good vs. evil in beowolf
The story of Beowulf initially took place in the Anglo- Saxon period in English history. The Anglo- Saxon times were dark and full of war, evil was very plentiful. The author tries to demonstrate this evil in this story and how it is taken over by the good of man. Throughout every chapter there is an abundant amount of evil and there is also some good, this is shown through symbolism and a strong use of words. The story takes place in an Anglo- Saxon society that is haunted for thirteen years by the presence of evil. The evil is also known as Grednel. Grendel is a monster the lives under a marsh right by the guest hall. Many attempts to kill Grendel were made but none succeeded. Then Beowulf came along to give it a try. In the beginning of the story Hothgar's men are staying in the town's guest hall, or "Mead Hall". These men are like the army of the town. It is made very clear that evil is present under that building. " A powerful monster living down in the darkness growled in pain, impatient as the music rang day after day in that loud hall." This is just one of the descriptive passages used to describe the evil that lurks in this town. Later that night the men go to sleep and the angry
In chapter's eight through ten the battle between good and evil persists. There is a lot of symbolism in the three chapters. Most of the symbolism, once again, is of evil, and very little refers to good. Some symbols that seem to be universal for evil in these few chapters are, "shepherd of evil", "guardian of crime", "darkness", "hell", "hot flames", "evil soul", " sin stained", and " murky darkness". Most of the symbols of evil come from the understanding that evil lurks in hell, and hell, as well as demons, is referred to a lot in the symbolism of evil. Despite all the evil there is some good, because Grendel's mother falls into death at the end of the battle. Beowulf, with a clean sweep, cuts off her head. There is no real good symbolism in these chapters because evil seems to be the stronger party in this battle, but good eventually overcomes. " If that shining woven metal had not helped- and Holy God, who sent him victory, gave judgment for truth and right, Ruler of the heavens, once Beowulf was back on his feet and fighting". This passage shows that God gave the good warrior, Beowulf strength to go on as he passed judgment on the battle. Another example of good in these final chapters is when Grendel's mother is finally defeated. " And struck with all the strength that he had left, caught her in the neck and cut it through, broke bones and all. Her body fell to the floor lifeless, the sword was wet with her blood, Beowulf rejoiced at the sight". This passage is good because evil is defeated once again, monster appears to take all of their lives. " The monster's thoughts were as his There is much evil but there is some good in these first few chapters. The author shows this mainly through symbolism, as well as some passages. For instance, " The harp's rejoicing call and the poet's clear songs sang of the ancient beginnings of us all, recalling the Almighty making the earth and shaping these beautiful plains marked off by oceans".
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1331
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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