It is said that up to thirty thousand men may have died at the Battle of Hastings, a conflict that took place almost a thousand years ago. The Second World War, which lasted less than seven years, caused up to forty million deaths. So, many people often ask the question why? Why does such conflict occur? Who or what is responsible? The culprit is not hiding and has not escaped scrutiny and blame. It comes in many shapes and sizes, faces and places. This is called violence and the potential for this violence resides in every person on this earth. What violence will conquer all? It is difficult to measure the importance of violence, especially when it can cause as much destruction and death as it can stimulate. However, violence cannot simply be explained by male testosterone, since women have and continue to demonstrate the capacity to be violent as well. Nor can it be explained away as a byproduct of rage, jealousy, greed, or stupidity. No. Violence is an innate human quality and we can even go so far as to qualify it as a necessary human function. Violence is a constitutive element of society. A tool itself; it contributes to shaping and evolving society. For example, the Napoleonic Wars are described on the Canadian Encyclopedia website as having "significantly boosted the export economy of Canada (top and bottom) and the Maritimes..." and that the result (of the wars) was responsible for "the development of the Canadian forest industry..." Violence (conflict) is necessary to produce social change and an improved society. The theme of violence in Beowulf is represented by the presence, usefulness, and hero status of the character Beowulf in the poem, with the understanding that violence is a necessary function of society. The violence also extends...... middle of paper ...... seems appropriate that Beowulf's value to society parallels his capacity for violence. Because violence is an essential tool used to produce social change and improve society, men like Beowulf will always be needed. What violence will conquer all? The violence of Beowulf conquers Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the violence of the dragons in the poem Beowulf. Vengeance is proven to be a tool used to facilitate the cyclical nature of violence and conflict across these three monsters, and in each case, change occurs. Society is changed and improved through these conflicts and these conflicts are resolved through violence. Works Cited Kendall, Diana, Linden, Rick and Murray, L. Jane. Sociology in our time: 5th Canadian edition. United States: Thomson Wadsworth. “Beowulf.” Norton Athology: English Literature. Ed. Seamus Heaney. New York: Norton & Company Inc... 2006. 29-100.