Good Vs Evil In Beowulf

“Beowulf” illustrates many beliefs and values of the Anglo-Saxon culture. The story has a strong hero who defeats two evil beings. His heroic acts show that the Anglo-Saxons valued heroic deeds. He is also very confident and often boasts of his strength which is seen as a good characteristic in this culture. Anglo-Saxons also valued the theme of good versus evil which is demonstrated in this story between Beowulf and Grendel. All three of these characteristics represent their culture through “Beowulf.”
To begin with, Beowulf is a very proud and admirable man. In the Anglo-Saxon culture, it is greatly respectable to be overly confident. Beowulf claims he does not need a weapon to fight the greatly feared antagonist Grendel or the dragon: “I would rather not use a weapon if I knew another way to grapple with the dragon and make good my boast as I did against Grendel in days gone by” (Beowulf). He is seen as honorable by his peers because he boasts of his strength: “The man who had lately landed among them, proud and sure, had purged the hall, kept it from harm” (Beowulf). Thus, his strength and confidence shows that Anglo-Saxons believed those characteristics were commendable.
Furthermore, Beowulf is a
The story does not reveal any kindness in Grendel, and there is no fault in Beowulf. Furthermore, Grendel devours men because of their cheerfulness. He is said to be, “Malignant by nature, he never showed remorse” (Beowulf). Seeing their goodness makes him vengeful revealing his evil intent. On the other hand, Beowulf saves the Danes out of kindness. Knowing he was the only man who could save them, he came to their aid: “He announced his plan: to sail the swan's road and search out that king, the famous prince who needed defenders” (Beowulf). So, by having a creature only full of hate and a man only with good intentions, the Anglo-Saxons beliefs of good versus evil is