The Prevailing

Factor
Meaghan, Deryk, Alexis, Bailey

Thesis

Meaghan Carpenter

Good doesnt always prevail evil.

Beowulf is good and the dragon is evil, yet the dragon kills
Beowulf.

Quote

Meaghan Carpenter

Ive never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless

battles. I am old, now, but I will fight again, seek fame still,
if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me (607611).

Alliteration

Meaghan Carpenter

...and for the first time in his life that famous prince fought with fate against
him, with glory denied him (668-670).
This quote shows that Beowulf realizes that evil will win, and the dragon will
defeat him.

Caesura of Beowulfs Last Battle

Ive never known fear,// as a youth I fought
In endless battles. (607-608)

In this caesura, Beowulf explains how he never had fear no matter who or
what he fought. This shows that he never thought he would lose in a fight, and
represents good always winning. This relates to our thesis because evil
prevailed in the end, and proved the king wrong.
*Deryk Atkins*

Kenning in Beowulfs Last Battle

Flames--a king,before,but now
A beaten warrior. (690-691)

In this kenning, it describes how Beowulf is defeated by the dragon. It tells

how he was a glorious king, but now is simply a warrior that is lost in the
darkness of evil. It relates to our theis because this also shows the evil
prevailing over good.
*Deryk Atkins*

Christian Connections

Alexis Harms

The third monster in this epic was thought of as a large serpent beast to the AngloSaxons in the time in which Beowulf had been written.
Christian connections root back to the old testament, to the fall of man. In the
bible, it is written that satan took the form of a serpent in order to tempt Adam and
Eve into defying against Gods will.
Satan is seen as the cause of all evil in the world and causes the destruction of faith
and in a sense, kills the good in people if they allow him to do so. Good, human
faith and human deeds, does not always prevail over evil, Satans temptations.

Anglo-Saxon Connections
--a king before, but now a beaten warrior. None of his comrades
came to him, helped him, his brave and noble followers; they ran
for their lives, fled deep in a wood. And only one of them
remained, stood there, miserable, remembering, as a good man
must, what kinship should mean. (Page 64, Lines 690-696)

The Anglo-Saxons valued loyalty, and in this epic, Wiglaf was the
only one of Beowulfs soldiers to remain as Beowulf battled the
dragon.
In the end, although Beowulf ended up losing his life in the
battle with the dragon, Wiglaf remained loyal to his king and the
ideals he had learned as he was raised. He was later rewarded
for his loyalty by becoming the new leader of the kingdom.

Alexis Harms

Trait of an Epic Hero

Ive never known fear, as a youth I fought in
endless battles. I am old, now, but I will fight again,
seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower
dares to face me. 608-611 (pg. 62)
A good trait to describe Beowulf would be courage.
He shows us how brave he is throughout the poem,
but he is truly courageous in his last battle. He
knows he is hurt badly and stays strong and brave.
Many others wouldnt have shown the amount of
maturity and courage he did in his final moments.

Bailey Damico

Thats a Wrap!
Thesis: Good doesnt always prevail evil.
In summary, our thesis is proven in Beowulfs last
battle. In that scene, Beowulf (good), gets killed by
the dragon (evil).
The dragon leaped with pain, thrashed and beat
him, spouting murderous flames, spreading them
everywhere. And the Geats ring-giver did not boast
of glorious victories in other wars.(64) (lines 675679)

Bailey Damico