Roles Of Grendel In Beowulf

Decent Essays
In Beowulf, the oldest known ancient Anglo-Saxon epic poem. The character, Grendel, a monstrous-demon that terrorized the kingdom of Herot; has a much bigger purpose than just serving as the first conflict of the epic poem. Grendel is a reason why the hero, Beowulf, accompanies Hrothgar, the king of Herot, to fight Grendel and the other two monsters. In this epic poem, Grendel, is what brings this poem together, a reincarnation of hell and a symbol of fear. Grendel's purpose is much bigger than just being a conflict, but also being the three other reasons listed.

First of all, Grendel, is not just a clinging conflict. Grendel, is a key character who plays many roles of this poem and one of those roles is he pulls this poem together

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    In this poem, Grendel’s character traits are described using direct and indirect quotes from the author. As stated above, the author uses direct characterization…

    • 266 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent 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

    Beowulf Theme Analysis

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Since the beginning of literature and storytelling, themes have been placed in stories to portray an overall lesson that the reader can relate to or take away from. There can be more than one theme in a story, but there is sometimes one main theme that the author wants the reader to understand and it is sometimes hard to choose what the bigger theme is. In Beowulf, like in many other stories, there is the obvious battle between good and evil. From the start of the epic the reader is introduced to Grendel, a descendant of Cain. Grendel represents the evil in this epic.…

    • 274 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Grendel’s self image all depends on His opinions of himself, comparisons, and opinions of other people. Three characters that change his opinion of himself are The Dragon Unferth, And His Mother. Grendel’s mother impacts Grendel’s personality because he wants to be different from her. Grendel’s mother cannot talk and is not free willed like grendel is and that seperates grendels personality apart from his mother’s. “I understood that the world was nothing: a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears.…

    • 500 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    There is not much opportunity for the audience to analyze Grendel’s character. Grendel allows the monster to tell the story through his eyes and gives the audience an opportunity to look into his motives and analyze him as a character,…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    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).…

    • 196 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As Grendel is crying for his mama's help, he is forced to realize that he is all alone in his lonely world. Furthermore, this begins to start the change in Grendel. His mother, who is the only family he has isn't even there for him so he realizes, that no one will ever…

    • 553 Words
    • 3 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

    To illustrate, in chapter 5 when the dragon states, “Can’t you see yourself? You stimulate them? You make them think and scheme. You drive them to poetry, science, religion, all that makes them what they are for as long as they last”(Gardner 72-73). This goes to show that Grendel’s personality has changed him to become self centered.…

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Isolation Makes the Heart Grow Fonder Imagine having plenty of green Earth to roam, but being isolated so much that no place feels like home. A dark looming creature saunters around the green land.…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior 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

    Beowulf is an epic poem that has captivated readers for centuries. It tells the story of Beowulf, the “heroes of all heroes” and savior of the Danes and Geats. Beowulf represents what a true hero should be, not just in his time, but throughout history. In contrast, Grendel, his mother and the dragon share characteristics that accurately portray them as villains. So it is only natural that conflict would arise between the virtuous hero and the dangerous villains that around him.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved 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

    Grendel Character Analysis

    • 1570 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Their immediate attacks on him cause Grendel to change. He accepts his fate that the Men have shaped for him and embraced his savagery. This story goes to show that one is what others make him to be. Other people are what create each other, without the views of others, there is no identity. Grendel shows the point of view from a pariah, an exile of society.…

    • 1570 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior 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