Preview

The Theme Of Evil In Beowulf

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
334 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Theme Of Evil In Beowulf
Throughout the story Beowulf, a theme of good versus evil is shown throughout the whole poem. Beowulf leaves his homeland to help King Hrothgar fight against an evil force. Beowulf was definitely considered a good and courageous guy, but he fought against the evil forces of Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. Although Beowulf is considered good and he protected everyone, he battled against the evil but his good always ended on top. Beowulf, the good, fights evil throughout the entire poem. Grendel, his first enemy, is established as being evil. Grendel is considered evil because he is a descendant of Cain who is known as the first murderer. Grendel attacks Heorot because of their good joy they display. He is also evil because he
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Archetypes In Beowulf
    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Archetypes In Beowulf

    Although good and evil may exist in ways that they aren’t typical archetypes, they are there nonetheless. In Beowulf, good and evil are the driving factors in how the story progresses. Without evil, there would not be a chance for Beowulf to be good. Grendel…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Who Is The Antagonist In Beowulf
    • 170 Words
    • 1 Page

    Who Is The Antagonist In Beowulf

    In the story of Beowulf, by Seamus Heaney, the first antagonist is a monster named Grendel, who is a symbol to represent the fear of nightmares. At first sight the narrator describes the monster, “Then a powerful Demon, a prowler through the dark…” (86). Grendel is seen as a demon of the night, as he lurks across Heorot claiming his victims. The power he holds only fits his symbolism as a nightmare, and how he is feared from others by just the sight of him. The narrator explains the fear this monster reaps, “All were endangered, young and old/were hunted down by that dark death-shadow…” (159-160). This creature is a fear, a nightmare, and a demon because of his creeping of sleep and silent attacking. Our worst fears are usually things that…

    • 170 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Unwanted Qualities In Beowulf
    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Unwanted Qualities In Beowulf

    In the poem, there are three monsters. They each represent qualities that good humans should not have, while Beowulf can represent some of the qualities we should want. The first of the three monsters is Grendel. Grendel was an outcast in the Dane society. “He had dwelt for a time/ in misery among the banished.” (l. 104-105) He is a descendent of Cain, therefore expected to be evil. And when King Hrothgar…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Good And Evil In Beowulf
    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Good And Evil In Beowulf

    We’ve grown quite a lot through time with technology, architecture, and even through our ideals. In the Beowulf the epic (Heaney 2000), we see right and wrong through the eyes of the past and it is strange to say the least. The author wrote this for their intended audience, meaning they were reflecting the cultural values of the ancient Anglo-Saxons. In the movie, Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson 2005), we see changes from the original work that seems to match to modern ideas of right and wrong. Two characters, Hrothgar and Grendel, one who was a man of the light and kin of the dark respectively, were changed to match the ideals we hold today into completely different people that we had known them to be.…

    • 1022 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Theme Of Good And Evil In Beowulf
    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Theme Of Good And Evil In Beowulf

    The theme of Beowulf had the good vs.evil theme to the story when the monster is Grendel is the monster and his mother also a threat to herot and Beowulf is the hero to solve the problems of Grendel is making. Beowulf is the hero in the story and Grendel is the villain. Beowulf is the faced with many trials throughout the story with unferth and the Grendel.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Evil In Beowulf
    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Examples Of Evil In Beowulf

    In times before printed books were common, stories and poems were passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. From such oral traditions come great epics such as England's heroic epic, Beowulf. In Beowulf, the monster Grendel serves as the evil character acting against the poem's hero, as shown by his unnatural strength, beast-like qualities, and alienation from society.…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Revenge Theme In Beowulf
    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Revenge Theme In Beowulf

    “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ (Matthew 5:38). As stated in the bible, revenge has been around for a long time, since the beginning of time. With this in mind, the epic poem, Beowulf, ties into the idea of revenge. Beowulf is an epic poem, originally written in Anglo-Saxon. Though the original author is unknown, it has been translated by Burton Raffel. The story follows an epic hero, Beowulf, who travels to modern day Denmark, to fight a monster named Grendel who is terrorizing the king, Hrothgar, and his people. Back to the main point, the main theme of Beowulf is revenge, for Grendel’s attack on Herot, Beowulf’s battle with Grendel, and Grendel’s mother’s attack.…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Motivation In Beowulf
    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Theme Of Motivation In Beowulf

    Did Beowulf have any motivation when he went on his journeys? Now they say the author is unknown but in the book it’s translated by Burton Rafeel. Now whoever made this story made it epic and shows a tale. Now this tale is not like regular tales because it has a hero in it and an epic journey with epic enemies but it’s also a sad ending for the hero. Now I like this story and in this story Beowulf had a motivation throw this entire story.…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    What Are The Villains In Beowulf
    • 1201 Words
    • 5 Pages

    What Are The Villains In Beowulf

    In both works, the authors of Beowulf and Tolkien also assigned their society’s negative traits to their stories’ villains. In Beowulf, Grendel was swamp-dwelling son of Cain, the exiled killer of Abel and father to all evil spirits (102 – 110). Grendel’s swampy home is easily accessible to the Anglo-Saxon audience as dark and dangerous. On top of this, Grendel’s home exists on the outside edges of King Heorot’s lands: not central but still inside (103). This location represents the marginalities of the Anglo-Saxon people who the majority of society sees as sinful or “demonic.” To the Anglo-Saxons, these outsiders would have been those who did not follow cultural norms, including those dictated by biblical law.…

    • 1201 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Evil In Beowulf
    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Evil In Beowulf

    The hero Beowulf is a king and Danish warrior, also known as “The Geat” (Line 639),Prince of Goodness (676), Weather-Geat (697), The hero, and Kinsman. Hrothgar, King of Heorot have a variety of alternative in the work, as Lord of the Shielding (663), friend of the people (427-428), Helmet of Shielding (456), The King of Glory (665) and Divine Lord(685). The terrible monster Grendel an evil being known as the captain of evil (749), powerful demon (86), the shadow stalker, monster. Grendel’s Mother is an evil character who encourages the atrocities committed by his son Grendel and Wiglaf, Beowulf’s nephew known as man of worth, Shield warrior, Prince of the Scylfing, is finally the King…

    • 330 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Grendel, the Great Antagonist
    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Grendel, the Great Antagonist

    Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf depicts Grendel as a demon, a beast. The writer makes Grendel powerful, merciless, and a source of pure evil. The author shows this while describing Grendel and by making him commit heinous acts. The narrator takes away any sign of humanity in him. This makes the God-cursed brute one of the most evil villains in literature.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Monsters In Beowulf
    • 214 Words
    • 1 Page

    Theme Of Monsters In Beowulf

    According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a monster is “a powerful person or thing that cannot be controlled and that causes many problems.” Monsters are a symbol of evil and form of satanic beliefs. Monsters don't want to be seen by people or civilians. Their lurking spots must be somewhere away from humans, also somewhere deep and dark. Monsters must lurk somewhere deep and dark that is away from humans.…

    • 214 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Beowulf - Good vs. Evil
    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Beowulf - Good vs. Evil

    Beowulf: Good versus Evil Beowulf is one of the oldest existing poems in the English Language. Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, which portrays a story of an epic hero destined to defeat a ferocious monster in order to save a kingdom from destruction and death. The major theme in this epic was the theme of good versus evil. The theme of good versus evil was portrayed through the people and things that represented good and…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Common Themes In Beowulf
    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Common Themes In Beowulf

    Themes are lessons or ideas that an author wants to convey through his or her writing. Common themes found in literature are “treat others the way you want to be treated,” and “love will always conquer hate.” A theme in the epic poem, Beowulf, is that things will happen as they are meant to happen. The ideal of fate is consistently brought up throughout the poem as Beowulf heroically defeats many demons and beasts. It is believed in Beowulf’s culture that fate decides what happens to who and when. A prime example in the text is near the end of Beowulf’s life, as he is about to slay the dragon, he says, “'I meant to stand, not run from his shooting flames, stand till fate decides which of us wins.'' He is very old at this point and realizes…

    • 258 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf Assessment
    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Beowulf Assessment

    The first monster Beowulf encounters is Grendel. As a descendent from the biblical character Cain; it is assumed Grendel is pure evil due to the understanding that Cain was the first murder, forever casted out by God. This plays a role into Grendel’s hatred towards the warriors in the hall of Herot, during his attacks on the hall, he “came again, so set/ On murder that no crime could ever be enough,/ No salvage assault quench his lust/ For evil…./ Hate had triumphed…/ His misery leaped…/Grendel’s hatred began,”(ll. 135-151). Grendel’s actions demonstrates how he is driven by hate, this ultimately makes him the easiest monster to kill because as seen in his battle between Beowulf “The monster’s hatred rose higher, But his power had gone” suggesting that hatred was not enough to be Supreme Being and defeat Beowulf (ll. 814-815).…

    • 1076 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics