Beowulf

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorHigh School, 12th grade February 2008

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Beowulf The basic idea of Beowulf is the struggle between good and evil. Even though Beowulf is not even physically capable of beating Grendal he still overcomes him,because he is good.

The poem starts out describing this great Meade hall, and there's all these warriors that get drunk there. After the Meade hall is glorified it goes on to tell how there is this great monster. Also this great monster can hear the harps rejoicing from the Meade hall,and the poets singing of the Almighty making the earth's beautiful plains. (line 27) Then the story describes that the monster, also known as Grendel, is spawned of hell on earth. This is like hyping the monster's reputation so that it can foreshadow the coming of a great hero. (Beowulf) Grendel then goes on a murderous rampage and renders the Meade hall lifeless, and enrages the great king Hrothgar ( owner of the Meade hall).

Stories of Grendel's rampages soon reach the ears of the local hero Beowulf, and he immediately outfits a boat and sails across some great sea. He rushes to the king and finds his great Meade hall abandoned. He ends up setting up a trap for Grendel by boasting to the great king of how he was going to defeat the great Grendel with his bare hands. This miss leads Grendel into thinking that he will be easy to kill. Untold to Grendel Beowulf has taken half of his men with their weapons and hidden them. They attacked him in vain, his skin was too tough to be pierced by a sword. Beowulf ended up ripping Grendel's shoulder and arm out of its socket, because he could not kill him with his sword. Grendel escaped back to his layer to slowly die of his mortal...