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Beowulf kills Grendel's mother for no reason other than because she killed his mentor and friend. He impulsively kills her in order to cope with his rage. In this instance, Grendel's mom killed Beowulf's son because she was grieving, while Beowulf killed Grendel's mother out of spite. This makes Beowulf seem more like a monster than Grendel's mom.

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"a resolute blow that bit deep into her neck-bone and severed it entirely, toppling the doomed house of her flesh; she fell to the floor" (Heaney 1565-68)

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Beowulf is swimming to Grendel's mother's cave to kill her for killing his friend. He swims for almost a day, which is something no human could do. This action makes us question if Beowulf is fully human or if he is part monster.

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"It was the best part of a day before he could see the solid bottom" (Heaney 1495-6)

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Satan declares he will go along on his journey to find the humans when no one else volunteers to go. This action demonstrates Satan's bravery and willingness to do anything for his people. He is a good ruler.

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"this enterprise / None shall partake with me" (2.465-66)

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Satan is being compared to an eclipse where he is one thing on the outside and another thing on the inside. In this case, he is bad on the outside because he's a devil, but he's good on the inside.

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“As when the sun new ris’n / Looks through the horizontal misty air / Shorn of his beams, or from behind the moon / In dim eclipse disastrous twilight sheds / On half the nations, and with fear of change / Perplexes monarchs” (1.594-99)

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In this instance, Cassius is trying to get Brutus to join the conspirators aiming to kill Caesar. Brutus just wants to do what is best for Rome and asks the gods to help him be honorable. Brutus's tragic flaws are that he is easily manipulated and that he loves Rome more than anything else; these two flaws are why he joins this scheme. Brutus always has good intentions.

This quote is spoken by Antony after Brutus commits suicide because he feels so bad about his part in the murder of Caesar. Antony states what all Romans know to be true: that Brutus always had the purest intentions in his role in the plot to kill Caesar. He only wanted to do what was best for Rome and did not want Rome to be ruled by a power-hungry king. Brutus was the only one of the conspirators who truly had good intentions for Rome; the rest were power-hungry and jealous of Caesar.

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"For let the gods so speed me as I love The name of honor more than I fear death." (1.2.88-89)

"This was the noblest Roman of them all: all the conspirators, save only he, Did that they did in envy of great Caesar. He only, in a general honest thought And common good to all, made on of them. His life was gently, and the elements So mix's in him that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, 'This was a man!'" (5.5.68-75)

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In this quote, Beowulf voices his dying wish: to see the gold from the dragon's lair because he wants to make sure that his people will be in good hands once he dies. This proves Beowulf's greatness as a king as he loved and cared for his people always.

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“I want to examine / that ancient gold, gaze my fill / on those garnered jewels; my going will be easier / for having seen the treasure, a less troubled letting-go / of the life and lordship I have long maintained” (2747-2751)

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This quote demonstrates Beowulf's fairness and honor. Beowulf decides not to use a weapon when he fights against Grendel because Grendel does not know how to use weapons. Fighting with a weapon against Grendel would give Beowulf an unfair advantage.

In the second quote, Beowulf teaches of his heroic code and warrior ideology which states that one should avenge the death of close friends. This further represents Beowulf's greatness and bravery.

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"He has no idea of the arts of war, of shield or sword-play...No weapons, therefore, for either this night" (681-4)
"It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning...Let whoever can win glory before death" (1384-8)

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Satan chooses to accept his situation and rise as a hero for the fallen angels he has led from Heaven. Even if God is his enemy, at least he is not serving anyone. He has his own heaven now and believes that it's better to be in control than have our minds controlled by someone else. This is admirable as Satan still has hope and is not defeated after being cast from Heaven to Hell.

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“Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven” (Milton 1.262-3)

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The commoners adore Caesar and take of work to see him return from his victory over Pompey. At his parade, the crown of Rome gets offered to him three times, and every time he kindly refuses, revealing his humility and nobility.

Caesar says the brave are not afraid of death; this makes the readers admire him and perceive him as the protagonist because he has admirable values.

Caesar's tragic flaw was that he was too ambitious and nobles worried he would corrupt Rome. However, Cassius, the leader of the group that conspired to assassinate Caesar, had another motive for killing Caesar: jealousy. Shakespeare invokes pity for Caesar in Caesar's famous lines "Et tu, Brute" where his best friend stabs him (3.1.77).

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"we make holiday to see Caesar and to rejoice in his triumph" (1.1.32-33)

"Why, there a crown offered him, and being offered him he put it by with the back of his hand thus, and then the people fell a-shouting" (1.2.220-22)

"he put it by thrice, every time gentler than other" (1.2.228-29)

"Cowards die many times before their deaths, / The valiant never taste of death but once (2.2.32-33)

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Half a century later when Milton writes Paradise Lost, Milton wholeheartedly reveals the good and evil that exist in every person when he makes Satan, the devil, the protagonist.

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As literature evolves and Shakespeare writes Julius Caesar, the hero and villain of the story remain open to interpretation, as the two main characters possess both good and evil traits.

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Great thesis, Helen. Be explicit about the implication of this more "open interpretation" of good and evil. What did you learn about these concepts from reading these texts?

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Great thesis, Helen. Be explicit about the implication of this more "open interpretation" of good and evil. What did you learn about these concepts from reading these texts?

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Beowulf was very strong, and his strength made him a mighty warrior. He killed nine sea monsters, demonstrating his power and ability.

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“The mightiest man on earth, high-born and powerful” (Heaney 197-8)
“My sword had killed nine sea monsters” (574-5)

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Beowulf embodies the heroic qualities of strength and greatness, while certain qualities that could make him a monster.

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Reading books and putting yourself into someone else’s shoes can “lead to more empathy” and help explain why people remain good or evil. As literature has evolved, the defining characteristics of a protagonist and antagonist have grown more and more blurred with authors attempting to prove both the goodness and wickedness in every person, beginning with a clear outline of good and evil in Heaney’s Beowulf, continuing with the ambiguity of the protagonist in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and culminating in Milton’s ironic creation of the devil as the hero in Paradise Lost.