Comparing Grendel And Beowulf

He is portrayed in the poem as a horrendous beast with human characteristics, but looking closer to the text, he is a human out-casted and raised to be a monster. Although Grendel is written as a monstrous villain who kills with no remorse, he is actually a complex human with a repressed anger exploding in bursts. Grendel is often described in a negative way. He is reffered to as a demon in the text “from Beowulf”

He has grown bored with attacking the same people and is happy for a new challenge. Also Grendel refers to himself as somewhat of a celebrity. He says “I am no longer a stranger here. A respected guest” when referring to the reactions he receives from the townspeople

To begin, when Grendel is first introduced he is alone, watching and casting questions towards a ram and the sky, however he receives no answer. This is a first look into the mindset of this descendent of Cain, Grendel has no one to speak to. Later on, when his mother is introduced, it is revealed that she is incapable of verbally speaking with her son. This lack of communication creates a canyon between Grendel and his mother, one that no bridge can cover. There is no mother or God to guide or teach him the ways of socialization, and so, he is isolated; watching the lives of others through a crack in a wall.

In the story of Beowulf, the hero, Beowulf, does not know about the issue until the call. In Beowulf the call is the acts of Grendel. Grendel is a descendant of the cursed son of Adam and Eve, Caine. In the bible, Caine kills his brother resulting in a curse brought upon by God. Due to this, Grendel lives a life of seclusion and rejection.

The poem “reflects well-established Christian tradition,” but at the same time, “references to the New Testament are notably absent” (Norton 37). One article states, “The historical Scandinavian feuds are referred to so frequently that it is obvious that the poet wishes them to be present in his hearers’ thoughts as he tells his tale” (Osborn 973). Author Marijane Osborn delves deeper into the idea of feuds by mentioning a “cosmic” feud that was written into Beowulf via biblical history. When Grendell is introduced, it is with a rendition of biblical tradition, as the poem first referred to this character as a “demon”

At the end of Chapter 12, Grendel’s last words were “Poor Grendel’s had an accident … So may you all.” (Gardner 174). Such words are meant as a curse to affect mankind. To start off, Grendel’s relationship with humans are not great.

The Worth of Religion: Beowulf the Epic vs. Beowulf and Grendel “They swim only out of fear.” “But still, they swim.” Beowulf (Heaney. 2000) is a classic epic where the protagonist Beowulf, a great warrior, has heroic adventures and is rewarded plentifully with gold and honor. However, in the recent Canadian movie adaptation Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson. 2005) the director made many alterations to the epic, one of them being Beowulf’s views on religion and fate. The movie Beowulf and Grendel takes the classic Beowulf, which mentions God and fate frequently, and gives him a more modern ideology.

To heighten the conflict between Grendel and religion, Grendel is described as “forever opposing the Lord’s will” (Heaney 28-29). In Anglo Saxon Culture, every aspect of society is focused around God. To be anti-religious is to go against all aspects of their society. Grendel is almost a physical manifestation of the devil, and nothing is able to “quench his lust for evil” (Heaney 52-53). The parallel between Grendel and one of the seven deadly sins strengthens his connection to sins against God, and thus more monstrous toward the Danes.

In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, faces three “monsters” at different times in his life. The poem begins with Grendel, a monster who attacks only in the dark of night, tormenting the kingdom of Hrothgar. The last two sections of the epic detail the conquering by Beowulf of Grendel’s mother and the dragon. The battle between the monsters and Beowulf represent the theme of good versus evil in the poem, as well as the fusion of pagan and Christian ideals in the changing Germanic society. Grendel’s mother’s actions directly juxtapose the role of a woman in this time period, and the greediness of the dragon with his treasure contrasts with the virtues of what would be considered a good king.

He attempts to make peace, his actions are no different than those of others, and he is experiencing resentment. Although there is no excuse for murdering others, Grendel does not kill for the fun of it. His actions are just reactions to emotions he is experiencing. Furthermore, his willingness to make peace emphasizes the remorse he feels for the crimes he has committed. This also shows that he acted impulsively because of his strong feelings of resentment.

His violent nature grew so much that he became crazy with the need to kill the humans. Therefore, Grendel’s actions reflect that his existence has drifted away from its partially civilized nature and into the barbaric. Grendel had no choice in becoming more beast than human because external forces constantly push him towards that fate. Whether it was the dragon, the actions of the humans, or Grendel’s own unconscious tendencies, he never really had the opportunity to make a choice, human or beast. What Grendel said and thought always clashed with the situations he encountered until there was simply no possibility of becoming the good in the way

By the time this monastic scribe began his work, the stories of Beowulf were already legendary tales of this era; legends that were passed down orally. The poet cautiously uses this information to compose an epic poem while also combining the notions of the pagan wyrd (fate) and dom (worth), along with the Christian ideals of refinement and final judgement. A pagan poem in its own right, steeped in ancient Germanic culture, yet it is baptized in lax Christian comments and passages. However, while the passages are referred to as Christian, there is never any reference within the poem, to Christ Himself. When we are first introduced to Grendel, we see the first signs of Christian passages appearing: God had condemned them as kin of Cain.

Grendel in the novel displays the idea that he is far more superior than mankind. He mentions, "I am swollen with excitement, bloodlust and joy and a strange fear that mingle in my chest like the twisting rage of a bonfire" (Gardner 167-168). Grendel knows that that the people fear him because he is different and he uses that to his advantage. The "Monster", Grendel, seems to be fascinated in attacking Meadhall and is not frightened at all. Although he is brave in the novel, Grendel in the epic poem is described in being scared and weak on the attack at Meadhall.

Argument Essay: Beowulf and Grendel Many people have read or heard of the epic poem of Beowulf, which spins a tale of Grendel, the monster, attacking the admirable Danes and their king, Hrothgar. Some may not be as aware of a book titled Grendel written by John Gardner in 1971. Gardner’s book tells a completely different account of the more familiar tale of Beowulf, from the perspective of Grendel, the monster. The narrator from Grendel portrays a more plausible, powerful story than the excerpt from Beowulf by drawing the reader in with a more emotional viewpoint from the character Grendel, making him more relatable by giving him humanlike qualities, and clarifying why certain events took place in Beowulf.

Typically, today in modern Judeo-Christian culture, one god determines the fate of human beings, yet in Danish culture there are no gods who are interested enough in the events of man enough to try to control their destiny (“Beowulf's Pagan and Christian Elements.”) In this epic, Beowulf includes several direct references to fate, which can also be known as Wyrd. An example would be “Wyrd often saves an undoomed hero as long as his courage is good,” which implies the fact that if a man’s courage holds out, he has a hope of winning through since Wyrd will often work to help such a man, as long as he is not doomed; conversely if a man is doomed then not even his courage can help him stand against ‘the course of events.’ (Wyrd: The Role of Fate) This can be seen during the fight with Grendel, when it was said “But fate, that night, intended Grendel to gnaw the broken bones of his last human supper,” meaning that no matter what Beowulf did, he was meant to beat Grendel.