Comparing Beowulf And John Gardner's Gren

Beowulf and John Gardner’s Grendel are two stories separated by hundreds of years. Though they both tell the same essential story - the epic hero Beowulf’s battle with the devious monster Grendel and other foes - they seem as different as can be. Beowulf is an epic poem, a story as old as stories themselves are. Grendel is a work of prose, told from a villain perspective, and revels in philosophizing and moral ambiguity. Yet, while Beowulf and Grendel may differ in execution, they both ultimately argue the same point: stories are what give our lives meaning.

The most obvious difference between the stories is the way they portray their protagonists. Both epitomize the values and struggles of their respective cultures, yet both are wildly different.

Anglo-Saxons believed that there was nothing after death, and that the only way to achieve “immortality” was through stories; achieve something worthy of being remembered, and one’s name and legacy will be remembered. Ironically, though Beowulf is meant to show the superiority of Christian values over Anglo-Saxon ones, its very existence proves the worth of the Anglo-Saxon beliefs. Beowulf has achieved immortality: his story is still being told today. In Grendel, this idea is explored more thoroughly. Though Grendel can recognize the storyteller’s (known as the Shaper) songs for what they really are (distorted tales of glory that only bear a passing resemblance to actual events), the fact that the stories are lies does not matter. Grendel is entranced regardless, saying “Thus I fled, ridiculous hairy creature torn apart by poetry” (Gardner 44). And, after another encounter with the Shaper, he says “It came to me with a fierce jolt that I wanted it… Even if I must be the outcast, cursed by the rules of [the Shaper’s] hideous fable” (Gardner 55). Grendel wants to be part of the stories, even if it means playing the villain. Grendel is initially hesitant, saying “It was one thing to eat one from time to time… but it was another thing to scare them give them heart attacks, fill their nights with nightmares, just for sport” (Gardner 60-1). But after the Dragon confirms that his purpose is to be “the brute existent by which they [humanity] learn to define themselves," Grendel finally accepts his role in the story (Gardner 73). It is interesting to note that this action does not bring him happiness, but it does bring him a reason for him to exist. And, like Beowulf, accepting his purpose allows him to achieve immortality, to have his name remembered and his story