Grendel And Beowulf Comparison Essay

John Gardner’s wrote Grendel in a first point of view whereas, in Beowulf epic had Grendel in third point of view. Gardner’s novel has made a significant picture for Grendel than the epic. The good and evil personality has been the main conflict for both stories. However, Grendel in Gardner’s novel is confused how the universe goes but realized that there is some sort of pattern going on. Grendel is seeking to find the meaning of the life.

Grendel is an infamous monster who has been invading the kingdom of Hrothgar and killing the king’s men. The townspeople are scared of Grendel because he is a ruthless killer. Throughout the story Grendel is constantly being portrayed as evil because he kills innocent people. In the beginning of Beowulf he was described as “ He was spawned in that slime conceived by a pair of those monsters born of cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for the crime of Ables death”. This shows how devil-like and insidious Grendel is as a character.

The story starts off with grendel fighting with a ram over annoyance and pessimistic views. Then the story goes back to Grendel’s childhood and his ages of intelligence and development. Grendel discover the earth and the humans in his childhood and faces off with some mental issues on people’s view on him. Eventually the story return to the present and Grendel talks about his time when he finds the mead hall and his experiences with it. Then the story transitions to the time he meets the dragon and asks him few questions on

The author of “Beowulf” uses the motifs of honor and strength to support the overall theme of the story. Antagonists can present honor and strength just like protagonists, which is exactly what Grendel presented. In the the epic poem Beowulf, we see a lot of examples that supports strength. For example, when Beowulf goes to fight Grendel we hear Beowulf explaining how Grendel, “will carry our bloody flesh to the moors, crunch on our bones and smear torn scraps of our skin on his wall.” (line 181-184)

John Gardner’s Grendel is the retelling of the epic poem Beowulf from the point of view of the antagonist, Grendel. The main difference between the two literary works is represented by the values behind their writing. The ancient epic poem is the perfect example of the tales of a hero, Beowulf, the storyline is flat and characters are static because they are constructed around the heroic code to fulfil a specific role. Grendel, in the homonym novel, is a dynamic character with a post-modern, existentialist vision of the world in the constant search for his sense of life. Despite some similarities with humans that make him in some way relatable to us, Grendel present some significant differences with human beings.

Within both Grendel the novel and Beowulf the poem, there are many differences between the two depictions of the main character. Grendel in the novel is portrayed as a more complex character than in the epic poem, Beowulf, because of his ability to comprehend the world, seek out companionship, and his ability to transform as a character throughout the book. Due to the first person point of view in the novel, we are able to get a glimpse inside of Grendel’s mind, which shows us that he is able to comprehend the world as it truly is. It is easy to view him as an intellectual character, which is a stark comparison to the blood-thirsty beast he is depicted as in Beowulf.

Questions of Honor: Beowulf Beowulf’s honor and integrity can be questioned throughout the entirety of the epic poem, Beowulf. Whether or not his actions are inspired by his own pompous arrogance or confidence, one can argue that he is a hero nonetheless. Evidence and experience prove that Beowulf is more of a fearless hero than an excessively prideful man, and his hubris is more than justified due to the formidable duties he is able to execute. Throughout the poem, Beowulf expresses his intense strength and courage to the fearful people in the poem. His daring sense of self-assurance is backed by his victories against all three monsters, (even though he suffers a tragic death after facing the dragon, it is a defeat nonetheless).

Beowulf embodies many universal societal heroic values that are signified in the modern world like courage, bravery, and strength. In the poem, Beowulf displays courage. “Now, I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat” (Heaney 425-426). This quote shows courage because he’s telling them that he can fight Grendel and wants to weather he wins or loses.

Grendel’s story is not only from his perspective, but it also starts far before Beowulf enters the picture. Grendel does not even know of man’s existence before he encountered Hrothgar whom he starts to fear when he says “I knew I was dealing with no dull mechanical bull but with thinking creatures, pattern makers. The most dangerous things I’d ever met” (pg 27). His first encounter with these men left him wanting more. He spent most nights watching them in the shadows, trying to make sense of their actions.

Grendel in the novel is different from the Grendel shown in the epic poem Beowulf because Grendel shows a different side of himself. Grendel in the novel is much more complex, whereas in the epic poem, he is much more epic and destructive. However, in both the novel and the epic poem, the reader is able to see how short tempered he is in both. This helps the reader get a better insight of how Grendel actually feels throughout the novel rather than the way he is perceived in the poem, because it takes into perspective on how he lives his life and feels throughout the entire war. Grendel is much more epic and destructive in the poem, than the novel.

Grendel in both stories is described as a vicious "Monster", but is viewed differently. The character of Grendel, in the novel by John Gardner, portrays a different visualization than that of Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf. In the novel the story is told in first person point of view which gives Grendel human qualities while Grendel in Beowulf is told in third person point of view not giving Grendel his standpoint. In both works, the authors give two different perspectives of Grendel. Grendel in the novel is not seen as a "Monster", but as a human that has emotions and is very sympathetic about everything that comes his way.

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.

What are the differences in the movie the Beowulf, the poem Beowulf that catch your intentions in the two? There are a lot of differences in the movie and the poem Beowulf. One difference in the movie and the poem Grendel’s mother was seducing Beowulf in movie. The second difference is that in the movie Beowulf was king of the Geats; however, the poem Beowulf was king of Danes.

Beowulf is a fierce warrior without a shameful thought or action, or so the story tells. The cinematic version of the Anglo-Saxon tale portrays Beowulf as a flawed human that has both created and killed the monsters that haunt the land of the Danes. Although both stories highlight the battle between Beowulf and a monster named Grendel, of who brings terror to the mead hall, and a dragon that later haunts the same lands, there are a few major discrepancies between the text and the movie that alter the characters, plot and subsequently the overall theme of the story. Beowulf’s difference in character and morality is one of the most substantial differences between the two versions of the story. In text, Beowulf is a flawless prince who selflessly travels lands to protect strangers, all for the sake of honor.

The movie on the other hand is more complex and makes Beowulf seem like a normal person, however a warrior of the finest kind. Grendel is not just a monster; he is a troll whose father was killed by Hrothgar when he was only a child. He was killed because he had crossed paths with the Danes and took a fish. Hrothgar was the only Dane to see the child and decided to spare his life.