Grendel's Ghastly Villains In The Epic Of Beowulf

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Beowulf is a world-renowned literary work and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. The early English epic Beowulf consists of a marvelous hero, three ghastly villains, and deeds of great honor and valor. The main hero Beowulf has three main battles throughout the story. Each villain symbolizes a specific evil that all people have to face. The first monster Grendel represents rage, Grendel’s mother represents the desire for revenge, and the dragon represents greed.
The vicious monster Grendel represents the topic of rage throughout the epic by many of his actions. Grendel’s thirst for blood grows due to many different reasons. One reason Grendel was full of rage is because he was separated from …show more content…

In the epic it states “His mother’s sad heart, and her greed, drove her from her den on the dangerous pathway of revenge” (1276-1279). Grendel’s mother had lost her only son and she was not only heartbroken, but she felt a burning desire for revenge due to Beowulf killing her son. A mother’s love is like no other and most mothers do not hesitate to seek revenge when their children have been harmed or injured intentionally. Any mother in society today could relate to Grendel’s mother; revenge is an overwhelming feeling that can easily consume a person. Unfortunately, in many instances revenge can often lead to one’s downfall; much like how revenge led to Grendel’s mother’s downfall. In the epic it states “...Angry and desperate, lifted it high over his head and struck with all the strength he had left, caught her in the neck and cut it through, broken bones and all. Her body fell to the floor, lifeless, the sword was wet with her blood, and Beowulf rejoiced at the sight. As though burning in that hall, and as bright as Heaven’s own candle, lit in the sky” (1564-1571). The poet depicts Grendel’s mother’s death and also makes a connection to good and evil within the epic. Light depicts good and godly actions, however darkness depicts evil actions such murder, revenge, and greed. Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother was a vicious and tough …show more content…

The evil dragon is awaken when a portion of treasure which belonged to him was stolen while he was in a deep slumber. “The beast had slept in a huge stone tower, with a hidden path beneath; a man stumbled on the entrance, went in, discovered the ancient treasure, the pagan jewels and gold the dragon had been guarding, and dazzled and greedy stole a gem-studded cup and fled. But now the dragon hid nothing, neither the theft nor itself; it swept through the darkness, and all Geatland knew its anger” (2212-2220). The dragon’s actions depicts greed in the highest form, only a small fraction of his immense treasure was taken, but he enacts revenge on Beowulf and his people. Beowulf fought to the death against the vicious monster and neither the monster or Beowulf came out victorious; both the dragon and Beowulf lost the most precious gift of all which is life. Greed is by far one of the hardest emotions to overcome and one of the toughest battles for mankind. Rage can be easily defeated, even revenge can be overcome as well. However, when a person is greedy by nature; the act of removing greed from one’s heart is a tough act to

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