Violence In Beowulf

In the epic “ Beowulf,” there was an immense amount of violence, that was accepted with different feelings by the other characters. The two main forms of violence were performed by Grendel, the banished monster style character, and by Beowulf- the hero of the story. The motivation, response from others, how violent acts fit into the Dane’s culture and the outcome of their violent actions will be discussed in this paper. The motivation for each …

…tribes in that era. The violence portrayed in the epic “Beowulf,” differed greatly between Grendel and Beowulf. Grendel’s violent acts were despised and feared, while Beowulf’s violent acts were thought of as a God sent, and were a cause of festivities and rejoicing. The Dane’s take on violence was more revolved around pay back rather than resolution, thus, violence will be a never ending aspect of the Dane’s way of life.