Heroes and Monsters II - Good and Evil

One of the oldest themes in literature and still one of the most popular today, as is evidenced by the success of the Harry Potter series, the Star Wars movies, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is that of the struggle between good and evil. Whether within Hogwarts, Middle Earth or outer space heroes continue to draw our attention. Certainly, the theme of good and evil touches us at the core of life and is an organizing principle in real life and religion, as well as in fiction and entertainment. We readily recognize this powerful set of opposites. But is it always just that simple?

The Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings books both being British are heir to a tradition dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period (roughly 6th century to 11th) and to the first great piece of English literature, Beowulf. This long story poem is a saga of the efforts of the hero to vanquish his foes.

In the poem Beowulf lives up to the Anglo-Saxon ideal for a hero fighting bravely and successfully until the final battle where he dies the hero's death. In the eyes of the society in which he lived, Beowulf was the good. His first foe, Grendel, was a monster out of the swamps, clearly defined as evil being a descendant of Cain. Further associating Grendel with Cain is the fact that he attacks the Danes purely out of jealousy of their joy and celebrations. From his dismal swamp he hears the music from their great hall Herot and is angered. Then he begins his killing spree that drives the Danes from Herot until Beowulf comes from a neighboring land and not just defeats Grendel, but dismembers him. Then the hero has to face Grendel's mother whom he also kills. In these feats, Beowulf accomplishes the driving goal of his life, to establish a name for himself that will live in the memory of his people.

As a hero in the Germanic tradition of northern Europe during the time the Anglo-Saxons were invading Britain, Beowulf is a great success. But looking at the story from an archetypal viewpoint, what is reflected by a hero who kills and dismembers the dark figures who come forth from watery places in the earth? He is a hero who never changes, never experiences any great enlightenment; he simply continues to behave as his society expects until his final battle where he receives a fatal wound. In the story of Beowulf there is no middle ground where the black and white of the differentiated opposites of good and evil meet in shades of gray that yield deeper insights. There is no recognition of the fact that the enemy may be, as critic Jane Chance has called the monsters in the story, a "projection of flaws" in the civilization (Donoghue 154). There is no taming of the wild forces that come out of the earth and no humbling of the hubris-filled hero. The story of Beowulf is here serving what Joseph Campbell called the sociological function of mythology (Campbell 141). It reinforces the values of the collective. It does not portray the way of individuation.

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