Beowulf Essays

In the Anglo-Saxons, time period society was based on many things such as Warfare, Common languages, loyalty to leaders and tribes, admired men of outstanding courage, and many others. There was an iconic hero that everyone admired and that was a man named Beowulf. He always did the good thing even when evil forces were trying to overcome and destroy him. He was a loyal man that fought for greatness and safety for his tribe. During this time period, there was always a battle between the good and evil. In The epic poem Beowulf, it demonstrates that in the battle between good and evil, good will always win.

There’s always a rivalry between good and evil and the good will do whatever it takes to defeat the evil. Beowulf is planning to get rid of all evil that comes his way. He discovers a male monster named Grendel who has been harassing and killing people in Herot for twelve years. Grendel needs a taste of his own medicine so he can stop torturing innocent people. This is shown when Beowulf said, “That I alone and with the help of my men, may purge all evil from this hall” (260-261). This shows that Beowulf and his men will fight to get rid of all evil so that there can be peace. Beowulf and Grendel will go up against each other. Grendel is fighting for blood and Beowulf is fighting for peace. Beowulf uses no weapons because he doesn’t want his lord Higlac to think less of him as a man. He remained fearless as he battled Grendel. As the fight continued Beowulf ripped Grendel’s arm off. The evil monster bleed out lying there helpless. Beowulf took Grendel’s arm and hung it on the rafter in the mead-hall to show he won the battle. The good force took the victory during this battle and the evil force received the consequences for the bad decisions they made.

There are many ways to determine if someone is good or evil based on the decisions they make and why they make them. It’s a difference between doing the right thing willingly and doing the right thing because you were forced to do it. Beowulf was the hero who did the right thing because he wanted to. No one forced him to take upon arduous tasks. There is a new evil monster that has showed up for revenge which is Grendel’s mother. Beowulf accepted Hrothgar’s challenge to battle the evil creature. This is shown when the Geats “Thanked god that their leader had come back unharmed: They left the lake together. The Geats carried Beowulf’s helmet, and his mail shirt. Behind them the water slowly thickened as the monsters blood came seeping up” (599-603). This shows that Beowulf is a man of honor and he is well respected by others. The Geats appreciates Beowulf and his hard work because he defeated two evil monsters that no one could just so herot can be a better place.

Evil will always find ways to knock the good off their feet but the good shall always remain humble and be ready to put up a fight. After Beowulf’s victory against Grendel and his mother years has passed and now he has ran into another challenge he shall complete. Beowulf is now old but still fearless and brave. He meets his match with the evil dragon. He takes a group of trusty warriors to help him defeat the dragon. As Beowulf and his warriors approach the dragon all but one warrior remained by his side. The others were terrified. As Beowulf gave his speech the warriors scattered away but Wiglaf stayed by his side to help him defeat the dragon. Beowulf and Wiglaf was able to defeat the dragon but Beowulf was mortally wounded while defeating the dragon. He remained on his feet and he continued to be brave while evil was trying to tear him down. In the poem it quotes “Then Beowulf rose, still brave, still strong, and with his shield at his side, and a mail shirt on his breast, strode calmly, confidently toward the tower, under the rocky cliffs: no coward could have walked there” (650-653). This shows that as evil was trying to defeats Beowulf it had to come a little harder because Beowulf was not going down without a fight. When Wiglaf realized that Beowulf was getting defeated by the dragon he took action and helped. This also shows that the good was still on Beowulf’s side even though it seemed like the good was being defeated.

As the last battle came to an end Beowulf and Wiglaf was able to kill the dragon but in the process one of our bravest warriors that will always be remembered and honored as our hero was killed and that was our beloved Beowulf. In the epic poem Beowulf demonstrates that in the battle between good and evil, good will always win. In the beginning where it all started there was a man named Beowulf who was hungry for glory and for fame. He accepted any challenge he would run into just so there could be peace. In his first battle he went up against the evil monster Grendel who sabotaged people and killed them. Beowulf defeated him so Herot could be a place where there was no evil. As the battle ended with Grendel his mother comes in the picture wanting to seek revenge on Beowulf for defeating her son. Beowulf also defeated her by slashing her head off because she was trying to destroy him because she knows that he has a good impact on others and he’s a hero. No other warrior would take upon these difficult tasks because no one was brave like Beowulf. Many years has passed and Beowulf is now reaching his old ages. There seems to be another evil monster trying to destroy everyone and everything, but with the help of Beowulf he’s not going to let evil come back and take over. Throughout the poem the author uses good vs. evil to enhance the plot and characters by making an iconic hero that people will look up to and soon follow his footsteps. In the real world there will always be good people who wants the best for themselves and there will always be bad people who will have a bad reputation for themselves so they will try to feed off their negative energy so others can follow in their direction. As life goes on you have to be able to stand up for yourself and fight for what’s right.