Comparing Macbeth And Beowulf

Good versus evil theme

The good versus evil theme is a subject matter between the good and bad character in a story. In literature, the protagonist is typically the main character and the antagonist is typically the one who challenges the protagonist. It is beneficial to evaluate the good versus evil theme so you can understand the main idea of the story. It is also beneficial to evaluate the good versus evil theme so you can understand the plot of the story. One common theme in the story of Macbeth and Beowulf was good versus evil. In Beowulf and Macbeth’s story, there were three aspects of good versus evil that helped reveal their heroism, made them king, and ultimately lead to their deaths. In the story of Beowulf and Macbeth, the main

Beowulf stated, "Often, for undaunted courage, fate spares the man it has not already marked." Beowulf creates an intriguing Beowulf makes an interesting argument in the beginning of the poem throughout his account of his swimming challenge with Breca. In other parts of the poem in “Beowulf” the storyteller in the poem during his description of his swimming contest with Breca ( Unknown, 2) . At other points, the narrator reminds the readers that God decides everybody’s destiny. Yet in this text, Beowulf asserts that ”...if your fate hasn't been decided yet, you can succeed through sheer nerve and courageous behavior( Unknown, 2).” This quote clearly shows that Beowulf has a strong idea that courageous behavior can bring success. Beowulf continues to express his opinions, he states, “ The fact is, Unferth, if you were truly as keen and courageous as you claim to be Grendel would never have got away with such unchecked atrocity, attacks on your king, havoc in Heorot and horrors everywhere (Unknown, 3)." Beowulf bravely responded to Unferth’s down talk about Beowulf's previous accomplishments, yet the reality is that Unferth personally does not have significant accomplishments to brag about. Beowulf proposes that Unferth should not badmouth other fighter's bravery before he himself has accomplished something

In lines 76-77, Macbeth states “ Blood hath been shed ere now, i’th’ olden time Ere human statute purged the gentle weal…(Brooke, 157)” In general, overcoming your fear shows courage. Macbeth was fearful to kill the king, but did it anyway; which showed courage. In perspective the good versus evil, beowulf represents the good and Macbeth represents the evil. Beowulf is a true hero because he kills Grendel for the better of others. In contrast, Macbeth is not a true hero because he kills the king for his selfish desire to become king.

In the story of Beowulf and Macbeth, Beowulf and Macbeth overcame obstacles that led to them becoming king. In the story of Macbeth, the witches represented evil. The three witches influenced Macbeth by turning his desire to be king into a unpleasant actuality. The prediction of the three witches originally placed Macbeth in the path of evil. According novel “Macbeth”, the moment he heard his prophecy was to become king, in line 50, “All hail Macbeth, that shalt be King…(Brooke, 103)” he became impatient. To speed up the process of becoming king, Macbeth hired a group of murderers and killed the