Theme Of Evil In Beowulf

Why does the poet of Beowulf choose to give human qualities and distinct territories to Beowulf’s monstrous rivals? In the epic, Grendel is a horrible, human-like monster and an outcast in the society. Grendel’s mother is another dangerous adversary of Beowulf because she feels the pain of her child’s death and desires to take revenge, which is similar to the way a human mother feels for her child. In addition to connecting the traits of the monsters to the humans, the poet also provides them a territory for their survival. In Beowulf, the poet’s purpose of bestowing human attributes and granting a residence to Beowulf’s opponents is to reflect that the in Anglo-Saxon society, everyone is respected, but the only elements that prevents one from

Beowulf is a hero, and we all know a hero when we see one. There are many traits and characteristics that make someone a hero. These traits and characteristics are more expressed in ancient epics and poems. Beowulf is one of the most famous ancient Anglo-Saxon poems still taught to this day in schools and colleges all over the world. The story starts off of how a man by the name of Beowulf receives news that a neighboring land is being terrorized by a monster named Grendel. Beowulf shows several characteristics of here such as, bravery, loyalty, generosity, friendship, and showing a high level of intellect. Beowulf first shows his heroic character through his bravery while journeying on his epic quest. There are several cases where he is not afraid, and instead of being frightened, he shows great bravery. An example of from the poem is, “Instead, they inspected omens and spurred his ambitions to go, whilst he moved about like the leader he was, enlisting men, the best he could find; with fourteen others the warrior boarded the boast as captain” (Beowulf 205-210). This quote gives proof of his bravery because he was the head of the group leading his men. Beowulf proves that even he himself must be brave in order to lead the bravest of men into battle.

The theme of Beowulf had the good vs.evil theme to the story when the monster is Grendel is the monster and his mother also a threat to herot and Beowulf is the hero to solve the problems of Grendel is making. Beowulf is the hero in the story and Grendel is the villain. Beowulf is the faced with many trials throughout the story with unferth and the Grendel.

Beowulf is an epic poem that was written in Old English in between the 8th and 11th century. King Hrothgar who rules the Danes, is being tormented by this beast called, Grendel. For some time now, Grendel has been attacking Heorot Hall, a mead-hall, and has been killing off many of the Danish soldiers and sometimes even devouring some. The king didn’t seem able to protect the people in his village from this great demon. Until, one day, Beowulf shows up and actually offers to help King Hrothgar by volunteering to find and kill this dreaded monster.

The first heroic characteristic that Beowulf presents is selflessness. Beowulf indicates selflessness throughout his life, such as when he meets king Hrothgar for the first time. Beowulf introduces himself than elucidate his rationale for the visit. “I alone….may purge all evil,” Beowulf exclaimed. Beowulf placed aside all of his fears and risked his life to help the Danes kill Grendel (Beowulf 431-432). According to the Epic

The first characteristic Beowulf portrays is being strong. Beowulf says that “ he put five great giants into chains,chased all of that race from the earth” (ln. 154-15). Beowulf took action against these monsters seeking to capture them to protect the people of his village. Taking such a heroic action proved to his followers that he strong and willing to sacrifice himself for them. After Beowulf captured the monsters he sought to kill Grendel.

In the epic poem, “Beowulf”, the author, talks about the first part of Beowulf’s life as he helps the old king Hrothgar deal with the monster that has been terrorizing the land. The monster known as Grendel, is the combination of everything that is evil and dark, and can also be used to symbolize the immorality of man. As a descendent of Cain, he inherits the punishment of sin, while also being forced into exile. Grendel is much more than your average enemy, so much so, that the people of Hrothgar’s kingdom consider him the embodiment of evil.

It seems as though the best stories are based on the never ending battle between good and evil, and the tale of Beowulf is no exception. This epic depicts the hero Beowulf that slays wicked monsters, ultimately symbolizing the passing from pagan views to Christianity during this time period. Although it may seem coincidental that the protagonist thrives in a place “covered with hammered gold and glowing in the sun” (220-221) and the antagonist dwells “where mist steams like black clouds” (426-427), there is a huge, deeper, underlying meaning. The pattern of light and dark is the most important motif in Beowulf because the entire premise of the epic revolves around these two opposing forces that are essentially connected to the Biblical settings

In this excerpt the evil makes its apparition as part of the overall theme “good vs evil”. This is shown in the first lines when Grendel is described as “A powerful monster, living down in the darkness” (lines 1-2) “Spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain” (lines 19-20).

The concept of good and evil is a reappearing theme in Beowulf. Every character in the book reveals good and evil at some point in the book. Beowulf portrays the book as battles fought by good against evil. Many people may think Grendel is the evil villain and Beowulf is the hero. However, my opinion is different.

Beowulf someone who was loved by all was the ruler of Spear Danes. His heir was Halfdane who had wisdom, sturdiness and guided and protected the people. Halfdane had four children. Three sons named Heorogar, Hrothgar, and Halga along with one daughter who became a queen. Hrothgar was a great, powerful warrior that men would be honored to fight beside. His followers began to grow until he had very many. So many people joined his army that he decided to build the largest hall ever known to man. He named the hall Heorot. Hrothgar soon kept his promise to shower his army in gifts and treasures. Outside of his hall awaited death and destruction though. A presence of evil waited outside that hated hearing everyone so happy. The demon outside was

Beowulf is an epic poem which is believed to be written in about 1000 AD. The author is unknown but there are theories that it was written by a church minister because they made up most of the literate population. The references to God are another reason they believe it was a minister. A large section of Beowulf concentrates on the conflict caused by a demon named Grendel and his defeat at the hands of Beowulf. Grendel is described as a horrible monster but he can be interpreted as three different kinds of evil. The evil inside people, an evil that was plaguing the Danes like a rival tribe, or simply the monster he was described as.

The universal theme of good versus evil is portrayed in Beowulf, through the locations of the major battles. Beowulf, the epic hero, combats Grendel and Grendel’s mother in Heorot Hall and the under-water cave, respectively. The settings behind these fatal conflicts serve to reinforce the Christian and Germanic notions of good and evil. The Christian perspective is overtly demonstrated through references to the Lord and to Cain, while the Germanic perspective is evident through the speech and actions of characters. Through both religious and cultural lenses, the settings behind Beowulf’s heroism are better understood. The differences in the symbolism behind Heorot Hall and the cave reinforce the overarching conflict between good and evil in Beowulf.

The idea of good versus evil is something that is present in many stories. Beowulf is no different and the notion that good always defeats evil is present throughout the story, with the titular character Beowulf representing the good that defeats the evils forces in Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon.

The entire story of Beowulf is based around the Good versus Evil where character Beowulf takes up the challenge to fight these evils. Whether or not Beowulf was doing this to actually help save people, or only doing it for attention is unknown in the eyes of different people who have read it. Either way if they were for selfish reasons or not, Beowulf still was able to defeat the monsters and save most people before they were hurt, thus earning him the title of Good and Hero. The evil or monsters he fought and defeated in the story can be listed not only the obvious monsters such as Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon, but another evil could also be a different side of Beowulf not easily seen such as his side of greed.