Beowulf, like other books, has many themes and meanings; one is the theme of vengeance. Revenge plays an important role in Beowulf and is an essential factor makes the characters understandable. "He despised them all... mortal trash... Beowulf was peering at the dagger between Aeschere's shoulder blades. `I have seen this hilt before,' he said. `This is the dagger Unferth drew on me.'" Unferth, decided to blatantly murder Aeschere, a brave warrior, as a form of revenge for the people's deeds--the murder of Grendel. The characters demonstrate vengeance when they solve, or decide to solve a problem in the plot. "`He shall die for this!' vowed Hrothgar. `Guards! Guards! Find the vile, treacherous coward Unferth in whatever dark corner he is hiding, and bring him straight to me'" Hrothgar, in revenge for the murder of Aeschere, calls upon his guards to bring Unferth to him so that he can destroy the treacherous Unferth. Revenge can either mean glory to one's name, or can mean death of thousands. "He led men in a counterattack. He burned whole villages in Friesland for revenge. But returning to his ship, he was trapped in an ambush." The Geat's revenge against the people of Friesland resulted in the killing of thousands of people and the death of the Geat leader. In conclusion, revenge is cruel and sometimes disgusting, and can mean glory to one's name, or the loss of the ultimate goal: life.