Moral values are ideas that change depending on where you live in the world. One thing that might be considered “bad” in the Congo might be something that is considered as being “good” in the United States. In the epic poem “Beowulf”, Beowulf is portrayed to be a great warrior who almost always determines his self worth by how courageous and strong he is. In the Dark Ages when a man showed his strength in battle that was one of the most important things that they can do. In this folklore, the one thing that seems to push the protagonist Beowulf besides from his pride is his morality. The involvement of his morality is what sets him and his counterparts apart and is what makes this folklore different from others of it’s time.
Beowulf going to the Danes, the setting of the poem, was a decision that he came to on his own terms. In the society that Beowulf lived in a man’s worth was often judged on what had been accomplished in war. It was probably not acceptable for a man to shy away from violence and battles because those were the two main things that made men up. But even in this time period, most men probably didn’t volunteer their lives to save people they knew nothing about. They probably would have waited for the Danes to reach out to them for help; but Beowulf’s demonstration of courage and seemingly sincere attitude made him different. The rising action of this poem is the first fight he has between Grendel, one of the poem’s main antagonist, and in this scene you can clearly see how Beowulf uses his morality in times of need. Grendel was a monster who could be described as being callous because he created havoc for the Danes and seemed to take pleasure in the control that he had over people. It is hinted that he is like this because he felt a sense of jealousy and loneliness. Beowulf comes to defend the Danes and unlike other men he felt no fear about fighting Grendel; he felt so secure in himself that he fought Grendel without weapons. Fighting without weapons shows his courageousness which ties into his morality. Without his courageousness
His second and third fights show his morality even more. The climax of