One of the main themes in this story is revenge. When Grendel ate Hondscio, Beowulf avenged him by killing Grendel. Then when Grendel's mother found out, she avenged Grendel by eating AEschere. Then because of Aeschere's death, Beowulf killed Grendel's mother. There is a lot of revenge in this story.
Friendship is another theme in this poem. Beowulf heard that Hrothgar was having trouble with Grende, so he went to help Hrothgar. Then because Beowulf killed Grendel, Hrothgar gave many gifts to Beowulf. Then after Beowulf killed Grendel's mother, Hrothgar gave even more gifts to show his friendship to Beowulf. When Beowulf returned to his home land, he gave his gifts to his king, Hygelac, to show honor. Not to be outdone, Hygelac gave many gifts back to Beowulf. Everyone is friends and relatives in Beowulf. |
