Throughout history and literature, many people fight for what they believe in, but that doesn't always mean it's for a good cause. Knowing right from wrong is crucial when it comes to people living in a virtuous society because it gives them a sense of justice. Members of a society must first know what is right and what is wrong before they can act on a situation, assuming that they will do so in a fair and just manner. Once they have acquired a virtuous mindset, these people know that it would be morally right to help those in need, and helping them often requires a certain amount of courage. A society is virtuous when its inhabitants strive to have good morals and seek the benefit of others. A society with strong morals can be seen in the epic poem Beowulf. Beowulf and his men leave their country to help those in Denmark who are being killed and ravaged by a "demon.../an evil creature.../[with] murder in his heart/the messenger of hell" (Rebsamen 10). It's just that these men, with great strength, don't want to see Denmark suffer and that's why they help them. However, later, when Beowulf is having difficulty fighting the dragon, his "handfellows/...[did not stand near him/...but they leaned toward the woods/sheltering their lives" having no power. courage to help Beowulf in his fight against the dragon (Rebsamen 84). These men lack courage when it is needed most. Although Beowulf told his men to stay away before the battle began, they were too afraid of the dragon at first. They did not have enough courage to witness Beowulf's triumph over the dragon, making these men selfish, only wanting to seek their own benefit and not that of others. A ...... middle of paper ...... and obstacles to being able to obtain justice within their society. Furthermore, even if one has good morals, it can take courage to seek the benefit of others, just as it took Beowulf and his band of men to help free the Danes from a monster evil. If a society were to have one virtue strong above all others, it would be courage, for "courage is not merely one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue under test" -CS Lewis . And once a society acquires virtue as a whole, it is considered virtuous because "A nation as a society forms a moral person, and each member of it is personally responsible for his society" -Thomas Jefferson. , NY: Dover Publications, 1997. Print. Rebsamen, Frederick R. Beowulf: An Updated Verse Translation New York: Perennial Classics, 2004. Print..