Beowulf
In Beowulf, both pagan and Christian elements are present which add religious contrast to the poem. The poem begins with the king, Hrothgar, taking the throne of the Danes. During his reign, one of Hrothgars' accomplishments included the building of the great Mead hall which served as a place of relaxation for his troops. Years passed and an evil monster came and terrorized the Hall. Then the great warrior, Beowulf, a foreigner offered to help rid the town of the monster. In the end, good triumphed over evil as he defeated the monster and returned the city to it's people. Present in this poem are certain forms of evil. The greatest of these is the descendent of Cain's evil against his brother Abel. After Cain killed Abel God punished him by exiling him from the kingdom of God. From Cain's soul came evil monsters, one in particular, Grendel. He was a demon; a fiend who haunted the moors,
Instead of greeting Beowulf with gratefulness he greeted him with jealousy. After the failure of paganism Hrothgar searched for warriors that could defeat the beast. The people turned to the worship of pagan Gods, hoping they would take the demon back to the pits from whence it derived. Grendel, amused by the sound of drunkenness coming from the hall, kills all who reside there. Throughout the poem good clashes with evil. In the end good over came evil and triumphed. The effects of having both Christian elements and pagan elements in this epic poem were important to the structure of the poem. Without the effects of both the reader would only see one side instead of both aspects, both good and evil. This shows how God works in mysterious ways. The use of good and evil throughout the poem relates to what the people of the poem think and feels about the situation they were in. He spoke harshly " You're Beowulf are you the same Boastful fool who fought a swimming Match with Brecca". Death is not the last part of life. Grendel keeps on attacking the great mead hall but refuses to go after the king's throne. One example would be Grendel taking over the Mead hall. This is saying that God will defeat any evil that stands in his path.
Common topics in this essay:
King Hrothgar,
,
Brecca Instead,
God It's,
God Cain's,
Grendel Beowulf,
Abel God,
Beowulf Boastful,
mead hall,
Abel Cain,
king hrothgar,
poem poem,
people poem,
warrior beowulf,
christian elements,
throughout poem,
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Acceptance Essays
