Essay On Beowulf's Attitude Towards Evil

When a leader is confronted with evil, it is imperative that they possess the characteristics of bravery, physical strength, and loyalty in order to defeat evil. The poem Beowulf recalls a heroic age in which monsters stalked men by night; further, Beowulf uses bravery, physical strength, and loyalty to defeat the demons and regain control. Beowulf, an Old-English epic poem, is characteristic of its Nordic-Germanic medieval roots as it tells the tale of a great Scandinavian warrior. This warrior uses bravery, physical strength, and leadership in order to save a kingdom from a monster that terrorizes often. Beowulf uses his attitudes towards evil to become to the archetypal hero of this epic because he is a representation of “a warrior venturing into battle against spiritual evil… even as the secular lord and his comitatus engaged the armed forces of predatory enemies.” Overall, all of the major feats Beowulf encountered were based on his …show more content…
When true heroes are confronted with evil they must have strength in order to be able to defeat evil. The swimming challenge with Brecca is a prime example of Beowulf exhibiting strength. Beowulf asserts “I have come so far...that, I and with the help of my men, may purge all evil from this hall.” Another example includes Beowulf ability to defeat Grendel by ripping his arm off. According to the text, “The bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder snapped, muscle and bone split and broke.”
In comparison to The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh who is also a hero exhibits strength and bravery. Gilgamesh looks bravery in the eye when he decides to battle Humbaba in the Cedar Forest. He also exhibits the pride that most heroes in epics exhibit. Gilgamesh possesses the quality of strength but in a different way. Gilgamesh and his partner Enkidu established a bond and fought side by side with each other; moreover, Gilgamesh was forced to exhibit strength while he laid by Enkidu’s