The theme of Good vs. Evil
Beowulf is about the conflict between a courageous, mighty, loyal warrior (Beowulf) and the demons and dragons of hell itself (Grendel, Grendel’s Mother etc). The forces of good battle the forces of evil again and again, knowing that one day they will be defeated, but at least they'll die fighting. Of course, "good" in Beowulf means "strong, generous, and proud," and "evil" means "demonic creatures from the marshes." This particular battle between good and evil isn't as much about morals as it is about fate – and reputation.
There's two ways to look at this theme: 1) Christian Good vs. Evil reinforced by references to the Bible (Grendel being an offspring of Cain; or 2) Pagan/Northmen worldview: the gods of chaos will in the end win over the gods of order.
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