Grendel is much more epic and destructive in the poem, than the novel. John Gardner writes “Now invulnerable, I was as solitary as one live tree in a vast landscape
“ Mistakes made by a foolish mind, cruel mistakes that bring on death.” (1406 to 1407.) In this quote, King Creon of Thebes is acknowledging that he has made tragic mistakes, because he wanted to the laws of his state, that he put in place, instead of preserving the safety of his family, which consequently lead to suffering for many. In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, the character Creon makes decisions based on what he feels is right, and refuses to pay attention to other’s advice. His stubbornness and selfishness prove fatal, and as a consequence of his moral deficiency, he kills an innocent woman, and loses his son in the aftermath. In the play Antigone, by Sophocles, Creon’s deadly stubbornness and selfishness in ignoring the pleas and
Grendel and the monster Frankenstein are contradictory in their individual philosophies and actions, although they are both isolated and lonesome, they come from different origins, think differently, and take significantly different actions, and their very fates were catastrophically no unique.
Correspondingly, Creon's bona fide adherence to the laws of man is evident in the defense for his resolute actions. In the conversation aforementioned between Haemon and Creon, the latter defends his decision by declaring it is to "respect his own authority". As in his opinion, a respected ruler who is in the early stages of establishing authority must be uncompromising and resolute in making decisions. Creon rejects using divine laws to rule his people for they are irrational, and trusts that solely following man made laws will he be able to guarantee a peaceful and prosperous existence for his city. Creon says that the laws enacted by the city’s leader "must be obeyed, large and small, / right and wrong." Which is to say, Creon contends state law as the basis for justice, hence there can be no such thing as unjust laws. Undoubtedly, Creon's symbolic values within the play is displayed by his fierce dedication to state law and order, contrary to the symbolism Antigone embodies.
At the beginning of the story, Grendel is a cynical character full of sarcastic and inappropriate remarks, such as when he says “...tickling his gross, lopsided balls...” (Gardner 6). Despite, his cynicism, he actually gives off a very playful and childish vibe. Much like a child that ask a lot of question, his mind runs wild, asking questions about and to the “sky” in a comical manner. Then, as the story proceeds, Grendel is faced with several characters that changes his outlook and changes the overall tone of the story. The first person he meets that fundamentally changes him is Hrothgar. As he observes him from afar, he “suddenly knew (he) was dealing with no dull mechanical bull but thinking creatures, pattern makers, the most dangerous things (he’d) ever met” (Gardner 26).
The poem Beowulf, authored by an anonymous person, remains to be one of the oldest epics in the Anglo-Saxon tradition. The poem serves as an important influence for later literature; the novel Grendel by John Gardner is one example. The settings of Beowulf and Grendel are a result of the assimilation of Christianity into the Anglo-Saxon pagan religion. Not only did the Anglo-Saxons belief in spiritual predestination but also in fatalism. As a result of the combination of pagan and Christian beliefs in Beowulf and Grendel, the characters are heavily influenced by the concept of "fate.” This belief system describes all things as being predetermined and known to occur.
In the novel Grendel, written by John Gardner, Grendel starts the novel with a childlike innocence and naiveness towards the world. As he meets the dragon and hears the Shaper for the first time that innocence slips away. In this work of literature, John Gardner puts into better perspective that isolation from peers, society, and loved ones can lead anyone into the darkness.
Sophocles depicts the contrast and clash between two people with opposing views in his play ‘Antigone’. One of those people is Creon, the highly motivated king of Thebes who takes pride in his own decisions that he believes to be right and sensible for the state and believes in a form of justice that can’t be compromised. The other person is Antigone, the protagonist and the daughter of the earlier king of Thebes, Oedipus. She places her faith and adheres to the irrational laws of religion and goes against the laws of man, thus defying common reason. We see more nuances to their defining attributes throughout Oedipus’s works. Creon, who is initially portrayed as a logical and pragmatic man, reveals his obstinate nature by his refusal to acknowledge viewpoints differing from his and Antigone
Antigone and Creon are two strong minded people in this play. They are each characters of which have character traits they show best, which in the end brings them to tragedy. Antigone’s is a brave character in the play “Antigone” written by Sophocles. Antigone is very strong minded, with characteristics such as determination, loyalty, and self-willingness, whereas her Uncle Creon, the person she has most conflict with in this play, is a person who feels as if his rules should be put over every ones, Creon feels that he should have all power, the main characteristics being shown in this play by Creon are powerfulness and stubbornness.
Throughout John Gardner’s novel, Grendel, Grendel’s thoughts are constantly at war with each other. He does not know what or whom to believe, and how to distinguish lies from what he knows to be true. The Shaper’s songs, the brutal reality of the corpse, and the dragon’s cynical way of thinking all change Grendel’s view of life and thoughts, and are examples of how the art of falsehood in seen throughout the novel. The art of falsehood is a constant, reoccurring theme in this novel.
Creon:“I killed you, my son, without intending to,/ and you, as well, my wife,” (Lines 1486-1487). Antigone is the story of a girl who defies the king of Thebes in order to honor her dead brother, Polyneices, who is not allowed to be buried. When the king decides to punish her, his inability to listen to reasoning and resistance to change backfires on him in a deadly way. In the play, Antigone, by Sophocles, Creon, the play’s tragic hero, brings suffering to others, such as causing the death of Antigone, his son, Haemon, and his wife, Eurydice, which contributes to the tragic vision of the play as a whole because it shows how stubbornness brings pain for others.
The play, Antigone, is a tragedy written by the Greek poet Sophocles. A common theme among tragedies is that they have a tragic hero, and Antigone is no different. The tragic hero of this poem is Creon, the King of Thebes. Creon is faced with the difficult task of punishing his niece, Antigone. She has broken one of his laws stating that no one is to give proper burial rites to Polyneices, Antigone’s brother, because he tried to overthrow Creon. Against the warning of others, Creon goes on with his plan to essentially sentence Antigone to her death. Creon continually ignores what others counsel him to do because he believes that just because he is king, everything he does is right. It is this thinking that ultimately leads to the death of not only Antigone, but also Creon’s son and wife as well. All tragic heroes suffer from a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall. Creon suffers from two tragic flaws, pride and stubbornness. Both of these flaws lead Creon down a path of destruction that he is unable to return from.
Creon is the protagonist in Antigone, because his motivation throughout Antigone is the stability and wellbeing of Thebes. Moreover, Antigone is the antagonist in Antigone, because her motivation is selfish and deceiving. In Antigone the setting is Thebes post the death of both airs to the throne. Eteocles dies defending his country from his brother Polynieces which died attempting to reclaim his right to the throne. The conflict throughout Antigone is Antigone’s responsibility to bury her brother Polynices and the law created by Creon, the new king of Thebes, which states that “No one shall bury him, no one mourn for him.” (Antigone 59) Antigone proceeds to disobey the law and dies in her own hands to ensure her own martyr status. Antigone is not the protagonist because of her selfish motivation and need to
The play Antigone, by Sophocles, presents the power of love, which the sword cannot defeat. Nevertheless, the play itself provides the idea in which it might be argued whether love is one of the superior forces in society that drives people to pursue their ideals.
Love is a powerful motivation it can even drive you into hating someone, love drives you to do even what you wouldn’t normally do. Creon makes a law that forbids anyone from burying Antigone’s brother. When she finds out she goes against the king and buries her brother. When he is informed about what happened he punishes her. Antigone kills herself and then his son kills himself when he finds out that his love had died. Antigone’s love is so great for her brother that she went against the king and buried him with religious rights. Then Haemon kills himself because Antigone had died and he wanted to be with her. In the end Creon’s wife killed herself because her son had died. Creon is perceived as the tragic hero of the play when he is talking