Compare And Contrast Grendel And Beowulf

423 Words1 Page

Beowulf and Grendel are similar yet different in many ways. In this tale Beowulf is portrayed as heroic as Grendel is monstrous. Although they are the exact opposite of each other they have ways where they are alike. The whole ideal of this poem is good vs. evil. There are many characteristics that can describe the two but only three stand out the most. As both characters are superior to humans what makes them different is Beowulf's courage compared to Grendel's cowardice ways.
In almost every story there is always a protagonist and an antagonist but not too many with abilities beyond human. Grendel is a monster with great power but he has never met someone with just as much or maybe even more to such authority as his. They both have the capabilities …show more content…

He is loyal to the king of the Danes as he once helped his father. He vowed to battle Grendel single handed due to his use of no weapons. He takes on a position that many of the king's subjects tried but neither succeeded in the task. He then takes on Grendel as he said with no weapons. His actions cause fear to Grendel. There are some negative comments about Beowulf's doing but he was a brave hero nevertheless.

Grendel is a coward but he is feared. He makes his moves at night when it's dark as he knows the people are either hiding or sleeping. He knows at night is when the guards are asleep so that is when he makes his move. He avoids any real fighting and attacks when he knows he will succeed the most killings. As soon as Beowulf challenges Grendel he immediately tries to retreat for he fears of Beowulf's superhuman nature. As they battle he tries his best to flea as he is trapped and cornered.

Overall both characters have many similarities and differences. Beowulf is the brave hero who kills the cowardice monster. Grendel is the cowardice monster who is defeated by Beowulf. Together they both have abilities that no one else has. Two slightly intelligent superiors with different actions. They are legendary creatures of different natures with one of the most interesting

Show More
Related

  • Character Archetypes In Beowulf

    996 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first battle in the poem occurs between Beowulf and Grendel because these characters best embody the Anglo-Saxon value of courage. Beowulf is the perfect representation of this value because he is reckless and says, “No weapons, therefore,/ for either this night: unarmed he shall face me” (Heaney 683-84). Thus when Beowulf proclaims that he is not using weapons he displays both honor and courage since it takes guts to go against a monster without an advantage. This quality was respected in his culture and the Anglo-Saxons made sure to make their epic hero a perfect fit for this trait. Grendel however, is the complete opposite

    Read More

  • Epic of Beowulf Essay - Symbols and Symbolism of Battle

    680 Words  | 2 Pages

    The battle with Grendel represents the youth of Beowulf's life. The typical youth is very brave and fights for fame. Beowulf shows how the battle with Grendel is a representation of the youth of Beowulf's life by going to Hrothgar and asking him if he can fight Grendel for him and his people. Beowulf shows this trait when he says,

    Read More

  • The Characters' Personalities in "Grendel" and "Beowulf"

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is the jealousy of Unfurth to Grendel, the hatred of Unfurth to Beowulf, and the conflict between Beowulf and Grendel that give the book Grendel and the poem Beowulf the theme that everyone has a story. All their differences tie the characters together and when things connect it creates a good balance in the story. The amount of tension that is caused by these characters creates the makings of a good story.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Is Not A Hero Essay

    505 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beowulf is a great tale but as a person, he isn’t that all that people make him out to be. In his older years his need for attention and glory ended up with the death of him. He fought the dragon alone and in return, ended up killing the dragon, but also sacrificed himself. Even as he died he asked for one thing, his people to build him a memorial near the sea so everyone could see the person that he was. His need for attention, lack of planning, and need for glory caused him to be just a prideful man, not a

    Read More

  • The Epic Of Grendel's Metaphamental Monsters In Beowulf

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    While Grendel may possess a brute strength, his lack of wit and logic is what ultimately leads to his downfall and demise. In Beowulf, the actions and character that of Beowulf, or an Epic Hero, define the perfect Anglo-Saxon warrior. Epic heroes are indicated by a variety of traits, including that they, “must look like a hero, they must be noble, famous, strong, courageous, humble, prideful, thick-skinned, self-sacrificing, faithful, focused, be a leader, and have a tragic flaw” (Jones 3). Unfortunately, aside from the ‘tragic flaw’ and ‘strong’ categories, Grendel’s character is antithetical to all characteristics of an Epic Hero. This makes him quite the villain, and a generally despicable character. “Suddenly then, / the God-cursed brute creating havoc: / greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men”

    Read More

  • Beowulf A Hero Essay

    768 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the beginning of the novel, Beowulf represents a savage warrior, displaying mostly his strength and bravery by defeating Grendel and his mother. However, as Beowulf ages, he begins to change into a different kind of hero. After becoming King of the Geats, Beowulf matured and took on more of a leadership role in the community, as opposed to a warrior. Even though Beowulf was still a hero, he began to lead an army of geats and acted for the good of the people. In both cases however, Beowulf was respected by others for his admirable

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Beowulf By Seamus Heaney

    792 Words  | 2 Pages

    He was looking for a way to become known, so he arrived with his fellow Geats to help the Danes. Beowulf had access to many weapons, armor, and warriors, but he still decided to take on the deadly challenge alone and without protection. He doesn’t think of the consequences, or abilities of the opponent. “‘When it comes to fighting, I count myself as dangerous any day as Grendel.’” (47: 677-678). Beowulf is overconfident in his abilities, and doesn’t take into consideration how many people Grendel has killed. He goes in with his own men not expecting to see him again. “None of them expected he would ever see his homeland again.” (47: 691-692). This is why the inner threat of Beowulf was more barbaric. Grendel was indeed a worthy opponent, and very dangerous, but Beowulf’s careless actions could have

    Read More

  • Comparing 'Grendel And Beowulf'

    883 Words  | 2 Pages

    Heros just do not save others lives, they go beyond the ordinary and push for the extreme to care for others and that is what makes them stand out from the rest. In the movie and poem Beowulf, there were many differences and similarities that stood out to me. Usually when a book or poem gets made into a movie there are many different and or connected situations. I enjoyed the poem a lot more than the movie in my opinion. The movie seemed unreal and not believable in comparison to the poem. One difference between the poem and the movie was that the poem explained the actual story of Beowulf and his journey in much more detail. The reason behind why it was interesting was to be able to read the poem come to life descriptively as it is always

    Read More

  • Examples Of Pride In Beowulf

    160 Words  | 1 Pages

    Beowulf wants to fight Grendel, a monster wreaking havoc, and is boasting that he is more powerful and courageous.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Grendel And Beowulf

    462 Words  | 1 Pages

    Another image shown is how from Grendel’s point of view he is just seen as a regular living creature being driven to violence, and that his actions are not purposely done for evil. The different sides of the battle between Beowulf and Grendel share similar qualities, but also have differences in another. When Grendel appears in the poem, he is “greedily loping” his way towards killing the men (Beowulf 49). The image of Grendel’s rage when he “ripped open / The mouth of the building” (Beowulf 49), and with his “demonic glee” (Beowulf 49), he is seen as a true demon just waiting for the right moment to attack the men. As for the novel, Grendel grabs “a cloth from the nearest table” and ties it around his neck to portray the image that he is ready to feast on the sleeping men.

    Read More

  • The Similarities Between 'Grendel And Beowulf'

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both in the novel Grendel, and the poem Beowulf, there are substantial differences between characters, and how they are depicted in each of the writings. The interpretation of a hero is always created and altered by the society in which the hero resides. In both writings, Grendel and Beowulf share distinct similarities in description in their individual literature, yet each character is portrayed differently in the same writing.

    Read More

  • Grendel And Beowulf Comparison

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson 2005) depicts a very different protagonist than the one in the epic (Heaney 2000). The Beowulf in the film learns how to have mercy as the movie progresses, while the epic Beowulf is very flat. This is due to the fact that the modern culture is very different from that of the epic. Our culture isn't content with such characters. We want our characters to have more lifelike characteristics such as emotions and a change of heart.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Vs. Grendel

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both of these characters remain static throughout the poem. Beowulf portrays the heroic figure who saves everyone, while Grendal always remains evil with bad intentions. Grendal attacks mead hall because of jealousy. Grendal envies the fellowship and happiness he observes. He dislikes living in the outer world, excluded from the company of men; thus he stalks the moors, jealous of the pleasures of mankind.

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast: Beowulf and Grendel

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many similarities and differences between the movie "Beowulf and Grendel", to the poem. Major differences between the movie and the poem would be Grendel himself. In the poem, he is described as an evil monster born from two demons. In the movie, Grendel is actually human, but known as a troll to the warriors and Danes. The poem doesn’t give the background of Grendel or show how the Danes killed his father and the possible reason of his revenge, like in the movie. If the witch, Selma, was not included in the storyline of the movie, the audience would not have known key information that she was used to show from more flashbacks. The witch gives more of an idea about Grendel’s past life that could have been the possibility to reasons for his actions. Some major similarities are the battles. Both epics include the battles between Beowulf and Grendel, as well as Beowulf and Grendel’s mother. The end results are the same, leading to their death, but the journey and process to the two tales are different.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Beowulf and Grendel

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story of Beowulf is a heroic epic chronicling the illustrious deeds of the great Geatish warrior Beowulf, who voyages across the seas to rid the Danes of an evil monster, Grendel, who has been wreaking havoc and terrorizing the kingdom. Beowulf is glorified for his heroic deeds of ridding the land of a fiendish monster and halting its scourge of evil while the monster is portrayed as a repugnant creature who deserves to die because of its evil actions. In the epic poem, Beowulf the authors portrays Grendel as a cold-hearted beast who thrives on the pain of others. Many have disagreed with such a simplistic and biased representation of Grendel and his role in the epic poem. John Gardner in his book, Grendel set out to change the reader’s perception of Grendel and his role in Beowulf by narrating the story through Grendel’s point of view. John Gardner transforms the perceived terrible evil fiend who is Grendel into a lonely but intelligent outcast who bears a striking resemblance to his human adversaries. In Grendel, John Gardner portrays Grendel as an intelligent being capable of rational thought as well as displaying outbursts of emotion. He portrays Grendel as a hurt individual and as a victim of oppression ostracized from civilization. The author of Beowulf portrays Grendel as the typical monster archetype as compared to John Gardner’s representation of Grendel as an outcast archetype.

    Read More

More about Compare And Contrast Grendel And Beowulf

Open Document