The Misunderstood Monster In Beowulf

The misunderstood Monster!

In the poem of Beowulf, everyone believed Grendel to be a bloodcurdling, and horrendous monster. The very place where Grendel lived, tells what a dark and horrible monster he was. From the poem Beowulf, it reads; “living down in the darkness…his den, his miserable hole at the bottom of the marsh.” Grendel’s upbringing alone set him up for being the horrendous monster that he was. Just imagine walking in his shoes for a moment, imagine being raised as Grendel was raised. Down in darkness, living in a miserable hole at the bottom of the marsh. One may argue that Grendel didn’t start out with the chance, or hope of being kind, and peaceful. Being raised in darkness, and in a miserable hole, would naturally produce a horrible monster as Grendel.

Grendel’s home wasn’t the only place that had set him up for evil. The heritages of Grendel also influenced him, and naturally bread him to be the sickening monster that everyone had feared. In the poem Beowulf, it reads; “He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for the crime of

Abel’s death.” Murder had already been a natural part of Grendel’s family. The acts and thoughts of evil, was naturally bread inside Grendel. Grendel’s own family had killed Abel; the presence of evil was already a part of the family before Grendel was born. Being born into such a family of evil, Grendel didn’t have much choice. To be raised with such a heritage as killing of a brother, evil seemed the norm in Grendel’s life.
With all the negative settings, and evil heritage, Grendel’s true motives had been rather positive. He tried to be polite to the villagers; all Grendel truly wanted was friendship. In the novel Grendel, it reads; “I am no stranger here. A respected guest…have knocked politely on the high oak door…I smile like exploding spring.” Grendel had tried visiting the villagers several times. He had displayed a polite domineer by knocking first on arrival to Herot. Grendel’s first thought of when he saw the villagers had been peaceful, for it brought a smile upon his face. By the show of manners, and inner peace that had brought on a smile on his first arrival, one might see how his true motives were pure. Even though Grendel grew up in such a horrible setting, and with an evil heritage, his first real motives had been surprisingly positive.
Even with Grendel’s positive motives, his home life and evil heritage had over taken what little peace Grendel first had. The rejection of the villagers had been too much for Grendel to bear. In the novel Grendel, it reads, “ ‘This is some punishment sent us’…’some god is angry’… “ Those words of such hurt had drawn Grendel to madness and murder, as much as he could. Viciously, with greed, he slaughtered sleeping men, with his claws. In the poem Beowulf, it reads, “The monster’s thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws…smashed them unknowing in their beds…back to his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter…So mankind’s enemy continued his crimes, Killing as often as he could, coming alone, bloodthirsty, and horrible.” From his greedy claws, to his bloodthirsty slaughters, one might be able to tell how atrocious Grendel had become. From just the rejection of friendship, all peaceful, and positives motives Grendel once had kept inside, had been torn away, and the evil, horrible monster was born.
Grendel had it rough from the very start.

From the darkness of his home life, to the murders bread in his heritage, how could one not argue he was destined for the life of a bloodthirsty monster? But the family of the deceased held the biggest grudge of them all. They gave Grendel the name of the horrible monster that everyone feared. The family and friends told the stories of the way Grendel had smashed, and ripped apart, with his claws, the bodies of the sleeping soldiers. But if only they would have been kind to Grendel in the beginning of when he had first tried to establish friendship. If the villagers had not run away, screaming words of rejection, Grendel might have been able to hold onto his little peace he had once had. But instead, he had been automatically turned into the misunderstood monster that everyone

feared.