Good And Evil In Beowulf

The question that lies between good and evil is explored in countless numbers of literary works. Evil is profound immorality, wickedness, and depravity, especially when regarded as a supernatural force. The conflict between good and evil is often demonstrated in different ways. In the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf, the monster named Grendel terrorizes the people of Herot evidently leading to his encounter with the great hero Beowulf. Grendel is an evil monster who preys off of the deaths of his victims and can never know the love of God himself.
The magic that Grendel is capable of conjuring up explains the evilness of his entire being. Grendel’s supernatural capabilities help to defend himself against Beowulf as he battles him to the death.

He uses magic to bewitch all of man’s weapons so that he can only be harmed by the strength of Beowulf himself. “Their courage was great, but all wasted: they could hack at Grendel from every side, trying to open a path for his evil soul, but their points could not hurt him, the sharpest and hardest iron could not scratch at his skin, for that sin-stained demon had bewitched all men’s weapons, laid spells that blunted every mortal man’s blade.” (lines 319-326) To add onto the Catholic allusions being made throughout the epic, the magic that Beowulf is able to use is a result of his demon-like characteristics. Grendel’s bewitchment of man’s weapons makes his evilness evident during the battle against Beowulf.
Grendel’s attacks show the great extent of his evilness within Beowulf.

Grendel travels to Herot inside of the mead hall to find the sleeping warriors sprawled across the room. His evil tendencies get the best of him and he immediately murders them.“The monster’s thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws: he slipped through the door and there in the silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies, the blood dripping behind him, back to his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter.” (lines 34-40) The reader immediately pictures the monster that Grendel is supposed to be due to these murderous actions. “The reader only knows Grendel through his bloody actions, the horrified response of others and the elliptical statements of the narrator.” (Sandner) Grendel’s horrendous slaughters demonstrates the evil that lives within

him.
The contrast between good and evil within Grendel’s storyline is shown through allusions to the Catholic religion.

In the poem, it is mentioned that Grendel was born as an ancestor to Cain, the eldest son of Adam and Eve who murdered his younger brother Abel. Grendel was born into the evil monster that he is. “Many critics have seen Grendel as the embodiment of the physical and moral evil of heathenism; Beowulf’s struggles to overcome the monster are thought to symbolize Anglo-Saxon England’s emerging christianity.” (Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature) The initiation of his attacks is the irritating sound of music played by the harp - an instrument related to God - within the mead hall. Anything that has to do with the good of God triggers the evil inside of Grendel. “Though he lived in Herot, when the night hid him, he never dared to touch king Hrothgar’s glorious throne, protected by God - God, whose love Grendel could not know.” (lines 81-85) The allusions to biblical stories and the Catholic religion help to exemplify Grendel’s evil character.
Grendel is an evil monster who causes terror and chaos to those suffering in his presence. The magic he uses helps him to carry out his evil intentions. His evil attacks offer him no remorse for the deaths he’s caused. The biblical allusions throughout the text offer support for all things good, including God himself, that stand against him. Grendel is born into the evilness that he is and has no choice except to live up to

his monstrous lifestyle. However, the actions that he makes give the reader no choice, but to paint him as the evil villain of the epic Beowulf.