In both Grendel in the novel and the epic poem Beowulf, the character Grendel is perceived in two different perspectives. Although some similarities do connect from both stories, Grendel's character is very different because in the novel, Grendel is a way more sympathetic character that is victimized rather in the epic poem, Grendel is a ruthless crazed monster who murders everyone he wants. Some main differences that help us see who Grendel really is in these two stories are what point of view they were told in, Grendel's isolation, and Grendel being perceived as a victim vs. a murderer.
Grendel the novel by John Gardner is told in first person which helps the readers get a better insight on the character Grendel. The readers get to see Grendel's true emotions and how developed his character is. For example the novel says, "I understood that the world was nothing; a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears. I understood that, finally and absolutely, I alone exist. All the rest, I saw, is merely what pushes me, or what I push against, ….as blindly as all that is not myself pushes back." (22).
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The novel says, "Tedium is the worst pain. The mind lays out the world in blocks, and the hushed blood waits for revenge"(157). Remember how the whole novel is structured around the signs of the zodiac and the irresistible movement of the seasons? What Grendel is going through is the worst kind of torture ever. He has to play the evil guy time after time and he's used to it. Grendel is so over the whole thing. It's not much of a surprise to him when he battles with Beowulf. In the poem, Grendel is just a heartless murder with no reason to tell why he gets to that state. In Beowulf it says, "Killing as often as he could, coming …... Alone, Bloodthirsty and horrible." (80-81) This shows Grendel is perceived as a ruthless
The differences and similarities between the traditional version of the Epic Beowulf and the modern version, Beowulf and Grendel, makes passages for characters such as Grendel to be changed due to the time frame in between the film and the epic.There are several characters that stood out from the film, as they are portrayed in the epic as something completely different than in the movie. Grendel is one of the few that stood out the most.
In both works, Beowulf and Grendel, Grendel himself is generally given the same connotations. He is given kennings, called names, referred to as the evil spawn of Cain, and even viewed as a monster; but why? Why in both books is he a wicked, horrible, person who is harshly excluded from everyone? After stumbling upon John Gardner's book, it was halfway expected that some excuse would be made for Grendel; that he wasn't really the inexorable monster the thanes in Beowulf portrayed him as. But all it really did was make him worse. What is the message we are being sent about Grendel?
The book Grendel, written by John Gardner, and the poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, both have very distinct opinions on what role each character plays. The translator of Beowulf and the writer of Grendel follow the idea that everyone has a story. A story is the writer’s perspective on a character’s personality, the way people in the story see and treat the character, and the way it ties the ideas together. There are many examples in these two writings of this concept, but the main instances connect with the lives of Grendel, Beowulf, and Unferth.
One night, as Grendel was sleeping soundly in his home in the swamplands, he was suddenly awakened by the sound of music. The music angered Grendel because he had been up late the night before entertaining his monster friends and was in need of his beauty rest. So he headed out the front door and headed to see what the commotion is all about.
Grendel as a character is very intelligent, he is capable of rational thought at all times. Because of this, at sometimes during the story I would forget Grendel is a monster, the way he acts in his thoughts and actions I would mistake him for a human; at times I was even feeling bad for Grendel because he is a very lonely person who tries to understand all of the meaningless of the world around him. Grendel can never get to close to
One aspect that was the most apparent was the fact that he was such an outcast. In Beowulf, Grendel was “…living down in the darkness, growl[ing] in pain…” because he knew that he did not belong with the Danes and other human beings at all (Raffel 6). Similarly, in Grendel, as interested as he was with the humans and their way of life, he still found himself “…back[ing] away till the honeysweet lure of the harp no longer mocked [him]” (Gardner 4). Grendel was constantly distancing himself from the human beings because he knew he did not belong and they were not willing to give him the gift of acceptance into their group. However, this outlook carried through with Grendel between the two stories to portray just how monstrous and estranged he
He does not act like the blood hungry beast he is seen as in Beowulf. In
In Grendel, by John Gardner, there is considerable disquietude, but there are also moments of pleasure as well. The cause of these contrasting feelings is most often Grendel himself. As he changes from a purposeful and almost kind creature to a very cruel monster that scorns hope, we find ourselves feeling both pleased and upset at different times. In this element, though, lies a much greater purpose than simply good literature - it helps the reader understand the importance of human values.
As Friedrich Nietzsche said; “What does nihilism mean? That the highest values devaluate themselves. The aim is lacking; “why?” finds no answer.” Grendels journey through finding himself, leads him ultimately to becoming a nihilist. After his newfound view on the universe, Grendel steps out in his overly destructive ways only to be shown up by the hero, Beowulf. In John Gardner’s novel, Grendel, it shows Grendel throughout his life, from rejecting the morals and beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons, and his philosophical views on Nihilism. As seen through both Grendel and Beowulf, Grendel shows characteristics of a monster with no motive for destruction. Grendel only strives to live based on his ability to continue terrorizing and destroying all things that don’t believe in Nihilism.
Imagine being scooped out of a couch, in the middle of the night, while you’re dead asleep, and run off with to be eaten. That’s the fate of more than a few warriors in the mead hall of King Hrothgar of the Epic Beowulf. I, for one, think such horrifying actions deserve the very bloody consequences they brought about. Beowulf is a hero above all others for his fearless actions to combat the monster responsible, Grendel, who torments and murders anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path. Though Grendel is part of a race of monsters, (Breeden) that is not the basis for the justice served to him, that punishment was entirely decided by his deeds.
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.
In both John Gardner’s Grendel, and the poem Beowulf, there are significant differences between characters, and the way they are portrayed in each of the tellings. The interpretation of a hero is usually altered in order to fit the audience, such as, Saddam Hussein in America is made out to be this monster whereas, in his home country Iraq, he is looked at as a hero and idolized by some. In each telling, Grendel and Beowulf have many similarities in how they are described in each writing, but each character is also shown in a different light in each of the writings.
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.
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.
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.