Preview

The Theme Of Good And Evil In Beowulf

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
502 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
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. The importance of the theme of good and evil is an important part of the story or in this case an epic poem. The hero is facing a big threat and needs to save the world. In this case it would be Beowulf vs. Grendel."I had a fixed purpose when I put to sea. As I sat in the boat with my band of men, I meant to perform to the uttermost what your people wanted or perish in the attempt,in
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Comparing Beowulf And Grendel's
    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Comparing Beowulf And Grendel's

    Beowulf is the main character in his own Epic, with Grendel being the first obstacle to overpower. A Simple description for a simple book. For this reason Grendel is a cliché character that the readers will dismiss with hast; Grendel is a straightforward, but horrifying, monster. “So mankind's enemy continued his crimes, Killing as often as he could, coming Alone, bloodthirsty and horrible” (79-81). Grendel is not as plain in Grendel the novel, he is every bit as gory though. “I lift her by the armpits as though she was a child and, gently, I set her aside” (147). This tells a many great things, first is Grendel’s…

    • 530 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

    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
  • Good Essays

    Dialectical Journal For Beowulf
    • 914 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Dialectical Journal For Beowulf

    I think that the biggest theme in Beowulf has to be good vs. evil. This theme is stressed very much throughout the book in symbolism. Grendel represents pure evil, while Beowulf represents the exact polar opposite of the monster Grendel. In Beowulf anything evil or bad is related to hell, while anything good is because of their faith in god. The original concept of good and evil can be traced back to the sons of Adam and Eve, Cain and Able. Cain killed his brother because god favored his sacrifice more than his. Cain is the origin of evil and Able is the origin of good. Grendel is a descendant of Cain, and is pure evil he takes pleasure in causing misfortune for others. Beowulf is the definition of good…

    • 914 Words
    • 4 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
  • Good Essays

    Beowulf Theme Of Integrity And Honor
    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Beowulf Theme Of Integrity And Honor

    The theme of Beowulf that I believe corresponds to me in the eyes of others the most is integrity and honor. As an aspiring student driven to attend the United States Naval Academy, the Honor Concept holds more weight to me than most. Beowulf is a hero because he embodies and exemplifies the traits and morals the society saw as powerful and valuable.…

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

    Epic Of Beowulf Essay: Good Vs. Evil
    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Epic Of Beowulf Essay: Good Vs. Evil

    In the poem, “Beowulf” the author presents good v. evil as the central them. With Beowulf as the protagonist and Grendel as the antagonist. However some may think differently about this ancient piece of literature. Some may look at this piece of literature like the best piece someone has ever wrote. A lot look at it with the protagonist and antagonist switched but just by reading the story, it’s very hard to make Grendel a good guy. I look at this oldest surviving piece of literature the same way the author looks at it. The author looks at it like good v. evil.…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Villain In The Epic Of Beowulf
    • 1253 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Villain In The Epic Of Beowulf

    We live in a society that loves to know the reasons for the villain's actions. We want to know at exactly what moment in time this character decided to be “evil.” We want to be able to relate to the villain because we have realized we can no longer relate to the hero. The hero has knowledge unattainable in books, the honor only found in gods, and nobility that is too hard for us “mere mortals” to obtain. Our society has given up on the idea of the hero. We are all sick of being the mad scientist in a superman cape, The scratchy polyester choking our necks like a tightened noose. We want to be able to say it is okay to be bad, as long as you have a good reason for it. This is the thinking in the 2005 movie Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarson,2005).…

    • 1253 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better 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
  • Better Essays

    Theme Of Evil In Beowulf
    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Theme Of Evil In Beowulf

    Evil has no definitive interpretation; it is a matter of morals and the mindset of the being. It depends on the person to define such an ambiguous idea, some have faith in God(s), others look to dictionary definitions. Though based on Grendel’s intelligence and his repeatedly disgusting acts, he is evil. He is an astute being that can comprehend what kind of pain he creates by his ways, and he has no remorse for anything. Grendel’s actions are revolting, from ruining Wealhtheow, to killing harmless beings, to many spouts of unprovoked violence.…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    What Is Beowulf Evil
    • 303 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What Is Beowulf Evil

    The one story that stands out the most in Anglo-Saxon bards history is Beowulf. This heroic story, translated by Burton Raffel, tells of a hero’s journey to conquer the evil in his land. The creature that Beowulf is called to destroy is a monstrosity that goes by the name of Grendal. Beowulf fakes sleeping and waits for the beast to snatch at him. He surprises the monster when he grabs his claws and puts him into submission.…

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

    Perspectives in Beowulf
    • 686 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Perspectives in Beowulf

    The story of Grendel, written by John Gardner, tells the tale of Beowulf, but from a slightly different angle. Instead of talking of Beowulf as being the hero, the story is told from Grendel 's perspective. During the course of the book, Grendel attempts to explain many of his misguided attempts at friendship and other ways that he tried to make Beowulf understand that he was a living creature as well. He was treated as a monster, but he was not as hateful and horrible as he was made out to be in Beowulf 's tale. In fact, Beowulf’s side of the story made Grendel appear incredibly inhumane and unmerciful, when in reality, Grendel was just misunderstood. In Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, the main character of Beowulf is the ultimate hero. He is constantly saving the town and is looked up to by all the townspeople. Beowulf has also had encounters with Grendel, the town’s monster, where Beowulf always saves the day and chases the monster away. These two stories can be looked at many different ways; there are always multiple sides to a story.…

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

    The Theme Of Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf
    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Theme Of Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf

    Beowulf is a story of a great man who battles many monsters throughout his lifetime and shows attributes of a hero the entire time. It originated from the Anglo Saxons and was passed down for generations. Eventually, it was recorded down by monks who gave the story a religious quality. This also gave Beowulf a theme of good versus evil and how the hero will always prevail.…

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

    The Theme Of Evil In Beowulf
    • 334 Words
    • 2 Pages

    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.…

    • 334 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics