Beowulf

The clash between good and evil is a major theme in Beowulf. y, while out there, a sea monster attacks Beowulf. Soon after, Beowulf accepts the challenge to hunt down Grendel’s mother, and his swimming skills come into play because he must swim for hours trying to find her cave. Once there, he starts to combat Grendel’s mother, and, in the process, the readers notice his decline. After terrorizing the town and taking the life of an innocent person, Grendel’s mother heads back to her underwater cave.

The conflict between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother highlights the epic’s concern with the battle between good and evil, and, simultaneously, it shows cases in the beginning of Beowulf’s downfall. Beowulf has good motives in deciding to battle Grendel’s mother, but, at the same time, he cannot become too prideful and endorse another facet of evil. In the end, Beowulf must slay Grendel’s mother with a sword, not just any weapon, but a blade that an average man could not even pick up. Later on, Beowulf must use this swimming ability in the search for Grendel’s mother. Grendel’s mother also has a similar inner conflict.