Good V's Evil In 'Beowulf'

457 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Notes on beowulf as an epic

Title Author Idowu Koyenikan said “There is no denying that there is evil in this world but the light will always conquer the darkness.”Good hook, I liked how you referenced another author During the Anglo-Saxon period ? In the epic Beowulf, the theme Good v.s. Evil is developed, explored and prominent throughout the entire story. Firstly, Good v.s. Evil is evident beginning with the chapters Grendel and Beowulf. The vicious; indignant; precarious; monster; Grendel is wreaking havoc on the mead hall built by the king of Danes, Hrothgar. Grendel is a descendant of Cain from the Bible, possibly foreshadowing he does not have many pleasant things in store for him. Grendel murders thirty Danes, and to many people in the kingdom, the future …show more content…

Evil continues to play a major role in the next sections of the epic, The Battle with Grendel and The Battle with Grendel’s Mother. Beowulf and his followers stay to spend the night in Herot, after everyone leaves. He excitedly awaits the arrival of his rival. Grendel arrives and attacks his first victim: a Geat. Grendel tears him apart, killing the man. Next, Grendel comes at Beowulf with his mighty claws. Beowulf withstands Grendel’s powerful hold and Grendel “knew at once that nowhere on earth/has he met a man whose hands were harder/his mind was flooded with fear” (274-276). Grendel cannot escape Beowulf’s hold. He has finally met his match. “The monster’s hatred rose higher/but his power was gone” (336-337). Beowulf impales Grendel, wounding him to his death, and the battle is over. Beowulf’s good, triumphs Grendel’s evil doings. With her son Grendel’s mother seeks revenge and begins causing chaos of her own. She emerges from her evil lair and for her first act of destruction she kills Hrothgar’s greatest soldier and closest friend. In their time of need people once again look to Beowulf to save the day. Beowulf swims for many hours to reach the bottom of the dark, grim, cold lake where her lair is located. Grendel’s mother attempts to hurt Beowulf but she cannot, “she welcomed him into her claws/clutched at him savagely but couldn't harm him” (458-459). His chain mail saves him from her rath. He murders Grendel’s mother and just

Show More
Related

  • Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf And Burton Raffel

    771 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since the beginning of time, fairy tales, stories and legends have shared a common theme where good and evil are played against each other. In the story of “Beowulf”, translated by, “Burton Raffel”, there is a hero who plays as a good character, and there is also a demon who rules the dark side. The hero Beowulf, agrees to take a journey to conquer the evil monster Grendel. But when Beowulf is trying to defeat the beast, Grendel fights back, causing integrity and generosity to vanish. The common theme in various tales like in Beowulf is, good vs. evil.

    Read More

  • Corruption In Beowulf Essay

    1546 Words  | 4 Pages

    "That night, Beowulf and his men stay inside Herot. While his men sleep, Beowulf lies awake, eager to meet with Grendel" (Raffel Burton- 48). In the epic, Beowulf establishes himself as a highly profitable warrior, on a mission to serve and protect. Immediately, Beowulf is presumed to be a good force, taking on Grendel who is perceived to be a descendant of Cain, who personifies evil. A valiant warrior, Beowulf protests that he shall take on the monster, stripped of weapons and armor. When the evil monster Grendel attacked the people of Herot, Beowulf chose to fight Grendel and diminish the evil that he represents. While he and his men sleep, Grendel arrives to wreak havoc on the mead-hall.

    Read More

  • Sympathy in Beowulf

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    While the classic battle between good and evil forces is a major theme of the medieval epic Beowulf, one may question whether these good and evil forces are as black and white as they appear. Scholars such as Herbert G. Wright claim that “the dragon, like the giant Grendel, is an enemy of mankind, and the audience of Beowulf can have entertained no sympathy for either the one or the other” (Wright, 4). However, other scholars such as Andy Orchard disagree with this claim, and believe that there is “something deeply human about the ‘monsters’” (Orchard, 29). While Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon are indeed portrayed as evil and violent foes, there are parts within Beowulf that can also lead a reader to believe that the “monsters” may not be so monstrous after all. In fact, the author of Beowulf represents the “monsters” within the poem with a degree of moral ambivalence. This ambivalence ultimately evokes traces of sympathy in the reader for the plight of these “monster” figures, and blurs the fine line between good and evil within the poem.

    Read More

  • Who Is Grendel A Hero

    597 Words  | 2 Pages

    An innocent, joyless, outcast lurks in the depths of the earth. He is feared by all due to his violent behavior and thirst for humans. Stories about this monster stretch across lands, intriguing the one and only Beowulf. In this notorious Epic, Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Grendel is the Frankenstein of this poem, the Joker of this time period, the Lord Voldemort of this book. Basically, Grendel is the villain and when there’s a villain there’s a hero. Our hero today is Beowulf, who challenges Grendel and he trounced not only Grendel but Grendel’s mother as well. Not only are Grendel and his mother villains but they also played the role of being the outcast/scapegoat. Symbolically they play the role

    Read More

  • Good vs. Evil in "Beowulf"

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Evil in 'Grendel': A Complex Perspective

    1579 Words  | 4 Pages

    Dictionary.com defines evil as “the wicked or immoral part of someone or something.” Within the novel, Grendel by John Gardner evil is inescapable as this topic is discussed throughout the novel. Though the story holds a resemblance to its inspiration of the epic Beowulf in its portrayal of Grendel, it fails to highlight the underlying evil within the Anglo-Saxon’s and their values. Gardner’s novel reveals that evil is everywhere as it is seen in not only Grendel's but also in human lives and is presented in a more complex way than the epic as both have their own dark sides.

    Read More

  • Good Vs. Evil - Analytical Sentence Outline

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through common stories, good and evil are portrayed through protagonist and antagonist view, creating morals and opinions, and how society's views have changed over time. Common stories portray good and evil through a protagonist and antagonist view. The first thing I think of when I hear “good vs. evil” would be a fairy tale. As in most fairy tales, there is always a good guy and a bad guy.

    Read More

  • Darkness In Beowulf

    606 Words  | 2 Pages

    Good and evil operate and work in different environments. In the book Beowulf, light and darkness are the environments used by good and evil. Although the author shows the power of darkness, he also exhibits light’s eventual victory in Beowulf’s battle with Grendel, in Beowulf’s first skirmish with Grendel’s mom, and with the imagery created at the beginning and end of each

    Read More

  • The Symbolism in Beowulf

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this reimagining of the roles of good and evil, we see that there is a similar struggle in both stories. Beowulf mirrors it so closely, in fact, that careful consideration of the information plainly available can cause the lines of good and evil to blur perceptually. It is clear that the author of Beowulf had a deep understanding of the concepts of the Biblical creation story and took great care to recreate the struggle of good and evil in his epic.

    Read More

  • The Meaning of Beowulf Displayed Through Archetypes

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story of Beowulf represents the on going cycle of good vs. evil. This theme is shown through heroic deeds, kinship, and dragon archetypes. Protecting innocent civilians, helping others in need and defeating evil are all clear examples of heroic deeds. Beowulf shows his heroic nature through his actions. Hearing that men were killed by Grendel, he jumps at the chance to save the others so that it won’t happen again. He does not fight with weapons which shows his fearlessness and strength. Beowulf conquers evil by not hesitating to put his life on the line for others in need. These actions are what portray him to be a hero and not just a plain, ordinary man. The two monsters in Beowulf are seemingly out to kill men. They both like in murky, chaotic and unpleasant places representing their dark and gloomy appearances. Grendel represents evil in the story because he hurts and kills men. The innocent victims pled with Grendel to stop killing and eating them. Grendel doesn’t listen to what they say and he keeps on killing because it is what he enjoys doing it. In the story of Beowulf Grendel is one of the major examples of evil. The other clear example of evil is the Dragon. The Dragon and Grendel both represent death, chaos and darkness (Encyclopedia of Archetypal Symbolism “Ananda”). Although he is mortally injured, after fighting both of the vicious monsters Beowulf comes out victorious, showing his destruction of evil. In the journey of a hero there are three distinct stages. These stages consist of departure, heroic deed and return. Before the departure one has to have a desire to help others, which displays a strong form of kinship.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Quotes

    1953 Words  | 4 Pages

    evil when grendel attacks the hall. He sees Beowulf laying down and thinks he can defeated when he was oblivious of how strong Beowulf actually is. He has finally met his defeat.

    Read More

  • The Poem of Beowulf

    1268 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...s had an impact on modern day storytelling and novels.) In the poem of Beowulf evil works the same way it does in real life, the “sprouts”, which were Grendel and the dragon, are killed, but the roots who is the mother prevails, and will continue resurfacing, striking and attacking nonstop. She may be at peace for long periods of time but she will raise again to bite again and possibly harder. In the end everyone dies, the sins and evil done in life are gone at death, every bad things disappears at death, maybe the damage is done, still the rest of the people will eventually get over it, until a new tragedy occurs. However the roots of evil and wrongness still stir underground. Every monster will be eventually defeated, every evil person will eventually die, every nightmare will eventually fade, but evil, wrongness and sins will always be present and will resurface.

    Read More

  • Essay On Beowulf Good Vs Evil

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    Evil has no code or values and this is demonstrated by Grendel’s Mother killing Hrothgar’s closest friend and the Dragon wreaking havoc on the Geats’ houses.

    Read More

  • Evil In Beowulf

    777 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendel is a mean, vicious monster that killed 30 danes late at night when he went out hunting. He got furious with the danes dancing, singing and drinking late at night while he was trying to sleep. For instance, the author says, “A powerful monster, living down in the darkness, growled in pain, impatient as day the music rang loud in that hall, ‘the harp’s rejoicing call and the poet’s clear songs” (Beowulf 1-5). Grendel has a fear unlike Beowulf. The moment he first meets eyes with Beowulf his first thought was to run and go hide back in his lair with his mother (Beowulf 540-541). Once that thought came to his mind it was too late for him to return home to his mother. Soon enough, Beowulf was fighting him and he tore his arm off of his body. After, Grendel got away and ran to go hide. Very soon after Grendel died from loss of blood and his mother was furious and went to avenge her only son. Beowulf won this battle, but he would need to be able to win against Grendel’s furious, evil

    Read More

  • Beowulf as an epic

    683 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Good V's Evil In 'Beowulf'

Open Document