Grendel

After his defeat of Grendel, Beowulf addresses the Danes, saying of the battle “I wish / I could show you, here in Herot, his corpse / Stretched on this floor! (...) Let him burn / In torment, lying and trembling, waiting / For the brightness of God to bring him his reward” (42). Though Grendel died in an honest battle against a creature seeking to destroy him and his kin, the very sort of death most valued…

In fury, Grendel’s mother seeks revenge on Beowulf for her son. Unlike the even match on land against Grendel, Beowulf is at a disadvantage against Grendel’s mother. During this battle, Beowulf enters the territory of Grendel’s mother and gives her home field advantage (“Beowulf”). Theoretically, Grendel’s mother should have the upper hand in her own territory…

inspire character motivation, specifically that of Grendel, Beowulf, and Grendel’s mother. To begin with, Grendel seeks revenge against Hrothgar and Herot for being loud in their praises to God. Grendel doesn’t believe in God because he is a pagan. “A powerful monster, living in the darkness, growled in pain, impatient as day after day” (Beowulf, p. 48). He’s getting sick and frustrated of them worshiping God. He wants to get rid of them. Grendel started with wanting payback for them…

Anglo-Saxon hero who defeats a monster, Grendel, who has been terrorizing Hrothgar’s village. Beowulf’s story is told in third person, with bias from the human’s perspective. John Gardner’s Grendel, however, is written in first person from the point of view of the menacing monster. Contrasting viewpoints of the same story make Beowulf and Grendel comparable and contrastable based on point of view, purpose, tone, and the characters portrayed. In Beowulf, Grendel the monster is the antagonist…

his enemies. Grendel, his mother and the dragon were the three main beast that he had faced during his life. It was obvious that Beowulf had…

Throughout Grendel, a fictional book about Grendel, the monster in Beowulf, by John Gardner, our main character, Grendel, changes how he sees himself many times throughout the story. Most of these changes occur after he meets a character in the story. These changes in Grendel's self-image are most apparent when he meets/sees the Dragon, The Shaper, and Beowulf. All of these characters have very different attitudes towards life, and live very different ones, but all play a central role in the…

for a reason and that the choices one makes are already predestined. People who believe in free will feel that we are able to make decisions in life that determines who we are. This theory of free will is also known as existentialism. In the book Grendel, John Gardner presented many theories, but existentialism stood out as the most important theory. Existentialism is the philosophy of finding oneself and the meaning of life through free will and personal responsibility. Existentialism focuses…

After reading Beowulf and excerpts from Grendel the concept of a system can influence someone's view of the world, or how to fit in. Such as Beowulf’s heroic code, protecting his land and people. Or you could go to Grendel’s view on codes, which are only the ones you affiliate yourself with. So how are these systems shown in today's society? First, is Beowulf and his heroic code. Beowulf protected his land and the people in it from three people, Grendel, Grendel’s mom, and The Dragon. Which in…

except his last battle. One of his battles was against Grendel. Beowulf was sent to Herot to stop Grendel from killing Danes and other humans. Beowulf fought Grendel with his bare hands, because he felt like he was powerful to fight against Grendel without using his armor and sword. As Beowulf and Grendel was fighting, Grendel noticed that Beowulf was more powerful than he was and that there’s was no chance of him winning the battle, so Grendel tried to escape and as he was fighting to escape,…

dragon, and Beowulf. These characters have shared their philosophies with Grendel and shaped him into the monster he became. One night, while watching the men feast and celebrate the building of a new hall, the Shaper sings as a form of entertainment. The Shaper sings about how great king Hrothgar is, and how the battles were fought. However, Grendel knew the truth of these stories, he knew what actually happened. Grendel tells of how the Shaper, “...knew his art. He was king of the Shapers,…