Beowulf is one of the oldest existing poems in the English Language. Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem, which portrays a story of an epic hero destined to defeat a ferocious monster in order to save a kingdom from destruction and death. The major theme in this epic was the theme of good versus evil. The theme of good versus evil was portrayed through the people and things that represented good and evil, which helped portray the theme throughout that novel, and explained the overall effect of this theme on the poem as a piece of literature.
             There are many symbols that represent the concept of "goodness" in Beowulf. Beowulf himself is a symbol of good in this epic. Beowulf is tamed and civilized which are the characteristics of goodness and purity. First off, Beowulf is pure and shows this before his battle when he removes his armor and vows not to use a weapon to defeat Grendel. Defeating Grendel, he shows that man, without armor and weapons, can defeat evil in any form including that of his enemy Grendel. This serves as a symbol of Beowulf's Goodness. Another symbol of goodness is light. Light symbolizes day and rejoicing. When light, such as the sun and moon, are showing it gives people a sense of comfort and they don't seem to be scared of daylight. In connection with light, words like shining and gleaming also prove to show goodness in this epic. These symbols can be shown as good in this excerpt: "In the lap of their shining ship, lined with gleaming armor, going safely in that oak-hard boat to where their hearts took them." Human civilization, in the form of heroic warriors, is often associated with light: the halls are illuminated with rejoicing and treasure. This is shown in this excerpt: "How many times have my men, sworn to stay after dark and stem that horror with a sweep of their swords. And then, in the morning, this mead-hall glittering, with new light would be drenched with blood, the benches, stained red, the floor...