The Themes of BeowulfGeorge Clark in "The Hero and Theme" comments on his ideas on the theme of the Old English poem Beowulf: The poem opens with an illustration and a assertion that success is only achieved through praiseworthy deeds and ends with praise of the hero's quest for glory. . . Beowulf's creation of the poem gives its theme ethical force. . . The poem's three major stories lead the audience from an assured vision of a benevolently ordered world to the existential world of its minor stories where only heroic will can achieve lasting value, the memory and fame of praiseworthy deeds (271 ).This essay will discuss some of the many interpretations regarding the poem's themes. Interpretations of the Beowulf theme vary widely. Ian Duncan in "Epitaphs for Aeglaecan: Narrative Strife in Beowulf" sets out his interpretation of the poem's main theme: The arguments for any interpretation of Beowulf have therefore described discursive configurations within the poem which were then projected outside to map, explicitly or otherwise, such a context of tradition, genre, ethos, Weltanschauung. The problem is that the less the critic is aware that this is his approach, the more likely he is not to “find” but to form these very intratextual orders by projecting his own historical hypotheses into the poem. or the contemporary ideological and generic habits of his own poem. own reading. . . Perhaps B's central interpretation is that the monsters are "bad" and the hero "good", and that the poem revolves around a thematic conflict between good and evil. . . . (111-112).HL Rogers in "The Three Great Battles of Beowulf" expresses his opinion as a literary...... middle of paper ......rle, John. “The contradictory demands of heroic strength and royal wisdom.” In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. McNamee, MB “Beowulf – An Allegory of Salvation.” In An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism, edited by Lewis E. Nicholson. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1963. Rogers, H. L. “The Three Great Battles of Beowulf.” In An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism, edited by Lewis E. Nicholson. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1963. Shippey, T.A. “The world of the poem”. In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Tolkien, JRR. “Beowulf: Monsters and Critics.” » In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.