Beowulf: Good versus Evil, Fate, and the Warrior Identity - Essay Example

Beowulf: Good versus Evil, Fate, and the Warrior Identity Beowulf is one of the landmarks of English literature because it is the oldest surviving major writing in English. It is an epic Old English (Anglo-Saxon) poem that depicts the warrior, conflict-ridden culture of Europe’s early medieval society. Beowulf was told sometime in the seventh century England, while the setting of the poem is fifth or sixth century Scandinavia (which includes Denmark and Sweden) (Staver 1). The epic starts at the land of the Danes, or Denmark, although Beowulf comes from the land of the Geats (now called Sweden) (Staver 1). This essay analyzes the setting, characters, important events, themes, and styles of Beowulf. Beowulf is an epic poem that shows, through the styles of grim irony and Christian didacticism, how a great warrior can rise to high status through fighting for his identity, although fate controls all characters, events, and their ultimate ends. Setting is important to the poem because it portrays the warrior culture and history of the Anglo-Saxons. Beowulf lived at the time where different tribes, including the Geats, the Swedes, and the Danes, constantly fought one another (Staver 3). Kings were able to maintain their power through using their treasures to reward warriors, who served them (Staver 3). Historians believed that Beowulf went to King Hrothgar, ruler of the Danes, so that he could balance powers in favor of his people. During this time, the Geats could be fighting Swedes at the north, aside from other factions all over Scandinavia, and so Beowulf could have aimed to gain a newfound ally in King Hrothgar through pledging allegiance to him (Staver 3). The setting of Beowulf is not only the environment of the story, but it also provides the macro forces that shape its characters’ motivations and actions. Characters and important events are connected to the themes of Beowulf, the first of which is good versus evil. The first significant event of the poem is the arrival of Beowulf at the land of the Danes, exactly when King Hrothgar needs someone to defend his kingdom from a man-eating demon, Grendel. The event is important because it gives Beowulf the opportunity to return favors because the King once helped the former’s father. Beowulf becomes the warrior of Good against Grendel, the Evil one. In the epic, Beowulf fights the “captain of evil” (Heaney line 749), despite knowing the possibility of death. Beowulf is the typical warrior who finds honor in dying in war. Grendel, on the contrary, is Evil because he comes from “Cain’s clan,” where the epic says “Cain got no good from committing that murder/ because the Almighty made him anathema/ and out of the curse of his exile there sprang/ ogres and elves and evil phantoms/ and the giants too...” (Heaney 106-113). This description implicates the Christian background of the poem’s author, where the author indicates that Good and Evil have clear-cut boundaries. Apart from using Beowulf as a symbol of Good, the poem speaks of goodness in terms of Christian didacticism, where the author indicates Christian religious beliefs. The epic highlights that the greatest Good comes from the greatest God: “Like a man outlawed/ for wickedness, he must await/ the mighty judgement of God in majesty (Heaney 976-978). The epic teaches the value that God ultimately holds humanity’s fate. Thus, Beowulf depicts the universal theme of Good versus Evil in the context of early Christianity’s beliefs and experiences. The second theme of the poem is fate, where God controls everything that happens, including people’s destinies. One of the fates of the different tribes in the poem is their endless battles because of their divided loyalties. Beowulf knows and works toward the correction of misdeeds in the past: “I have wrested the hilt/ from the enemies' hand, avenged the evil/ done to the Danes; it is what was due” (Heaney 1668-1670). His statement demonstrates courage, but more than that, it implicates the cycle of revenge, thus, their fate is characterized with endless violence in their past, present, and future. Furthermore, fate is about God’s control over people’s destinies. Beowulf does not win only because of his abilities, but mostly because of God’s blessing. The epic describes Beowulf’s powers from God: “The monster wrenched and wrestled with him/but Beowulf was mindful of his mighty strength,/the wondrous gifts God had showered on him:/ He relied for help on the Lord of All,/on His care and favour…” (Heaney 1269-1273). The tone and language of the poem underline the religious beliefs of the narrator, wherein God is supreme in dictating Fate. In addition, God does not give everlasting life to anyone, even to the most glorious heroes because dying is part of their fates too. The poem ends with a sad tone when Beowulf dies. He kills the dragon, but he dies from his wounds: “After many trials,/ he was destined to face the end of his days/ in this mortal world; as was the dragon,/ for all his long leasehold on the treasure” (Heaney 2341-2344). “Destined” underlines that even heroes die, and as a warrior, his greatest fate is to die in battle. These events indicate that the storyteller of the poem may be talking about pagans, but the former’s beliefs were Christian, wherein God is the sole source of power and maker of human destiny. The final theme of the poem is identity, where warriors establish who they are through their stories of battles and what they have attained. The setting of the poem is a medieval society where fighting was the way of life, especially for warriors (Staver 3). It was traditional for them to express their identity through boasting in gatherings, for instance: “This formal boast by Beowulf the Geat/ pleased the lady well and she went to sit/ by Hrothgar, regal and arrayed with gold” (Heaney 639-641). The lady is not offended by boastings because it is part of their culture, and it is natural for warriors to promote their identity through their battle stories. Furthermore, an essential element of the Scandinavian culture is giving gifts or rewards to warriors. For example, Halfdane's son gives Beowulf “a gold standard as a victory gift,/ an embroidered banner; also breast-mail/ and a helmet; and a sword carried high,/ that was both precious object and token of honour” (Heaney 1019-1023). These gifts symbolize the King’s token of appreciation for warriors who defend his kingdom. In addition, in terms of identity, readers can understand grim irony from the poem, when the warrior culture produces un-Christian-like practices including pagan acts and involvement in never-ending conflict. The poem has a bitter tone when it reveals pagan actions: “Sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed/ offerings to idols, swore oaths/…That was their way,/ their heathenish hope; deep in their hearts/ they remembered hell” (Heaney 170-180). By saying heathen hope, the narrator shows the irony that when people have problems, they turn to pagan idols instead of the true God. At the same time, irony is present when, after Beowulf’s death, there is more prophesized bloodshed instead of peace. A Geatish messenger foresees further conflict: “So this bad blood between us and the Swedes,/ this vicious feud, I am convinced,/ is bound to revive; they will cross our borders/ and attack in force when they find out/ that Beowulf is dead” (Heaney 2999-3003). It is grim irony that because of the people’s warrior identity, peace will never be attained in Scandinavia. Their society is already so much divided by blood feuds that root way back to the past that their future generations will never seem to experience lasting peace. Beowulf narrates the heroic events of a noble warrior king. It uses irony and Christian beliefs to express the themes of fate, identity, and good versus evil. The epic shows that warriors have a code of loyalty and their identity is based on fighting and dying for their loyalties. Though they show courage and integrity, the division among clans is enough to guarantee non-stop violence, one of the grim ironies of the poem. Beowulf captures both the realities and aspirations of the Anglo-Saxons in medieval times, whose idea of a good life is to fight for it at whatever cost and however long and precarious the battles may be. Works Cited Heaney, Seamus. Ed. Beowulf: A New Verse Translation. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000. Print. Staver, Ruth Johnston. A Companion to Beowulf. Connecticut: Greenwood, 2005. Print. Read More