Beowulf And Grendel Analysis

Great Essays
Literary perspectives regarding the concept of monstrousness and humanness can be found with a great deal of frequency within a multitude of varying genres. Heroes enduring grand battles and ultimately defeating the quintessential villain is not a new concept and dates back thousands of years, as illustrated with old English texts such as Beowulf. However, the concept of what entails an individual to be categorized as a monster and what entails an individual to be categorized as a human is not clear cut in when interpreted through the lens of a literary perspective. In regards to Beowulf , the main protagonist, Beowulf, and the main antagonist, Grendel, tend to be mistaken as complete foils of each other. Although Beowulf and Grendel do indeed …show more content…
Beowulf has the potential to become similar to Grendel if there is a rejection of the values that permit Beowulf to belong to the social society; If he allows himself to act upon his bestial characteristics in such a way as Grendel …show more content…
To be looked upon fondly in the eyes of God is to be a hero, but to be looked down upon by God is to be a monster. Within Beowulf, there is a substantial divide in how god is referenced towards characters that are considered to be inhuman in nature such as Grendel and Grendel’s mother (Grendel 's is referred to as unholy [l.120] ), and how god is referenced in regards to humans, especially superhumans such as Beowulf. These references towards God are telling of the ingrained opinions held by the Anglo-Saxon society represented within the Beowulf about the individuals thought to be descended from Cain. It can be inferred that the way God is believed to perceive the descendants of Cain is correlated to the way the social society perceives them [l.110-114] . Beowulf in the eyes of society is seen as being blessed by God [l.1840-1845], the treatment he receives from that society heavily reflects this idea as he becomes quickly integrated into their community [l.489-490]. In opposition, the descendants of Cain live in isolation from the rest of society [l.104-106]. There is a particular amount of disgust exhibited towards

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Life is too complicated, but “so it goes” (142). The monsters in Beowulf and Grendel are both presented the same way. In both stories, the monsters are seen as evil, and are the lowest of the low.…

    • 1112 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The original author of Beowulf portrays the monster Grendel as a personification of evil, however, Grendel, written from the monster 's perspective, offers different explanations of good and evil. Grendel spends most of the novel talking…

    • 1281 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Grendel Character Analysis

    • 1570 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In the novel Grendel by John Gardner, it tells the story of the epic poem of Beowulf, but from the “behemoth’s” point of view. This story gives a more sympathetic and altered portrayal of the creature known as Grendel. Grendel is speaking for himself and using empathy for his pain. It gives the reader the question of who the real evil in the world is, whether it is Monster or Men. In the beginning of the novel, Grendel is a misunderstood creature.…

    • 1570 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Grendel in Burton Raffel’s original translations of Beowulf is very different from the Grendel presented by John Gardener in his modern novel. The most striking differences between the two versions of the same monster are their physical appearance, home life and relationship to his mother, and Grendel’s cause of evilness. One of the most noteworthy differences between Burton Raffel’s Grendel and John Gardener’s Grendel is their physical appearance. In the original epic, Grendel’s physical appearance shares many similarities with a reptilian. According to canto eight, (Grendel) “strode quickly across the inlaid floor, snarling and fierce.…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Grendel In Beowulf

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Grendel from Beowulf differs in character from Grendel from the novel Grendel because in Beowulf, Grendel is confident, predictable, and a static character, while in Grendel, he is an outsider, confused, and a dynamic character. In the epic poem, Beowulf, Grendel is characterized from the third person point of view. The third person point of view creates distance, and it limits the depiction to only the beliefs of those who are not Grendel. Grendel is viewed as a monster who is full of confidence.…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “I’ve learned a lot about good and evil and they are not always what they appear to be” (Doren 1).Often in life, the line between good and evil can be easily blurred and the difference between man and monster can be uncertain. Anonymously written, the epic poem of Beowulf expresses many examples of drawing parallels between man and beast, more specifically between heroes and villains. Although it is not unanimously agreed upon by scholars, Beowulf is believed to have been written in eighth century A.D in Britain (Acocella 1). Beowulf was thought to be read as a ballad or as entertainment for guests. Because it is an epic poem, Beowulf is full of heroes, villains, battles, and mystical beings.…

    • 1329 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Is Grendel Good Or Evil

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Grendel; Good or Evil? Many wonder about the beast of Beowulf and whether he is evil, or just a lonely beast in a world full of humans. The readers, as humans, see the monstrous acts performed by Grendel as cruel and inconsiderate, therefore calling Grendel what he is acclaimed to be, evil. Although, Grendel by John Gardner gives the readers a look on the inside of his life and experiences, told from Grendel himself.…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Joy of Grendel “Is it joy feel?”(Gardner 173). These were the some of the last words uttered by Grendel before his demise. Why does Grendel feel this joy? Grendel had suffered inwardly all his life. Why is at this time, when Grendel is defeated Beowulf, does he feel joy?…

    • 2172 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Darkness In Beowulf

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This is also evident when the poem depicts Grendel, one of the monsters, as a descendant of Cain. In the following lines, Beowulf delineates the tainted ancestry of Grendel when it states, “Conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / By God, punished forever for the crime / Of Abel’s death” (20-23).…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Certainly, the audience can identify the epic poem “Beowulf” as a mirror of a warrior society, where the status is inherited. On the one hand, in the case of Grendel, his condition of anathema can be interpreted as the result of the conjunction of elements, such as religious beliefs or pagan myths, which in both cases, reinforces the oral tradition and contribute to the representation of the society’s own evil. On the other hand, Beowulf has inherited all the values which are expressed by the “law and order” derived by blood-feud. The author(s) shapes the character of Beowulf as a legend which is connected with the language, the land, and the roots of the Anglo-Saxon culture.…

    • 116 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In both “Beowulf” and “Grendel,” Grendel is perceived to be inherently monstrous by the end of the novel. However, Grendel was not a monster to begin with, he was simply curious like any other creature possessing intelligence. Grendel’s curiosity allowed him to experience the outside world and foreign ideas that differed from his own childlike ideals. As a result, Grendel was led down the path of insanity, but Beowulf eventually brought him back from his insanity. Insanity in Grendel’s case is not an inherited trait, but instead the logic of an accurate mind overtasked.…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The categories of what makes up monster and human characteristics are not simply opposites, yet they help define each other. Cohen’s theses, both “The Monster Is the Harbinger of Category Crisis” and “The Monster Stands at the Threshold… of Becoming” helps support the theory that human characteristics show forth in monstrosity and monstrosity in heroism. The qualities found in monsters and humans help define each other, especially in Beowulf. Beowulf is a young warrior from Geatland who travels to Denmark to help Hrothgar who is the King.…

    • 1912 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Through him, we can see what the Anglo-Saxons considered negative character traits. Grendel is described as a fatherless descendant of Cain. He “had dwelt for a time In misery among the banished…

    • 1509 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It depicts supernatural forces, such as the monster known as Grendel and the inhuman heroic strength of Beowulf, yet it has Christian themes and biblical references. For example, Grendel is mentioned as being part of "Cain 's clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts" (Line 106-107, pg 43), noting when Cain killed Abel in the Book of…

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf, Grendel Compare and contrast. In story telling there are often two sides to the story such as how it is shown throughout Beowulf and Grendel. Beowulf is a story from the viewpoint of the danes and favors them in their story, but in Grendef it is in favor of the young monster named Grendel. In this paper I will talk about the similarities and differences between the two stories, Beowulf, which is a book about a mighty hero that sets out to slay monsters and Grendel, which is the same story from the monster 's point of view.…

    • 1266 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics