The Image Of Evil in the Poem of Beowulf Essay Example

serves the role quite significantly. This is because it is a motif that reflects on many aspects of the society and the contemporary life. In the context of the poem, the values that were upheld by the society are reflected through the main character, Beowulf, who is the hero of the epic poem and is always seeking ways to overcome the evil of the time which was unanimously considered as the villain (Abrams 87). The concepts of good and evil are so prevalent in the contemporary society, and the poem illuminates the fact that the quality of being good or evil do not just exist as extreme opposites.

Through the poem, we also learn that good and evil are qualities that each possesses. The discrepancy between these qualities lies in the degree to which each of these qualities is exhibited. In the case of Beowulf, he acts selflessly so that others can benefit from his actions. He thus represents the ultimate good qualities that exist in human beings. The ability to cleanse what is considered evil is an act of goodness and its spans through the entire epic.

The three villains, Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon present their selfish as well as their innate detrimental desires. What the three villains present are human qualities whereby pride comes out as a form of evil in Beowulf (Race 105). However, Beowulf plays the hero and consistently comes to the rescue of the people who are threatened by the evil that was so much widespread in the Anglo-Saxon society. Beowulf’s selfless nature is deeply reflected in his act of helping people of another country overcome a deadly monster that

had terrorized them. Despite the threat posed by this deadly monster, Beowulf took it upon himself to restore the people from this monster. Evil has always prevailed in this world, and it takes an extraordinary effort and individual to overcome it.

As a symbol of extreme goodness, Beowulf has been set from heaven to secure the earth from the evil threats posed by monsters like Grendel (Abrams 103). We can safely say that owing to his good deeds; Beowulf is the chosen one and the context, as well as the setting of the poem, depicts Beowulf as a hero who withstands evil. The intention of the author is clearly articulated in the presentation of Beowulf as the protagonist of the poem and a central figure to showcase the author’s point of view regarding the values upheld by the society.

Beowulf does not present goodness only in the light of the selfless acts. Rather, goodness has also been shown in the sense of cleansing evil whereby the poet has expressed the sentiments that, “Beowulf had purged of evil the hall of Hrothgar, and cleansed of crime; the heart of the hero” (Heaney 49). We realize that Beowulf’s goodness can cleanse and overcome evil. Beowulf killed both Grendel and Grendel’s mother thus destroying the evil that had for so long invaded the hall of Hrothgar and tormented with evil. Beowulf is the precise symbol of purity and in whom all goodness emerge. Evil continues to prevail, and it is the duty of Beowulf to look constantly for ways to overcome it. The traits that make Beowulf a hero were so honored during the Anglo-Saxon era which is why Beowulf

stands above the rest. This would only mean that he exemplified characteristics that were so honored, and his deeds were interpreted in good light.

We learn that the Anglo-Saxon society valued bravery, honor and respect (Ryder 113). These traits offer no room for one to conceive evil; rather, they reinforce what is good and valuable. The epic poem thus does well to inform on the values traits of the time, and it extends to the current society where good traits in men are valued and encouraged while the detrimental one are considered evil especially in children during socialization process.

Beowulf is an honorable and brave man with great warrior skills and very respectful to his ancestors. He has remarkable confidence in his good deeds which encourages him to do more good and reach out to others who are helpless. The epic was set out to portray him as a direct opposite of Grendel and the other monsters who possessed traits that were so detested in the Anglo-Saxon society (Race 109). The upheld and detrimental values within a community are so well represented in the setting of this epic poem. The people learned how to choose between what is right and evil through the interpretation of the poem. For instance, it is not too hard for an individual to realize how much of a villain Grendel is, as a character in the epic. Grendel kills innocent people only for fun. Any normal man unmatched his strength, and thus he continued his killing spree which is a pure evil jeopardizing the human race. Even though the people of the era fostered and upheld good values, evil always had a

way of getting around them.

However, Grendel (evil), could not match the power of the ultimate good (Beowulf) and thus lost the duel with Beowulf. Grendel had met no one before like Beowulf, and once they got into a duel, the monster knew it stood no chance and tried to flee but the power of good that was so much present in Beowulf overpowered the monster, and it met its end. The author’s message was well represented in this context; he intended Grendel to be the monster and evil in the story while Beowulf was reminiscent of pure good and that is how it turned out.

Evil also takes the form of pride in the epic poem. Pride is a value that is highly detested in the poem and no matter who is expressing this particular attribute; it does not fall on the right side of the society. Therefore, we witness many instances where pride is portrayed as evil. For example, Hrothgar warns Beowulf against falling for the pride in his heart by the sentiments that evil will be established in his heart as his pride keeps growing. From this sentiments, it is clear that if Beowulf does not avoid being proud, then he shall surely fall. It is a perfect lesson towards the Anglo-Saxon society, and the current society does not allow the heart to be overcome by pride since pride comes befall a fall. A further warning for Beowulf against pride comes from Hrothgar’s sentiments that time shall emerge when his might will be stripped if he does not stop his pride (Heaney 75).

Beowulf is a symbol of goodness who has been gifted with much

power and ability but by deciding to act out of the pride of his heart, he has allowed evil (pride) to prevail. No matter how powerful and good he is, evil has found a way to his heart. Therefore, Hrothgar is giving him through a quick reminder that he is not invincible to evil and he could meet his downfall if he keeps allowing pride into his heart; pride is an evil whose consequences are dire.

During the setting of the epic, most good things got over the evil deeds, and that is exactly how the author intended it to be so that he could teach a lesson to the audience who were the target audience. The poem clearly articulates that nothing good will ever come out of evil as exemplified by the three villains; Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon. The poem further clarifies that no subsidiaries exist between good and evil, one is either evil or good, and one of these aspects will come after the other. The epic has used the monsters to depict not only the evil of the Anglo-Saxon society but also the unstable nature of the community.

The monster, Grendel, may be a literal creation by the poet but the message passed in not a mere literally creation; the reality of the epic was exemplified in the society where evil unfolded. Evil continues to prevail, and the goodness of the people is the only way to work through it. Irrespective of the morality in the society, evil deeds, and traits always find their way into the hearts of people and become detrimental to the society. The central conflict of the epic

as the poet intended has been a revelation in the present day writings and interpretations of good versus evil in the society. The poet sought to inform that evil always prevails, and goodness can only surpass it if it is pure.

Work Cited

1. Abrams, M.H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: Norton, 2000
2. Davis, Dick. Epic and sedition: the case of Ferdowsi's Sh?hn?meh. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1992.
3. Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation (Bilingual Edition). Alexander books, 2000.
4. Puchner, Martin. The Norton Anthology of World Literature (Third Edition) (Vol. B). WW Norton & Co., 2015.
5. Race, William H. Classical Genres and English Poetry (Routledge Revivals). Routledge, 2014.
6. Ryder, Arthur. "W., The Panchatantra." (2003).