Compare And Contrast Beowulf And Grendel's Mother

In the epic poem, Beowulf, there are clear distinctions between an epic hero and a monster. Beowulf is the prime example of a epic hero possessing characteristics such as superior strength, courage, and loyalty. On the other hand, Grendel and Grendel’s mother are characteristized as evil and immoral based off of their actions. These characteristics are presented throughout the poem, and monsters are given grotesque, hideous appearances to further prove that they are evil. After Beowulf kills Grendel, Grendel’s mother reaction revealed how the full presentation of a character can allow readers to react differently than before and even sympathized with them.

Grendel and his mother are represented as monsters, through their physical appearance, as well as their horrific killings. The monstrosity of Grendel is directly seen through his physical appearance, as depicted when his hand is exposed in the hall as a trophy, after he was injured during his battle with Beowulf. During this scene, the beastly appearance

Nothing else is told about Beowulf except this broad description however Grendel’s mother is described as a “swamp thing.” This kenning depicts Grendel’s mother as a monster who comes from a despicable and diabolical background. It shows how she is associated with evil and not recognized as a living being. Furthermore, the description of the monster as “that swamp-thing from hell” highlights Grendel’s mother’s evil nature and conveys her as barbaric to convey that she is an irrational enemy. This is vital because it displays Grendel’s mother as a villain and that she craves

Witches are women thought to possess evil powers. Ursula Southeil, famously known as Mother Shipton, was a witch with a large reputation. She was described as ugly and very disfigured. She was called Hag Face by the locals and her father was believed to be the Devil. Although her misfortunate appearance, she was often thought of as the female Nostradamus.

Both authors paint a grotesque picture of their creations and how they both desire to destroy beauty; Aesthetic Iconoclasm, that is shared between the two figures. However, both authors present their monsters separate to one another in philosophy; with Grendel being a mindless savage and the Monster being more contemplative and questioning the nature of its own creation. ‘Monster’ characters have always been a target of both folk tales and pagan myths since the dawn of humanity, the very concept of a monstrous creature harkens back to the primal fear instinct of facing a dangerous predator that presents a danger to humanity. Grendel from Beowulf is the perfect example of this hysteria and

In Antigone and Medea , the women are ruled by their emotions. Due to this, they make impromptu decisions which leave them in a vulnerable state. Medea feels betrayed by Jason, and her heartbroken hearts fills with rage for him. She becomes so irate she makes an deathly decision, “oh, what misery! Cursed sons, and a mother for cursing!

We can clearly see the evidence in the play, when Parris asking who is doing witchcraft, no one answers, Abigail even frame the kind helper─the black slave Tituba. If someone always makes others feel uncomfortable, he is definitely

Tina Chen Mrs. Lazar British Literature- Period 8 10/12/2016 The Truths Behind the Monstrous Figures From traditional folktales to modern literature, monsters are often referred as daunting. Their existence meant disaster for the society. Their presence, in all of these literature pieces are neglected, feared, and abhorred by their civilization. Every monster that was created ought to have a loathsome and corpulent appearance.

However, this is inaccurate because Arthur Miller shows that Abigail is controlling through her own dialogue. Here Abigail threatens Mary Warren, Betty, Mercy, and other girls. She shows here that if anyone tells the truth about what really happened in the forest, she will kill them. This is one opportunity for the audience to see the evil in Abigail. Also, for the audience to feel threatened themselves and to feel frightened or surprised to see Abigail's true colors underneath all of her lies.

Frankenstein was a Marry Shelley 's masterpiece, written when she was only 18 years old. The novel explores of theme of alienation, loneliness and revenge. First of all, what is alienation? Alienation is the state or experience of being isolated from a group or an activity to which one should belong or in which one should be involved. The monster created by Victor Frankenstein is rejected by human society because of his appearance.

In this quote Grendel’s mother is described as “monstrous” or in other words evil. She is portrayed as a crazy monster who has no control over her own actions. Since she does not have a man to control her she is portrayed as ruthless and wild. She is given a bad image because she does meet the standard society put for her; she does not have a husband. According to the article “The Social Centrality

This being shown in the scene where Beowulf tries to fight Grendel but cannot understand his language so he asks the witch, “Why won’t he fight me?” and she replies, “why should he, you’ve done nothing to him. ”(Gunnarsson) In our modernized society viewers require more complexity and are not satisfied with characters being classified as simply good and evil. People today know that not everything can be considered black and white.

—No more o ' that, my lord, no more o ' that. You mar all with this starting” (V.i line 36-38). Even though, Lady Macbeth had nothing to do with the murders after Duncan, like Banquo and Macduff’s wife as well as his son, she still feels guilty because she created the monster, by manipulating Macbeth to kill Duncan. Another reason Lady Macbeth feels remorseful is because she had to do with some of the action in the murder, for example planning the death of Duncan and framing Duncan 's attendant. The guilt is causing Lady Macbeth to go insane because she is aware “All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.

The monster declares that he desires “creatures…cheering my gloom”; however, no “Eve soothed my sorrows” (118, Shelley). Because of this abandonment, the monster “cursed [Frankenstein]” (118, Shelley). No mother or Eve is present to nurture the monster. Therefore, he faults his creator for his isolation and plans to seek vengeance against Frankenstein, sending a message to the reader concerning the violent repercussions from an absence of nurture. Similarly, after the De Laceys beat the monster, he feels there are “none…men that existed who would pity or assist” him, causing him to “declare everlasting war against the species” (122, Shelley).

Equally important, the innocence Grendel had as a child provide an outline for his lack of baneful intentions. One act of innocence that has shown through Grendel’s entire life, from childhood until death, was a tendency to call for his mother when in danger of any kind. Putting this into perspective, shortly before the death of Grendel, on page one-hundred and seventy, he calls for his mother for the final time. “Mama!” he is heard bellowing.