Grendel vs. Beowulf Essay examples - 969 Words

Grendel One of the most compelling and highly developed characters in the novel Grendel, written by John Gardner, and the poem Beowulf, written by an anonymous poet, is the monster, Grendel. Even though these pieces show two different sides to Grendel they are similar in many ways. Grendel evokes sympathy toward the hideous monster by making him seem like the victim, while Beowulf portrays him as being the most loathsome of enemies. The reasons behind Grendel#8217;s being, his killing, and finally his death make him one of the most controversial and infamous monsters in literature. Grendel is the man-killing monster that Beowulf portrayed him as being, yet he is also the lonely victim of a judgmental world. Grendel is a†¦show more content†¦If you withdraw, you#8217;ll instantly be replaced. Brute existence, you know, are a dime a dozen.#8221; The dragon is saying that even if Grendel decides to change his course in life and never kill another man, nothing will change. Man will be forced to find a new monster to wage war against, for good can not exists without some evil. Beowulf also hints at this by referring to Beowulf#8217;s first battle with the nicors in his childhood swimming race against Brecca. Without his defeat of the nicors, Beowulf would not have become thought of as a hero and therefore would never have been sent to protect Hrothgar#8217;s men from Grendel. Beowulf tells of Grendel#8217;s spontaneous attacks on the meadhall where he would kill and devour sleeping thanes until his thirst for blood was quenched. This description of Grendel shows his nature as an animal simply responding to his jealousy over human fellowship. As an animal Grendel#8217;s natural enemy is man, and mankind#8217;s natural enemy is the animal, Grendel. This epic poem tells of a monster that goes on killing sprees to overcome his envy of mankind. However Grendel portrays a monster that is innocent by nature. At first, Grendel kills as a sport, fo r fun. Then as time passes and Grendel#8217;s feelings toward mankind develop more fully he kills out of contempt. In the end, Grendel begins killing to protect himself from his own personalShow MoreRelatedBeowulf vs Grendel Essay713 Words   |  3 Pages The roles that Beowulf and Grendel played in the story were very easily deciphered. Beowulf being pure good, and Grendel being pure evil. One of the reasons of why the book â€Å"Beowulf† is so well known is because of the fact that it is one of the first stories of good vs. evil, or light vs. dark. In modern good and evil stories, there are super heroes with super powers. They use these powers for the good of the world and to help innocent people. In most cases there is a villainRead MoreThe Characters Of Grendel Vs. Beowulf713 Words   |  3 PagesNoble Grendel In what other book is the monster, the character with more nobility? Both monsters, Grendel and Beowulf, are brave in what they do but being brave is not all it takes to be noble. Grendel is more noble than Beowulf because of the truth he portrays through what he believes in, the perseverance he has when put into a dangerous situation or position, and the fidelity he shows toward his mother. Grendel is very truthful and he sticks to what he says. If he truly believed in a concept thenRead More Grendel Vs. Beowulf Essay928 Words   |  4 Pages Grendel nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;One of the most compelling and highly developed characters in the novel Grendel, written by John Gardner, and the poem Beowulf, written by an anonymous poet, is the monster, Grendel. Even though these pieces show two different sides to Grendel they are similar in many ways. Grendel evokes sympathy toward the hideous monster by making him seem like the victim, while Beowulf portrays him as being the most loathsome of enemies. The reasons behind Grendelamp;#8217;sRead MoreGrendel vs. Beowulf Comparison901 Words   |  4 Pagestranslation of Beowulf and John Gardner’s Grendel. Both novels are based on the idea of Beowulf killing Grendel. However, the two different points of view telling the story create vastly different novels. Beowulf highlights the heroic and positive world in which Beowulf lives. Whereas Grendel elucidates on the miserable life that Grendel is circumscribed to. The consistent variance in tone skews the events in two completely differe nt directions. The tone between Beowulf and Grendel differ in perceptionRead MoreGood vs. Evil Found in Beowulf807 Words   |  3 PagesGood vs. Evil Found in Beowulf In the story of Beowulf, there are many different themes found. Many people argue the main theme found in this story. This has been argued for a very long time and will go on for many more years to come. Although many themes in this story stick out and a main theme will never be accepted, one main theme is very noticeable in the story of Beowulf. The main theme found in Beowulf is good versus evil. Good versus evil is very easy to recognize. â€Å"Some peopleRead MoreCompare And Contrast Beowulf And Grendel725 Words   |  3 PagesRogalcheck Honors English 3 10/29/17 Grendel Point of View Essay Both the epic poem Beowulf and the novel Grendel depict the same storyline, but from different point of views. Grendel’s personality tends to be much more evil than he himself depicts in the novel. Since Grendel is the narrator of the novel, the audience only gets to know what the story is like from his point of view, which he stretches the truth on numerous occasions. But, in Beowulf, the poem has a narrator and is in the thirdRead MoreGood vs. Evil1659 Words   |  7 Pages Good Vs. Evil In Beowulf, the conflict between good and evil is the poem s main and most important aspect. The poet makes it clear that good and evil doesn’t exist as only opposites, but that both qualities are present in everyone. Beowulf represents the ability to do good or to perform acts selflessly and in help of others. Goodness is also showed throughout this epic as having the ability to cleanse evil. Even though evil is presented by Grendel, Grendel s mother, and the dragon, who are filledRead MoreGood vs. Evil in Beowulf1456 Words   |  6 PagesGood vs. Evil in Beowulf Beowulf is longest and greatest early Anglo-Saxon poem which was composed in England sometime in the eighth century AD by a literate scop. This poem was created in the oral poetic tradition. This poem is considered as an epic because it is a long narrative poem which composed in an elevated style, dealing with the glories of hero (Tolkien 24). The setting of this epic is the six century in Denmark and southern Sweden. The protagonist, Beowulf is a noble warrior representsRead MoreBeowulf: Themes1038 Words   |  5 PagesBeowulf: Themes The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is the most important work of Old English literature, and is well deserved of the distinction. The epic tells the story of a hero, a Scandinavian prince named Beowulf, who rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, a descendent of Cain, and of his exploits fighting Grendel s mother and a Dragon. Throughout the epic, the Anglo-Saxon story teller uses many elements to build a certain depth to the characters. Just a few of the important character elementsRead MoreA Summary of the Epic of Beowulf Essay1386 Words   |  6 Pages Beowulf is a story that takes place in medieval Europe, the main part of the story is about a knight, Beowulf, who has to fight evil creatures such as a dragon. No one is exactly sure who wrote Beowulf, Paleographers believe that the soul surviving manuscript was copied down in the late tenth century or early eleventh. This early copy of Beowulf is still around today. This single manuscript can be found in the British Library in London. Scholars believe that the story itself was written between