Beowulf Good Vs Evil

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Beowulf, an epic poem, displays several of the qualities Anglo-Saxon people deeply value and contrasts them with traits associated with sin. The virtues of the Anglo-Saxon are expressed through Beowulf and Wiglaf while the verses are represented through Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. Although in Beowulf, the distinctions between who is good and who is evil are quite clear, the characters in Beowulf exhibit traits that don’t necessarily lend themselves to be from their distinctly clear categories. The Herot is suppose to be a hall specifically for the celebration of honorable deaths and heroes, but instead, Herot is plagued with the deaths of innocently murdered warriors. These warriors are slaughtered “unknowing[ly]” and given…show more content…
Unlike the savage monster who lives at the bottom of the lake and wields claws as his weapon, Beowulf is civilized and pure. Before the battle with Grendel, Beowulf cleanses himself of armor and weapons to show that man is able to “purge all evil” without it because good always prevails in the end (Beowulf 166). Although Beowulf ends up dead after the battle with the dragon, he will be remembered for his several heroic deeds that prevented the people from their demise. However, every time that Beowulf entered battle, he was greedy with the idea of achieving and solidifying his fame and position as a hero. “Beowulf longed only for fame, … fame comes to the men who mean to win it and care about nothing else!” (Beowulf 485-492). These thoughts plagued him and drove him to revenge the dead warriors of the Danes by murdering Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. After 50 years had passed and Beowulf becomes the king, he still tries to prove that he still holds all of the traits that made him a hero and a king. When the dragon starts terrorizing the people of the Danes, he “fight[s] again [and] seek[s] fame still” (Beowulf 609). In the Bible, killing is considered evil and a sin. Even though Beowulf is a hero, his motivation is sinful, evil, and full of greed. Nevertheless, Beowulf will be remembered as the

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