The Role of Violence in Beowulf

It is clear that abandon, or at least war machine action plays an all important(predicate) role in the world of Beowulf. The events in Beowulfs animateness are strongly connected to combat he saves the Kingdom of Denmark by beating both Grendel and his mother he serves as the King of Geatlands advisor and plump for he is elected King of Geatland after the former tabby and his news are killed in battle and successfully for fifty years and he kills the fire-monster and save Geatland (Slade Bullfinch).The violence in Beowulf does non appear to be busy in gratuitously, for its own sake, or out of cruelty. Instead, the violence serves as a tool to achieve various goals. The men in Beowulf engage in violence in defense against an attack, threat or as pitchers mound suggests, a feud. Military action is utilise as a manner of getting wealthinessinessiness and additional territory. Lastly the use of violence is seen in terms of well versus darkness, with Beowulf and his peopl e in the role of the good.Both of the major scenes of violence in the poem are aimed at specific targets and occur as responses to attacks make by Grendel, his mother, the lady troll-wife on Denmark, and by the potassium hydrogen tartrate that attacks Geatland. When Beowulf saves the realm of Demark from destruction at the claws of Grendel he is responding to the attacks Grendel has been making on the Danish court. Hrothgar, king of Denmark, was . . . success in warcraft given,/honour in war, so that his retainers/ eagerly served him until the early days war-band grew/into a mighty battalion (Slade, 64-66).As a result of his success he decides to build a mead-hall where he can give his wealth to preadolescent and old, such as God gave him (Slade, 72). The poem does not tell us against whom Hrothgar has fought to gain his wealth, but the description of his lineage is a positive single that does not lend itself to undiscriminating attacks and raiding (Slade 1-63). When the Danes are unable to defeat Grendel Beowulf leads a group of men and succeeds in killing Grendel and, when she seeks revenge on Beowulf the next day, Grendels mother.Although Beowulfs purpose was to save Denmark from Grendel, due to his great deed, Beowulf receives both wealth and reputation. He returns to his own country Geatland. There he serves the country well, in conclusion becoming King of Geatland. After Beowulf had been king for fifty years, a dragon attacks the country Beowulf is the but one who will sputter it. He succeeds in killing the dragon, but is killed during the fight. It is clear the people in the world of Beowulf used violence to gain both wealth and honor. As mentioned above Hrothgar has made his fortune by military action.Since Hrothgar is not condemned for his acts, but is celebrated by men and given gifts from the gods, in fact the poet tells us that Hrothgar is old and good (Slade 130) Based on this it appears unlikely that such a method of gaining wealth was c onsidered inappropriate, but is a tool to be used to gain wealth. Beowulf himself leaves Denmark with a great wealth of gold and an honorable reputation for his abilities to fight. Since Beowulf is the celebrated attack aircraft of the poem it appears certain that violence as a means to wealth is accepted by the people in the world of the poem.The people in the poem regard themselves as engaging in the universal fight between good and evil with themselves fight on the side of goodness. The poet tells us that Grendel was condemned with the kin of Cain (Slade) and a result of the feud between Abel and Cain, i. e. , good versus evil (Slade 106-114). Consequently when Beowulf fights against Grendel, his mother, and the dragon, he is fighting against creatures that were brought into being when Cain murdered his brother.Kennedy proposes that not sole(prenominal) does Beowulf describe the battle between good and evil, but contains a profoundly pervasive infusion of Christian spirit colo ring thought and judgment, governance motive and action, a continuous and active agent in the growth of transformation (Kennedy, xlix). Gordon takes a more conservative approach and points out that Christianity did not supplant the native pagan beliefs all at once, but co-existed in Northern Europe at this time (Gordon 1). It is evident that violence plays an important part in the live and traditions of the people of the poem.It appears however that instead of indiscriminate raiding, raping, and pillaging one associates with the Vikings, violence was seen as a tool for defense, make wealth, and participating in the fight against evil. However it must be remembered that Beowulf presents only the side of the Danes and the Geats and does not tell how the people who lost their lives and wealth to Hrothgar viewed these people.Works CitedBullfinch, Thomas. The eld of Fable. Published April 2000 by Bartleby. com 2000 Copyright Bartleby. com, Inc. 29 Mar. 2007 http//www.bartleby. com/ 182/301. html.Gordon, R. K. trans. Anglo-Saxon Poetry. London J. M. scribble & Sons, 1954.Hill, John M. Anthropological Approaches to Old English Literature A peculiar(a) Issue. Philological Quarterly (1999) 1. Questia. 30 Mar. 2007 .Kennedy, Charles W. trans. Beowulf The Oldest English Epic. Oxford Oxford University Press, 1978.Slade, Benjamin, Ed. and Trans. , 2003. Diacritically Marked Text of Beowulf go about a New Translation. 29 Mar. 2007 http//www. heorot. dk/beo-intro-rede. html.