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Examples Of Greed In Beowulf

818 Words4 Pages

Samantha Quezada
Ms. Vance
English 4 Honors
1 September 2014
Vices and Virtues 7-12
Greed:
Greed is an intense longing desire for something. This desire to have something more can lead people to strive to conquer their greatest obstacles in order that they may be their best. However, desire usually does not stop at just wanting the best for oneself; this desire never seems to stop. As seen in Beowulf, greed fuels unnecessary actions such as the Dragon’s reaction to the thief. A thief enters the treasure tower and steals a cup; however, when he hears the noise, he drops and cup and flees proving that he really didn’t mean to steal the cup. This regret goes unseen by the Dragon and his judgment is clouded by the greed that fuels his anger and forces him to terrorize the Geats. No one is allowed to have any of the gold and treasure except him; it all belongs to him. This strong sense of greed drives several characters in Beowulf and ultimately is one of the reasons why the Dragon terrorizes the town.

Envy: Envy, one’s feeling towards another person and his or her possessions, can show true …show more content…

These expressions can lead to the creation of a masterpiece or the creation of a brilliant concept; however, most often this wrath fuels vengeance that leads to the destruction of a person. Wrath fuels the forcing hand in Beowulf, as seen with Grendel’s mother. Grendel’s mother comes from the sea and attacks the town and Beowulf in order to avenge the death of her son. This hatred was burning in her soul giving her almost superhuman abilities as she was almost able to defeat Beowulf. Her anger and her strength caused Beowulf to worry as he began to doubt his abilities, “Wildly tearing at him, he was weary that the best and strongest of his soldier” (618-619) could not defeat her. This vengeance gives Grendel’s mother a superhuman strength, however, it leads the destruction of various men and

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