Does morality make you a monster? The epic poem, Beowulf by Seamus Heaney describes how Grendel is cursed with Cain's prior actions by society, which makes him an outcast in the community, thus leading to his actions. Rage and vengeance lead this character down a road of murder, hate, and revenge. This essay contests the fact that Grendel is an existential character whose humanistic ways do not outway the monstrosity qualities of his actions and self. The definition of a monster is a person or thing that has cruel intentions and knows full adequately the harm they're causing. Grendel is an example of this, as he is highly aware of his actions and murders with intent. Grendel is a very deliberate and calculating killer who avoids harming the king and queen of Heorot for twelve years despite murdering the people in their community regularly, this indicates that he is not acting on impulse and is instead planning and carrying out his crimes deliberately. Thus, making his actions all the more monstrous, as he has chosen to inflict pain on others without any real reason. Some may argue that the Anglo-Saxons’ desire to avenge their fallen kinsmen is no different …show more content…
His skin is immune to all human weaponry and his strength is unmatched. This is something uncommon to a human. Even the strongest like Beowulf cannot withstand a weapon. Some may say Beowulf and Grendel have many traits of similarities, but Grendel's skin is immune to all human weaponry; this is something uncommon to a human and is uncommon to Beowulf since he dies with a weapon wound at the end of the poem. Almost making Grendel indestructible. Grendel possesses qualities no human can fathom, making his physicalities and mental abilities more of a monster than