Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf

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Throughout the poem, certain themes resound as the story progresses. These themes construct the basic ideas of the text and center on community vs. isolation, light vs. dark, and most prominently, good vs. evil. From the beginning, Beowulf arrives with the intent to seek out and destroy the evil that lurks in the land near Heorot. This introduces one of the most important dichotomies of the epic poem by clearly depicting what lies on either side of good or evil. Initially, Beowulf and his army journey to Hrothgar’s kingdom with the intent of extinguishing the evil monster that poisons the land. This horrible creature, known as Grendel, kills many men from Hrothgar’s armies and wreaks havoc on their once peaceful town. Beowulf defeats…show more content…
She attacks the mead hall and kills relentlessly, murdering one of the king’s dearest friends. All turn to Beowulf as he possesses the only fighting abilities to effectively defeat Grendel’s mother which he indeed does. His incredible success in these two battles dub him as the world’s greatest hero which bring along many positive connotations. He receives great amounts of wealth and honorably returns home where, after the death of the old king, he becomes the next great leader of the kingdom. For many years, Beowulf ruled the kingdom wisely and effectively by always doing what was best for the people. These good actions contrast with the evil that Beowulf fought off back in Hrothgar’s kingdom. Soon enough, another evil presence, a dragon, emerges from Beowulf’s kingdom which places the people in danger. As heroically as possible, Beowulf musters up the courage to defend his people from the fire-breathing dragon. As expected, he fatally wounds the dragon by piercing its underbelly with his sword, but prior to the dragon’s death, it bit Beowulf’s neck. The dragon’s poisonous venom quickly kills Beowulf, but as he dies he ensures that all treasures within the dragon’s barrow be unearthed and distributed to his

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