Beowulf as The Bad Guy Beowulf is portrayed as the hero of the epic poem Beowulf (c1200), although he is in reality the villain. Throughout the poem the poet, who is unknown, believes Beowulf to be a hero because of his strength and loyalty to his people. However, his pursuit for heroic status was so dominating that it motivated his jealousy, selfishness and greed. Beowulf is a tale about a boastful soldier whose motive in …showed first 75 words of 1023 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1023 total…ones who are different. Beowulf is an example of a villain since he is avaricious, self-absorbed and intolerant of disloyalty. Grendel proves to be a hero in the world of the outsider. Although he spends his days outside society, he is there against his wishes. Grendel wants to belong, but cannot. His actions are purely for justice of the unbalance in society; Beowulf is out for the good of himself, though actually cruel and unjust.