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Examples Of Juxtaposition In Beowulf

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In almost every source of literature, a constant battle occurs between two seemingly equal sides and in the end, only one can prevail. In the historical epic, “Beowulf”, set in eastern Europe in the sixth century, the battle is the vast difference of the higher class noblemen and the foul underbelly of society. The only difference is that in this poem, the crude, lower-class is made up of mythical monsters and medieval demons. The author of “Beowulf” establishes a defined conflict between the barbaric beasts and the civilized people through the juxtaposition of Beowulf and Grendel. Beowulf is an epic hero who fights for justice and honor making him the epitome of the civilized in the poem. There is an obvious divide between the high class Europeans …show more content…

He shows no remorse for the violent crimes he commits and acts as the main source of what barbaric truly is to the audience. The author introduces him in the poem by writing, “Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters” (Beowulf 101-104). He is the farthest thing from God and everyone that encounters him can immediately identify him as someone who has no morals. Grendel’s outright defiance of all that is good is what leads him to own his demise because he is the reason Beowulf comes to the Danes. The author recalls, “Suddenly then the God-cursed brute was creating havoc: greedy and grim, he rushed to his lair, flushed up and inflamed from the raid, blundering back with the butchered corpses” (Beowulf 126-129). Grendel had no self restraint and was excessive in his killings and tortures. These malicious incidents prompted Beowulf to come to the Danes and set up a surprise attack which would later be the reason of death for Grendel. Although Grendel is the first monster in this epic poem, he can stand for the whole idea of what barbaric elements are and his death can represent how the civilized will always conquer

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