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Chaos In Grendel's Irrationality

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The poet describes the irrationality and chaos that exists in the core of Grendel’s being by saying how “no counsellor could ever expect fair reparation from those rabid hands” (157,158). This description indicates the repercussions of greed and how it can cause immense irrationality as all the laws and morals set in place in a society crumble when faced with this primitive emotion. The “counsellor” in the above-mentioned lines represents the wise and elderly who offer their wisdom and help the society retain its moral virtues in the poem and, thus, the “counsellor” could symbolize the Anglo- Saxon civilization and the rules and regulations that govern it. Grendel goes against the societal norms and values as he is not expected to be fair
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