The Epitome of Evil

A detailed Summary of The Epitome of Evil

The Epitome of Evil.

The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is the most important work of Old English

literature, and is well deserved of the distinction. The epic tells the story of a hero, a

Geat prince named Beowulf, who rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, a descendant

of Cain. The storyteller uses many elements to build a certain kind of depth in the

characters, specifically Grendel. The storyteller uses specific passages in the poem to

help mold the readers' feelings about Grendel, show the reader what accounts for the

monster's evil nature and also represents Grendel as "evil."

The storyteller starts off by explaining who Grendel is in the first section on page

21, lines 19-23. " Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild marshes, and made his

home in a hell not hell but earth. He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of

those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever

for the crime of Abel's death." This first depiction of Grendel already gives the reader a

sense of corruption and immortality . The biblical character, Cain is always related to

Portraying his home on page 21, lines 17- 19, Grendel is illustrated as a barbaric

does not fight in battles and he swims next to Brecca; his childhood friend at sea even

on the other hand, has no honor and is infamous as an evil killer. Also the biblical

my feet are afraid to, if I hid behind some broad linen shield. My hands alone shall fight

Grendel's pure evil and gives a logical explanation for Grendel's murderous behavior.

Grendel would kill the Danes for no reason other than their happiness. Since all evil

not fight evil in a wild manner. First off, Beowulf is pure and shows this before his battle

25, lines 170-175, Beowulf explains " Might think less of me if I let my sword go where

Approximate Word count = 770
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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