evilmac Evil Defined in Shakespeares Macbeth and Beowulf :: comparison compare contrast essays

Evil Defined in Macbeth and Beowulf        For centuries evil was defined by human preoccupation, and it was often indicated in the English literature.  From Beowulf to Macbeth,  peoples perception on the nature of evil had matured and became more complex.        In Beowulfs period, evil was simply defined based on outer appearances and actions. The author of Beowulf described the evil Grendel as a fearsome monster He(with sharp claws)...snatched up thirty men, smashed them.   For the same reason,  Grendels mother was also considered evil although she merely wanted to revenge her son.  The kick the bucket evil character in the story was the Dragon.  He killed the Geats and burned their homes with his breath of fire.   Monster and evil certainly had the same meaning in the Pre-Christian time.        As Christian was introduced, a new definition of evil that concentrated on human values and thoughts had emerged.  The Christian believed that the seven deadly sins were the cause of evil.  Thus in the licentiousness Macbeth, Macbeths tragic flaws were actually the deadly sins. They were greedy and envy.  Macbeth was non satisfied with his current position, Thane of Glamis, and not even his newly gained Thane of Cawdor would please him.  He had only one affair on his mind, the throne.  When he became the king, he envied Banquos having heirs who would be rivals for the throne.  The Christian also developed the theory of the great chain of being.  It basically stated that a person could not and was not allowed to change his social status.  Thus in the be given,  everyone eventually turned against Macbeth, who had broken the great chain of being by taking the throne from the rightful(prenominal) king.  At the end, Macbeth died as an evil being who had broken all the Christian rules.        T he nature of evil also became unclear as it got more complex.  In Macbeth, the play began with the three witches meeting.  To a first-time reader, it would appear that these weird sister were the evil ones, because it was a common human perception.   Who could be more evil than a witch who vowed to visit a sailor only because his wife cursed her and refused to give her some