1, 19) He is a descendant of Cain, and chose to sacrifice the Danes to no one but himself. Grendel is “set on murder.”(49-50) Nothing can “quench his thirst for evil. (lines 52-53) Grendel stalked Herot and set his wrath loose on all who came to the hall. His mother, the “she-wolf” lived in an underwater cavern. (line 572) She is the “water witch,” one that no one’s “sword could slice her evil skin.” (lines 493, 496-497) Both characters are demons living only to hate, and cause terror in the hearts of those who know of them. The third villain comes much later than the first two. The dragon is Beowulf’s last enemy, and last battle. The beast poured out fire and smoke, and was one who “coiled and uncoiled” at the sight of a human. (line 673) The dragon menaces Beowulf’s kingdom and as an old man he is forced to fight the beast. The antagonists are evil and uncaring of human life, each choosing to end it when they please. They are bad and it shows.

Eventually, Grendel (the demon Beowulf was sent to kill) makes an appearance and battles Beowulf. Using possibly his greatest characteristic of strength, Beowulf defeats Grendel. This is seen in lines 814-817 where it states, “The monster’s whole body was in pain, a tremendous appeared on his shoulder. Sinews split and the bone-lappings burst. Beowulf was granted the glory of winning…” We really see the strength held by Beowulf in this line as he rips off Grendel’s arm thus making him the victor.

Beowulf’s next test of courage came when he fought Grendel’s mother in her lair, she like Grendel, has incredible size and strength. Grendel’s mother wants to get revenge for the murder of her son, Grendel. Beowulf jumped in the lake, leading to the lair, going after Grendel’s mother without any thought that would suggest the slightest hint of fear. After swimming in these murky waters Beowulf finds his enemy. “Swift she grappled and grasped the warrior with horrid grip, but could work no harm, no hurt to his body; the ring-locked

To begin with, Beowulf’s first challenge is against the monster named Grendel.

Grendel stood as the first monster Beowulf fought with. Beowulf believed in fighting his oppents the way his opponents fought him, if his opponents had no weapons, he didn’t use any, if his opponents used weapons he did too. Beowulf believed that his strength matched Grendel’s and wanted to fight him without weapons and naked. The Danes before getting Beowulf, the townspeople offered Grendel offerings so he would kill, but he rejected it. “Beowulf summons even greater strength and rips Grendel’s arm completely out of its socket” (Beowulf 51).Beowulf left Grendel to baldy wounded, and Grendel died. Beowulf in this fight shows that he can defeat and isn’t scared of anything, he almost seems to exist as a god, and no normal man could have done what he did. “The narrator mentions that the trophy arm, which seems to be made of “barbed

Grendel’s Defeat Beowulf embodies the ideal of a strong, courageous warrior that was desired and revered during this age. This is shown through the many feats he boasts about, including how he has “battled and bound…raided…slaughtered…devastated” many monsters during his travels (lines 420-424). This is further shown in the defeats of Grendel and Grendel’s mother when he stays at Heorot.

Throughout the epic of Beowulf there are three main battles; the battle with Grendel, Grendel 's Mother, and the Fire Dragon. While there are notable differences be- tween the battles, common motivations and themes exist. The epic 's protagonist King of Geats ' Beowulf, is a great warrior who fights with courage and honor to fulfill his role as a hero. The sense of duty associated with being a hero inspires him to fight, but ultimately leads him to his demise. Beowulfs battle with Grendel is the first major battle in the book, and we learn a lot about Beowulf from it. Grendel, a man-eating monster who lived at the bottom of mere had been devouring men from the King Hrothgar 's mead hall every day for many years. This was problematic for

Beowulf came out on top as he killed Grendel and ended darkness. Grendel was happy in darkness he came to kill, steal, and destroy just like Satan. Beowulf came and brought light to darkness like God did when He created the heavens and the earth. “He twisted in pain, and bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder snapped, muscle and bone split and broke” (Raffel,51). The battle was over the good conquered the evil.

Over the years, evil has taken innumerable shapes in the real and fictional worlds. And Beowulf is no exception. Throughout the story, three monsters—Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon—symbolized three different evils, all of which resulted in the beasts’ deaths. For instance, Grendel, born to a race that had been cast out, segregated from the world of men, personified jealousy.

In one of the most famous battles of good vs. evil, Beowulf defeats Grendel in hand to hand combat. Beowulf uses his brute strength to defeat Grendel, “The captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had ever

Beowulf is the story of a great Geat warrior who slays beasts and has untold strength. In Beowulf there are three battles between our hero Beowulf and Grendel, Grendel's Mother, and a dragon. With each battle he fights stronger monsters, and has to show more strength. He brings with him more equipment with each encounter, and travels farther for every monster as well.

The epic poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, depicts three distinctively different fights that symbolize good vs. evil. Beowulf’s first fight was with the giant Grendel. The fight with Grendel symbolizes courage. According to Beowulf “He has no ideas of the arts of war,/ Of shield or sword-play, though he does possess/ A wild strength.

Ali Alhamayel Professor Kristen Abbey Eng. - 201A September 27, 2017 Beowulf In the epic poem Beowulf, there are three monsters that represent sins; there is Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon. During the Anglo-Saxon times, monsters represented evil, because of this; Beowulf is looked at as a hero because he was able to defeat these monsters. Beowulf is perceived as a hero for his strength, because he demonstrated it when he was able to defeat Grendel by ripping its arm off with his bare hands. Although each monster may be evil, they all have a purpose on why they act or do what they do.

Fortunately Beowulf was ready and willing to sacrifice himself to repay the debt of Ecgtheow, Beowulf’s father, to Hrothgar. This Geat warrior possesses almost miraculous qualities: “He was the strongest of men alive in that day, mighty and noble.”  Upon spotting Beowulf approaching, the sea-guard of the Danes says, “Never have I seen a greater man on earth…”  King Hrothgar of the Danes says of Beowulf, “Seafarers who took gifts to the Geats say that he has the strength of 30 men in his hand grip.” Beowulf chooses to fight Grendel by himself and without shield or weapons; previously the hero slew nine sea monsters with his sword. And he is fully willing to sacrifice his very life for this: “… I alone will fulfill the wish of your people … or die in the foe’s grasp.” Beowulf consciously chooses to act in a superhuman manner: “I shall perform the deeds of a hero or I have passed my last day