Within the Old English epic poem entitled "Beowulf", one theme dominates: to overcome chaos and establish order, a fearless individual must continually fight the force of evil. Even after the poem's protagonist, Beowulf, victoriously destroys Grendel, the personification of chaos and evil, Beowulf's battles are not over. Grendel's mother remains alive and poses an immediate threat. She is the source of Grendel's life, she who carried him in her womb, and she is therefore the source of the evil against which Beowulf considered it his duty to fight. The subsequent battle between Beowulf and Grendel's mother is the second of the poem's three battles, and the author's description of the violent conflict is a central and important passage of the work. Within the passage the author uses literary techniques that aid in the presentation of this important segment of the poem. These techniques include alliteration, personification, and powerful diction. The techniques can be traced throughout the piece. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Prior to this passage, which lies roughly halfway through the poem's plot, Beowulf traveled to a distant Danish coast from his native Gealand, intent on ridding the foreign soil of the infamous brutal monster, Grendel. This monster, a shadow of death [hunting] in the darkness terrorized the Danes for twelve years and repeatedly killed the citizens; The agony loomed / on the king and the people alike, harsh / and endless, violent, cruel and evil. However, Grendel discovered an unbeatable enemy in Beowulf, and the monster met his death at the hands of the protagonist. It soon became clear that a greater challenge remained for Beowulf; Grendel's mother is eager to avenge her son's death. Beowulf has descended into the witch's underwater palace, and the ensuing battle constitutes this significant passage in the poem. One of the key literary techniques used in this passage, alliteration (including its derivative, sibilance) is present in the opening two lines. Beowulf saw / the mighty water witch and brandished his sword. Hissing (saw, swing, sword) contains the alliterated description of Beowulf's enemy (water witch). This syntax would most likely engage listeners and enhance the contrast between the monster and the hero's movements. Sibilance also contributes an auditory element to the visual image of the kinesthetic movement of the sword. The sword sang its fierce song / sang the strength of Beowulf. The verb to sing personifies the weapon, a technique that is also effective thanks to the repetition of the verb. The continuous sibilance, used in association with the sword, makes the personification and images associated with the sword coherent. The swooping sound of the sword is suggested because of the sibilance, and the force of the weapon's movement is depicted equally effectively because nearly every word in the five lines of description is monosyllabic. The diction therefore parallels the action of the poem. Beowulf is referred to as Grendel's mother's "guest." This reference has interesting implications. It suggests that to combat the source of evil, Beowulf must pervade that evil's domain. To establish order, the author suggests, it is necessary to invade the realm of natural chaos. The hero of the poem's time would run this risk. Indeed, Beowulf and the monster fought. The verb denotes two competitors who physically intertwine in a battle for dominance. Just as Beowulf must descend into the domain of evil to fight it, so he must also physically engage with evil to defeat it.Order and chaos, like two wrestlers, are in a constant battle for supremacy, but since chaos is the natural state of existence, order becomes the host that must fight to overcome the status quo. Beowulf soon discovers that his helmet would gain no glory for the first time after years of use in war. The author's inclusion of the word "years" establishes the fact that Beowulf's battles have an almost timeless quality. Metaphorically, the struggle to establish order where chaos exists has always existed and will probably always exist. Battle is a natural struggle of the human condition. Although the author alludes to the omnipresence of this eternal struggle to replace chaos with order, Beowulf's determination to succeed becomes the focus of the poem: "But / Beowulf / He desired only fame" ? The alliterated consonant b accentuates the vault, shifting the focus of the poem to Beowulf's determination. Beowulf "desired only fame, leaped back / into battle"? The two verbs, desired and skipped, are alliterated. Powerful diction draws readers into the action of battle. However, the sibilants maintain the auditory flow of the poem as Beowulf "threw aside his sword." In contrast to the sibilants that dominate the first part of this passage, a thematically important phrase, if weapons were useless he would use his hands, the strength in his fingers the dominant internal sibilants are present. Since the intensity of the sound is now unique as it is the only word in the sentence that actually begins with a, the effect is that it stands out. This draws attention to the thematically important fact that Beowulf finds strength within himself. The contrast is effective. He follows a pithy maxim: “Then fame / comes to men who mean to win it / and care for nothing else?” This sentence stands out not only for its thematic and didactic content, but also for its exclamatory punctuation and dominant monosyllabic diction. Thus, in two contiguous sentences the hero of the mid-first millennium is outlined: a determined and totally devoted man who finds in his own being the strength to fight the forces of evil and replace chaos with order. Fittingly, then, the diction describing Beowulf's battle against Grendel's mother is strong, which helps portray Beowulf as strong and powerful, even without his weapons. [Beowulf grabbed her shoulder; anger / doubled his strength. The sibilance that was previously attributed to the movement of the sword now describes Beowulf's actions. Only Beowulf contains the strength he once sought in the sword. The action continues. The water witch, Grendel's fierce mother, falls, and the proud Geat/Prince was ready to pounce on her. Both characters are identified by more than just a pronoun or name. The audience is thus constantly reminded, in colorful terms, of the heroic status of the protagonist and the evil nature of the antagonist. Character traits blend with names. Additionally, Beowulf is empowered by the proud prince's explosive alliteration. As the end of the battle is described, Grendel's mother's actions are depicted with words and phrases that connote chaos, such as wildly grabbing and tearing. The atmosphere of chaos contrasts sharply with the representation of the symbol of order, Beowulf, who is described here as the best/strongest of soldiers. The use of the superlative almost hyperbolizes the hero. The double alliteration draws the audience's attention to the witch's dagger, brown with dried blood. This witch has been victorious in many past battles and it looks like she will succeed once again. Beowulf was lying / on his back. This is the position of bestial helplessness, and so the struggle against chaos extends to.