Grendel, the ravaging monster who lies outside the borders of the Dane society, despises the cries of happiness and boastfulness. He is the “name of the grim demon,” who descended from the dangerous Cain (102). Representing the epitome of evil, Grendel attacks at night while all the villagers are feasting and drinking. Grendel's path of destruction lasted for 12 winters. His actions are motivated by real human emotions such as jealousy and wickedness. Despite Grendel's actions, there is one hero by the name of Beowulf who stands up to Grendel in the mead hall. While all the Dane's flocked to their homes on one night, Beowulf and his men, known as Geats, awaited the threatening Grendel. Unfortunately, he stormed through the doors, he "turned
He is portrayed in the poem as a horrendous beast with human characteristics, but looking closer to the text, he is a human out-casted and raised to be a monster. Although Grendel is written as a monstrous villain who kills with no remorse, he is actually a complex human with a repressed anger exploding in bursts. Grendel is often described in a negative way. He is reffered to as a demon in the text “from Beowulf”
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.
Francesca Sciacca The night is crisp and clear. In the sky stars caress the bright full moon. A creature trudges across a grass field. He pauses, inhales deeply as though he just got the scent of his next prey.
Grendel is disturbed by the Danes enjoyment of life and happiness; for revenge he ruins their enjoyment and happiness. Grendel is a descendant of Cain, “he was spawned in that slime, conceived…monster” who was a “ murderous creature banished by God”(19-22). He finds harassing and killing innocent people entertaining. Beowulf comes and vanishes Grendel and stops him from continuing his evil acts. On the other hand, Beowulf and the Danes assume “Grendel`s elimination” is the last monster they will encounter, but “believing that [the] evil has been eradicated” the unexpected happens, “Grendel’s mother appear[s]”(Kardaun 1).
The Wyrd Cross between Christianity and Fate in Beowulf/Grendel 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.
Hrothgar built a mead hall, which got attacked by a monster named Grendel. Grendel then took and killed 30 men. This happened for twelve years that Grendel killed the warriors over night. Beowulf heard the cries for help from the heroes as well as, his grandson, Hrothgar.
Grendel was a being sung about in the songs of the shaper, who twisted tales to fit his own means. In the song Grendel was made out to be a wretched monster, without intellect, who only sought to kill. This wasn’t the case entirely. Grendel was determined to enter society, to be a part of their gatherings, instead at every turn he was chased away, cursed, and attacked. He was only a monster to those in the mead hall, a beast who could never be a part of them.
One 8 feet tall, put together by multiple people's body parts, the other a giant, angry, man eating monster, the monster from Frankenstein and a monster named Grendel. Grendel is a fictional character first introduced in the novel Beowulf. He is the protagonist to Beowulf, exiled from civilization. Grendel was born an outcast from society then slowly became what he was always told he was, a monster. What makes Grendel such a successful villain is his lack of remorse for anything.
In “Beowulf,” there are many concepts of good and evil portrayed in the epic poem by an unknown author. Beowulf brings good to the Geats. The people would say he was a gift from the Gods to battle and demolish the evil. The monsters, however, cause trouble to the people and bring out the evil in everything. These elements of good and evil help define this an epic poem.
Pointless, ridiculous monster crouched in the shadows, stinking of dead men, murdered children, martyred cows” (Gardner 54). Grendel recognizes that it is the isolation that has turned him into what he is. He has seen how the humans have rejected him and tried to kill him, the first person viewpoint allows us to share this experience with
Grendel is a powerful, evil creature that terrorizes the people of Heorot. Grendel’s violent behavior towards innocent people clearly indicates his monstrous nature. Grendel regularly attacks the people of Heorot, killing and devouring them without remorse. “An evil idea came over me-so evil it made me shiver as I smiled-and I sidled across to the table” (83). A desire for violence and destruction drives him, and his attacks cause widespread fear and panic among the people.
Grendel is classified as a monster due to his outsider status of being an outcast, unreligious, and dishonorable, which establishes him as the antithesis of Anglo Saxon culture. As an outcast of society, Grendel represents the idea that in Anglo Saxon culture unity and cooperation is what holds society together. In a world classified by kinship and strong family lineage, Grendel is “conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God” (Heaney 22). In a society focused upon blood lineage and strong family ties, to be related to a “monster“ in any form is something sinful, and cause enough for complete hatred.
In the epic poem Beowulf, the protagonist, Beowulf, faces three “monsters” at different times in his life. The poem begins with Grendel, a monster who attacks only in the dark of night, tormenting the kingdom of Hrothgar. The last two sections of the epic detail the conquering by Beowulf of Grendel’s mother and the dragon. The battle between the monsters and Beowulf represent the theme of good versus evil in the poem, as well as the fusion of pagan and Christian ideals in the changing Germanic society. Grendel’s mother’s actions directly juxtapose the role of a woman in this time period, and the greediness of the dragon with his treasure contrasts with the virtues of what would be considered a good king.
Grendel was this grim beast who haunted the moors and secluded fens; this troublesome one had long lived with monsters since the Creator had declared his exile. Grendel had been punished and separated from the company of man and God through the sins of Cain. Being a descendant from Cain, Grendel is full of evil and deceitfulness. This fuels his hatred, and a desire to destroy goodness from the world of which he can have no part in. His first night of violent attacks was describe as “The unholy creature, grim and ravenous, was ready at once, ruthless and cruel, and took from their thirty thanes; thence
Grendel attacks the Danes because he is an evil creature, and hates the happiness of the Danes in the Heorot hall. All the noise that the men make causes Grendel to become very irritated and does not want them to be celebrating and partying at all. Grendel's attacks kills many Dane warriors. Grendel wants to kill every single warrior that is the Heorot hall. The only thing that can help the men stay alive is if they are not in the Heorot hall.