Throughout Beowulf there is an ever-present struggle between humans and monsters, civilisation and the uncivilised, however the way that Grendel’s mother is presented is a stark contrast to Grendel’s barbaric brutality, and we almost sympathise with her despite her role as an antagonist. Although Grendel’s mother “pounced upon [Beowulf]” (1545) in an animalistic fashion, her using a “broad, whetted knife” (1546) to attack him humanises her; unlike Grendel, who ripped men apart and ate them, she is capable of wielding a human weapon to vanquish her foe. Moreover, she also has a purpose for her murders, to “avenge / her only son” (1546-47) – as Chance remarks, “she is legally justified in pursuing her own feud given the tribal duty to avenge
