Throughout history and literature, many people fight for what they believe in, but that doesn't always mean it's for a good cause. Distinguishing right from wrong is crucial when dealing with people within a virtuous society, because it gives them a sense of justice. People in a society must first know what is right and what is wrong before they can act in a situation, assuming that they will do so in a fair and equitable manner. Once they have acquired a virtuous state of mind, these people know that it would be morally right to help those in need, and helping them often requires a certain amount of fortitude. A society is virtuous when its citizens 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 assist those in Denmark who are being killed and ravaged by a "demon.../ a devilish creature.../ [with] murder in his heart/ messenger of hell" (Rebsamen 10) . The fact is that these men, endowed with great strength, do not want to see Denmark suffer, and that is why they help her. However, later, when Beowulf finds himself in difficulty in fighting the dragon, his "hand-fellows/... [were] not near him/...but stooped into the woods/ sheltering their lives " not having the strength of mind to assist Beowulf in his fight against the dragon (Rebsamen 84). These men lack the fortitude when it was needed most. Although Beowulf had told his men to stand aside before the battle began, they were too afraid of the dragon in the first place. They did not have enough fortitude to see Beowulf's triumph over the dragon making these men selfish, having only the desire 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 may take courage to seek the benefit of others, just as it took courage for Beowulf and his band of men to help free the Danes from an evil monster. If any society were to have one strong virtue above all others, it would be fortitude because “courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue when tested” -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 every member of it is personally responsible for his society" -Thomas Jefferson.Works CitedMore, Thomas. Utopia. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1997. Print.Rebsamen, Frederick R. Beowulf: An Updated Verse Translation New York: Perennial Classics, 2004. Print.