Epic of Beowulf :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

Beowulf’s Christian Tone Beowulf is an epic about a larger than life hero, who becomes leader of his people. The overall tone of Beowulf is predominantly Christian, "owing to a vision of evil in the world, a belief in the power of Fate to rule human destiny, and resignation to the certainty of death." Parallelism between fate and providence, constant battling between good and evil, and the virtues of consideration of others, moderation, and unselfishness all support this overall Christian tone. "Beowulf is more than a conflict involving monsters, but it is an allegory depicting the constant battle between the forces of Good and Evil." The Evil in this case is Grendel. Grendel is portrayed as God’s antagonist, Satan. "Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty hills and bogs, bearing God’s hatred, Grendel came, hoping to kill anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot." Grendel is cursed with every feature rejected by God. "He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born to Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for the crime of Abel’s death." Beowulf is the protagonist in this epic. He is the supreme Good. No man can match his qualities. "But the truth is simple: no man swims in the sea as I can, no strength is a match for mine." Beowulf was the ideal warrior; everyone believed in him. "Hrothgar†¦ believed in Beowulf’s bold strength and the firmness of his spirit." Beowulf was also very determined. "I will fight until he (Grendel) dies or I’ll die trying." His main purpose in Beowulf was to gain glory and fame in order to distinguish himself. And by doing so he proves to be a man of wisdom and integrity who has fought the good fight and has defeated the inferior evil. Another important Christian principle, which was emphasized, was the constant parallelism between fate and providence. There was a belief in wyrd, a belief in the power of Fate to rule human destiny balanced by the power of God, who is ultimately in control. "God must decide who will be given to death’s cold grip." Your fate was impossible to change. "Fate will unwind as it must!" The future of a person was destined by their fate. "Fate saves the living when they drive away death by themselves!" The virtues of consideration for others, moderation, and unselfishness are also depicted and appreciated.