Cause and Effect in Beowulf Essay

Beowulf Cause-Effect Essay

The Anglo Saxons were known for their major influence on early English Literature. One good example of Anglo Saxon literature is Beowulf. Beowulf is an epic that tells the story of a warrior, Beowulf, who is on a quest to defeat various villains, such as Grendel. Although Beowulf and Grendel have many similar characteristics, Beowulf is portrayed as a hero while Grendel is portrayed as a villain. The author of Beowulf, who is unknown, makes the reader believe this by portraying each character in different ways.

Throughout the story, Grendel is seen as a villain due to the various horrific things he does to the Danes and their land. Grendel is portrayed as a monster from the moment the poem starts when the author says, A powerful monster, living down / In the darkness. The first line of the poem shows Grendel as a monster living in the darkness, and in society it can often be seen that people or monsters, living in darkness, are bad or villainous. Later in the poem, when the author is explaining Grendels creation, the author explains, He was spawned in that slime / Conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / By God. This explains that from the minute Grendel was born, he was evil. The author uses allusion by comparing Grendel to the infamous Cain, who denied God and is known as a villain. When Grendel first is shown killing men, the author says, He slipped through the door and there in the silence / Snatched up thirty men, smashed them / Unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies, / The blood dripping behind him, back / To his lair, delighted with his nights slaughter. This is the main idea that promotes Grendel as a villain. After Grendel is done brutally smashing and killing thirty men, which is horrible already, it is said that he was delighted with the slaughter, after which most would be traumatized. Although only three examples of Grendel being a villain were explained, countless more can be seen throughout the poem.

In nearly every story, when there is an antagonist whos a villain, there is almost always a hero, and in this case, its Beowulf. Because this poem is an epic, the hero is generally an epic hero, who have certain characteristics; superhuman powers, helping others just to help, fate is generally involved, and often these heroes have a flaw that stands out. The author begins to show Beowulf as a hero almost instantly when he says, That this one favor you should not refuse me- / That I, alone and with the help of my men, / May purge all evil from this hall. Beowulf comes from distant lands to help another country who havent ever done anything for him. He comes to help the Danes by ridding their hall of evil, in this case Grendel; furthermore, it is portrayed that by doing this he is asking the king a favor. Much further in the story, Beowulf has chosen to battle a dragon who was terrorizing Beowulfs people and their land. The author shows how fate is involved with Beowulf when he says, then it began to melt, / And for the first time in his life that famous prince / Fought with fate against him. This explains that during Beowulfs final battle he realizes fate has decided he will lose, which he does. After, as Beowulf is dying, his heroic flaw is emphasized. Right before he dies, Beowulf says, Have / The brave Geats build me a tomb, / When the funeral flames have burned me, and build it / Here, at the waters edge, high / On this spit of land, so sailors can see / This tower, and remember my name, and call it / Beowulfs tower, and boats in the darkness / And mist, crossing the sea, will know it. This portrays Beowulfs ego, and how even after he has passed, he wishes to boast of his great feats, and wants all to know of them.

The examples shown above, along with many others shown throughout Beowulf, help the reader see who the villain is, and who the hero is. Grendel is seen a monster and horrible creature, while Beowulf is seen as a great warrior and hero. Although the characters are portrayed as very different, they also have many similarities. Beowulfs killings and feats are seen as justified and respected, while Grendels are seen as monstrous; however, from Grendels point of view, he may have been doing the right thing. Beowulf could have easily written from another point of view showing Grendel as the hero, which reminds the reader that many heroes and villains may not be so different after all.