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. A demon, Grendel goes to King Hrothgar’s Heorot almost every night to attack his warriors. When Beowulf finds out about Grendel, he travels to help King Hrothgar who he feels he owes a favor because …show more content…
It is evident that the community in both Denmark and Geatland respect Beowulf as a hero even though he chose to use violence to protect the community. Beowulf does not fight the urge agents his monstrous actions but rather uses them in what he sees as a justified manners, when he murdered both Grendel and Grendel’s mom for attacking King Hrothgar’s Heorot. Beowulf fits into Cohen’s category crisis thesis because two societies see him as a hero for standing up agents the demons that shows bravery and trust, which falls under human characteristics but violence, which falls under monstrosity. Grendel, his mother and Beowulf all help prove Cohen’s thesis that both monsters and humans cannot simply fit in their single category because their characteristics go hand in …show more content…
Stealing is a sin, which can be deemed as a monstrous characteristic because it impairs the welfare of the individuals who get robbed. The idea of looking up to God’s ideals is found in Beowulf, “For the killing of Abel the Eternal Lord had exacted a price: Cain got no good from committing that murder.” (107) Beowulf does not punish the thief because he leads him to an even bigger monster, which can be seen a hypocritical because all monstrous actions should be punished if Beowulf is an honorable ruler who truly looked up to the ideal’s of God, as mentioned throughout the entire text. Without the creation of the dragon in Beowulf, hypocrisy might have never become an idea and Beowulf reputation could have never been reevaluated, this helps defend Cohen’s thesis of “The Monster Stands at the Threshold… of Becoming.” This thesis discusses why monsters were created and the reevaluation of aspects within cultures and societies, which Beowulf is the image of the culture and society at
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. A demon, Grendel goes to King Hrothgar’s Heorot almost every night to attack his warriors. When Beowulf finds out about Grendel, he travels to help King Hrothgar who he feels he owes a favor because …show more content…
It is evident that the community in both Denmark and Geatland respect Beowulf as a hero even though he chose to use violence to protect the community. Beowulf does not fight the urge agents his monstrous actions but rather uses them in what he sees as a justified manners, when he murdered both Grendel and Grendel’s mom for attacking King Hrothgar’s Heorot. Beowulf fits into Cohen’s category crisis thesis because two societies see him as a hero for standing up agents the demons that shows bravery and trust, which falls under human characteristics but violence, which falls under monstrosity. Grendel, his mother and Beowulf all help prove Cohen’s thesis that both monsters and humans cannot simply fit in their single category because their characteristics go hand in …show more content…
Stealing is a sin, which can be deemed as a monstrous characteristic because it impairs the welfare of the individuals who get robbed. The idea of looking up to God’s ideals is found in Beowulf, “For the killing of Abel the Eternal Lord had exacted a price: Cain got no good from committing that murder.” (107) Beowulf does not punish the thief because he leads him to an even bigger monster, which can be seen a hypocritical because all monstrous actions should be punished if Beowulf is an honorable ruler who truly looked up to the ideal’s of God, as mentioned throughout the entire text. Without the creation of the dragon in Beowulf, hypocrisy might have never become an idea and Beowulf reputation could have never been reevaluated, this helps defend Cohen’s thesis of “The Monster Stands at the Threshold… of Becoming.” This thesis discusses why monsters were created and the reevaluation of aspects within cultures and societies, which Beowulf is the image of the culture and society at