All things in the world are two. In our minds we are two, good and evil. In the story Beowulf good and evil are portrayed in a very black and white manner. There are three basic sets of good and evil characters. The good characters being Beowulf, Hrothgar, and Wiglaf. The bad characters being Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. Their reputations, the manner in which they use their strengths, and their surroundings define the evil characters, and the good alike. A lot of times your reputation will say more about you than you ever could. In this story the characters reputations made them who they were. Beowulf, as well as the other good characters was of righteous backgrounds. This virtuous nature also came with a sense of strength, as the book describes Beowulf. The strongest of the Geats-greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world. On the flip side of the coin Grendel was pure evil. The book illustrates this when it describes Grendels origin. He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain. Grendels hatred was passed on from his parents. This fact makes his hatred, in a sense, almost inherited or genetic.Grendel, along with his evil followers, used theyre strengths for evil. He killed many people from the city, which he was once banished from. Grendel was very cunning and powerful but he was also of weak character, choosing to kill his enemies when they were sleeping. He slipped through the door and there in the silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds. Hrothgar chose to use his riches to make the lives of those around him rich. The time before Grendel was a happy time because of the good of Hrothgar king of the Danes. And then as now warriors sang of their pleasure: so Hrothgars men lived happy in his hall. Like Hrothgar, Beowulf and the like used their strengths for good. Beowulf traveled from a distant land and used his bravery and skill as a warrior to solve...
