Theme Of Revenge In Beowulf

Blood begin to boil and tensions begin to rise. Eventually it happens to everybody; whether it be a family member, friend, or random stranger, tensions rise because of misunderstood, or perhaps very well understood, actions. For most individuals, a primary reaction is to get even. There is a place for every emotion: love has its place, as does hate. Peace has its place, as does war. Perhaps revenge has its place as well. In the epic poem Beowulf, revenge is the main motivating factor for many characters. Through many feuds presented in the poem and the actions of Grendel and his mother, the fiery dragon, and even Beowulf himself, revenge is portrayed as a force behind actions. Revenge sometimes does not make any more sense than biting a dog because the dog bit first. However, in the heat of the moment, rational thought is lost and instincts take over. Revenge motivates the many feuds in Beowulf that the poet refers to as way of life — and even death — for the Germanic tribes. With constant negotiation and even wergilds, the feuds that riddle Beowulf’s land and culture never cease. At the base of many of these disagreements is the

Beowulf begins with the story of Hrothgar who built the great hall of Heorot to protect his people. When the land of these Danish people is plagued by the threat of Grendel, a horrific monster out to destroy the land, Beowulf comes to the help of the Danish. After Beowulf defeats the “invincible” monster, Grendel’s mother takes her revenge on the land. Through the first two battles in the story, the theme is to right the wrongs done against them by killing their foes. This cycle of revenge is began by the monster Grendel who is descendant from Cain, the first murderer who killed his brother out of revenge for not being favored by God. Grendel hates the mead hall the Danes have built and their nightly singing partying, thus he takes his revenge by terrorizing the