Heorot In Beowulf

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Recommended: Gender roles in the twentieth century

As society progresses in time, so did the means that make up society in the twenty first century, we see women having a job with a steady income to be admirable. Stealing and killing are extreme examples of what is immoral. Society are of people who share a common value, if there is a clash of values, one becomes an outcast, a lone wolf peering in from the outside. We see a similar notion in Beowulf where religion plays an important part in making the rules of society. The monsters are outcasts from the men who follow and are adored by God. In the following analysis, I will demonstrate how Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf uses Grendel's attack on Heorot to reveal how society defines what is right and wrong which apparent to who is welcomed into society.

Beowulf translation by Heaney's has an unambiguous style to …show more content…

It's after the making of Heorot that is threatened by "a powerful demon, a prowler through the dark, / nursed a hard grievance. (86-87) The use of imagery emphasizes the threat that Grendel imposes, with this, the reader is able to perceive that Heorot is outstanding in this society as its "meant to be a wonder of the world forever" (70) and when a "demon" who is "a prowler through the dark" (86) it emphasizes the differences between Grendel and Heorot. Heaney's translation of Grendel's introduction into the poem implies that Grendel is the other, suggesting evil. This is evident were Grendel "dwelt for a time/ in misery among the banished monsters." (105-106) The notion of 'the other' is the alienation of a person. The utilize of allusion to Christian and Pagan explains why Grendel is viewed as the other in terms of nature and religion. The monsters are outcasts because of Cain's clan whom God "had outlawed" because "for the killing of Abel the Eternal Lord." (107-108) Due to the killing, it reveals the seven deadly sins are

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