The stories of Beowulf and Grendel are very similar in many aspects. There is only one major difference. In Beowulf, we do not know what Grendel is thinking, like we do in Grendel. Both stories portray Beowulf and Grendel as monsters, but they are both actually misunderstood humans, not monsters. Being misunderstood is one of the hardest things to be.…
The character of Grendel in the novel written by John Gardener is more of an elaborate character, opposed to the character of Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf who is more of a dull character. Its easy to see that one story is told from the first person pov and the other is told from a third person pov, thus allowing the reader to connect more with gardeners Grendel than Beowulf. In Grendel you can have more of an emotional connection rather than just seeing him in Beowulf as a big ugly monster.…
What separates the epic poem Beowulf and John Gardner’s Grendel is how the devil-spawn Grendel, is presented. Is he a monster set on destroying humanity, or is he a misunderstood creature that is just trying to make amends with Hrothgar and his people? Gardner’s Grendel is a retelling of the story of Beowulf, through the monster’s eyes in depth. On the other hand, the epic poem introduces Grendel briefly, yet assertively. He is described as a terrible, evil being spawned by the devil and shunned by the most high.…
Grendel vs. Grendel The difference of culture from the 6th century to 2005 had changed greatly. Our values, appearances, and behavior have evolved and can be seen when contrasting the epic Beowulf and the movie Beowulf and Grendel. One way to contrast between the epic and the movie is through characters. The two characters that shows the most change between the two publications is Grendel, the troll, grinder of teeth and Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow.…
My knowledge quest is, “What were the different religion origins used during the Old English Period and how can you tell them apart?” During this week’s reading I was able to identify the many examples of Christianity and paganism throughout “Beowulf.” Throughout the poem we see the many references to God and we find them since the very beginning of the poem, when Grendel listen to the story of God’s creation, "The Almighty making the earth, shaping These beautiful plains marked off by oceans ... made quick with Life. " We also see Beowulf thanking God for the gifts he has given. We see the Christian message when Beowulf goes to fight Grendel and is not afraid, because it is God who decides who is to die in battle.…
Chrissy bradley I found this chapter to be a bit confusing, however after a brief discussion with one of my peers I made some connections. In the fourth chapter Grendel asked the sky why he can't have anyone to talk to and in chapter 5 he finds the dragon to talk. I think the dragon is a nihilist and he says he knows "the beginning, the present, the end . all time, all space." (62, 63).…
Grendel is a dark monster who lives off of terrorizing the Geats. The Geats live happily at their football practice every single day working hard and sweating with their star captain Beowulf. Grendel is the star captain who plays for Grendel High. The school is named after him because he punished the school until they named it after him. The reason that Beowulf High is named after Beowulf is because he is such a respectful person; his family name has lived on for him to carry and the whole town knows of him.…
Heroes triumphing over monsters is a major theme in Beowulf, with characters being clearly on one side or the other. Often, however, heroes and monsters share characteristics, making the distinction between what makes someone good or evil more blurred. They share similarities to show how thin of a line there is between being a hero and a monster, and how easy it is to go down the wrong path. In Beowulf, the word fire is used to draw the similarities between Grendel and Beowulf, as well as to highlight what makes Grendel and monster and Beowulf a hero. Fire first appears to describe the death of Grendel, and emphasizes the characteristics that make him a monster.…
Two Faces, Two Sides The character Grendel in Gardner’s novel is a more contrasting character then the character Grendel in the epic poem “Beowulf” because of how developed and detailed the character is whereas Grendel in “Beowulf” is a more flat character with not much detail and complexity. In the beginning of the novel “Grendel” Grendel figures out why he is alone, why it is just him and his mother in that underground cave.…
Compare and Contrast Grendel Essay At first glance, both Grendel in the novel and in the poem are the same. Both are perceived as to having the exact characteristics in both the novel and the poem. Though, going in depth, Grendel in the novel compared to the poem in Beowulf has a major difference in ways that Grendel in the novel gives more understanding on his perspective in life, Grendel in the novel wants companionship, and Grendel in the poem is showcased as a ruthless, evil, and cruel character. In John Gardner's novel, Grendel is regarded as a monster who gives more perspective in his life, and readers are able to go in depth into the monster's views and what he believes.…
John Gardner’s Grendel, is the first person narrative of the monster, Grendel, from Beowulf. In the Epic Poem Beowulf, the main character Beowulf kills Grendel. He does this because to him Grendel is an evil monster that deserves to die. In Grendel, Grendel tells his own story of how he met his fatal demise. In the beginning Grendel believed he was without purpose or identity.…
A dragon and a demon, what could they possibly have in common? Actually more than you think. They are both enemies to all, terrorizing the people everywhere they go. Hearing their names can make the hairs on the back of your neck on edge. Grendel and Smaug are creatures alike, but like most of you thought, they have their differences.…
In John Gardner’s novel and Beowulf, they portray Grendel as two very different characters. In Grendel they make the reader feel sympathy, show Grendel having compassion, and show how he grows into his character that we see in Beowulf. In John Gardner’s novel Grendel, he shows Grendel as having no one or being an outcast. Grendel shows us just exactly how he feels “I was,…
Today’s world is full of cultural differences that were brought on by people migrating. New ideas will be spread; thus, cultures can be changed based on differing areas of influence. We see those changes today in different literary works across the world. Many films that have been based on certain literary works such as Beowulf (Heaney) showed noticeable differences between the characters in the epic and the same characters in the movie. In the movie Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson) and the epic Beowulf, cultural differences can be seen in how the same characters are displayed in various representations.…
In the novel Grendel by John Gardner and the epic poem Beowulf translated version by Seamus Heaney reveals the striking comparisons and contrasts between the two main characters. Both literature pieces emphasize the disparities as well as the indistinguishable comparisons between the two characters, successfully altering the reader’s views of Grendel, the big, bad, God forsaken “Hell-Brute” and Beowulf, the strong, selfless hero, the benediction of Heorot, by means of value and sense of war, View of self, as well as societal Ideas. Both Grendel and Beowulf are heavily opinionated about war; however it depends on which literature piece is read, for the opinions are altered when looking through Beowulf’s or Grendel’s eyes.…