The Use of Death In Beowulf essays

The Use of Death In Beowulf essays In the story of Beowolf, the three main themes of fate, courage, and death stick out. Death mostly sticks out towards the end of the story in the chapter about Beowolfs death after his fight with the dragon, but also sticks out in other parts of the story. You could say death was the whole reason that most of the story happened. It all started back when Abel was killed by Cain. Cains offspring together produced a slime from which Grendel was born. Since Grendel was naturally evil, he killed nearly 30 men at the beginning of the story just because he enjoyed eating them. Grendels murdering went on for years to come until Beowolf heard of it. Beowolf made the journey to the kingdom and took on Grendel in the first big fight of the story, which ended up in the monsters demise. Grendels Mother then heard of her sons death resulting in her being bent on revenge. She tried to take on Beowolf herself, but she ended up dying at his hands also. In the final few chapters of the story, Beowolf dies after his battle with the dragon. As he is dying, he makes a long speech about his life and tells Wiglaf, the only soldier to fight beside him, how he wants to be buried, and what to do with the treasure. After he dies, Wiglaf talks to the other soldiers on how they were cowards, and left Beowolfs side to hide in the forest. Beowolf is then buried with the gold in a tower on the sea, so all can remember him. Death in Beowolf can cause many different reactions such as revenge or grief. Revenge is seen in the people of Herot after all of the innocent men being killed. It is also seen in Grendels mother, after the death of her evil son. The grief caused by the death of Beowolf led to his memory living on through the legends of him, and the memorial built for him. Overall death is an important part of Beowolf. It triggers emotions that advance the plot well and keep the story exciting. ...