Beowulf and Grendel: Good Vs. Evil

Beowulf and Grendel: Good vs. Evil

Good and evil have always played a classic role in many books. There is a constant battle on which side wins. Many heroes and villains are created with the characteristics of good vs. evil. An example of this is Beowulf vs. Grendel. Beowulf is trying to save the people and get noticed while Grendel is trying to wreak havoc on the town. Beowulf uses Grendel to become popular among the people. Grendel is a descendent of Cain, who killed his brother, Abel.

In the Epic Beowulf, Beowulf is portrayed as good because he is trying to save the town from Grendel's destruction and terror. Grendel comes to Mead hall and eats the soldiers of the town. He comes to the town when they are most valuable, pasted out drunk. Unaware of what is around them, they crash in the hall. Grendel terrorizes the town so much that they have to shut down Mead Hall for fifty years. After fifty years the king reopens it and once again Grendel is there to terrorize the people. The king gets angry and sends Beowulf after him. Beowulf sees this as a chance to become well known around the people, he takes the challenge to hunt down Grendel. The battle between Grendel and Beowulf could be seen as a battle between good and evil. Beowulf is unarmed because he believes that it would be disadvantage if he was armed and Grendel was not. This shows that Beowulf wants a fair battle and that good will win even when there is no advantage for good. Beowulf waits for Grendel to show up at the hall, this is where the battle takes place. Beowulf is unarmed and manages to still win. He rips off Grendel's arm and then hangs it up as a symbol of pride. The town has a party and rejoices in Beowulf's victory. Another example of good vs. evil is when Beowulf fights the dragon, this is because someone stole a golden cup from the dragon and Beowulf protects the town from the dragon. In the process Beowulf dies from the dragon's poison, however, Wiglaf is there to become the next king. This shows that even though the main character dies, good still comes out from it, which is that the dragon dies as well and can no longer terrorize the town. Beowulf is seen as good because he tries to save the people of the town. He does all he can which includes becoming a king and makes sure nothing bad happens to the town. Grendel is seen as evil because he kills the people of the town even though they haven't done anything to him. Grendel's home can be related to hell. It is very lonely, dark and away from town. Being dark can be related to evil because it is the opposite of light, which represents hope and fundamental goodness. Hrogthar talks about the town being "this mead-hall glittering with new light" (Beowulf 485). The town can be seen as heaven, because people are always partying and having a good time.

In the novel Grendel, Grendel is the good guy while Beowulf is seen as evil. This novel is told from Grendel's view. Grendel is lonely and tries to get an understanding of the world around him. He first explores the lake of firesnakes and continues to explore past that. He is then attacked by a bull and realizes that the world around him is crazy and unkind to him. Grendel gets away from the bull by hiding in a tree. He wakes up to people around him, he understands them but they do not understand him. They first think that he is a fungus but conclude that he must be a tree spirit. They decide to feed him and Grendel laughs out loud and the people misunderstand his laugh and believe that he is mad. They decide to attack him; Grendel's mother comes to save him. Grendel figures out that the humans are totally different from his mom and him. However overtime Grendel also finds out that his mom and him are two different people. He realizes this when the bull attacks