Themes in Beowulf

Topics: Grendel's mother, English-language films, Beowulf Pages: 1 (290 words) Published: November 13, 2008
Two of the themes present in Beowulf are good vs. Evil and the magic and supernatural elements. Beowulf is a basic poem that contains many examples of good against evil. This story shows how good will always prevail even against insurmountable odds. For example, Beowulf is the perfect example of a good warrior. He is loyal to his king and family and can defeat any monster. Grendel on the other hand is born evil and enjoys killing the Danes. When Beowulf and Grendel engage in battle, Grendel sees good in Beowulf and is afraid. This is because he is the dark attempting to go against the light. Another example is when the dragon from Hades fights Beowulf. Even though he dies at the end, Beowulf defeats the evil dragon that has been burning everything.

Another theme found in Beowulf is the magical and supernatural elements. These elements are found in both the monsters and Beowulf. Beowulf demonstrates an unnatural strength and ability to do good. One example of this is that he is able to swim downward into a lake for hours, fight off monsters, kill Grendel’s mother and swim back up with heavy armor on. No normal man would be able to do this, among other things that Beowulf is said to do and this leads us to believe that he is supernatural. Grendel is seen using magic to flick open a door silently. He is also protected from harm by human weapons, and his mother is said to have supernatural strength. Finally, the dragon has the ability to sleep for extended periods of time, fly, breathe fire, and poison all of which are uncommon. These are only two of the many themes present in the epic, Beowulf.
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