good vs evil

1476 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Symbolism in the epic story Beowulf

Beowulf Good VS. Evil
Many times we see a battle of good vs. evil in movies, books, society, and in this case, an epic poem. This motif is used so often because it pertains to so many facets of authentic life. The epic poem Beowulf is an example of this because the hero of the story has an ongoing conflict with the evil villain, Grendel. In Beowulf, the conflict between good and evil is the poem’s main and most important aspect. The poet makes it clear that good and evil do not exist as only opposites, but that both qualities are present in everyone. Beowulf represents the ability to do good, or to perform acts selflessly and in help of others. Goodness is also showed throughout this epic as having the ability to cleanse evil. Even though evil is presented by Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon, who are filled with a desire to act against people and ultimately destroy them. Even pride, a human quality, is presented in Beowulf as a sign that evil exists.
Beowulf is the character in the story that played the super hero. He was the man who went to innocent peoples rescue. When they needed someone to help them he was the man who would respond to their cries for help. For example, Beowulf went to the aid of the people of another country to fight a monster and protect them from another ambush of attacks from the monster. He risked his own life, to face this monster that would destroy any human in a matter of seconds. Beowulf isn’t just any normal human, he has the strength of 30 men in each hand. He is “the Prince of goodness”(46). He has been sent down from heaven to protect the earth from evil such as Grendel. As you can see clearly by the fact that he is called “The Prince of goodness” he is the “good guy” in the story (46). He has been chosen to protect the world from evil. When this story was made, the author intended for it to be clear that Beowulf is supposed to be the hero of the story.
Beowulf takes it upon himself to announce several great deeds that he will perform to help countries in need. One of these deeds is his offer to King Hrothgar, in which he proposes to slay Grendel. Beowulf states, “single handed I’ll settle the strife (37).

Show More
Related

  • Code Of Chivalry In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Gawain shows qualities of a chivalrous knight. He demonstrates that by showing generosity, courtesy, and loyalty during his travels. A mysterious knight shows up at the king’s castle and calls himself the Green Knight. The Green Knight then challenges one to play a game which he challenges the king to strike him with his axe if he will take a return hit in a year and a day. Sir Gawain steps forward to accept the challenge for his uncle King Arthur when nobody else in the castle would. He took the King’s role in the game to protect him from the Green Knight. He must learn to accept his responsibility as a knight, in accepting his fate.He demonstrates goodness at the hand of the Green Knight. He shows courage by accepting what is to come upon him during his voyage. His journey to find the Green Knight is filled with temptations.In the conversation with him and the “Lady”, Sir Gawain showed a Chivalrous code by keeping his loyalty to the king by not kissing his wife. The lady states “if I should exchange at my cho...

    Read More

  • Sir Gawain and Green Knight Essays: Triumph or Failure?

    510 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sir Gawain is presented as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. He is the perfect knight; he is so recognised by the various characters in the story and, for all his modesty, implicitly in his view of himself. To the others his greatest qualities are his knightly courtesy and his success in battle. To Gawain these are important, but he seems to set an even higher value on his courage and integrity, the two central pillars of his manhood.

    Read More

  • Sudhir Venkatesh's Gang Leader For A Day

    1852 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sudhir Venkatesh’s ethnography Gang Leader for a Day is a summary of his research through the University of Chicago in the 1990s. Venkatesh chose to do research on poor African-Americans in Chicago, and their experiences in public housing developments. He concentrated his study on the Robert Taylor Housing to better understand how residents lived and differentiated from those in other parts of the city. Venkatesh’s target population was those living in harsh living conditions, primarily black and poor. Throughout this paper, I will be addressing Venkatesh’s research and its limitations. I will also share my opinion on Venkatesh’s analysis and understanding of his findings about the residents, and how his experiences mesh with my own. In

    Read More

  • Gawain's Moral Superiority Revealed in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

    454 Words  | 1 Pages

    When Gawain shows up at the Green Knight’s chapel, his mere presence provides comfort to his host, who greets him: “Sir so sweet, you honour the trysts you owe.” Perhaps the green gallant had been expecting Gawain, as representative of the crumbling House of Arthur, to be derelict in his duties. Gawain lives up to his good name. Similarly, he resisted the unbearable temptations of Lady Bertilak on numerous occasions, providing a mere kiss, in accordance with the code of chivalry.

    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

  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight & color

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...Gawain’s time in the wilderness, living nature, and his acceptance of the lady’s offering of the green girdle teach him that though he may be the most chivalrous knight in the land, he is nevertheless human and capable of error.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Is Not a Modern Day Hero

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, although Beowulf possessed many heroic qualities he would not be considered a hero in today’s world. A hero varies from culture to culture. The Anglo-Saxon appreciated different things in a person that what do not we appreciate today. Many things have changed a lot with time, the requisites for being considered a hero have also changed. Today we do not like to solve problems with war. Pride and honor are not as important as the willingness one has to help others. Beowulf is not feeling that contact with people he doesn’t identify with them because he believes himself better, a part of a hero´s cycle is to be identified with the community. To be part

    Read More

  • The Importance of Grendel and the Dragon in Beowulf

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Sir Gawain

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    The fact that he is willing to hold to his stated word is evidence enough that he has good ethics. After Gawain accepts the challenge of the Green Knight he promises to let the Knight perform the challenge to himself. Gawain also has respect for women and their wishes. Gawain’s respect is indicated by the immediate response of Gawain to kiss the lady of the castle after she comes in to greet Gawain for the first time. Gawain’s action stems from the lady’s statement, "So true a knight as Gawain is holden, and one so perfect in courtesy, would never have tarried so long with a lady but he would of his courtesy have craved a kiss at parting." The meaning of this quotation is if this man in the bed were truly the noble knight Sir Gawain, he would not have taken as long as he did to kiss the master of the castle’s wife. A few other examples from the ethics of Sir Gawain are the three promises or instances of gift exchanges with the lord of the castle. For the most part, Gawain holds to his word and gives to the castle lord that which he, Gawain, had received each day. The one instance that he breaks his code of ethics occurs when he exchanges the third gift of three kisses with the host, when in all actuality he had been given a girdle by the lady of the castle to aid him in his encounter with the Green

    Read More

  • Essay On Good And Evil In Beowulf

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a result of the missions of good and evil forces is completely divergent to one another, there is continuously a battle stuck between the two. This equilibrium of good and evil rise and fall over time is never stable. The effects of good and evil are felt transversely all the sections of the world. The classic Beowulf makes an effort to illustrate both sides of these cultures of good and evil. It also conveys the eternal battle between the two. “Grendel, a monster who lives at the bottom of a nearby mere, is provoked by the singing and celebrating of Hrothgar's followers” (http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projf981e/story.html). Beowulf, prince of the Geats, hears about “Hrothgar's troubles, gathers fourteen of the bravest Geat warriors, and sets sail from his home in southern Sweden” (http://csis.pace.edu/grendel/projf981e/story.html). In Beowulf, the author uses light and darkness to accentuate good and evil in the world.

    Read More

  • Beowulf A Hero Essay

    768 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Beowulf Heroism Essay

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beowulf displayed great courage and honor throughout his journeys and battles; he was an epic hero. An epic hero is a person who is viewed as larger than life and possesses values of a certain society. From the time of Beowulf’s battle with Grendel to his brawl against the dragon, he has showed everyone what being an honorable hero looks like. His heroism is revealed through both youth as a young warrior and wisdom as a reliable king. He never backed down and didn’t give up when situations were tough. Beowulf had obligations to fulfill and went about every aspect of his life with courage and strength. He cared for his people and was willing to take on anyone that threatened them or his kingdom. He sincerely was the hero of his time.

    Read More

  • Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh

    1369 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sociology student Sudhir Venkatesh sets out on a journey within the Chicago housing projects with a quest of finding out how it feels to be black and poor. Sudhir was an Indian native from a middle class Californian family and he was unfamiliar with the black culture within Chicago. In his book Gang Leader for a Day, he tells of his sociology research within one of the roughest housing projects in Chicago. Sudhir starts his research by talking to a few elderly gentlemen he played chess with at the park. His conversation with them led him to the Robert Taylor Housing Projects which was described as one of the worst Ghettos in America. His research began the first day he arrived with his clipboard of questionnaires ready to ask the question, “How does it feel to be black and poor?” His intent was to interview a few families within the projects and then go home but something unexpected happened. He ended up spending much longer gaining an insight of the lives of poor blacks, gangs, and drug dealers.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Theme Analysis

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    To start the poem off the first incarnation of evil is introduced, the leviathan that goes by the name of Grendel. “Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made home in a hell.”(17-19) This atrocity of nature has been decimating the land of herot for over 12 years. Then comes the avatar of good, the heroic man from the land of the fabled geats has traveled across the sea, touching down upon the the land of the Danes to uplift the horrid curse upon the land Herot, Beowulf. Soon after the arrival, the battle ensues, Good vs Evil, in another sense it may be seen as God vs Devil, a nod to the various religious points in the epic. “That Shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, Knew at once that nowhere on earth Had he met a man whose hands were harder… Screams of the Almighty’s enemy sang… Taut throat, hell’s captive caught in the arms of him who of all men on earth Was the strongest.”(432,467,470-473) As is usually geared towards, a part of evil is purged from the world when Grendel takes his last breath and the side of good is celebrating with the return of Beowulf and his

    Read More

  • Informative Essay: The Unknown Impact Of Cell Phones

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    A huge area of impact that cell phones causes is that they change the way that we interact with people. My dad used to tell me how when he was a kid he had to ride his bike to his buddy’s houses to see what they were doing that day. Now all a person has to do is text them a simple “what’s up” to see what they are doing and

    Read More

More about good vs evil

Open Document