Compare And Contrast Grendel Vs Beowulf

Every great hero needs a great villain. Thus Grendel was created to rival Beowulf. With most heroic stories, only the hero’s vision and ideals are shown. The novel Grendel, on the other hand, shows the reader the true feelings of the villainous monster, Grendel. But, the two Grendels, the version in the novel and the version in Beowulf, have several differences. The version of Grendel in the novel is more intricate than the version of Grendel in Beowulf because Grendel in the novel searches for meaning in his life, Grendel in Beowulf is portrayed as only a monster, and Grendel in the novel has emotions and has sympathy for mankind.

A question asked by many, but is truly unanswerable: What is the meaning of my life? The version of Grendel in

They have one goal, destroy. The Beowulf Grendel is exactly that, a monster. He ruthlessly attacks mankind, again and again, slaying whoever he pleases. His acts are merciless, “He slipped through the door and there in the silence Snatched up thirty men, smashed them Unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies.” (Beowulf 36) Grendel ruthlessly slaughtered the men, and there was no one to stop him. Nothing gets in his way from the destruction of mankind. The Grendel in the novel however, is more of a trickster then a demon. Although he does kill many men, he is shown to have feelings, as well as some mercy. Grendel cries to his mother, “Please Mama!” (Grendel 19) When Grendel gets trapped in that tree, you see his fear and his misery. Hopelessly dying alone, Grendel evokes some sympathy from the reader, whereas the monster Grendel is still a villainous beast. Grendel almost kills Wealtheow, but stops himself, “I changed my mind. It would be meaningless, killing her. As meaningless as letting her live.” (Grendel 110) He showed mercy to her, when he had never before shown mercy to anyone. He realized how pointless killing her was. His mercy showed him that he was more than just man’s