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Beowulf Good Vs Evil Essay

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It is only light that can extinguish darkness. In Beowulf translated by Burton Raffel, Beowulf is the main character the helps extinguish the darkness darkness of Herot. Another main character is grendel, he is the monster that has ruled Herot for a while. Once Beowulf heard about Grendel he decided it is his mission to save the people of Herot from Grendel. With this in mind, the theme of Beowulf is good versus evil and its effects upon society.
One way Burton Raffel portrays good versus evil is using characters. He writes about what the warriors sing about. For instance, they sing, “ So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild Marshes, and made his …show more content…

For instance, he describes, “...so Herot Stood empty, and stayed deserted for years, Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar, king Of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door By hell-forged hands.” (Raffel 2). Once Grendel took over it turned dark and lifeless without them having their huge celebrations. Later on Beowulf kills Grendel and Grendel’s mother . He explained, “ The brilliant light shone, suddenly, As though burning in that hall, and as bright as Heaven’s Own candle lit in the sky.” (Raffel 18). Here he is describing how beautiful it is without any evil in terrorizing them any more. With imagery evil is contrasts with good like black and white.
He imposes figurative language to prove the theme of good versus evil. For example, he uses personification. He illustrates, “And Grendel’s great teeth came together, Snapping life shut.” (Raffel 12). Clearly, showing how evil can take a person's life away in a second. Another figurative device he implies is foreshadow. Raffel writes,” But fate, that night, intended Grendel to gnaw the broken bones Of his last human supper.” (Raffel 12). This foreshadows that Grendel will die. However, it also exhibits that all evil is eventually finished by good. In other words, evil never

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