Goodvs.

EvilinBeowulf
TheepicpoemBeowulfshowsheroicvaluesandfateallthroughoutthetext.The
mainculturerepresentedthroughoutthetextBeowulfistheAngloSaxonculture.
Goodvs.EvilisaveryimportantmatterinBeowulf,relatingtothecharactersandtheir
actions.There
aregoodcharactersinBeowulflikeKingHrothgar,Beowulf,and
Hrothgarsmen.TherearealsoevilcharactersinthepoemBeowulflikeGrendel,
GrendelsmotherandtheDragon.
TherearedifferentinstancesofGoodinBeowulflikewhenKingHrothgarordered
forameadhalltobebuiltforhimandhismentocometogetherandcelebrate.King
Hrothgarischerishedbyhispeoplebecauseofthegoodthathegivesbacktothem.In
theepicpoemBeowulf,KingHrothgarisseentohaveheroiccharacteristics.King
HrothgarisviewedasaheroiccharacterbecauseofwhattheAngloSaxonculture
valued.TheAngloSaxonsocietyvaluedhumancontactandfamily.KingHrothgar
showedthepeoplethe

humancontact

valuewhenheorderedforhismeadhalltobe
built.Heorderedforahalltobecreatedsothattheycouldallgettogetherandrejoice.
KingHrothgarhadorderedforthisgreatmeadhalltobebuiltsothatthebestand
bravestmencouldcometogether.Thismeadhallbeingbuiltwasthekingswayof
givingbackandrewardingthebravemenwhohadfoughtfortheirland.Thissame
exampleofthemeadhallconnectstothesecondAngloSaxonvalueoffamily.King
Hrothgarshowedhismenafamily/familycharacteristicsbecauseofhowoftenthey
wouldcometogetheranddiscusstheproblems.KingHrothgarmadesurethathehad
createdafamilyenvironmentforhismenbymakingthemfeelcomfortablearoundhim,

andcomfortableenoughtogotohimwiththeirproblems.Thisrelatestotheirfamily
valuesbecausetheKingensuredthathismenhadaroofovertheirheadandthatthey
hadaplacetogobackto.
BeowulfhadmultiplegooddeedsinthepoemBeowulf,likefightinganddefeating
Grendel.BeowulfkilledGrendelbytwistinghisarmfortheprotectionofhispeople.This
isanexampleoftheAngloSaxonsocietybecausetheyappreciatedheroicactions.
BeowulfshowedheroicactionswhenhedecidedtofightGrendel,becausenooneelse
inthemeadhallwaswillingtostanduptoGrendel.AnotherwaythatBeowulfshowed
heroicactionswaswhenhedecidedtonotuseanyweaponswhenfightingGrendel.
BeowulfknewthatGrendeldidntuseanyweapons,soBeowulfwantedafairfight.
Beowulfdecidingtonotuseweapons,showedthathewasatrueherobecauseit
showedhiscourageandthathewasafairperson.Yetheboughthisfreedomatahigh
price,forhelefthishandandarmandshouldertoshowhehadbeenhere(Beowulf
65)Accordingtothis,Grendelswordsandconfidencethathewouldsurelydefeat
Beowulfwerenothingbecauseintheend,thetrueherowon.Beowulfthenfoughtand
killedGrendelsmotheraftershehadheardthatBeowulfhadmurderedherson.
GrendelsmothercameforHrothgarandBeowulfsmeninthemeadhallandkilled
them.Beowulfshowedrealheroicactionsbecausehewouldalwaysgoandfightforhis
people.EvenafterGrendelsmothercametokillsomeofhismen,Beowulfstillwent
afterhertosettlewhathadhappened.Hrothgarsmenweregoodcharactersbecause
whenevertherewasafight,theywouldgoandhelpwhoeverwasfighting.Hrothgars

menwouldnotleteachothergoaloneandfendforthemselves,theyalwaystraveled
andfoughttogether.
ThebadinstancesthathavebeeninBeowulfhavebeenwheneverGrendelhas
beeninvolved.BeforeGrendelwaskilled,hewoulddonothingbutterrorizethepeople.
Grendelwoulddothisoutofrevengeforpreviousinstancesinvolvinghimbeing
disrespected.AfterGrendelhaddied,hismothercameintothestorycausingtrouble.
Oncehearingaboutthedeathofherson,shewentoutlookingforBeowulf,buthewas
notinthemeadhall.Insteadofcomingbackinhopestofindhim,shewantedBeowulf
toreturntothedeadbodiesofsomeofhismen.Grendelsmotherdidthissothat
Beowulfhadaheadsupastowhatshewasgoingtodotohim.Anothersituation
whereevilwasbroughtupwaswiththedragon.Beowulfwantedtoprotecthispeople
fromtheDragonifhewouldevercomeoutofhiscave.Intheend,thedragoniswhat
endedupkillingBeowulf....forheknewhisdaysintheworldhadbeenlivedouttothe
end:hisallottedtimewasdrawingtoaclose,deathwasverynear.(Beowulf184185)
ThepoemBeowulfhadmultipleexamplesofgoodvs.evil.Goodvs.Evilwasabig
themethroughoutthetextbecauseitsummedupthemainpointsofthepoem.