2_castillo_alfonso

Alfonso Castillo

English Literature

20 April 2001

Beowulf: Faith, and Heroic Code of Honor

Conquer Evil

Beowulf is an old epic poem that dates from about the year 1000. It is thought this work reached literary formulation two centuries earlier. Beowulf is viewed both as the archetypal Anglo-Saxon literary work and as the foundation of modern English Literature (Beowulf 9). The story has two religions in it, Christianity and Northman Folklore. The change to Christianity was due to the Saxon invasion of England. There they experienced a large-scale conversion (Beowulf 9). As a result, Beowulf changed from an old pagan story to a story with Christian implications because of the Christian poet who wrote it down. This poet gives Christian thoughts and motives to the characters who frequently act in un-Christian ways. This combination of a pagan story with a Christian narrator is fairly unusual.

Beowulf is divided into three main parts, each one centers on a confrontation with a particular monster (Munch 322). Each of these parts has the evil represented through monsters and Beowulf physically represents good. The first of these monsters that Beowulf must face is Grendal, then, Grendal's mother, and finally fifty years later, the dragon. Each monster he faces is a symbol of evil that tests him in a different way. The epic battle of good and evil takes place throughout this story. Each part of the epic is broken down by why Beowulf is fighting and what his goal for fighting is.

In the first part of the story, Beowulf fights the monster bare-handed because Grendal fought with no weapons. Beowulf adheres to his code of honor and struggles with the beast until Grendal knows he met his match and tries to run. Grendal's arm is ripped from its socket, and he flees to his cave under the lake and later dies (Beowulf 75). The theme behind this is mainly the idea of reputation and fame (Munch 322). Beowulf boasts of his past deeds and looks forward to facing Grendal. Beowulf is a strong and courageous man, but fame and reputation hold a great deal of meaning to him.

The second part of this story takes place in the cave or Grendal's lair. Beowulf faces Grendal's mother after she has come for revenge for the death of her son. She kills Aschere in retaliation for the death of her son. King Hrothgar asks Beowulf to help him by killing Grendal's mother. Beowulf then proceeds to avenge Aschere for King Hrothgar. Beowulf then goes to the cave and slays Grendal's mother with a magical sword he finds there. This has mainly to do with revenge according to the code of honor (Munch 323). According to them it was better to avenge a fallen comrade rather than mourn for them.

The third part of the story takes place fifty years later. Beowulf is king of his people and must face a dragon that has been terrorizing his lands. Beowulf is now old and challenges this monster alone because his men are too afraid to help him. Only one of his servants follows him into the cave to slay the dragon (Beowulf 132). Beowulf fights and kills the dragon, but it kills him too. This part the story deals with the fate of a man (Munch 324). Every man must die, and the dragon represented Beowulf's inevitable death. The Northmen believed their fate was fixed and there was no escaping it; once their time was up, their time was up!

This story has many moral facts added to it and tries to teach that being a moral man would have rewards. For example, Beowulf and many others who followed the heroic code of honor would triumph and be rewarded, while Unferth and those who did not follow or violate the code would tend to find shame and humiliation (Munch 328). These main facts are throughout the story and Christianity made being a moral man a strong part of this story.

The epic story of Beowulf will always be a strong representation of the ongoing battle between good and evil (Branston 63). Beowulf will always stand for the morals that good, brave men have. The world of Beowulf was full of evil, and it took many shapes whether man or monster. The men of this world had a necessity for the code of honor and did nothing without it. Beowulf was such a great warrior because he followed the code. Their belief in their code and in the belief their fate was fixed helped them overcome fear and many other foes. Their faith and determination that good will always overcome also fueled their drive to succeed. Beowulf was such a brave warrior because he believed in such things (Branston 63). Beowulf defeated all the monsters he faced, and in the end he was killed by the dragon he had slain. This end represents the on going belief that good always overcomes evil. This also means that good cannot exist without evil and evil cannot exist without good.

Works Cited

Beowulf. Trans. Michael Alexander. London: Penguin Books, 1973.

Branston, Brian. The Lost Gods of England. London: Thames and Hudson, 1957.

Munch, Peter Andreas. Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes. New

York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1926.









			Alfonso Castillo English Literature 20 April 2001 Beowulf: Faith, and Heroic Code of Honor Conquer Evil Beowulf is an old epic poem that dates from about the year 1000. It is thought this work reached literary formulation two centuries earlier. Beowulf is viewed both as the archetypal Anglo-Saxon literary work and as the foundation of modern English Literature (Beowulf 9). The story has two religions in it, Christianity and Northman Folklore. The change to Christianity was due to the Saxon invasion of England. There they experienced a large-scale conversion (Beowulf 9). As a result, Beowulf changed from an old pagan story to a story with Christian implications because of the Christian poet who wrote it down. This poet gives Christian thoughts and motives to the characters who frequently act in un-Christian ways. This combination of a pagan story with a Christian narrator is fairly unusual. Beowulf is divided into three main parts, each one centers on a confrontation with a particular monster (Munch 322). Each of these parts has the evil represented through monsters and Beowulf physically represents good. The first of these monsters that Beowulf must face is Grendal, then, Grendal's mother, and finally fifty years later, the dragon. Each monster he faces is a symbol of evil that tests him in a different way. The epic battle of good and evil takes place throughout this story. Each part of the epic is broken down by why Beowulf is fighting and what his goal for fighting is. In the first part of the story, Beowulf fights the monster bare-handed because Grendal fought with no weapons. Beowulf adheres to his code of honor and struggles with the beast until Grendal knows he met his match and tries to run. Grendal's arm is ripped from its socket, and he flees to his cave under the lake and later dies (Beowulf 75). The theme behind this is mainly the idea of reputation and fame (Munch 322). Beowulf boasts of his past deeds and looks forward to facing Grendal. Beowulf is a strong and courageous man, but fame and reputation hold a great deal of meaning to him. The second part of this story takes place in the cave or Grendal's lair. Beowulf faces Grendal's mother after she has come for revenge for the death of her son. She kills Aschere in retaliation for the death of her son. King Hrothgar asks Beowulf to help him by killing Grendal's mother. Beowulf then proceeds to avenge Aschere for King Hrothgar. Beowulf then goes to the cave and slays Grendal's mother with a magical sword he finds there. This has mainly to do with revenge according to the code of honor (Munch 323). According to them it was better to avenge a fallen comrade rather than mourn for them. The third part of the story takes place fifty years later. Beowulf is king of his people and must face a dragon that has been terrorizing his lands. Beowulf is now old and challenges this monster alone because his men are too afraid to help him. Only one of his servants follows him into the cave to slay the dragon (Beowulf 132). Beowulf fights and kills the dragon, but it kills him too. This part the story deals with the fate of a man (Munch 324). Every man must die, and the dragon represented Beowulf's inevitable death. The Northmen believed their fate was fixed and there was no escaping it; once their time was up, their time was up! This story has many moral facts added to it and tries to teach that being a moral man would have rewards. For example, Beowulf and many others who followed the heroic code of honor would triumph and be rewarded, while Unferth and those who did not follow or violate the code would tend to find shame and humiliation (Munch 328). These main facts are throughout the story and Christianity made being a moral man a strong part of this story. The epic story of Beowulf will always be a strong representation of the ongoing battle between good and evil (Branston 63). Beowulf will always stand for the morals that good, brave men have. The world of Beowulf was full of evil, and it took many shapes whether man or monster. The men of this world had a necessity for the code of honor and did nothing without it. Beowulf was such a great warrior because he followed the code. Their belief in their code and in the belief their fate was fixed helped them overcome fear and many other foes. Their faith and determination that good will always overcome also fueled their drive to succeed. Beowulf was such a brave warrior because he believed in such things (Branston 63). Beowulf defeated all the monsters he faced, and in the end he was killed by the dragon he had slain. This end represents the on going belief that good always overcomes evil. This also means that good cannot exist without evil and evil cannot exist without good. Works Cited Beowulf. Trans. Michael Alexander. London: Penguin Books, 1973. Branston, Brian. The Lost Gods of England. London: Thames and Hudson, 1957. Munch, Peter Andreas. Norse Mythology: Legends of Gods and Heroes. New York: The American-Scandinavian Foundation, 1926.