What Is Grendel's Inhumanity In Beowulf

Both complex and ambiguous, the riddle entices its challengers with hints that bring its prospective interpreters closer to its true solution. Analogous to the riddle, both Grendel and Beowulf, within the poem, “Beowulf”, are enigmas, whose respective inhumanity and humanity are never truly defined; but throughout the poem, the poet leaves clues that arise from a highly interpretive yet meticulous writing style, filled with contradictions of animalistic and humanistic descriptions, that gradually reveal defined silhouettes of the two seemingly formless characters. Traditional understanding reduces the clash between Beowulf and Grendel to the triumph of the mortal over the monster, “the Geat captain” (827) over the “dread of the land” (761); however, this opinion fails to realize the magnitude of Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel. Only through Grendel’s amplified subhuman nature can a reader realize Beowulf’s implicit inhumanity, and only through Beowulf’s augmented human heroism can a reader perceive Grendel’s hidden humanity. Thus, revealed in the form of a battle, Grendel’s and Beowulf’s respective identities unveil and measure …show more content…
The use of comparison within these two examples creates the contrast between Beowulf and Grendel, placing Grendel in a position of previously nonexistent vulnerability, an innately human position. As a result, this elevates Beowulf to an inhuman position in his ability to defeat the once unbeatable “terror-monger” (765). The duality of the character’s identities only exists relative to and as a result of one another, Grendel cannot be human without being defeated while Beowulf cannot be superhuman without defeating