Beowulf Essay, Research Paper

Beowulf

Since the morning of clip, the forces of immoralities have ever tried to derive an upper manus over the forces of good. The conflicts between these two forces have transcended clip in both different signifiers and in different topographic points. Every civilization since the birth of adult male has background narratives of creative activity and the conflicts that are waged between the two forces of visible radiation and dark. Leaving in the wake, narratives and fables that are passed down from coevals to coevals through the huge civilizations and civilisations. Get downing with the usage of unwritten traditions that took these narratives and the usage of spoken word to both inform and entertain the people of a given society. These narratives besides had another intent, which was to remind the people of the immoralities that were around them. Lurking in the shadows, waiting to claim another victim in the war of good and evil. Such narratives fed on the frights of the people and the uncertainness of the universe around them. Although the narratives themselves may differ well from part to part, the basic implicit in subject has ever been indistinguishable. With the coming into being of written word, these narratives could now be put down for people to read and function as a reminder of their folklore. Not merely to them, but to future people who come to read these paperss. We have been lucky in the fact that over the last few hundred old ages, we have recovered many plants from all over the universe, dating back through old ages that had been long forgotten to many of us. In a great many of these plants we have come into contact with many narratives of gallantry and the battle between good and evil. Merely as the gallantry in these narratives may take on different faces, so does the evil nowadays itself in many different pretenses.

This brings us to one work in specific, Beowulf, one of the earliest Old English poems that we have today. It is the incarnation of the battle between good and evil. The verse form begins with the funeral of Scyld, the fabulous laminitis of the Danish Royal House. One of his posterities builds a great hall called Heorot, and it is here that the people gather to joy and sing the congratulationss of G-d. This singing cholers a despicable monster named Grendel, that inhabits the nearby bog. The poet describes Grendel in this manner:

The inexorable devil was called Grendel, a ill-famed Texas Ranger

of the border districts, who inhabited the speed of Moors

and fens. This unhappy being had long lived in the land of

monsters, because G-d had damned him along with the

kids of Cain. ( 1.97-101 )

This tells the narrative of when Cain murdered his brother Abel and was banished from humanity by G-d. It was said that from Cain was born the monsters that roamed the Earth, perpetuating their hatred and evil to all around them. Grendel is one such monster, which is why the music and vocal about the Lord and of Creation enrages him so tremendously. The day-to-day jubilations caused Grendel to come in the hall at nightfall when everyone had fallen asleep, and butcher the work forces in protest to the music and vocal that filled his ears during the twenty-four hours. Grendel hated all of world and the sounds that resonated from the great hall fueled his hatred even more.

Grendel held an congenital hatred for all of world. Nightly Grendel would do his trip into the hall and kill whomever was at that place. In talking about the every night raids that Grendel made, the poet writes:

Therefore the malign castaway, like the enemy of adult male that he

was, made frequent onslaughts and produced indefinable

mayhem. In the darkness of dark he occupied the rich hall of

Heorot ; but he could non near the treasure-throne be-

cause of the Lord, nor could Grendel cognize His love.

( 2.165-169 )

With all of his hate and because of the immorality that dwelled in his bosom, Grendel would ne’er cognize what they love of G-d felt like. No sum of money, or hoarded wealth could redeem the lives of the people from Grendel s wrath. Merely the blood and fright of the people could sate Grendel s choler. For 12 old ages, Grendel invaded the hall every night to penalize anyone who would be at that place. This was so a dark clip for all, the one time glorious great hall that echoed with the sounds of felicity and blessedness had now fell soundless. There were no more vocals Sung or music played, merely the shriek of panic that seeped from the walls at dark. The people took to happening topographic points to kip farther off from the hall. Finally, no 1 dared stay at the Heorot when dark came, for fright of being Grendels following victim. Fear had transformed these people s baronial and good nature into a deep seething feeling weakness and at hand day of reckoning.

At this clip, word has gotten across the H2O to Beowulf, nephew of the male monarch of the Geats, a folk from Sweden. Beowulf, a fabulous character in his ain rite, decides to go to the assistance of the male monarch and his people in these troubled times. Upon geting, Beowulf and his work forces request an audience with the male monarch, to explicate that they have come to murder this animal. The male monarch, cognizing both Beowulf s male parent and the repute that returns Beowulf is really thankful for his coming. Beowulf and his B

and of combatants spend the dark in the great hall waiting for Grendel to look. Just as they had suspected, dark came and so did Grendel. At one time Grendel pounced on a kiping soldier rending into him and devouring him blood, bone and all. But this would be the last victim that Grendel would of all time take, because following Grendel reached for the ready Beowulf. As Grendel reached for him, Beowulf took clasp of the abomination with his mighty manus, hold oning the monster so tightly that he could non acquire free. Bewildered, and frightened, Grendel tried to liberate himself from the decease clasp of Beowulf, but his efforts were in vain. Beowulf had no purpose of allowing the monster leave that dark with his life. The two forces, good and evil clashed in a stormy conflict, one that destroyed the interior contents of the great hall. Grendel feverishly tried get awaying from Beowulf, but to no help. Beowulf s clasp on the deplorable plague was both tight and true. When the conflict reached an terminal, Grendel defeated and mortally wounded, retreated to his murky den which was to be tomb. Beowulf as he had promised, stood winning before the Danes. In his manus he held the arm of Grendel that he torn off at the shoulder. All was right once more, and good had one time once more triumphed over immorality.

Following the triumph of Beowulf, the male monarch rewarded Beowulf with a hoarded wealth of all right metals, a gem studded blade and a big feast in jubilation. Once more felicity had returned to the male monarch and his people, they gave thanks to Beowulf and to the Lord for directing them a hero in their darkest hr. After the jubilation, it was now clip to rest and the hall was full one time more with work forces asleep. Merely the tranquility was short lived, because that dark as the work forces slept another of Hell s animals stormed into the hall. This clip it was Grendel s female parent, an evil animal like her boy, set on revenging the decease of her boy. Once discovered she snatched up a adult male, the male monarch s most precious counsellor, and the bloodied talon of her boy s. The male monarch s bosom was one time once more heavy with the intelligence of the events that happened the past dark, non merely has another foul animal appeared but he lost a most loved companion. Beowulf unaware of what had happened, remarked about how quiet the old dark was. Overcome by his sorrow, the male monarch exclaimed that the hall was attacked by another animal and proclaimed that Beowulf travel and dispose of this monster. Beowulf, baronial hero that he is, gives his answer:

She can travel where she likes, but I promise you that

she shall happen no screen from me, whether in the bowels of

the Earth, in mountain brushs, or in the deepnesss of the

ocean. Have forbearance in your heartache today, as I know you

will.

( 21.1389-1393 )

Beowulf and the work forces shortly came to the cloudy H2O that housed the beastly she-beast below. Without vacillation, Beowulf plunged into the sanguine lake to face Grendel s female parent. He swam down into the dark Waterss, until he was seized by the animal and dragged through the H2O. He found himself in an belowground hall aglow with a boom fire, standing before Grendel s female parent. Trying to stop his quest rapidly, Beowulf swung his sure blade at the caput of the demon-woman. The blade struck without a abrasion to the animal. Beowulf now found himself overtaken in the custodies of Grendel s female parent. Furiously contending her with all his strength, Beowulf sees a blade hanging on the wall. This was no ordinary blade, it was forged by the antediluvian colossuss. Beowulf was able to liberate himself from her and catch the blade. Singing the blade with all his might Beowulf slashed off the caput of his antagonist. Taking merely the caput of the animal and the grip of the mystical blade, Beowulf swam back up the now clear H2O to the surface. With the animals dead, and the immorality purged, the one time dark glooming Waterss pure one time more. They returned to the hall and brought the intelligence of Beowulf s triumph over the immorality that befell them. As earlier, they celebrated the courage of Beowulf and gave congratulations to the Lord for this fantastic rescue.

This verse form illustrates the faces that evil takes on, and the manner in which good conquers evil. Grendel was the incarnation of the fright of the dark, and the enigmas that the dark holds. What lurks inside the shadows, behind corners, in the wood when the Sun retreats and the minions of Hell come out into the moonlit dark. How one time the visible radiation of twenty-four hours is swallowed by dusk, blanketing everything with a cloak of darkness. Grendel s hatred for the people of the great hall and their congratulationss of the Lord are declarative of the resistance between the visible radiation and the dark ; Grendel being the dark force and the vocals and congratulationss of the people stand foring the visible radiation of the Lord.

Grendel s female parent is a symbol of evil s retaliation upon adult male. She is a factor used to tip the graduated tables in the on-going struggle between the compact of the Lord and the retainers of the underworld. Beowulf is the hero, present to support the kingdom of G-d, and to beat the immorality. This dateless motive of the battles between adult male s religion and his frights is encapsulated in this verse form, finally turn outing that whatever embodiment immorality takes will be suppressed by the power of G-d.