It is said that up to thirty thousand men may have died in the Battle of Hastings, a conflict that occurred nearly a thousand years ago. It is estimated that World War II, which lasted less than seven years, was responsible for forty million deaths. Therefore, many people often ask themselves: why? Why does this conflict occur? Who or what is responsible? The culprit is not hiding nor has he escaped scrutiny and blame. It comes in many shapes and sizes, faces and places. It's called violence and its potential lies in every single person on this earth. Which violence conquers all? It is difficult to measure the significance of violence, especially when it can cause so much destruction and death, as well as stimulation. However, violence cannot simply be explained away as male testosterone as women also have and continue to demonstrate the capacity to be violent. It also cannot be explained as a byproduct of anger, jealousy, greed, or stupidity. No. Violence is an innate human quality and one can even go so far as to call it a necessary human function. Violence is a constitutive element of society. Also a tool; helps shape and evolve society. For example, the Canadian Encyclopedia website describes the Napoleonic Wars as having “greatly stimulated the export economy of Canada (Upper and Lower) and the Maritime Regions…” and that the result (of the wars) was responsible for the “development of the Canadian forestry industry...” Violence (conflict) is necessary to bring about social change and a better 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…to the middle of the paper…it seems appropriate that Beowulf's value to society parallels his capacity for violence. Since violence is an essential tool used to bring about social change and improve society, men like Beowulf will always be needed. Whose violence conquers all? Beowulf's violence overcomes Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the violence of dragons in the poem Beowulf. Revenge is shown 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 changes and improves through these conflicts, and these conflicts are resolved through violence. Works Cited Kendall, Diana, Linden, Rick and Murray, L. Jane. Sociology in Our Times: 5th Canadian Edition. United States: Thomson Wadsworth. “Beowulf”. Norton Atology: English Literature. Ed. Seamus Heaney. New York: Norton & Company Inc. 2006. 29-100.