The poem is set in the warrior culture in which weaponry and armor are indispensable, as can be seen in the lines “Beowulf got ready, put on his war gear, indifferent to death; his powerful forged fine chain mail at hand he would soon meet the threat under water “(1442-45). However, while participating in a fight with Grendel, a monster, who is the embodiment of evil that lurks in the moors and swamps, completely enemy of goodness and justice, Beowulf destroys the armor and weapons and confronts Grendel in a melee fight. – certainly a feat that guarantees infinite strength and confidence. This portrays Beowulf as a representative of the forces of good, who is fearless and determined to annihilate evil without committing to being fair and just.

One of the questions that arouse human curiosity is about the causal factors that impart timelessness to a literary work that delves into the struggle between good and evil. Needless to say, it is the demonization of evil and the apparent vulnerability of good (which, however, is invincible in the end) that makes a work of literature eternal, provoking fear, sympathy and admiration in its readers.

It is the demonization of the forces of evil in Beowulf that acts as a contrast against which the overwhelming of Beowulf emerges and stands out. The writer’s immense creativity and foreplay of the imagination vividly highlight the evil that resides in characters like Grendel and his mother. Both Grendel and his mother are shown as representatives of evil residing in infested swamps and bogs, given to devouring men and possessed with devastating and intimidating strength and cunning. They are also the characters that represent the forces responsible for fear and caution that reside in the inner recesses of the human mind. Beowulf, on the other hand, represents the forces that generate faith and the inevitability of redemption.

Said and done, in a larger context, evil plays some role in balancing the equanimity of this universe. When a hero is larger than life, capable of fighting evil in all its forms, he is likely to make a rather boring and mundane literary work. Readers not only expect a hero to be bold and courageous, but they also expect him to be vulnerable and human, which must have its challenges as well. Even the greatest of men must succumb to death, but that should not be seen as defeat, because, “When a warrior leaves, that will be his best and only stronghold” (lines 1388 – 89). It is the eventual vulnerability and humanity of a hero that ultimately makes him a source of inspiration; someone to be appreciated and celebrated.

Therefore, as expected, at the end of the story, Beowulf, regardless of his integrity and sportsmanship, is susceptible to the ravages of time and age. This susceptibility put aside the meekness and cowardice of Beowulf’s helpers and friends, as Beowulf fights the dragon towards the end of the story, he amply pulls the feelings of fear and pity from the reader’s heart, making the story always inspiring.

Beowulf is indeed an inspiring literary work. It is both the physical and moral strength of Beowulf and the appropriate demonization of the characters representing evil that makes the story so fascinating.

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