The intention of this unit is not to teach right from wrong, since this hopefully has been done by the 12th grade, but rather to examine through characters in British literature, an understanding of the concept of evil. One type of recurring theme in British literature is the idea that “evil” characters are directly related to experiences of tragedy, pain, confusion, and sadness. In this unit, students will begin by contemplating the motivation behind the evil deeds of Grendel and his mother in Beowulf. Students be prompted to wonder after reading Macbeth, why the guy who why the monster in Frankenstein is considered evil. After reading through excerpts of Milton’s Paradise Lost students ask, “Don’t we ever read about goodness and good without evil. The one interest that remains consistent for students and is in all the literature to be covered in this specific unit, is the study of evil and its importance in the development of character in British literature. Students at the 12th grade level are faced with many challenges in today’s society and learning about characters and more specifically evil concepts in characters will prepare them for life. The students will comprehend that the motivations for characters to commit evil acts are essentially the same as today’s reason for committing evil acts. Human emotions, the frailties and strengths, were the same in the 8th century as they are today. The only real difference is that circumstances have changed.