The Role of Violence in Beowulf

It is return that vehe workforcece, or at least armed services action plays an important role in the arena of Beowulf. The events in Beowulfs life are strongly connected to combat he leave al ace births the officedom of Denmark by defeating both(prenominal) Grendel and his buzz off he serves as the King of Geatlands adviser and ch antiophthalmic factorion he is elected King of Geatland after the former poof and his password are killed in battle and successfully for fifty years and he kills the fire-monster and save Geatland (Slade Bullfinch).The hysteria in Beowulf does non look to be engaged in gratuitously, for its avouch sake, or off of cruelty. Instead, the violence serves as a shaft of light to achieve assorted goals. The men in Beowulf engage in violence in defense against an attack, curse or as Hill suggests, a feud. Military action is used as a method of getting wealthiness and additional territory. Lastly the use of violence is seen in terms of good ver sus evil, with Beowulf and his citizenry in the role of the good.Both of the major scenes of violence in the rime are aimed at specific targets and occur as responses to attacks do by Grendel, his mother, the lady troll-wife on Denmark, and by the dragon that attacks Geatland. When Beowulf saves the housegdom 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,/ discover in war, so that his retainers/ eagerly served him until the green war-band grew/into a mighty battalion (Slade, 64-66).As a result of his success he decides to arm a mead-hall where he can give his wealth to young and old, such as God gave him (Slade, 72). The poem does not ensure us against whom Hrothgar has fought to gain his wealth, still the explanation of his lineage is a positive whiz that does not lend itself to indiscriminate attacks and bust (Slade 1-63). Whe n the Danes are unable to defeat Grendel Beowulf leads a group of men and succeeds in cleanup position Grendel and, when she seeks revenge on Beowulf the next day, Grendels mother.Although Beowulfs blueprint was to save Denmark from Grendel, due to his great deed, Beowulf receives both wealth and reputation. He returns to his own inelegant Geatland. There he serves the province well, lastly becoming King of Geatland. After Beowulf had been king for fifty years, a dragon attacks the country Beowulf is the save one who will represent it. He succeeds in killing the dragon, but is killed during the shin. It is clear the mass in the world of Beowulf used violence to gain both wealth and honor. As mentioned above Hrothgar has do 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 o f gaining wealth was considered inappropriate, but is a animate being to be used to gain wealth. Beowulf himself leaves Denmark with a great wealth of gold and an dependable reputation for his abilities to shake. Since Beowulf is the celebrated hero of the poem it appears certain that violence as a means to wealth is accepted by the raft in the world of the poem.The people in the poem regard themselves as engaging in the universal push betwixt 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 amid 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 only does Beowulf describe the battle between good and evil, but contains a profoundly pervasive infusion of Christian in tention coloring thought and judgment, governing need and action, a continuous and active doer in the process of transformation (Kennedy, xlix). Gordon takes a more conservative approach and points out that Christianity did not supplant the native infidel beliefs all at once, but co-existed in Northern Europe at this snip (Gordon 1). It is evident that violence plays an important occasion in the live and traditions of the people of the poem.It appears save that instead of indiscriminate raiding, raping, and pillaging one associates with the Vikings, violence was seen as a tool for defense, building 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 Age of Fable. produce April 2000 by Bartleby. com 2000 Copyright Bartleby. com, Inc. 29 Mar. 2007 < http/ /www.bartleby. com/182/301. hypertext mark-up language>.Gordon, R. K. trans. Anglo-Saxon Poetry. London J. M. Dent & Sons, 1954.Hill, John M. Anthropological Approaches to Old side Literature A Special Issue. philological Quarterly (1999) 1. Questia. 30 Mar. 2007 <http//www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=o&d=5001896480>.Kennedy, Charles W. trans. Beowulf The Oldest English Epic. Oxford Oxford University Press, 1978.Slade, Benjamin, Ed. and Trans. , 2003. Diacritically mark Text of Beowulf Facing a refreshful Translation. 29 Mar. 2007 < http//www. heorot. dk/beo-intro-rede. html>.