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Beowulf And Grendel's Exile

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How does exile as a theme apply to Beowulf and Grendel? Exile applies to Grendel because he is related to Cain from the bible, and in the story of Cain and Abel, Cain kills Abel through jealousy. God punishes Cain by exile, he would have to wonder the land for the rest of his life and we can see how Grendel is alike. Grendel would not pay the price for death since he killed for fun so he was exiled, from humans and from God. Exile to Beowulf is different, he is on a hero's exile meaning he is separating himself from society to complete a quest for honor and fame. Beowulf is always making things harder for himself to be the best, so by going into this “exile” he tries to prove he is the best. How might they be used as a symbol for human nature? …show more content…

Not saying that all people have bloodlust but we do all have temptation. Beowulf’s temptation is different, he has lured himself to be a larger than life hero, he wants the fame like all other heroes in epic poems. Temptation is a desire to do something, probably something wrong. Cain was tempted by jealousy to kill his brother, Grendel was tempted by his bloodlust, and finally Beowulf was tempted by his pride to be the best even though he had to help the King. Temptation is in all people, it is what makes us human. Temptation is not necessarily the evil within us, but it is what makes us struggle in our decisions in

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Beowulf is an epic hero who fights for justice and honor making him the epitome of the civilized in the poem. There is an obvious divide between the high class Europeans

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This particular quote not only describes the atmosphere of Beowulf’s story, but also of the time in which Beowulf crafted. Misery and sorrow frequently filled the days of Beowulf’s time, as monsters and demons of all kinds hunted the terrified people for feeding purposes, as unannounced rulers, subduing the people from the shadows, killing whenever they wanted. Their malice was unmatched, and bloodshed was inevitable when demons such as Grendel had almost no one to stop them. The people began to lack protection as the demons targeted weary or drunken soldiers, tired with a day's agenda, and while they were sleeping, the monsters made a mess of the militants bones and flesh, and dined on their meat, while saving some for later. Hell-spawn of that time often gorged themselves to the brim, gleefully walking away from their victims carcass with a full stomach.

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Grendel’s story is not only from his perspective, but it also starts far before Beowulf enters the picture. Grendel does not even know of man’s existence before he encountered Hrothgar whom he starts to fear when he says “I knew I was dealing with no dull mechanical bull but with thinking creatures, pattern makers. The most dangerous things I’d ever met” (pg 27). His first encounter with these men left him wanting more. He spent most nights watching them in the shadows, trying to make sense of their actions.

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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.

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In the book Grendel he seems to change throughout the book. At the beginning of the story Grendel is sensitive , immature and very lonely. Giving a feeling of sympathy . That all changes when Grendel talks to The Dragon. When Grendel first meet The Dragon he was afraid of it. He was so terrified to ask him questions.

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Grendel in the novel is different from the Grendel shown in the epic poem Beowulf because Grendel shows a different side of himself. Grendel in the novel is much more complex, whereas in the epic poem, he is much more epic and destructive. However, in both the novel and the epic poem, the reader is able to see how short tempered he is in both. This helps the reader get a better insight of how Grendel actually feels throughout the novel rather than the way he is perceived in the poem, because it takes into perspective on how he lives his life and feels throughout the entire war. Grendel is much more epic and destructive in the poem, than the novel.

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Fiddlesticks “’Fiddlesticks, that’s what I said,” he repeated. “Why not frighten them? Creature, I could tell you things…”’ (Gardner 61) Written in 1971, John Gardner takes a character from the epic poem of Beowulf and fully develops him from a new point of view: Grendel, the monster.

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When Grendel is introduced in Beowulf, he is justified as a monster who is murdering Hrothgar’s men for sport. Relating Grendel to Cain, from the bible. “He was spawned in that slime of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for the crime

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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.

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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.

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The common characteristics of what makes a monster have remained constant throughout society: evil, isolated, violent. Monsters have no regards for social normatives, and cause chaos and destruction wherever they go. Grendel is no exception. In Beowulf, Grendel manifests every characteristic of a stereotypical monster. He is considered inherently evil, and is an outcast; he roams alone and commits devilish atrocities whenever he pleases.

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Further, it is later implied that though Beowulf is an instrument of God in doing this deed, “he is not entitled to enjoy Christian salvation,” since he was motivated by revenge and not salvation, as the former was what drove many non-Christian Scandinavians (Cain). Cain also remarked that the coming of Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons in the

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Thus allowing the reader to interpret the tone better because of how Grendel expresses his feeling. On the other hand, Beowulf gives the reader a generalization of how he sees society. Plain and simple. Beowulf only sees the world as good and evil, black and white, there is no gray area, causing the tone to be bland and boring due to no detail or unexpected turns. Beowulf overlooks society as a horrible place that only " the vicious raids and ravages of Grendel, his long and unrelenting feud, nothing but war...young and old were hunted down by the death shadow" (line 151-160).

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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.

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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.

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