The Epitome of Evil. The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is the most important work of Old English literature, and is well deserved of the distinction. The epic tells the story of a hero, a Geat prince named Beowulf, who rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, a descendant of Cain. The storyteller uses many elements to build a certain kind of depth in the characters, specifically Grendel. The storyteller uses specific passages in the poem to …showed first 75 words of 758 total…

…showed last 75 words of 758 total…of evil. In Beowulf, Beowulf represents the good and Grendel represents the evil. Thus, considering that this epic poem was passed down orally by the Anglo-Saxons, many of the biblical references are due to their culture and beliefs. These Christian type themes are what give the character’s character definition and depth. And that is what makes Beowulf an epic poem. The character, Grendel can only be considered as the paragon of Bibliography none required.