Burton Raffel wrote a book called “Beowulf”. This book is about a vicious monster that goes and kills several men, but then one night faces his worst nightmare the hero Beowulf. In this book the main characters are Grendel, and Beowulf. “Beowulf” is about a hero that comes to the danes and helps them defeat an evil monster named Grendel. Grendel gets upset with the warriors that live in Heorot because they continue to party each night and wake him up. One night Grendel comes out and finds 14 new men that belong to Beowulf. Beowulf jumps out and attacks Grendel. He cuts off his claw and that sends Grendel running back to hide. Grendel soon dies, but then his mother comes out to avenge her son and kill Beowulf. Beowulf goes to her lair and kills …show more content…
He fights evil and protects all humans. For example, Beowulf says “your country is cursed with some strange, vicious creature that hunts only at night and that no one has seen” (Beowulf 187-189). This quote shows Beowulf cares about others and wishes to protect them from all danger. He also states, “here in my heart, for some way to drive this devil out” (Beowulf 192-193). Beowulf is committed to killing the beast and restoring peace and joy into the danes life once again. Beowulf is known as a brave and fearless hero to several people around the world. Clearly, in this story Beowulf is the good in all cases. He has all the aspects of being the hero and will not back down from a fight just because it is too tough. He rather die trying than survive never knowing if he could accomplish his goals or …show more content…
Grendel is a mean, vicious monster that killed 30 danes late at night when he went out hunting. He got furious with the danes dancing, singing and drinking late at night while he was trying to sleep. For instance, the author says, “A powerful monster, living down in the darkness, growled in pain, impatient as day the music rang loud in that hall, ‘the harp’s rejoicing call and the poet’s clear songs” (Beowulf 1-5). Grendel has a fear unlike Beowulf. The moment he first meets eyes with Beowulf his first thought was to run and go hide back in his lair with his mother (Beowulf 540-541). Once that thought came to his mind it was too late for him to return home to his mother. Soon enough, Beowulf was fighting him and he tore his arm off of his body. After, Grendel got away and ran to go hide. Very soon after Grendel died from loss of blood and his mother was furious and went to avenge her only son. Beowulf won this battle, but he would need to be able to win against Grendel’s furious, evil
In times before printed books were common, stories and poems were passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. From such oral traditions come great epics such as England’s heroic epic, Beowulf. In Beowulf, the monster Grendel serves as the evil character acting against the poem’s hero, as shown by his unnatural strength, beast-like qualities, and alienation from society.
In the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel is depicted as an evil monster that destroys Herot-hall and kills people for no reason. In the poem, Grendel had filled the Danes with terror as he ravaged their mead-hall and killed their men again and again. He did so without remorse and even took joy in killing, and even eating them. He had stopped, because a great hero, Beowulf, caught and killed him. However, what readers do not hear is why and how Grendel was treated by the Danes. When he was a young little creature, Grendel had been ignored, humiliated and bullied by Danes in Herot-hall. He wanted to fight back, but instead, he decided to give them a second chance. However, the Danes began singing the “Song of Creation” which totally
The most important events in Beowulf’s life seem to all be a matter of Dichotomy. Good versus evil. Beowulf encounters perilous monsters throughout his life that no man or woman would ever stand a chance of defeating. Beowulf embodies the classic storybook hero, whom is built with a strong body and a pure heart. Throughout this epic, Beowulf must harness his heroic body and pure heart into destroying the forces of evil in the world.
Grendel, the monster terrorizing Heorot, is introduced as being estranged from the rest of the world. He is described as an outsider, a descendant of “Cain’s clan” (107). Grendel’s outcast status leaves him living in darkness, his envy growing the more he hears the celebrations of the Danes. Envy and social status motivate Grendel’s cruelty, filling him with anger towards those who are human. When Beowulf and the Geats arrive, it is not solely out of honor that Beowulf vows to kill the beast. Beowulf’s father, Ecgtheow, had an unpaid debt at the time of his death. Beowulf’s pledge that he would kill Grendel was a repayment, as well as an honorable feat. However, as Beowulf is introduced, the boasts he makes of his heroic feats and his “awesome strength” (29), only prove his barbarity. He boasts that “they had seen me boltered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea slaughtered sea brutes” (419-422). He goes on to blame the enemies for the vengeance that he wrought upon them. Beowulf dehumanizes his enemies, states that they were foul beasts who tainted the land, and he purified it. This is a sadistic view of life and battle, contrasting cruelty for the
Before discussing the evil within Beowulf, what is “good” should be clarified. Beowulf is the main character of the poem. Through the story he fights off the monsters plaguing his and Hrothgar’s people. He is the embodiment of what is thought to be good. “‘Nor have I [The watchman] seen a mightier man-at-arms …
Grendel by John Gardner, a novel based on the epic poem Beowulf, was originally published in 1982. It looks at the story from the perspective of the monster, Grendel. It helps the reader empathize with Grendel and think of original story in a new way. Gardner portrays Grendel as the stereotypical misunderstood monster that turns to violence after being isolated and misunderstood form the normal people. This story is driven forward by acts of cruelty, from both the humans and Grendel. When Grendel first discovers the humans, he discovers a new kind of cruelty. Not only the creatures like him, but especially to each other. Grendel then discovers the joy of being cruel to others; he becomes more and more like the humans he despises. Finally, Grendel
Beowulf begins with Grendel attacking the Danes out of vengeance and hatred. Grendel is the relative of Cain which means that he is outcast to eternal darkness as punishment for the crime of Cain killing his brother Abel. Therefore, when Grendel hears laughter in the hall named Heorot, he is angry and a little envious, so he goes on a killing spree in order to put an end to the warriors’ happiness. Because of Grendel’s attack upon the Danes, Beowulf arrives in order to put an end to the killing spree: “And now alone I shall settle affairs with Grendel the monster, the demon” (Donaldson, p.8). The author offers no other solution to solving this issue with Grendel but battle, and after the battle is fought and Beowulf wins, Grendel’s hand is preserved as a trophy. Beowulf is rewarded with gifts for his courage, and now the Danes are at peace.
Throughout history, there have been many meanings of the word "evil," which originated in the Germanic language. According to Google.com, the word evil can be used as a noun and be defined as the wicked or immoral part of someone or something. It can also be used as an adjective and be characterized by misfortune of suffering. Words such as "wicked", "immoral", and "sinful" can also be used interchangeably with the word evil, while words like "virtuous", "beneficial", and "pleasant" are antonyms of the word evil. For the purposes of argument, I will use the definition evil to mean the force in nature that governs and gives rise to wickedness and sin. Traits of evil can be exemplified in both the epic poem Beowulf and
Anger then yields itself to insecurity and low self-esteem. The moment Grendel realizes that there is someone just as strong as him, he tries to run away, ". . . Grendel's one thought was to run / From Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there:" (437-438), but it is too late. Just like when the average bully meets his match, he runs in fear of not being able to win. Grendel does not have the audacity to stand up to Beowulf with all his might and therefore falls to Beowulf.
Although Grendel is depicted as a hideous bloodthirsty beast because he eats the Danes at Heorot continuously, he has some characteristics of a human gone wild. Grendel possesses the ability to feel human emotions such as envy and fear. When the Danes were having a feast in Heorot, Grendel “had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the creator outlawed and condemned as outcasts”(104-106). He feels envy towards the Danes for making him an outcast of society. He was jealous of the Danes that were having a great time together while he had to live a life of misery alone. Grendel feels fear as well as envy because “he was overwhelmed, manacled tight by the man who of all men was foremost and strongest in the days of this life”(787-789). During the battle between Grendel and the hero Beowulf, Grendel was unprepared for Beowulf’s fighting tactics. He, who usually is victorious after each attack in Heorot, did not expect to be defeated by Beowulf, which is shown because “his fingers weakened; it was the worst trip the terror-monger had taken to Heorot”(764-765). When Beowulf leaves his weapon and decides to wrestle Grendel, Grendel realizes that he is no match for Beowulf’s strength. He feared death just as human are afraid of death. An ordinary person would want to flee if he or she was being wrestled to the ground and about to die. Grendel felt like fleeing but Beowulf did not want to lose any opportunities to kill the villain and thus does the deed in one go. When he realizes that his end was near, “the dread of the land was desperate to escape, to take a roundabout road and flee to his lair in the fens”(761-763). Just as humans in their psychoanalytic development, Grendel had a fight or flight response. When he knew that he was going to die he immediately chose the flight response in which he could not do because Beowulf was much more powerful and aggressive. He does not let Grendel escape. Grendel’s pain is all the more acute because he is brought so close to mankind and yet always kept at an unbreachable distance from society.
Grendel is the textbook evil villan in the story, out to kill without second thought, which is true amoung both story and film. Grendel always attacks when most opportunistic, he attacks on two occasions, when the village is partying and acting rollick, also when they are at slumber, But in the film they are not sleeping when beowulf attacks grendel for the first time. Then Beowulf is introduced and comes to slay this monster. Then after Grendel is murdered, he is the hero. Then Grendels mother is introduced
“When it comes to fighting, I count myself as dangerous any day as Grendel” (Beowulf 677-678). That means that Beowulf thinks that he is also dangerous like Grendel when it comes to fighting. Beowulf really wants to have a war with Grendel but he does not want to fight him with no weapons and he shall face Grendel by face if he dares. He was successful in defeating Grendel’s mother and the dragon besides Grendel in his life. He killed the monster to prevent the deaths of Danes.
Beowulf’s life was truly epic struggle. The monsters he battled made it so. Grendel and the dragon, capable of crushing men physically, stood for evils that could just as easily crush men in spirit. These two beasts represented society’s greatest fears, as well as detriments, and Beowulf fearlessly took them on. Grendel taught the hero a valuable lesson about maintaining one’s humanity in a world dominated by the dogs of war. The dragon, showed Beowulf’s mortality, his imperfection, but the hero eradicates it nonetheless, saving his people from not only physical threat, but sin. Bringing in such spiritual and moral dimensions, these two beasts certainly give the story of Beowulf depth.
In the epic poem Beowulf, the struggle between good and evil reveals its omnipresence in even the oldest of tales. The many allusions and symbols throughout the story relate to Christianity and other Pagan beliefs. By looking at them, it becomes apparent that the author of Beowulf believed that the constant war between good and evil is not only fought by the common man but also in the ranks of their highest esteemed rulers and warriors, and even in their dreaded nightmares where monsters lurk and wait for the death of man. Beowulf was written during the budding of Christianity in England, when it was newly forming. In the story there are obvious references to Christian rituals.
Good and Evil- The entire poem of Beowulf deals with the battle of good verses evil, good being Beowulf, his followers, Hrothgar, and Hrothgar's people, and evil being Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. In this poem the power of good overcomes all the evils, but not without the lose of life. These lives include that of Beowulf, Aeschere, and many of Hrothgar's people. The clashing of good and evil forces was the main method of creating interest and suspense in the poem.