ipl-logo

Comparing Beowulf And Grendel

621 Words3 Pages

John Gardner author of Grendel and an Unknown author of Beowulf wrote these to compare one another into one mega story. Grendel is about a "monster" who has been at war with humans for over 12 years. Over time he became fascinated by the way that humans live. At the end, Beowulf fights Grendel, and Beowulf pulled his arm off, and then runs away. Beowulf is about how the Danes built a great mead hall to gather and Grendel came and ruined it, killing a lot of the Danes in the process. Beowulf accepts Hrothgar's favor to fight Grendel, and Beowulf goes off and boasts about his accomplishments. He fights Grendel and wins! Towards the end, Beowulf dies due to a dragon bite. Grendel does not deserve sympathy because he invaded the Mead Hall, killed humans, and was irredeemable. Grendel invades the Mead Hall unwelcome by the humans. Gardner writes, "...I was Grendel, Ruiner of Mead Halls, Wrecker of Kings!" (80). Before Grendel entered the Mead Hall he bit the head off of a Scyldging guard. That marked the beginning of his 12th winter war with Hrothgar's Danes. Grendel is showing off his power to make sure the Danes know he is powerful and dangerous. The unknown author says, "Till the monster stirred, that demon, that …show more content…

Listening to two opposite sides of a story is crucial. Paying close attention to what each other side has to say about the other, and connect the things that match and to find the truth buried in between the gaps in each side. Being a mediator for both sides helps everybody find out what went wrong on both sides why someone thought what they thought. Overcoming a fight with someone where the reader had little to no detail about why the characters [Grendel and Beowulf] are fighting. Open to growth shows the reader that even in one book there are still many more sides in another one, and it is up to the reader to find out what is going

Show More
Related

  • Portrayal Of The Monster In Grendel Excerpt By John Gardner

    730 Words  | 3 Pages

    Grendel the “Monster” Do not underestimate the power of a human being. Monsters are everywhere near and far. The sources that will be discussed are Beowulf (2007) film, Printed Cantos and textbook, and the Grendel Excerpt by John Gardner. The portrayal of Grendel in the movie differs greatly from the cantos and excerpt because in the readings he comes off as such a greedy monster, but in the movie he is lonely and in need of help.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Falsehood In Grendel

    864 Words  | 4 Pages

    It was a man. They’d cut his throat. His clothes had been stolen.” Grendel knows that some of the Danes had brutally killed one of their own, and wants to use the corpse as proof that he is not the only evil being in Hrothgar’s kingdom. Grendel goes to the Mead Hall to prove his point but stops to listen to the Shaper’s newest tale, “He told of an ancient feud between two brothers which split all the world between darkness and light.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Evil In Grendel

    519 Words  | 3 Pages

    Don't Judge a Person by their Looks: The Good and Evil in Grendel Imagine… A monster so hideous that it has “a voice to scream with, but no language; a presence to strike the heart with dread” (Gurewitsch). This monster's name is Grendel. The author John Gardner wrote Grendel to show the choices Grendel made to transform him into a monster. Grendel represents evil because he has made terrible choices all of his existence to become the monster that everyone feared; however a handsome, fearless, pure of heart man named Beowulf arrives to defend and protect the Danes from the monster.

    Read More

  • Existentialism In John Gardner's Grendel Vs. Beowulf

    1553 Words  | 7 Pages

    John Gardner’s wrote Grendel in a first point of view whereas, in Beowulf epic had Grendel in third point of view. Gardner’s novel has made a significant picture for Grendel than the epic. The good and evil personality has been the main conflict for both stories. However, Grendel in Gardner’s novel is confused how the universe goes but realized that there is some sort of pattern going on. Grendel is seeking to find the meaning of the life.

    Read More

  • Use Of Light And Darkness In Beowulf

    546 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Grendel is first presented, he is described as

    Read More

  • Beowulf Journal Essay

    1092 Words  | 5 Pages

    The main characters in the story are Beowulf, Grendel, Grendel’s mother, the dragon, and Hrothgar—king of the Danes

    Read More

  • Comparing Beowulf And Society In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1785 Words  | 8 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Grendel In Beowulf

    548 Words  | 3 Pages

    If Grendel were truly destined to be a killer monster, he would not have tried to keep himself from fighting back in the first place. Finally, even after Grendel had finally given in to his urges, and he begins to frequently raid the hall to kill men, he still practices self-control. Grendel knows that he could kill Hrothgar’s entire village in one night, and it would be very easy for him to do so. But Grendel restrains himself, and he even went so far as to kill fewer people during the times when the wars had caused the population of the village to decrease. “The army of the Scyldings was weakened, decimated…

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The Monster And Grendel

    435 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendel vs. “The monster” Grendel in the novel by John Gardner is very similar to “the monster” in Frankenstein by Mary Shelly because both Grendel and the monster feel like outsiders, they kill humans, and they both are able to learn new things. Grendel feels like an outsider because he knows he is different and he wants to know the truth of why he is what he is and why God made him that way. Grendel asks his mother “Why are we here?” which means that he is doubting his existence. Grendel kills humans in the mead hall while they are asleep.

    Read More

  • Essay On Grendel As A Monster In Beowulf

    637 Words  | 3 Pages

    To heighten the conflict between Grendel and religion, Grendel is described as “forever opposing the Lord’s will” (Heaney 28-29). In Anglo Saxon Culture, every aspect of society is focused around God. To be anti-religious is to go against all aspects of their society. Grendel is almost a physical manifestation of the devil, and nothing is able to “quench his lust for evil” (Heaney 52-53). The parallel between Grendel and one of the seven deadly sins strengthens his connection to sins against God, and thus more monstrous toward the Danes.

    Read More

  • Comparing Grendel's Mother And The Dragon In Beowulf

    603 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beowulf is injured in the fight, and he dies along side his defeated

    Read More

  • Outcast In Beowulf

    1082 Words  | 5 Pages

    Beowulf is an Old English epic poem. Seamus Heaney did a translation on Beowulf. Beowulf is separated into three different sections. In every story the hero and outcast all have a major, but different role to play. The major outcast in Beowulf is Grendel.

    Read More

  • Essay Comparing Beowulf And Grendel

    752 Words  | 4 Pages

    Grendel in both stories is described as a vicious "Monster", but is viewed differently. The character of Grendel, in the novel by John Gardner, portrays a different visualization than that of Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf. In the novel the story is told in first person point of view which gives Grendel human qualities while Grendel in Beowulf is told in third person point of view not giving Grendel his standpoint. In both works, the authors give two different perspectives of Grendel. Grendel in the novel is not seen as a "Monster", but as a human that has emotions and is very sympathetic about everything that comes his way.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Beowulf And Grendel

    968 Words  | 4 Pages

    Argument Essay: Beowulf and Grendel Many people have read or heard of the epic poem of Beowulf, which spins a tale of Grendel, the monster, attacking the admirable Danes and their king, Hrothgar. Some may not be as aware of a book titled Grendel written by John Gardner in 1971. Gardner’s book tells a completely different account of the more familiar tale of Beowulf, from the perspective of Grendel, the monster. The narrator from Grendel portrays a more plausible, powerful story than the excerpt from Beowulf by drawing the reader in with a more emotional viewpoint from the character Grendel, making him more relatable by giving him humanlike qualities, and clarifying why certain events took place in Beowulf.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Archetypal Analysis

    1363 Words  | 6 Pages

    Accompanying Beowulf is a book told from the monster's perspective titled Grendel by John Gardner. A consistent theme throughout Beowulf and Grendel is the utilization of the heroic code, which strongly values courage, loyalty, honor and strength - all of which Beowulf demonstrates in his

    Read More

More about Comparing Beowulf And Grendel

Open Document