Beowulf

A detailed Summary of Beowulf

The Pagan's epic poem Beowulf is a heroic saga about the young prince, Beowulf, who goes overseas to fight the kinsmen's of Satan, which in the story is referred to as the descendents of Cain. The story explains the battles that every one will fight in their own lives and how only people of God can overcome the many obstacles that he has set for all of mankind to overcome. This is very odd because of the fact that pagans did not believe in the Christian culture. The story also gives the impression that if there is any evil in your heart or the heart of your people that your own society will eventually collapse. The only way from stopping the collapse is if there is a person of a different nationality that interferes. The person who interferes must be from a society who is free of sin. Many of the weapons that were used in some of the battles were also symbols of good and evil. There are many references and images of good and evil that are trough out this story that was intended for a pagan culture.

In the beginning of the story, Beowulf hears about the many killings that plague the Danes and how an unknown monster, later referred to as Grendel, is coming about and causing havoc at Heorot Hall.

ll because this is where the Shields have built their society. "He took over Heorot,/ haunted the glittering hall after dark,/ but the throne itself, the treasure-seat,/ he was kept from approaching; he was the Lord's outcast" (36). God or the king of the Danes still has not accepted him but that does not mean he cannot walk around in the world or in the mead-hall due to the fact that the door has been opened. The reason he does not approach the throne is because he cannot be around the king himself. Who God himself in these days was believed to appoint the king and their forth is a direct worker for God. Where Grendel is unable to prowl around in Gods kingdom.

The story says, "So times were pleasant for the people there/ until finally one, a fiend out of hell,/ began to work his evil in the world" (Beowulf 34). This quote is not only referring to Grendel but to Unferth as well. Unferth is one of the princes of the Danes. The only way Grendel managed to come back in to civilization was because Unferth killed his brother; opening a door of evil. Before Grendel was cast out of society by God "[...] he had dwelt for a time/ in misery among the banished monsters,/ Cain's clan, whom the Creator had outlawed/ and condemned as outcasts" (34-35). But now that Unferth stepped into the mead-hall, it is like a door that has been opened for Grendel to come through and unleash his evil upon the society of the Danes. He only terrorizes the mead-ha!

Long after Beowulf has restored peace in the homeland of the Danes and becomes a king, it is Beowulf's society that is corrupted by one person. This time it was

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1092
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels