The Role of Fate in Beowulf

Fate was a major factor in the life of pagan cultures of any time period. This is well documented in Beowulf, in which a pagan warrior wins because it is his destiny to win, not because of any free will. For instance, “What God judged right would rule what happened to every man, as it does to this day.”(Lines 2858-2859) This is just one of many examples that demonstrate the role of fate in death concerning pagan societies. They believed that a man could not do anything to avoid death, but would rather have to emb

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However, other factions in modern society believe in neither absolute fate nor absolute free will, but a combination, in which free will can be excercised in details, but the big picture is already set. This can be seen in horoscopes, fortune cookies, the idea of psychics, and even the idea that there is someone for everyone. ”(Lines 227-228)** The Beowulf poet gives the obvious impression that he is of Christian faith. Almost every outcome can be predicted before it happens. Once the evil possessed by Grendel’s mother was destroyed the water was no longer infested with small creatures. Beowulf swims down through the infested water until he reaches Grendel’s mother.

In conclusion, the Beowulf poet is guilty of expressing the underlying idea of fate over free will constantly throughout the story. As the descendents of Cain, they were determined by fate to be savage outcasts of evil nature. He then has to rely upon his God-given talents in order to survive. This is perhaps the poet’s goal in his effort to show that God is in control of everyone and their future. Hrothgar was a powerful ruler of his lands when the evils of Grendel jeopardized his fate and position. One of the greatest examples of Christian ideals is when Beowulf heads off to kill Grendel’s mother. ” (Lines 2342-2344) This idea that fate is inflexible, that the future is already planned, is in part responsible for the massive amount of blatant foreshadowing in the story. ”(Lines 1001-1007) All of these quotes can only suggest that Beowulf is full of Christian ideas.

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Approximate Word count = 1300
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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