Compare And Contrast Grendel And Beowulf

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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

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