Defeating Evil in Beowulf Essay

Defeating Evil

The epic poem Beowulf contains three main events that characterize the heros bravery, strength, and selflessness. In each, an evil force must be defeated with increasing degrees of difficulty for the good of a people. These episodes are distinct in that they mark different periods of Beowulfs life, maturity, and heroism. Beowulf must face physical, moral, and finally the most challenging, metaphysical evil that ultimately results in his death. The most significant in terms of the poems exploration of Beowulfs heroism is the third and final battle against the dragon. Beowulf must fight the creature knowing he will die in the process and therefore showing the most bravery in the poem.

The first foe that Beowulf faces is that of Grendel, a descendant of Cain, who is an example of physical evil. Because a description of him is never given, Grendel becomes the unknown, resulting in a far more terrifying enemy. He is a fiend out of hell (Line 100) who preys upon the innocent mead drinkers in Heorot. This half human, half beast personifies the thing in the dark all men fear and is a purely physical threat. As opposed to the subsequent creatures, there is no moral dilemma in fighting Grendel: someone must defeat him in self-defense. This physical evil is always present as young an old were hunted down by that dark death-shadow (Line 159-160). Beowulf therefore must fight this evil that seeks to destroy good, one-on-one, with only his bare arms to defend him. He can be likened to a gun for hire, a hit man who has simply been hired to get rid of a problem. Therefore, because this is a battle of physical strength, with not much invested on the part of Beowulf, it is the least significant battle. Beowulf defeats Grendel merely by holding on and standing firm as Grendel kills himself by pulling away from Beowulfs death grip.

Unfortunately, Beowulf could never have permanently defeated evil, and Grendels mother comes back for revenge. Unlike her son, Grendels mother is the image of a moral evil, for she attacks Heorot under the pretense of an eye for an eye. She is merely taking moral vengeance for the death of her son, and by this standard she behaves honorably. Grendels mother enters Heorot at night, plucks one man, and then runs back to her home desperate to get out, in mortal terror (Line 1291-2). In a turn of events, Beowulf now goes after her and enters her watery home. He has doubts of his abilities, and even his men give up on him when he does not return as soon as expected. If this battle is looked at in a modern perspective Beowulf breaks and enters into this womans home and trying to defend herself when she lunged and clutched and managed to catch him (Line 1501), he attacks. Beowulf manages to defeat Grendels mother using her own weapon: a sword that he uses to remove her head. By Beowulfs own standards, she had behaved in a morally justified manner. In this regard, while this second battle of the epic poem does show heroism, it is somewhat immoral. Therefore, although Beowulf emerges victorious and more mature, because of the complex moral choices this battle is not as significant as the others.

The final episode of violence that Beowulf experiences occurs when he has aged and become an honored king in his country. In this final battle, Beowulf faces a monster that is an image of death itself, the ultimate metaphysical evil, and both a moral and physical threat. He must confront the ultimate challenge only made harder by his old age. The dragons physical strength is clear in its ability to terrorize with its fiery breath and lack of morals. In addition to this advantage, there is the question of the morals in fighting the dragon. Just like Grendels mother, the dragon is somewhat justified in its actions, as his treasure has been stolen from him. However, because Beowulf is innocent of the theft, he is defending his people in a completely selfless manner. Unlike the previous battles, though, he was sad at heart, unsettled yet read, sensing his death (Line 2419-20) and knowing this could be his last battle. He comes to terms with the fact that he is no longer a powerful and confident yet nave young man. Beowulf is an old man who knows that in facing the dragon he is facing death. This battle is both tragic and heroic. Beowulf battles the dragon facing certain defeat, with no heirs to his throne, and alone. In the end, Beowulf slays the dragon and dies, but in doing so he demonstrates the most significant episode of his heroism. The reality of every mans own death is unavoidable, and Beowulf gives the reader a model to follow; he gives us a means to end with a heroic struggle.

Beowulf is, in effect, the perfect hero. He personifies all the traits and characteristics that a hero possesses, and executes all episodes in which his bravery comes into question flawlessly. The epic poem explores this heroism as he grows older, and we see a definite maturation. As a young man he is strong physically, but naive about what he should do with this strength. With the ability to swim underwater wearing full armor, it is clear that Beowulf can defeat almost anything, and this is shown in his battle with Grendel. The poem then proceeds to skip the middle period of his life, and continues on to his old age in which he is an honored and well-respected king. He shows that he has good morals and is loyal to the correct proceedings in terms of who is the rightful heir to the throne, allowing Hygelacs son to be king. Finally, as he faces the dragon in his last battle, he shows even greater values. Although he is an old man, he faces certain death in order to protect his people. No longer is he simply trying to win for his own glory, as he did when he fought Grendel and his mother. Although he is still celebrated as a hero when he defeats the dragon, it was not for personal gain, and this is what separates him from any other king. His fight with the dragon contains an aura of inevitability in that he knew he would die and yet continued to fight anyway. This is a true telling of Beowulfs heroism and loyalty to his kingdom.

Although Beowulf is killed in the final battle, the reader still believes that he has really not lost the war against evil. In examining the poem, we see that he has killed all three monsters. In each of these three episodes, Beowulf has faced seemingly insurmountable challenges and death in order to free his men from the tyranny and terrorizing nature of the beasts. In doing so, he has demonstrated all the qualities of a true hero, and shown us what it means to be a good king. The third and final battle is the most heroic for many reasons, and it is clear that Beowulf is the perfect hero.