The Hero vs Villian Dichotomy in Beowulf Essay

The Battle of Grendel was Beowulf’s first battle to protect the Danes from Grendel’s murdering rampage every night for 12 winters. The

Early in the epic poem Beowulf, Beowulf begins his mission to kill Grendel “Strongest of the Geats set sail across the sea to Hrothgar on a mission to help the people of Herot and kill grendel” (Ln 110). Beowulf heard of the deadly attacks that Grendel was bringing upon the people of Herot, and knew his call was to go and be the hero and saving grace of Herot. The next piece of evidence from the Epic proving to us that beowulf stays on his missions until completion is whenever he has to go kill Grendel’s angry mother. “And struck with all the strength he had left caught her in the neck and cuti it through, broke bones and all” (ln 641-643). This was one of the last battles that Beowulf fought in and throughout each and every one that he fights in he shows us to never give up on our goals and the missions we are trying to

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 is an old Anglo-Saxon story of a terrifying monster Grendel, Grendel travels to the Danes mead hall Heorot and while the danes expect it least he attacks killing countless men purely for the joys of doing so. Hrothgar king of the Danes calls for a warrior to fight this unruly beast. After 12 long years of grendel attacking Hrothgar's calls are answered and the great warrior Beowulf comes to kill Grendel. Beowulf travels to the land of the Danes from across the seas and in the first night he kills Grendel. Sadly for Beowulf Grendel has a mother that now seeks revenge for her son's death and Beowulf is asked to kill Grendel’s mother as well. Beowulf goes to where Grendel’s mother is staying and battled her to the death , Beowulf wins

Once the gruesome monster Grendel was defeated, Grendel’s Mother was the new threat to Herot. Within the passage “The Battle with Grendel’s Mother”, we see how extreme and “savage” Beowulf is in lines 536-542 while battling Grendel’s Mother. The quote reads, “And then, savage, now, angry/ And desperate, lifted [the sword] high over his head/ And struck with all the strength he had left,/ Caught her in the neck and cut it through,/ Broke bones and all. Her body fell/ To the floor, lifeless, the sword was wet/ With her blood, and Beowulf rejoiced at the sight” (536-542). This quote displays how Beowulf is becoming more and

Superman, Spiderman, and Batman are heroes! They possess the two traits that are needed in western civilization to be considered a hero: wisdom and fortitude. These modern heroes have wisdom and fortitude. Did Beowulf possess these traits? Beowulf shows he is a hero through both his wisdom and fortitude throughout his adventures. Beowulf is a great hero because he possesses both wisdom and fortitude.

In the epic poem Beowulf, there is an obvious distinction between good and evil. The hero and his foes play roles that are commonly associated with Anglo-Saxon literature. The lines are clearly drawn and expressed in the poem. As the story moves, the reader cannot mistake the roles being played, based on the characterizations in the epic, one recognizes each character for their purpose and place.

Christopher Reeve once said, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Hero’s are around us in our everyday lives such as firefighters who put their lives on the line to protect people and their property. Other hero’s can be found in literature. These hero’s, also know as an epic hero, exhibit superhuman qualities to help fight and protect others while on their quest. Being a hero means taking on enormous responsibilities. With these responsibilities comes great praise from others which both Beowulf and everyday firefighter receive for their extraordinary work.

We have all had someone whom we have considered our hero. We call them our hero because they have exhibited certain characteristics that make us feel safe or protected in harmful situations. A few books demonstrate heroic characteristics masterfully through their characters. Beowulf portrays a strong, self-sacrificing hero. Canterbury Tales shows us a wise and caring hero. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight displays a flawed, loyal hero. These three men give us some of the attributes it takes to be considered a hero. These books tell us that to be a hero, you have to sacrifice, have wisdom, and loyalty.

Though the jaunt was difficult, Beowulf was relentless in his pursuit. When he reached Grendel’s mother, the battle was long and hard, but the hero refused to surrender. He fought until the disconcerted mother gave up and died. As a token of his feat, Beowulf took a jewel-studded sword from the cave. To further celebrate his heroic feat, he decapitated Grendel and kept his head as a souvenir of his triumph.

Beowulf sets his sights towards Grendel 's mother shortly after the second attack on Heorot. Grendel 's mother is similarly linked to Cain just as her son was. According to the selection, it is said that after Cain was cast away by God, his mark of murder followed him. Everywhere Cain walked, monsters and shadows arose from the ground in which Grendel 's mother is a result of. It is interesting to note that the story of Beowulf effortlessly contorted the Christian story of Cain by adding Pagan influences such as monsters. Nonetheless, like previous battles, the fight against Grendel 's mother was a result of vengeance. Grendel 's mother lived miserably in dark, monster infested waters, but caused no harm until the death of her son whom she was obligated to avenge.

Grendel’s mother is known to be an evil, monstrous women looking to seek revenge on the town, Herot. In this town, her son Grendel had been murdered, and his limbs hung for everyone to see. Beowulf is responsible for the gruesome death of her son Grendel. His death causes a vicious response from Grendel’s angry, she-wolf mother when she comes to Herot, ready to attack in revenge for her son.

Although Beowulf was blessed with his extraordinary physical strength and hard-task-achievement, a wise hero, unlike him, should know that all humans are imperfect. Without the assistance of others, people would have been doomed. Therefore, Beowulf is arrogant, and such over-pride leads to his death. This is obvious through Beowulf’s battle with Grendel. Even though the hero himself made “five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from Earth,” as in line 154-155, his arrogance precludes him from foreseeing the danger of Grendel’s mother. Grendel is certainly a strong monster, and his mother is probably the stronger one. During his battle with Grendel’s mother,

Beowulf’s triumphs are short lived due to another attack on Herot. This time, Grendel’s mother comes to the great mead hall to avenge her son. The battle between Grendel’s mother and Beowulf differs greatly from the previous battle with the beast’s son. After another attack, Beowulf now must seek out his new enemy, and fight her on her own turf. As it stood, the scores were even between the monsters and the Danes, but Beowulf now looked for victory over the monsters, not revenge. Beowulf also had to regain his reputation. He had just won a trophy, when the bigger, badder bully came up to him and took it straight from his grasp. Now Beowulf traveled to the burning lake, which proved a test of its own. He then swam to the bottom of the lake where the monster resided. All of this just to get to the monster shows that this brave hero would do anything to set the scores right for his people and for the glory that came with it.

Grendel’s mom was trying to grab Beowulf a lot and he struggles to escape each time. She lunged and managed to catch him in her brutal grip, when he hit her with his sword it bounced off and did nothing. In the end he finds a giant sword and kills her. Grendel’s mom is infuriated from Grendel’s death and out for revenge. She possesses some characteristics such as violent and repulsive features as her son.