Grendel's Revenge In Beowulf

Decent Essays
When I saw my son Grendel die I swore that I would have my revenge on Hrothgar. I went to the vile city of Herot and captured Hrothgar’s closest friend, taking him to my underwater kasem along with my sons arm which had been ripped from its socket and hung in the rafters to display what had been done to my son. Hours later I see a man from Herot coming. How could this mortal make it this far? It matters not. He dares to enter my home after my son is killed. He will perish here alone with nobody. “Maybe killing him would be letting him off easy.” I thought. The man swung his puny little sword and hit my head. “How could this man possibly think that I could be wounded by something forged by man? The thought that this man could kill me is insulting.”

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    When Grendel states “poor Grendel’s had an accident….so may you all” this is meant to be a curse. This is a curse because after Grendel’s battle with Beowulf he is badly wounded and he knows that he is going to die and the animals that he has tormented gather around him to watch him die. This is when Grendel states “they watch on, evil, incredibly stupid, enjoying my destruction” (Gardner 174). This shows how mad Grendel is at the animals and that is why the quote is meant to be a curse. Secondly Grendel’s quote is meant to be a curse because Grendel states “they watch with mindless indifferent eyes as calm as midnight black as the chasm below me” (Gardner 173).…

    • 249 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Grendel is the first of three beasts that Beowulf is tasked with defeating in this epic. Grendel ensues immeasurable terror in the hearts of the Danes, but unlike many folkloric creatures, he has a human personality. While Grendel is by no means a dynamic character, he does have the motivation to wreak havoc upon Heorot Hall. He also has enough reason to define a cause for his aggression, and his tendency to be a pariah is clear since he and his mother are the only characters associated with Hell. The mention of Grendel being of "Cain's clan, whom the creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts"(106-107) was likely shocking to Christian audiences, who knew Cain as a malignant soul from the Bible.…

    • 207 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Grendel's Evil In Beowulf

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Grendel, since he is a descendent of Cain, is one that is cursed by God himself, forced to wage “his lonely war, inflicting constant cruelties” on people (116: line:164-165). I would say that he is evil because of the hatred of his neighbors have made him bitter, but he is also evil because he is a demon. They call him a “fiend out of hell”, one that loves to work evil in the world (114: line 100). Even though he may be bitter because of the resentment, the fact that he is a demon that came out of hell makes him a monster, something that is evil from the roots of his origin. He is linked to the man Cain who was cursed by God himself for killing his own brother, an event that would conjure up significant resentment of the human race, part of…

    • 155 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    My dear king, I come to you with a humbled heart and an open mind. It took a tremendous amount of courage and bravery to come before you today. Due to my reputation and my bloodline I am aware of the fact that I am frowned upon amongst the community. I normally do not show my face around your people because of my demonic demeanor. However, I am a considered one of “your people” and like the rest of the community, I have a right to be here.…

    • 1535 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To begin with, Hrothgar has built a mead hall in Herot, to celebrate God and his power. However, Grendel hates God because of his nihilistic point of view and makes Hrothgar his enemy. For instance, Grendel states,”It wasn't because he threw the battle-ax that i turned on Hrothgar. That was mere midnight foolishness... it wasn't until later, when i was full-grown and Hrothgar was an old man, that i settled…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Was this really one of the men from whom we’d ran? One of the men who’d been sent to kill us? We’d expected so much more, but the broken shell of a man before us that day hardly seemed like he could hurt anyone, or…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    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.…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior 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

    Grendel Vs Beowulf

    • 1339 Words
    • 6 Pages

    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.…

    • 1339 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the poem Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows strength, courage, and leadership. Throughout the poem, Beowulf personifies Anglo-Saxon honor and acts accordingly in all of his interactions with others. Beowulf is heroic in his deeds, wise in his leadership, and always follows the honor code. This honor code was extremely important in Anglo-Saxon society and one of the main themes of the poem explores the negative consequences of not following the code. The monster Grendel exemplifies everything considered dishonorable in Anglo-Saxon society.…

    • 1509 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The saying “there are two sides to every story” rings especially true when comparing the various personas of Grendel throughout the poem, Beowulf, the story, Grendel, and the YouTube clip shown in class. Grendel’s characterization varies greatly in the movie, book and poem equally. The contrasting viewpoints play off of the theme “Morality vs. Instinct”. Also, Grendel’s character differs based upon the perspective of the writer and his prior experiences with Grendel. However, Grendel’s action remain constant throughout each outlet.…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In this epic poem there are characters which bring the poem alive. In the poems of Beowulf there were the epic hero and the dangerous monster. Grendel represents the epitome of an antagonist because he is an outcast, vicious, and cunning. Throughout the first poem, we learned how Grendel is an outcast.…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He analyzes the consequence to benefit him and no one else. “But what would I do with the body? Where would I hide it? I would have to flee, leaving all I have behind, and take refuge far, far away. But they would follow until they found me.”…

    • 1186 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Grendel is an innately evil demonic beast and his birthright is to be scorned by man as Cain’s evil offspring. As a result of this ostracism, he takes out his fury on the men in Heorot, killing whomever he can as his own form of warped vengeance stemming from a feeling of isolation as a born outcast. Despite Grendel’s misfortunes, which may garner sympathy from some, his actions are not justified by the situation he is in and, even in a violent, revenge-based society, Grendel is still the heartless beast the Danes see him as and his fate was well deserved. When Grendel is first introduced, he is actually described in a slightly sympathetic light.…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    All living beings must face the inevitable fact that we all must die. In the poem, Beowulf, mortality plays an important part in many characters where they must confront an enemy that may lead to their death. The role of mortality is brought up of several times throughout the poem and some people argue that the characters are reminded of their mortality so they can preform as many deeds as they can so they be remembered by it. I argue that the characters are reminded of their mortality as a warning that there is always a stronger opponent out there and some day that opponent is going to be the one to end their lives. I argue this because you see characters like Grendel, Hrothgar, Beowulf and Beowulf’s men face their own mortality.…

    • 1398 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays