Who Is The Antagonist In Beowulf

In most of the epic stories like Beowulf, the main character is presented to readers. How he thinks and how he faces the antagonist is the focal point. However, modern authors and directors replace this traditional method with its opposite. We start to see the stories through the eyes of evil characters. For example, In a version of Beowu lf by John Gardner, Grendel tells the story and many missing points are clarified such as why Grendel is immune to weapons, why he attacks to the mead-hall and what he thinks during all that bloodshed.

In the epic, Grendel attacks the mead hall of King Hrothgar and no weapon could hurt that ‘’beast’’ while many mighty warriors are killed by him until the hero, Beowulf comes to succor. He ‘’scorns’’ to kill him with a sword. Instead, they fight each other with bare hands and Grendel is defeated. When reading the text, the question why Grendel could not be killed by any weapon while Beowulf end his life with his bare hand, arises in readers’ mind. In the version, however, we learn that Grendel is cursed by a dragon to be immune to

Is just an act of animal? There is no explanation in the epic but in the sixth chapter of the novel, Grendel is much more humanlike. He has the capability to think, reason and speak.So,he wants to join Scyldings but we sense that he would not be accepted by the society because of his physical appearance. He goes out of control. Man by man, he becomes the beast they claim. He explain the reason why he become such a horrible giant. ‘’ I had become something as if born again. I had hung between possibilities before, between the cold truths I knew and the heart sucking conjuring tricks of the Shaper, now that was passed. I was Grendel, Ruiner of Mead halls, Wrecker of Kings.’’ To some people, it may sound unnecessary but the reflection of Grendel’s ideas and of the change goes through strengthen the story in the