Good and Evil in Beowulf Essay

One of the strongest men on the face of Earth was Beowulf—savior of souls, and annihilator of evil. Beowulf is an epic poem that originated in the Anglo-Saxon period, told in Anglo-Saxon English. The poem depicts the odyssey of a man, Beowulf, who comes from the land of Geats to defeat a hellish creature, Grendel, which has been spawning terror upon King Hrothgar and his men, who live in the land of the Danes. On the way to King Hrothgar’s land, Beowulf encounters many monsters, and upon his arrival to the land of Danes, Beowulf vows to destroy Grendel in order to return peace and safety to King Hrothgar and his men. The poem often characterizes Beowulf with two distinct traits: pride and selflessness. Beowulf shows several moments of motivation

Whether you are arguing with your siblings, with a stranger at a baseball game, during a debate, with your parents or children, you are fighting for what you believe is right. You perceive yourself as the “victim” in the situation by trying to justify your reasoning behind the argument. Some people may perceive you as the good or as the evil because they believe that you have done nothing wrong, you were being perverse or fighting for the wrong reason. The epic poem Beowulf, is a super-eminent literary example that represents the good and evil in the characters and what they are fighting for. In this fictional poem, in which the author is unknown, the protagonist Beowulf encounters three major battles with a monster named Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and a dragon. Each character is fighting for a certain reason and believe their reason is more dominant. The two audiences that view the characters as good or evil is the Danes and the narrator. Since the characters in the poem believe they're justified in their actions, they prove to not be all evil or all good. In fact, they should be judged based on the rationale behind their actions to fight.

Beowulf comes and killed the monster named Grendel. After Beowulf kills Grendel, Grendel’s mother comes and Beowulf follows her into the Fen, a place full of evil things that hate the light. Beowulf kills Grendel’s mother and then returns to his homeland. At his homeland, Beowulf gives the gifts he received from killing Grendel’s mother and Grendel to his uncle, king Hygelac. In return for the gifts, Beowulf is granted all the land that he can cover in a day’s worth on his horse. For a while there is peace and Beowulf lives on his large area of land and tends to bees, but then the Friesians, an invading group of people come and kill king Hygelac. Then Hygelac’s son, Hardred becomes king, but he is also killed later. After Hygelac is killed and Hardred is killed later, Beowulf becomes king. but then a slave runs away because he was threatened to be beaten, and he steals a jeweled cup from a cave. The cave that he stole from was where the Firedrake lived. The Firedrake couldn’t catch the slave, but later that night, it burned a valley including the fields of grain, houses, and churches. By now Beowulf is old, but he still has a plan to kill the Firedrake. After Beowulf kills the Firedrake by having his bees sting it to death, Beowulf dies. I think that the thesis is that everybody has good and evil in them, but how you deal with the evil is what will decide if you are a good person. I also think that the thesis is that it isn’t as simple as good and evil because a good person can do an evil thing and an evil person can do a good thing.

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.

Beowulf: A New Telling, written by Robert Nye, is a book for adventurers who want to experience a time of good and evil. Beowulf came from an Anglo Saxon Poet around 700 AD in the Medieval time period. It was formed from an old English heroic epic poem. Beowulf: A New Telling was told in around 600 AD. Beowulf: A New Telling shows, if you know your strengths and your weaknesses, you will be able to conquer anything.

Through analysis of the text Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel, it is questionable of whether or not Beowulf is good or evil. Based on his actions, intentions and motivations behind his actions, and the way culture shapes him, it is clear that he is, in fact, an evil character. Beowulf is a dishonorable character who is self-absorbed and only saves the people of Herot for fame and wealth.

The battle between good and evil and the inevitable victory of the good is very evident in Beowulf. There is a power struggle between the divine and the sinister throughout the novel, and the divine come out on top, every time. No matter who Beowulf decides to fight, he always leaves victorious. It also shows how disgusting, cruel, and dehumanized all of his opponents are. This all ties together to show us this idea of a struggle between the good and the evil in Beowulf.

Throughout history we have seen different kind of battles and duels, but all of this confrontations have always represented the good vs. the evil. There has been demons, monster, and even the mind of a human itself, but good has always found a way to keep the world balanced. There has always been different ways in which evil has been presented, but I believe that the most awful and dreadful one is the devil. The devil controls every other dreadful creature in the world, he is the reason why evil exists. Even though we always picture monster and demons as the representation of evil, humans can also be evil, and we can be even worse.

Beowulf is an epic Anglo-Saxon poem, which tells a story of a hero who is destined to defeat several monsters in order to save a kingdom from peril. The underlying meaning is good versus evil with good always prevailing in the end. The theme of good versus evil was portrayed through the characters and events. Beowulf is the good guy fighting against evil. Beowulf is not just one person fighting against the evils of the world. In many cases, he is fighting for humanity’s sake.

When Beowulf and Grendel finally fight in Herot, the battle is similar to that of Jesus and Satan’s exchange of words in the garden of Gethsemane. Satan has tempted many men, but has never come across one so stubborn in his beliefs. Satan is unable to move Jesus and this shows Jesus’ triumph over the ultimate evil. Grendel, when he comes to Herot that fateful night is expecting an easy meal, but instead is thrown in face to face with a man of incredible strength and fighting skill. “That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man whose hands were harder…this was a different Herot than the hall he had emptied.”(433-439).

Throughout “Beowulf”, Beowulf decides to go on an adventure to the Danish islands and help out the Danes in a battle of good versus evil. The reason of Beowulf’s journey was to end the reign of terror of Grendel, a monster who lives under Herot and massacres individuals. In the poem Beowulf states to King Hrothgar, “‘…Now Grendel and are called/ Together, and I have come…That I, alone and with the help of my men,/ May purge all evil from this hall,” (Beowulf 254-261). This quotation explains that Beowulf wants to rid the world of evil and help the Danes defeat what has been preying on their men and inflicting terror upon a civilization. Also, Beowulf

47). The intense battle between Beowulf and Gredel also symbolizes good versus evil. Gredel was described as “…this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the health and the desolate fens;” With the defeat of Grendel, shows that good will always conquer evil.

In the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel who is the first monster Beowulf battles snatched up 30 men and it is to be said that beowulf has the strength of 30 men. Beowulf is an epic poem translated by Burton Raffel. In Beowulf there is three battles with three different monsters, Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a dragon. The three battles have a symbolic meaning throughout the whole book. The three battles in the epic poem represent more than just two enemies fighting for victory, they are battles between the internal good and monster who embody evil.

In Beowulf, the conflict between good and evil is the story’s most universal theme. The storyteller is very clear who is good and who is evil, Beowulf represents the good and the ability to act selflessly when help is needed from others. Good is also shown throughout the epic as having the ability to abolish villainy. Evil is presented by Grendel, his mother, and a dragon, whose purpose in life is to make the lives of humanity a little more miserable.

   Brian Wilkie and James Hurt in Literature of the Western World discuss what is perhaps the overriding or central conflict in the poem Beowulf, namely the struggle between good and evil, and how the monsters are representative of the evil side: