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Compare And Contrast Batman And Beowulf

932 Words4 Pages

Samin Ishraq
ENGL 2130
Dr. Jenny Joczik
10 July 2023
Compare and contrast them with other well-known “monstrous” characters in film, TV, comic books, and literature. Give specific examples and include images if desired.

Beowulf is an old English epic poem believed to be written in the 8th century (Britannica). The story is about a great warrior who defeated a heinous monster named Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a Dragon. Beowulf met his demise when facing a dragon and took down the dragon while also getting killed. I observed this resembles the story of David and Goliath a bit. This poem shares some similarities to characters from the Batman universe. Whereas Beowulf is a great warrior loved by the people, Batman started out as a vigilante who was …show more content…

Grundy's backstory varies in different media, but he usually lives in the swamp or underground areas. Grendel lived inside a cave. Before becoming an immortal creature, Grundy was Cyrus Gold, a murdered victim who swore vengeance and regenerates each time he dies without his memory and does the same things. His appearance resembles more of a zombie than a human because his skin is almost green and has white hair. He can be not very intelligent as he just recites the old poem that his character is based on most of the time or smart depending on how his regeneration (DC Comics). He has a huge body compared to Batman and is definitely a very powerful monster. When he is reborn with weak intellect, he can be tricked to do good things but that still does not excuse all the other crimes he has committed. He usually gets arrested and breaks out thanks to other villains in Gotham only to be defeated by Batman or other DC heroes. Grendel, on the other hand, shares similar physical features to Grundy, however, he is also an intelligent being. The fact that Grundy was inspired by a children’s rhyme shows there is still interest in old English

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Grendel the “Monster” Do not underestimate the power of a human being. Monsters are everywhere near and far. The sources that will be discussed are Beowulf (2007) film, Printed Cantos and textbook, and the Grendel Excerpt by John Gardner. The portrayal of Grendel in the movie differs greatly from the cantos and excerpt because in the readings he comes off as such a greedy monster, but in the movie he is lonely and in need of help.

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He is portrayed in the poem as a horrendous beast with human characteristics, but looking closer to the text, he is a human out-casted and raised to be a monster. Although Grendel is written as a monstrous villain who kills with no remorse, he is actually a complex human with a repressed anger exploding in bursts. Grendel is often described in a negative way. He is reffered to as a demon in the text “from Beowulf”

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Grendel in the novel is very different from the monster in Frankenstein because Grendel wants to and enjoys to humiliate and kill people, the monster in Frankenstein wants to be able to socialize with people without them getting frightened by his appearance. They are alike because they are both alone, they both frighten people with their looks, and they are not welcome in the human world. Grendel in the novel knows he is a fright to people, he is danger. He doesn’t seem to have a problem with that, but at the same time is not proud of it, either. He does like the pain of others, preferably king Hrothgar and his men.

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After the encounter, he describes that the dragon has put a “charm” in him and that is he indeed undefeatable because humans are “powerless”. Grendel, according to him, has transformed into a “darker” being and is “invulnerable”. The choice of diction by Grendel above creates a significant shift in the thoughts by claiming that life is meaningless and transforms him into a real monster. It is only due to the unacceptance, the unacceptance of a humane-minded being with only a different

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There are many examples from the story that make Grendel look even more monstrous than he already was, but that’s because the story is at the point of view of the monster. So, we’re able to see the natural habitat of the monster Grendel. Although, the young life of Grendel may be barbaric and monstrous to us, it’s not to Grendel, because that’s his life. As you can see, there many valid reasons why I believe John Gardner wrote Grendel to help us understand the monster’s mind. Grendel expresses his thoughts and emotions throughout the whole story, so we’re able to see how Grendel is feeling.

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This does not excuse his actions, but this does give the reader a chance to sympathize and understand why he committed such crimes and why he envies everything around him. Grendel chooses to be bad when he can be good, just like how most humans in real life, tend to choose to be mean and malicious because of how easier it is to be mean rather than heal from past trauma and become a better person from growing from past experiences. Grendel is a character almost any reader can relate

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All until “a hero” came to defeat him. One of the main things that lead people to believe that Grendel could be a human rather than a monster is the way that he reacts to Beowulf coming after him. There are many stories of the hero defeating the monster, but in nearly all of those tales the monster stood his ground, did not cower at the thought that he may die. This was the complete opposite of how Grendel

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We are not told much about Grendel, most of what we are told pertains to his mother not speaking to him, and being away from civilization his whole life. The more backstory a character is given, the more the audience is able to sympathize/pity the character. Due to Grendel not having a sad backstory, something to help reason with his actions, he is the more villainous and evil character in comparison to the

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Readers can learn some things about Grendel in Beowulf but in order to dive deeper into the character and who he is, people go to the book Grendel. The book takes a closer look at Grendel and how he discovers the order and disorder of people and the world (Sanchez). Grendel is thought to symbolize the dark side of humanity, or the sins of man (Farrell). It’s easy for readers to sympathize with Grendel at points because he is a natural outcast of society. He is said to be the son of Cain and because of that he was labeled from day one (Sanchez).

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Grendel is colossal, yet not brutish. Grendel is a character who is fit for getting the hang of, considering, feeling feelings and conveying. I think the reason Gardner let it know from Grendel's perspective in light of the fact that there are constantly two sides to every story. In the epic, Grendel is depicted as a just creature who is plain abhorrent and has no feelings what so ever. Grendel's surrender has

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Throughout the novel Grendel by John Gardner, Grendel comes across as a ruthless monster who takes pride in murdering others. His actions give the impression that he is an evil figure, but in hindsight he is not as evil as he appears to be. Gardner makes the readers feel sympathy for Grendel because Grendel lives a lonely life, is consistently treated poorly, and attempts to make peace. If Grendel was truly evil, readers would have difficulty having sympathy for him. Therefore, Grendel is not evil and is no different than the rest of humanity.

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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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Compare/Contrast Essay Beowulf is an epic hero, who is a strong and powerful man who comes from Sweden to Denmark to help a village that is being attacked by a man-eating monster named Grendel. Arthur, is a romantic hero who is the courageous king of Camelot who is a devoted leader and will do anything to protect his kingdom and people. Even though Beowulf and Arthur are two different heroes, they both share similar traits such as devoted followers, the use of magical weapons, and courageous traits throughout the story. Both epic and romantic heroes had devoted followers that helped them throughout battles. Beowulf was very strong, but when the people of Denmark thought he needed help.

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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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Very little is known about the epic poem Beowulf besides that the story was told during the Anglo-Saxon period, specifically between the years 500-1100. The author is unknown, due to the fact that the story was originally told verbally and not documented until much later. Like many stories told throughout the ages, Beowulf consists of many archetypes. An archetype is a recurring symbol found in literature, such as the Hero archetype. In this epic poem, the hero, Beowulf, travels from his homeland to Denmark to save a kingdom from an awful beast that has been attacking men late at night for over twelve years.

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