What Is The Nature Of Evil In Beowulf

In Beowulf, the clash between good and evil is the poem's main and most significant focal point. Although the epic poem Beowulf utilizes many characteristics of Christian themes, the violence in the poem relates to paganism. By exploring the characteristics of “good vs. evil” such as Cain, Grendel and Beowulf, this paper will explore the elements of Beowulf in such a light.

Beowulf a New Telling by Robert Nye was very interesting but not altogether satisfactory and one of the very interesting parts was the memory that stirred in Grendel’s heart but one of the unsatisfactory parts was the ending and the conclusion I can draw about the features of the work is that Beowulf a New Telling by Robert Nye is a thrilling tale about Beowulf who is trying to rid the land of the Danes and the land of the Geats of evil. There were also many relationships between light and darkness (good and evil) in people but the main one was in Beowulf. For example, in chapter 6 on page 40, Beowulf has elements of lightness when he says, “light holds you, Grendel. Light has you in its power. You, who have shunned the sun, meet me, once stung by bees that drank the sun. There is honey in my veins, Grendel, a liquid sunlight that can kill you quite.” This contrasts with his elements of bad in chapter 11 on page 76 when he says “By my own bad, please don’t think of me as some saint. That would make me as monstrous as Grendel, though in the other direction. Majesty of all the Danes, sweet Wealtheow, you see before you a hero who has come through many kinds of high adventures only to foul of his own weakness.”

Good and Evil in Beowulf       In Beowulf, the conflict between good and evil is the poem's main and most important aspect. The poet makes it clear that good and evil do not exist as only opposites, but that both qualities are present in everyone. Beowulf represents the ability to do good, or to perform acts selflessly and in help of others. Goodness is also showed throughout this epic as having the ability to cleanse evil.

Beowulf’s first battle is against Grendel in an attempt to help King Hrothgar of Denmark and the Danes. The king builds a great mead-hall known as Heorot, where his warriors can gather to drink, receive gifts from their lord, and listen to stories sung by the bards. All the noise and commotion angers Grendel, who is a horrible demon that lives in the swamplands of the king’s kingdom. Grendel is an outcast who desperately wants to be a part of the Danes. He is bitter about being excluded from the mead-hall festivities. As a result of his jealousy and loneliness, Grendel terrorizes the Danes every night, killing them and defeating their efforts to fight back. The Danes live in fear, danger, and suffer death from Grendel for many, many years. Eventually, word of the kingdom’s suffering at the hands of Grendel reaches Beowulf. He feels inspired by the challenge of defeating the monster and decides to help the Danes. The king holds a big feast to celebrate Beowulf’s help,

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: 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.

In the Epic poem of Beowulf, the theme is good vs. evil. But in the movie Hollywood made everything is different. Beowulf is not honest, women are sexually powerful, and the monsters are Hrothgar and Beowulf’s sons, etc. They added many things that were definitely now in the poem. If you read the poem then watching the movie you would be confused. You would be asking so many questions. But the current audience think good vs. evil is boring.

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.

After the first victory, Beowulf’s “comrades willingly go with him because of their confidence in his ability to lead them and to achieve their objectives” (Loughman). Beowulf becomes a role model not only for his thanes, but for the Danes of Heorot as well. Following defeat of Grendel’s mother, Hrothgar gives a sermon before the celebration honoring Beowulf begins. Hrothgar says “Beowulf, my friend, your fame has gone far and wide, you are known everywhere….forever you will be your people’s mainstay and your own warriors’ helping hand” (McArthur). King Hrothgar informs Beowulf of his significance to the Danes and how he serves as the backbone of his group of warriors.

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.

In the epic poem Beowulf, the struggle between good and evil reveals its omnipresence in even the oldest of tales. The many allusions and symbols throughout the story relate to Christianity and other Pagan beliefs. By looking at them, it becomes apparent that the author of Beowulf believed that the constant war between good and evil is not only fought by the common man but also in the ranks of their highest esteemed rulers and warriors, and even in their dreaded nightmares where monsters lurk and wait for the death of man. Beowulf was written during the budding of Christianity in England, when it was newly forming. In the story there are obvious references to Christian rituals.

1.In lines 1932-1962 it tells me about the queen Modthryth, she was wicked and killed everyone who looked up to her in the wrong way. The poet decides to highlight those terms to show that humans are naturally evil. He also highlights them because the story show oral traditions. That is the number one contribution that lead Beowulf to be written on a manuscript.

Grendel symbolizes evil and how the Anglo-Saxons of that time believed in things, such as demons and monsters; tangible enemies that could come and destroy or wipe out everything, at any given time. Beowulf symbolizes Christianity and the more modern way of thinking. We think although there are forces that can come together for the greater good, they are not monsters and demons. The idea of an ordinary or what seems to be ordinary man and woman can be just as powerful as any monster or demon there was. In the epic, Beowulf and ordinary man with extraordinary strength goes against Grendel, a ‘‘Bone crunching blood sucking monster’’, there was supposed to be no fear in this monsters heart at all.

In Beowulf, the nature of good and evil is present through the hero, Beowulf, representing as good and its villains such as Grendel and Grendel’s mother being interpreted to be evil in this epic. In the beginning of the epic, the nature of evil is brought to play when Grendel was introduced as “the cursed creature, cruel and remorseless” (pg. 594 line 106), but what emphasizes his wickedness is the actions he performs on the people of the kingdom. In the play, Grendel “seized thirty thanes asleep after supper, shouldered away what trophies he would, and took to his lair pleased with the plunder, proud of his murders” (pg.

The story of Beowulf begins with his quest to aid the kind of the Danes. Hrothgar built the great mead-hall called Heorot. The mead-hall represents Hrothgar’s success in building a powerful military and social entity. The mead-hall” Meant to be a wonder of the world forever;” (Beowulf.69-71) a place of light and warmth during the cold winter was attacked by a powerful demon called Grendel. Grendel resented the happiness of his neighbors and attacked Heorot for twelve winters leaving the hall empty for years. Once Beowulf learns of Hrothgar’s problem with Grendel he