Salvation And Temptationation In Beowulf: Salvation Vs. Temptation

1226 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Beowulf from grendel's point of view

Beowulf: Salvation vs. Temptation Although proper credit cannot be given to an unknown author, the extraordinary poem, Beowulf, does give proper credit to the typical binary hero system. Beowulf illustrates an impossibly perfect hero, Beowulf, with only the best of intentions who takes on not only the destructive Grendel, but Grendel’s vengeful mother as well only to end in his own impressive demise. Two thematic elements are discussed in Beowulf: that it is altogether improper to fall to the temptation of the devil and that one can survive solely under the protection of God who sends all earthly gifts and blessings. Along with the ever-present sense of salvation bestowed within Beowulf’s pride comes a direct conflict with Christian values
Little opportunity for exposure to good provides Grendel, “a fiend from hell” (101), with the motive for evil. Not only is Grendel seen as evil for his ancestry, but he is clearly depicted as the devil throughout the epic battle between Beowulf and himself. “It was well-known to men / that the demon foe could not drag them / under the dark shadows if the Maker did not wish it” (705-707). Grendel represents this “demon foe” who is literally dragging away the Danes’ beloved friends from Heorot. Grendel feels no sorrow for the evil he has set upon the Danes: “but the very next night he committed / a greater murder, mourned not at all / for his feuds and sings—he was too fixed in them.” (135-137). Grendel’s, as the devil, only concern is that he tempts the people of Danes to shy away from their Christian religion in search of an answer to his demonic ways. Therefore, the condemnation of Grendel to a hellish life causes one to recognize the symbolic aspect of Grendel as not only sin, but the devil and all of his temptations. Along with the representation of the devil, Grendel takes on the face of temptation. The Bible speaks to the fact that the Lord will not let a believer be tempted past their own strength. In Beowulf, Grendel is interpreted as the temptation of evil as he leads the people of Danes to
The town has fallen to the temptation of Grendel by committing pagan acts and cannot seem to find the way out of this never-ending slump of mass destruction until along comes Beowulf who hears the prayers of those in need:
Then my own people advised me, the best warriors and the wisest men, that I should, lord Hrothgar, seek you out, because they knew the might of my strength; (Beowulf 415-418)
Beowulf is the answer to the prayers for a hero, a savior, for someone to rid Danes of this monstrosity that is Grendel. Just as God hears the prayers of his followers, Beowulf is miraculously informed of this devastated town and takes matters into his own hands to save those who have fallen to the evil of Grendel by spreading the Lord’s righteousness. God has sent Beowulf, who is full of goodness as the impossibly perfect hero, to Danes to right the wrongdoings of Grendel. Beowulf, unselfish and brave, takes on an incredible confrontation that seems out of his battle league. Beowulf portrays a disciple of God when delivering the Danes from evil by helping the individuals, who are suffering from Grendel’s attacks, to repent. Hrothgar is first to notice how God has sent Beowulf:
Holy God in His grace has guided him to us, to the West-Danes, as I would

Show More
Related

  • Internal Conflicts In Beowulf

    1498 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the epic Beowulf, the reader can clearly find the very distinct conflicts, although some go unnoticed. This poem came to be around the birth of Christianity and the dying out of paganism. In Beowulf, the battles between the monsters and the warriors are interpreted as a battle between the old way of faith and the coming of Christianity. Beowulf himself comes across many conflicts of his own. A literary critic, Alfred Bammesberger, analyzed the person who gives Beowulf the idea to go to Herot and fight Grendel, “.... Beowulf wanting to fight single-handed and challenge Grendel based on the information he had given to his uncle, the Great King Hygelac” (Bammesberger). The Danish king asks not for help however, Beowulf goes anyways. While he has many physical battles with enemies, he also has internal conflicts that seem to hold heavy in his mind. These conflicts include but are not limited to, “Battle of Grendel”, “The Battle with Grendel’s Mother” and “The Last Battle.”

    Read More

  • Grendel And Beowulf: Humanizing The Monster

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rudd cites various sections of the poem, describing Grendel as a “night-monster of the border lands” (Rudd 3), and the translation of the poem says that Grendel was, “...Conceived by a pair of those monsters born Of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God…” (Raffel 42). Rudd also gives evidence for Grendel being seen as demonic, and reasons that Grendel attacks the Danes out of “...not mere thirst for gore, as we might suspect… but rather… envy of the Danes’ happiness- and envy was a chief characteristic of the medieval devil.” (Ruud 5). He then ties this devilish persona to Grendel’s humanistic aspects, stating Grendel has a heathen soul, and therefore he must be human. Ruud also notes, however, that there are critics who question the validity of portraying Grendel as this three-sided figure, asking questions such as, “How can Grendel be a devil when he has a physical body? How can he be a man when he is so manifestly bestial?” (Ruud 7). Ruud believes that the original poet of Beowulf is doing this for effect rather than consistency, but a more reasonable explanation that encompasses all three characteristics is that Grendel represents the evil in

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of Anglo-Saxon Heroism In Grendel

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Staring at his grotesquely muscled shoulders--stooped, naked despite the cold, sleek as the belly of a shark and as rippled with power as the shoulders of a horse--I found my mind wandering...He was dangerous” (155). Even from the first day Beowulf showed up at Hrothgar’s kingdom, Grendel knew he was dealing with something worse than a hero. Once they finally start to battle, the monster in Beowulf is fully revealed to Grendel and Grendel sees again the stupidity and meaninglessness in the human’s definition of a hero.“Grendel, Grendel! You make the world by whispers, second by second. Are you blind to that? Whether you make it a grave or a garden of roses is not the point. Feel the wall: is it not hard?...Hard, yes! Observe the hardness, write it down in careful runes. Now sing of walls! Sing!” (171). Beowulf forces Grendel to make a fool of himself and unlike Unferth who longs for a heroic death, Beowulf knows he is going to win and has no desire to die. His mindset of victory, groups him with monsters who have one goal, to kill and never be killed. This shatters the Anglo-Saxon ideals of heroism and in Grendel’s death, when he is surrounded by oblivious creatures who don’t have a purpose, the meaninglessness of it all, including the meaninglessness of heroic deeds becomes evident to the

    Read More

  • Examples Of Evil In Grendel

    628 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendel is the embodiment of all that is evil and dark. Grendel by John Gardner retells the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf from the perspective of the antagonist, Grendel. He is the outcast of society; doomed to roam in the shadows of Hrothgar’s city, Heorot. He is an outside threat to society and all that is good. His whole existence is to hate good simply because it is good. Mankind can only be truly free if good and evil coexist in the world; and all people are born with an evil and dark side.

    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

  • Epic Poem, Beowulf-The Geats Epic

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    When he accepts his first challenge in the poem, Grendel, a big and powerful creature with claws, had been tormenting Herot for “twelve winters” (Beowulf 62). Later, Hrothgar approaches Beowulf to inform him that the “only help, again, lies with [him]” and to “save [them] once more” from Grendel’s revenge-filled Mother (443-44; 446-47). In these moments, Beowulf embraces the role of being the ultimate hope to not just the Danes, but his fellow Geat brethren as well. After fifty years of ruling the Geats, he is once again put in a position of being their only hope when a big, powerful fire breathing “dragon begins terrorizing [them]” (62). Beowulf succeeded in stopping the dragon’s attacks at the cost of his own life. However, his mission was fulfilled. The Geats had been saved and proceeded to finish the final wishes of their fallen king.

    Read More

  • Warfare in Beowulf

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Beowulf, Christianity, and Paganism

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poem Beowulf is a renowned story that displays many different surroundings and religious beliefs. Some may believe the story of Beowulf portrays pagan beliefs or customs and others believe that the poem is more in agreement with Christian ethnicity. The author of Beowulf uses both Christian and pagan elements in the poem to define the heroic warrior, Beowulf, and the evil dragons. After reading Beowulf the author clearly shows how Beowulf is a man who is filled with Christian customs and is willing to die and defend the world against evil using the help of God.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in Beowulf to Reinforce the Importance of Religion and the Values of the Anglo Saxons

    781 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beowulf contains multiple instances of the usage of symbolism to Christianity. Symbolism is portrayed through the characters and situations in the epic poem. According to the Danes in the epic, Beowulf is viewed as a savior. Staver states, “Jesus is the young warrior who comes to earth to fight with Satan” (Staver 155). This means that Beowulf is a symbol of Jesus for the way Beowulf leaves his home to embark on a journey to rescue Herot by defeating Grendel, and it shows the way the Anglo Saxons projected their faith in Christianity through Beowulf. Also, Grendel is used in Beowulf as a symbol of Christianity as a representation of Satan or a spawn of hell. In the modern English translation of Beowulf, Rafeel writes:

    Read More

  • The Evil Within

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Both Grendel and Beowulf, there is conflict. The conflict is betwixt the themes of light and dark, Paganism vs. Christianity, and Man vs. Beast. Grendel, the main character in Grendel and the secondary character in Beowulf, faces external battles but the most important battle take place internally. John Gardener recognized the basis for Grendel’s predicament which is “his [Grendel] stubborn cling to skepticism and cold, hard reason. . .” (Grendel’s Geis). Though there are many different themes present in both stories, there is one theme that remains consistent throughout out both. This theme is the lack of acceptance. Grendel’s in-acceptance is rooted in his lack of understanding of the world and its functions. As a result of the many things that have taken place in Grendel’s life, he is perceived as evil yet, not because he wants to be. He is misunderstood and not accepted. Much of Grendel’s evil wrongdoing comes as a result of lack of acceptance, lack of communication, and his ignorance.

    Read More

  • Sympathy in Beowulf

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first opponent Beowulf must face in the land of the Danes is Grendel, textually described as “a fiend out of hell … [a] grim demon / haunting the marches, / marauding round the heath / and the desolate fens” (Beowulf, line 100 – 104). The author also provides us with a moral description, explaining how Grendel is “merciless … malignant by nature, he never showed remorse” (line 135-137). As we can see here, the author’s physical and moral portrayal of Grendel is rather unforgiving. We also resent Grendel further once we learn that he has wreaked havoc upon the Heorot hall for twelve years, “inflicting constant cruelties on the people / atrocious hurt” (line 165).

    Read More

  • Beowulf: Grendel is Pure Evil

    485 Words  | 1 Pages

    Grendel is the embodiment of all that is evil and dark. He is a descendant of Cain and like Cain is an outcast of society. He is doomed to roam in the shadows. He is always outside looking inside. He is an outside threat to the order of society and all that is good. His whole existence is grounded solely in the moral perversion to hate good simply because it is good.

    Read More

  • Beowulf as the Archetypal Germanic Hero

    2093 Words  | 5 Pages

    The epic and oral poem Beowulf illustrates a loss of community, cultural values, and tradition. Beowulf, the main character, is an ideal king and archetypal warrior. History is relevant to Beowulf; this Germanic society was being taken over by Christian missionaries who were seeking to convert this culture. The character of Beowulf is a reflection of the Germanic culture's virtues; heroism is emphasized in the text's multiple references and constant focus on heroes and what it is to be a hero. Beowulf, who is reflective of an older generation of heroes, strives for community. In contrast, Christianity's focus is on the individual. This conflict is ended once Beowulf, a figure of the past and the old world, passes on. With Beowulf, the hero dies. Hence, Beowulf's efforts to keep his culture and his ethics alive are impossible as war and Christianity conquer the Germanic land.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Summary

    584 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Beowulf” translated by Burton Raffel, the character Beowulf is portrayed as a brave, courageous, and very pious man. In the pagan tale the underlying motif of Good vs. Evil heightens these characteristics even to the point where Beowulf comes across as a symbol for God and Christianity. He battles “the demon” Grendel (ln. 16), Grendel’s mother, and a fierce dragon, all in order to save those who need aid, primarily the people of Herot. This too is very Christlike because he is serving those lower than himself for the sole purpose of doing the right thing. Although Beowulf is very brave all throughout, he becomes boastful and greedy from the time he first battles Grendel to when he takes on the dragon.

    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 Salvation And Temptationation In Beowulf: Salvation Vs. Temptation

Open Document