A long time ago in the land of Scandinavia, the Danes were dealing with a monster. Lead by Hrothgar, the Danes stayed in Heorot, a mead hall, where they ate, slept, drank mead, entertained and planned battles. It seemed peaceful and also a great place to be. That was the case, until, some of the crew started disappearing at night. Heorot wasn’t safe anymore and needed help. Hrothgar knew someone, a great warrior, who owed him a favor. This warrior went by the name of Beowulf. Beowulf was a Swedish native who had won many battles and had shown brave acts over the years. In this epic poem, he would go on to fight not just one monster, but three monsters. The monsters in this epic relate to The Bible, the story of Cain and Abel, which give them human qualities. Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. Cain offered a fruit that had fallen off of a tree while Abel had offered the finest flesh of his sheep. God showed respect for Abel’s offering but he wasn’t too fond of what Cain had offered. Cain then became jealous of his brother and had killed him. …show more content…
Grendel was someone who the Dane’s believed to be evil because the Lord’s love was unknown to him. He was carried by emotion and whims and felt jealousy and loneliness. This had given Grendel similar human characteristics to Cain in The Bible. He wanted to be accepted by humans but they only saw a monster, a sinner, a demonic superhuman of pure evil. He felt like he would never get accepted and never live a normal life, so he decided to attack Heorot out of pure jealousy that was shown by Cain in The Bible. Beowulf and his men laid in the mead hall, pretending to be asleep as Grendel was searching for his next victim. Beowulf secretly got up as Grendel moved near. At the right moment, Beowulf grasped the monsters arm, pulling it off from his body. Grendel fled, in agony, back to his den to suffer and later die
Monsters are born in literature through their words, origins, thoughts, and actions. Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer, as well as Burton Raffel’s Beowulf, contain such monsters that are large impediments to the hero’s quest. Also the expeditions or quests are affected in terms of intimidation by the monsters who are always overwhelming at first to the pessimistic eye such as how the Israelites viewed Goliath, the Philistine, when David went to fight him. A monster’s thoughts, origins, and words are often used to construct the description of monstrosity in literature and are very critical.
What actually happens when three monsters terrorize a city and there is only one guy to save the city? It is quite an easy answer to this question. Although, to understand what happens, the three monsters have to be analyzed. The three monsters. Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon, in Burton Raffel’s epic, Beowulf, are unique to their physical attributes, capabilities, living quarters, attack methods, and motives.
Heaney writes about Grendel’s feelings and says “he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts”(Heaney 104-107). In this example, Grendel is isolated and withdrawn from the Danes and the rest of humanity because he is a monster. Heaney also refers to Grendel as having descended from Cain, who was a Biblical figure who was shunned by “the Creator” for killing his brother. Figuratively referring to Grendel as being an ancestor of Cain also points to the divide between good and evil in
Where do Monsters lurk In every superhero book or movie there is a form of a monster. It does not have to be and actual monster, it can be just the villain that 's apart of t he story. A monster is an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening. In the book Beowulf there is a monster by the name of Grendel, this monster was a great terror and destroyer of Denmark and he mostly targeted the Danes, a town led by King Herod. This monster was unlike any other monster, he had a tactic to what he did whenever he would come and and eat the people of the town.
He carefully strategized his plan to defeat Grendel. He waited for Grendel to come to Heorot, then surprise attacked him. Grendel put up a fight, but Beowulf was stronger and more intelligent. Beowulf ripped the arm off of the beast, sending him away to die. Not only did Beowulf have to defeat Grendel, but Grendel’s mother came back for revenge, so Beowulf set out to the darkness where Grendel and his mother lived.
Being an epic hero, Beowulf was very brave and battled many immortal creatures. One monster he came across was Grendel. “Conceived by a pair of the monster born of Cain, murderous creatures banned by God..,”(44), Hrothgar’s men would say. This is a reference from the Bible, showing the evil portrayed in the monster Grendel. This monster went to Herot and killed thirty men just because he was hungry.
This scene is relevant due to its differing plot from the other two slayings. During the killing of Grendel, Beowulf tears off his arm and ultimately destroys the wretched monster alone and without frivolous weapons. When the duel between Grendel’s mother arises, Beowulf
Stories about monsters appeal to humans because they provide the right amount of fear and danger, pushing on the boundaries of comfort. There are examples of monsters in literature as old as The Odyssey of Homer which includes monsters such as the sirens, and as new as the Harry Potter series which includes the monstrous Voldemort. In these stories, as well as others such as Beowulf, Grendel, and The 13th Warrior, the monsters in each are critical to the storyline. The monsters in Beowulf, Grendel, and The 13th Warrior are determined by the perspective of each story, and represent the main characters’ fears.
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.
There is a cause and effect to the many events you put yourself through, whether positive or negative it may affect your chances to a new beginning in the future. Outcast because of their ?physical appearance, Grendel and Beast create isolated lives for themselves; however, Beast recognizes the transformative impact of love, while Grendel gives in to his inner darkness. Grendel’s isolation is based on his genealogy and his resulting appearance; therefore, battling the challenge of being alone. According to Gardner’s, Grendel antecedents go back to Cain, the one considered as “brother-slayer.”
Throughout the poem, Beowulf fights three different monsters and in each of these situations he chooses to begin the fight without their help. He enters into combat with his men by his side, but when the actual fighting begins he defeats the monsters with very little help from them. Beowulf’s strength and physical prowess was unlike any other man in comparison to his height and incredible grip. Furthermore, Beowulf can be categorized as an outcast based on his personality traits. The main character is set apart from the other warriors because of his courage and humility.
A genuine definition of a monster is an "imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and frightening," but in the poem Beowulf a monster has much more meaning than just an imaginary creature. Monsters were commonly used in stories written during the pagan times. Throughout the plot of ‘Beowulf,' the protagonist Beowulf faces many obstacles that include fighting monsters: Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a Dragon. The monsters in Beowulf are present for a substantial reason to contribute towards the story, and they are symbolic of many qualities in the Anglo-Saxon culture.
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
In the poem Beowulf, there is a contrast between good and evil. This distinction is presented through the monsters Grendel and his mother, in parallel to the hero Beowulf. The themes of evil and monstrosity are therefore used in the story, as a way to create the notion of Grendel and his mother as monsters. Beowulf therefore appears as a character representing good. Although Beowulf shows traits of abnormal power, like Grendel and his mother, his motifs are interpreted differently.
The epic poem Beowulf is a classic tale of good versus evil. Good, as shown in the story, is any action that fights evil and defends the community and the people of it. The evil intent of Grendel, the story’s antagonist and cannibalistic murderer, who is depicted as a “fiend out of hell” (99), is strongly countered by the heroic actions of the stories main protagonist, Beowulf. The noble King Hrothgar is a role model for young Beowulf at the beginning of the epic, displaying acts of charity and wisdom throughout his life.