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Battles of Beowulf – Good vs. Evil
For a hero, every fight has a challenge and carries significance. In movies, there is always the antagonist that comes to destroy, for example: earth, and then there is the protagonist that saves the day. During the fight, both the protagonist and the antagonist have challenges that they have to overcome. It is always harder for the protagonist, and in the end is the result of the fight and its significance to the story. In the epic poem Beowulf, the same guideline is followed. It is about the battles and glory that Beowulf has in his life. It plays out three major battles between Beowulf - the good, and the monsters - the evil. These monsters – Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the Dragon, all have similarities
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Grendel is a monster who is the descendent of Cain. He becomes a true monster when he was exiled for killing his own brother. “…he had dwelt for a time / in misery among the banished monsters, /….For the killing of Abel / the Eternal Lord had exacted a price” (Beowulf 104-108). The reason why he attacks people is because of the jealous feelings and his notion that he was not being treated fairly. The battle with Grendel took place at the mead hall. When Beowulf first arrives to help out the Danes, he has a boast and states how he is going to defeat Grendel. “…unarmed he shall face me / if face me he dares” (Beowulf 684-685). This shows how courageous and how he stays true to his own words. He fights Grendel in hand-to-hand combat and is able to defeat him, just like he said. Although Beowulf is able to defeat Grendel, he could not have done it without the assist from his men. “Time and again, / Beowulf’s warriors worked to defend / their lord’s life, laying about them / as best they could with their ancestral blades” (793-796). This is significant in that it shows the amount of respect people have for Beowulf. The fight with Grendel is significant in many ways. It symbolizes the trust and reliability that people can now have on Beowulf, seeing that he is able to defeat the demon that was wreaking havoc in their town. It also reveals to the reader and the Danes about Beowulf’s extraordinary strength- …show more content…
One similarity is that in both fights, Beowulf received aid from others. In the fight with Grendel, as mentioned before, Beowulf’s men had assisted him, leading them to victory. For the fight with the Dragon, Beowulf had aid from Wiglaf. “Next thing, they say, the noble son of Weohstan / saw the king in danger at his side / and displayed his inborn bravery and strength” (2694-2696). Wiglaf is the only warrior that stays and actually fights alongside Beowulf. He plays a significant role in the defeat of the Dragon by getting Beowulf out of near death situations. Another similarity is that after both battles, Beowulf set a reputation that is beyond anyone else. After the victory against Grendel, King Hrothgar stated in his thank you message “So now, Beowulf, / I adopt you in my heart as a dear son. / Nourish and maintain this new connection, / you noblest of men…” (945-948). Hrothgar means that Beowulf is now considered as one of Hrothgar’s noble men because of his accomplishment. This reputation of Beowulf builds up even more after his death, fighting and defeating the Dragon. “They said that of all the kings upon the earth / he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, / kindest to his people and keenest to win fame” (3180-3182). This shows the level of glory that Beowulf has received from his positive actions throughout his life. He has all of the
While fighting the Dragon Beowulf shows feats of strength and courage that define him as a hero. The classical hero displays a special quality that separates him from the rest of
The most important events in Beowulf’s life seem to all be a matter of Dichotomy. Good versus evil. Beowulf encounters perilous monsters throughout his life that no man or woman would ever stand a chance of defeating. Beowulf embodies the classic storybook hero, whom is built with a strong body and a pure heart. Throughout this epic, Beowulf must harness his heroic body and pure heart into destroying the forces of evil in the world.
The poem, Beowulf, centers around the epic battles between man and demon. The poem deals with a hero’s journey and the battles he faces. Each monster brings a different set of obstacles and tactics that Beowulf must use to defeat it. Beowulf fights Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon, each battle had its own set reasons, preparation, and outcome, however there are some similarities between them.
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.
Beowulf’s life was truly epic struggle. The monsters he battled made it so. Grendel and the dragon, capable of crushing men physically, stood for evils that could just as easily crush men in spirit. These two beasts represented society’s greatest fears, as well as detriments, and Beowulf fearlessly took them on. Grendel taught the hero a valuable lesson about maintaining one’s humanity in a world dominated by the dogs of war. The dragon, showed Beowulf’s mortality, his imperfection, but the hero eradicates it nonetheless, saving his people from not only physical threat, but sin. Bringing in such spiritual and moral dimensions, these two beasts certainly give the story of Beowulf depth.
Throughout the story, Beowulf fights three battles against frightening monsters. Beowulf, the prince of the Geats, was a well known warrior with extreme strength who makes a promise to protect his people under any circumstance. In the poem, his strength is tested, but he uses it to save many people in battles against: Grendel, Grendel 's mother, and a dragon. Before, during, and after each of these battles Beowulf shows many similarities and differences in his actions.
In the beginning of the novel, Beowulf takes interest in the plight of Hrothgar, King of Denmark, and wants to help him fight Grendel. Grendel is a large monster that has been harassing members in the mead-hall of the Heorot. Beowulf owes Hrothgar a favor, due to the fact that Hrothgar saved his father in years past. Hrothgar is honored to have Beowulf attempt to fight the swamp monster, and decides to hold a feast in his name. When Grendel shows up to the feast, Beowulf illustrates his bravery by fighting Grendel without any armor. When Beowulf wins the battle by ripping Grendel’s arm off, everyone in the mead-hall praises Beowulf for his acts of courage. In this scene, Beowulf proves that he is a hero by fighting off a monster that everyone else was afraid of. This made him look
The battle with Grendel represents the youth of Beowulf's life. The typical youth is very brave and fights for fame. Beowulf shows how the battle with Grendel is a representation of the youth of Beowulf's life by going to Hrothgar and asking him if he can fight Grendel for him and his people. Beowulf shows this trait when he says,
Every culture has many stories and poems to represent what they believe in, and what they look for in a hero. The heroes written in these stories and myths are brave, and are leaders. However, every hero comes with a flaw or two. The epic poem Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, has an extraordinary hero named Beowulf. Beowulf was a hero to the Anglo-Saxons which were fierce warriors who fought a lot. Beowulf fights many brutal monsters and threats in his days, but the most barbaric of them all is the inside threat within him. Beowulf had a big ego, and focused more on creating a name for himself than thinking about the real risks ahead. Two of his major battles that he faced along with his internal peril was against the dragon, and the beast Grendel.
In the epic poem Beowulf, written by Seamus Heaney, the three battles that Beowulf goes through all show the common characteristic of the universal theme good versus evil.
Beowulf Movie vs. Novel Beowulf is an epic poem that talks a lot about good vs evil and how the two coexist. The movie is based on the epic poem of beowulf. When the reader watches the movie they will have a better idea of the compare and contrasting that is going on. They will also see that there are many differences and similarities that happen in the book and movie.
Why, Beowulf? (A Discussion of Beowulf’s Motives in the Epic Poem, Beowulf) Every hero in history has had things that motivate them to do the things they do. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the Anglo Saxon code is extremely evident in everything the characters do. This story is an ancient story that has been told for generations, mainly among places in Europe, such as Sweden and Denmark. The Anglo Saxon code greatly influences Beowulf actions in this epic poem. In the story, Beowulf is an epic hero that fights three monsters: Grendel, Grendel’s mom, and a dragon.
In the epic poem “Beowulf”, there is a constant vie between good and evil. This epic poem is an aged example of the quote, “There is no denying that there is evil in this world but the light will always conquer the darkness.” (Idowu Koyenikan). The entire poem depicts how if you have faith in God, you will always prevail over evil.
Grendel was a beast that terrorized the Danes. He would walk into Heorot and feast on the flesh of the Danish soldiers. Nobody in all of the Danish land could even lay a finger on Grendel. When Beowulf heard about the terror he couldn’t let it go on without trying to stop him. He sailed to the Danish land and attempted
Beowulf’s first accomplishment as an epic hero was his battle with Grendel. Grendel was a huge beast, a descendent of Cain, who ruthlessly murdered innocent Danes because he felt pity for himself. Upon hearing of the Dane’s problem, Beowulf set off to help the Danish without having been called upon. Even though Beowulf had men backing him, He drew battle with Grendel alone and without armor or weapons. Yet, Beowulf emerged victorious with the arm of Grendel as his trophy. Beowulf then went on to kill Grendel’s vengeful mother and a huge fire-breathing dragon who thought it had been done wrong by the Geats. Alas, the killing of the dragon would be Beowulf’s last great battle for the dragon took Beowulf’s life in the struggle for his own.