Good Shall Conquer Evil - Beowulf

In most works of literature and some works of art, there are both evil characters as well as good ones. The evil characters are generally slain by the "good guys", and justice is restored. However, the portrayal of evil characters often varies. Additionally, such works are usually told through the good character's point of view. Beowulf, Hell, the first of the three books of "The Divine Comedy", "Equitan" from The Lais of Marie de France, and "Lectern in the Form of an Eagle" each harbor evil characters. However, the portrayals of the characters, as well as their motives for committing their crimes vary.

That which is evil is often depicted as ugly. Grendel, from Beowulf, is described has talons instead of hands (20). He is depicted as "the shadowstalker" (19), "God-cursed" (19), and "the captain of evil" (20). Further, "his glee was demonic, picturing the mayhem" (20). In Hell, each horrifying feature of Satan is described with meticulous detail, "and marvel 'twas, out-marvelling a million, when I beheld three faces in his head...each mouth devoured a sinner clenched within, frayed by fangs"(286). The brass "Lectern in the Form of an Eagle" depicts an enormous eagle with a miniscule, ugly dragon in the eagle's talons. The dragon's wings are crushed beneath the eagle's claws. It has wide eyes, a gaping mouth, and an arched back. It appears to be staring up at the eagle with a look of fury upon its face. Interestingly, in "Equitan", both Equitan and the seneschal's wife are attractive. The wife is "a lady of fine breeding and extremely beautiful with a noble body and good bearing" (56). However, through the mental descriptions of the characters, it is clear that something is amiss with the king's mentality, "Never, except in times of war, would the king have forsaken his hunting, his pleasures or his river sports, whatever the need might have been"(56). Good kings are loyal to their people, not busy hunting or experiencing pleasures. Clearly, evil characters are portrayed as ugly, either physically or mentally.

At the time at which Hell was written, it was generally believed that those in Hell would commit the sins that landed them in Hell again, even with the knowledge of their eternal punishments. Francesca continues to love Paolo, despite her endless torture, "It [love] holds me yet and never shall leave me more" (100). It is clear that she would willingly commit adultery again. Further, Francesca and Paolo knew that their actions were wrong, but they committed them anyway. In "Equitan", Equitan, too, knew that an affair with the seneschal's wife would be morally wrong, "I think I have no option but to love her. But if I did love her, I should be acting wrongly, for she is the seneschal's wife" (57). Despite this knowledge, Equitan seduces the wife, and ends up dead as a result. It could be argued in Beowulf that Grendel killed and ate men because he needed to eat. However, when he saw the numerous men sleeping and vulnerable, he was ecstatic, for "before morning he would rip life from limb and devour them, feed on their flesh"(20). Grendel delights in causing pain and destruction- he realizes his actions hurt others, and revels in this knowledge.

Although evil characters are bad, their actions often have undercurrents with which one can sympathize. Grendel was lonely. He was an outcast, and only had his mother as a friend. Naturally, he would be jealous of large parties of men. "[Grendel] nursed a hard grievance. It harrowed him to hear the din of the loud banquet every day in the hall"(5). However, he would not be accepted as one of the group, but would instead be seen as a monster. As a result, he grew bitter and resentful. He eventually came to the conclusion that if he could not join the men, he would kill them, so the survivors would either be as lonely as he was, or dead.

Lucifer was once considered the best angel, and second only to God, "the creature fairest once of the sons of light" (285). However, after God created man, he decreed that all the angels must bow down to His new creation. Lucifer felt that it was degrading for angels to bow down to creatures made of clay. Thus, he raised an army of one-third of God's angels against Him, and sought to overthrow God and His faithful angels. God emerged victorious in the war, and exiled Lucifer and the angels that supported him to Hell. Naturally, Lucifer should have listened to his superior. However, he felt that a decree was unjust, and wished to rectify the unjustness of God's laws. Perhaps voicing his opinions might have also done the trick, but the reason for which Lucifer committed his crime is understandable.

Equitan was considered a good man by his people, "Equitan enjoyed a fine reputation and was greatly loved in his land" (56). However, he loved pleasures. Further, he was hit by Cupid's arrow, and those who have ever been in love can attest to the fact that love makes one act without thought. Additionally, it is often said that love is blind, and it cannot be helped that Equitan fell in love with a married woman. By conspiring to kill the woman's husband, in a sense, murder would make the relationship between Equitan and the woman legitimate, and thus not a sin.

The "Lectern in the Form of an Eagle" symbolizes Word's victory over evil. The eagle is a symbol of John the Evangelist, and refers to his Gospel, which opens with praise for "the Word of God". The dragon captured between the claws of the eagle represents evil. However, it can be interpreted that God's true Word includes the New Testament, and all those that existed before the time of Jesus Christ cannot be truly good. Thus, the tiny dragon can represent all people before the age of Christ. Just because these people did not know the Word did not automatically mean that they were evil. Indeed, numerous great men existed before Christ. It seems unfair that any of them could be symbolized by the dragon.

There seems to be a link between evil and intelligence. In Beowulf, Grendel knew to attack only after dark, for men are most vulnerable then. Further, he would be least likely to get injured by the men at night. Additionally, it is after dark that most men would be in the hall, for all men must sleep. In the daytime, the men could be doing other things, and it would not be guaranteed that many men would be in the hall. Lucifer from Hell is intelligent because he saw fault with God's Word, and did not simply do precisely what he was told without even thinking of the implications of God's commands. The wife of the seneschal in "Equitan" differentiates between the status of a lover and equality between lovers. "Love is not honorable, unless it is based on equality. A poor man, if he is loyal and possesses wisdom and merit, is of greater worth and his love more joyful than that of a prince or king who lacks loyalty" (58). She will not take a man for a lover if there will not be equality in the relationship, even if she is in love with him. The dragon in the "Lectern in the Form of an Eagle" has to be intelligent to go against the Word of God, for a dumb creature would blindly do what it is told, chiefly the Word of God.

Good will always overcome evil. God overcame Lucifer, even though Lucifer was so good at first. The highest good became the worst evil in his case. He was second-in-command to God, but was plunged to the center of the Earth and frozen up to his chest in ice as a result of his sin (286). In Beowulf, Grendel got his arm ripped off and ultimately died because of his evil ways. As a result of their affair and their plot to kill the seneschal, both Equitan and the seneschal's wife were scalded to death. The evil dragon in the "Lectern in the Form of an Eagle" is trapped between the claws of a huge eagle. In each of these works, good triumphed and evil was punished.

Though evil is present in works of literature and art, the portrayal of evil often differs. Additionally, evil is often fueled by differing stimuli, for example love, injustice, or loneliness. Occasionally, as in the case of Lucifer in Hell, the good character falls to evil. Literature illustrates that not all are born evil, despite the Church's doctrines. Rather, some evolve from good to evil characters. Thus, though evil in literature and art is inherently bad, it should not simply be accepted and assumed. Instead, the reader should delve further, and ponder what may have pushed the character toward evil.