Symbolism In Beowulf

746 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Beowulf from grendel's perspective

In the first book of the Bible, a tale is told about two brothers named Cain and Abel. This story is significant because the crime committed is the first murder in the Bible. Genesis 4 recalls, “Now Cain talked with Abel his brother, and it came to pass, when they were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him” (Genesis 4:8). In the epic poem Beowulf, the narrator purposely refers to the biblical story about the two brothers partaking in a fatal feud developed from jealousy. Christianity is a primary element in Beowulf because of the Devil-like image of Grendel in the Danes' eyes.
The poet retells the creation of the earth through Christian imagery. He says, "He set the sun and the moon/to be the earth's lamplight...and filled the broad lap of the world with branches and leaves" (94-97). The introduction of the Biblical story gives the audience an idea that a Christian theme can be identified in the poem. In addition, he introduces Grendel, a descendant from the Old Testament Character, Cain. Grendel is referred to as a “powerful demon, a prowler through the dark, /nursed a hard grievance” (87-88). Grendel represents evil because this supernatural figure has evil roots from his descendant, Cain. Cain's evil crime committed against his brother is the origin of evil which carries on, by generation, to Grendel.
The poet does not expose Grendel’s name for several lines, giving the audience negative adjectives to describe the character (36). Grendel is conceived by two “banished monsters” born of Cain (105-106). Grendel was so vicious he drove all the warriors away from Heorot, and “for twelve winters, season of woe, / the lord of the Shieldings suffered under/his load of sorrow” (147-149). Although ...

... middle of paper ...

...ring the week when she returned, but she was upset that I went too far in the book. She caused a huge scene in the hallway however, I did not tell her one vulgar word. I thought about how Christ would handle the situation instead of the Devil trying to corrupt my mind and make me angry. Instead, I brought the situation, to the principal as soon as possible. In the end, several teachers, students, and parents also had trouble with this employee.
The poet is able to display Biblical imagery in Beowulf by using the story of Cain killing his brother and the ultimate creation in the book of Genesis. Grendel is the descendant of the first killer in the Bible, and represents evil. Grendel can be seen as a Biblical figure or an evil demon that lurks Heorot. The poet creatively paints the picture of Grendel as an evil creature in Beowulf with wicked imagery and adjectives.

Show More
Related

  • 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

  • Examples Of Monomyth In Grendel

    883 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Thus I fled, ridiculous hairy creature torn apart by poetry—crawling, whimpering, streaming tears, across the world like a two-headed beast, like mixed-up lamb and kid at the tail of a baffled, indifferent ewe—and I gnashed my teeth and clutched the sides of my head as if to heal the split, but I couldn’t.” (Grendel, John Gardner, pg.44) In this moment, Grendel’s mind is split between what he understands to be The world is callous and careless, blunt and belligerent; this he knows. However, with the artistic style and formation of the Shaper’s words, he is brought to tears and is captivated by his spiritual and emotional yearnings. Grendel is also overwhelmed with disgust and shame for himself and his vile habits.

    Read More

  • The Characters' Personalities in "Grendel" and "Beowulf"

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    Our first character, Grendel, is an exceptionally diverse character. It is implied that in both book and poem, Grendel is a blood-thirsty monster. All Grendel does is go through meadhalls and kill the drunk, often asleep people. But when narrated through the eyes of Grendel, the true nature of this beast is discovered. The author of Grendel entails that Grendel is a depressed and misunderstood monster, restrained to the confinements of his own underwater cave. He is a lot like the monster in the book Frankenstein. Both Grendel and Frankenstein are born with no real purpose to life, going off of what they hear other people say and taking it as the truth. Both monsters, knowing that everyone detests them for being unattractive and different, retaliate by way of murder and mayhem. From the perspective of the people in the stories itself, Grendel is exactly how the narrator in the poem Beowulf makes him out to be. The people, or the thanes, of Hrothgar’s kingdom see Grendel as a demon from hell, representing all that’s evil in the world. He’s a supernatural creature and in this time period anything supernatural that wasn’t human was considered a spirit, a god, evil or, in Grendel...

    Read More

  • Irrationality In John Gardner's Grendel, And Beowulf

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    After being introduced to Heorot, the new mead hall the reader becomes acquainted with Grendel, “Grendel was the name of this grim demon / haunting the marches, marauding around the heath / and the desolate fens; he has dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, / Cain’s clan, whom the creator had outlawed / and condemned as outcast” (Heaney 9/100). Through this first encounter with Grendel, the reader learns that he has been haunting and marauding uncivilized lands up to this point with other monsters, because he appears directly after the introduction of the new mead hall it can be assumed that he has found a new place to haunt. Grendel along with the other monsters who are thought to have patrolled the area are referred to as Cain’s clan referring to the Old Testament story about Cain and Able, the sons of Adam and Eve. In the story, Cain kills Able out of jealousy and is condemned by God. Murder is considered an irrational and radical act, and the comparison of Grendel to the “first murderer” project these characteristics onto him. Later, after Grendel’s second attack on the mead hall the Danes realize that the attack

    Read More

  • Sympathy in Beowulf

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    While the monsters of the poem are the antagonists of the poem, the author still manages to make the reader feel traces of sympathy for them. Grendel’s human depiction, exile and misery tugs at the heart of readers and indeed shows a genuine side to the figure, while Grendel’s mother and the dragon are sympathetic mainly because they were provoked into being attacked over things they both had a deep affection for. Their actions make us question whether they are as evil as they seem.

    Read More

  • Diction In Beowulf

    499 Words  | 1 Pages

    In his translation of the excerpt, Raffel uses dark diction to introduce Grendel and his perspective in this poem. He describes Grendel as “Out from the marsh, from the foot of misty hills and bogs, bearing God’s hatred”(Raffel 1-2), immediately informing the reader that Grendel is a negative character. Lucien Dean Pearson uses the same dark diction while introducing Grendel, saying “Grendel

    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

  • Good vs. Evil in "Beowulf"

    924 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the epic poem Beowulf, the struggle between good and evil reveals its omnipresence in even the oldest of tales. The many allusions and symbols throughout the story relate to Christianity and other Pagan beliefs. By looking at them, it becomes apparent that the author of Beowulf believed that the constant war between good and evil is not only fought by the common man but also in the ranks of their highest esteemed rulers and warriors, and even in their dreaded nightmares where monsters lurk and wait for the death of man. Beowulf was written during the budding of Christianity in England, when it was newly forming. In the story there are obvious references to Christian rituals.

    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

  • The Epic Poem, Beowulf - A Jungian Reading of Beowulf

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    The character Grendel portrays the fallen self, which will assert itself violently if neglected, and must be overcome throughout life. The monster Grendel mirrors the part of our fallen state. Grendel's ancestry leads to the biblical figure Cain, to which all evil can be attributed. Grendel represents the hidden evil of Beowulf. Rollo May describes this in his metaphor "the dragon or the Sphinx in me will often be clamoring and will sometimes be expressed"(174). Grendel represents Beowulf's Sphinx, that lashes out on others.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Vs. Grendel

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendal, a descendant of Cain, is one of the main antagonist of the poem Beowulf. He lives under an inherited curse and is denied God’s presence. Throughout the story Grendal causes enormous grief and fear to the people of Herot. After so much pain and agony the king of Herot, Hrothgar, sends for the protagonist of the poem, Beowulf. He is a Geat and the epic hero of the poem. The wide variety of distinctions between Grendal and Beowulf is what develops the climax of the composition. Beowulf kills Grendal, so he is honored by the people of Herot for his heroic act. Since Grendal and Beowulf play opposite roles in the poem, Beowulf, they let the reader know how contrasting characters can develop the plot of the story.

    Read More

  • The Symbolism in Beowulf

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beowulf is an interesting story in that it has a meaning that is firmly rooted in fantasy creatures based in mythical origins while providing insight into religious ideals and practices of the time. It also speaks of tradition and the struggle of man against things perceived as evil. In this tradition especially, Beowulf is an incredible allegory regarding the struggle of good and evil in the Christian tradition.

    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

  • Good versus Evil: Analyzing Paradise Lost and Beowulf

    1433 Words  | 3 Pages

    “In the land of the giants, when the Lord and Creator [h]ad banned him and branded. For that bitter murder, [t]he killing of Abel, all-ruling Father, Cain is referred to as a progenitor of Grendel, and of monsters in general. The kindred of Cain crushed with [h]is vengeance” (Beowulf, book 2, lines 53-56.) Grendel attempts to overcome and defeat the glorious Beowulf, but fails, marking the first encounter of good versus evil in the story of Beowulf.

    Read More

  • Beowulf as a Reflection of Anglo-Saxon Values

    451 Words  | 1 Pages

    In history, evil men have reigned supreme across many cultures. Some people say that being evil is inherent in every human. If this is true, then writing may be the ultimate way of releasing hatred of the world without hurting anyone. In Beowulf, all of society's evil men can be personified within the demons of Cain. The main demon presented in Beowulf is Grendel. Grendel personifies the exact opposite of what the Anglo-Saxons held dear. Beowulf, the story's hero, is the embodiment of what every Anglo-Saxon strove to become in their lifetime. Grendel is constantly angry, afraid and unsure of himself; while Beowulf is fearless and loyal to his king.

    Read More

More about Symbolism In Beowulf

Open Document