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Good Vs. Evil in Beowulf
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Beowulf Good vs Evil Essay
Beowulf is a man that was raised as a hero and warrior by his people to protect them from the evil surrounding their land. Beowulf shows throughout the story many instances of heroism and great courage against Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon. Beowulf is noble and strong and he doesn’t let anything stand in his way to save his people from the evils plotting against them. Beowulf was a great example of good fighting off an array of evildoers in Beowulf. Beowulf is Beowulf’s real name, given to him when he was born.
His last name is the surname of the lands he ruled, making him Beowulf King Of The Geats (Random House). Beowulf’s father died early and his mother raised him with stories about great heroes. This built up his mind that he should become one of these heroes, which led to him becoming the greatest hero in all of Geatland (Beo 2. 3-2. 5).
Beowulf has many heroic like courage, strength and heroism qualities like, Beowulf is brave enough to go out and fight Grendel (Beo 1. 1-1. ), Beowulf is strong; Beowulf was able to decapitate Grendel with his bare hands( Beo 1. 15-1. 18), Beowulf has more courage than most men; Beowulf had no fear of dying in the hands of the dragon (Beo 27-29), Beowulf’s heroism; Beowulf successfully kills Grendel’s mother by ripping off her arm( Beo 1547-1550) .
Grendel is a demonic figure that terrorizes Hrothgar’s kingdom by raiding their hall at night and devouring men as they sleep. Beowulf is called to defeat Grendel and save Hrothgar’s kingdom from the demon ( Beo 1. -1. 4). Beowulf fights valiantly against Grendel with his bare hands and then decapitates him with a giant sword that he took from Grendel’s mother ( Beo 1. 15-1. 18). Beowulf and Grendel were both strong, Beowulf for his courage and strength, Grendel for his demonic might; Beowulf has more courage than most men; Beowulf had no fear of dying in the hands of the dragon (Beo 27-29), Beo thought he would die fighting off such a monstrous beast like Grendel’s mother.
Beowulf was Beowulfs greatest adversary, Beowulf stood up to him bravely and courageously. Beowulf fought Grendel in the form of a man without any fear or hesitation because he knew it was his duty as a hero to slay evil no matter what the cost might be( Beo 1283), Beo went out there not knowing if he would fight Grendel or die but Beo knew that if he didn’t try then the kingdom would never have any peace from this demonic monster (Beo 1646-1648).
Grendel’s mother is an even more terrifying version of her son Grendel. She is truly monstrous; she has claws sharp enough to tear Beowulf’s shield to shreds ( Beo 1285-1287), Beowulf is Beowulf’s real name, given to him when he was born. His last name is the surname of the lands he ruled, making him Beowulf King Of The Geats( Random House).
Beowulf has been studied over and over again by various scholars of literature. Beowulf is typically viewed as a hero of epic proportions, who fights evil and saves the world. Beowulf’s heroic attributes are more than obvious; he kills Grendel and Grendel’s mother, then later on he also kills a dragon that had been terrorizing the land. Beowulf is not your typical hero though; in fact Beowulf would fall under the category of an anti-hero within his work.
Beowulf struggles with his own personal demons, which causes him to stray from his heroic actions at times throughout Beowulf. This allows readers to see Beowulf for what he truly is, rather than blindly viewing him as a hero. Beowulf’s inner demons also make Beowulf vulnerable, and when Beowulf is faced with his own mortality during the fight with the dragon, Beowulf struggles with the idea of what he should do in order to preserve his heroic status. Beowulf’s sacrifice and subsequent revival, in the end, enhance Beowulf’s heroism in general, but Beowulf is still more of an anti-hero than anything else.
Beowulf begins as a young man who has not yet had much experience in life; Beowulf is essentially described as an innocent boy by Grendel’s mother (line 1557). This description makes readers view Beowulf as not only naive but also uneducated about the world. Beowulf is unaware of Grendel’s mother’s intentions, and Beowulf even states that his own “mind was clouded” (line 1556) when he goes to meet with Grendel’s mother in order to reject her advances. Beowulf’s lack of experience allows the author to give Beowulf certain characteristics that are not often associated with heroes within the literature; Beowulf has a fear of mortality, which presents itself during Beowulf’s fight with the dragon.
Beowulf’s last act of goodness is in his final battle with the dragon. Beowulf, although he knew it would have been wiser to escape, chose to stay and fight. Beowulf died when he was holding the dragon’s treasure hoard so that no one could steal it. Beowulf’s good acts are also displayed in his words when defeating Grendel in battle, giving high praises to God for strength in battle. Beowulf often tried to avoid battles but always ended up doing what was right or best for others instead of himself. Beowulf lived a life of good deeds which made him a hero admired by many people even centuries after his death.
The villainous characters throughout Beowulf epitomize evil in the epic. Grendel and his mother are perfect examples of evil. Beowulf’s battle with Grendel was a fight between good and evil, Beowulf being good and Grendel being evil. Beowulf slew both Grendel and Grendel’s mother but not before they were able to kill many a brave warrior in Hrothgar’s kingdom. Beowulf’s second confrontation with an evil force came from the dragon which Beowulf knew would be difficult to overcome even with his strength because dragons possess all the cunning or wisdom of any living creature. In Beowulf, The Dragon is portrayed as a greedy, nasty, monster who wants nothing more than to collect treasure for himself.
Beowulf’s third battle with evil was his final battle. Beowulf had defeated two creatures that were an embodiment of evil but now Beowulf has to fight the symbol of all that is evil, The Dragon. Beowulf died in this epic battle against extreme evil because Beowulf knew he could not let the dragon’s treasure go unguarded for fear someone would take it and become powerful like the dragon. Beowulf also dies in this last battle because his only priority is protecting others even if it means certain death for himself. Beowulf’s final act of goodness shows just how selfless Beowulf truly was as a hero and man.
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- Alexander, Michael. Beowulf. Penguin Classics, 2013.
- Bates Lord, Albert. “The Theme in Anglo-Saxon Poetry.” Center for Hellenic Studies - Harvard University, chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/6277.6-the-theme-in-anglo-saxon-poetry.
- Symons, Victoria. “Monsters and Heroes in Beowulf.” The British Library, The British Library, 3 Jan. 2018, www.bl.uk/medieval-literature/articles/monsters-and-heroes-in-beowulf.
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