Examples Of Greed In Beowulf

The monster, Grendel, in the poem symbolizes greed and highlights its consequences. Firstly, Grendel represents greed since all his life he is been doomed to live in exile and, thus, craves prosperity, joy and power but cannot achieve it as is evident when the speaker says that he, “haunted the glittering hall after dark,/ but the throne itself, the treasure seat,/ he was kept from approaching; he was the Lord’s outcast”(Lines 167-169). This need for power and joy can be defined as a type of greed as it consists of a selfish desire. Also, the speaker describes Grendel’s hatred for humankind by saying that, “it harrowed him/ to hear the din of the loud banquet” (87-88). The use of the word “harrowed” indicates that it torments him to listen

Secondly, the speaker describes the irrationality and chaos that exists in the core of Grendel’s being by saying that, “no counsellor could ever expect/ fair reparation from those rabid hands” (157-158). This description indicates the repercussions of greed as it can cause immense irrationality because 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 represent 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 that govern it. Grendel contradicts the societal norms and values and is pure evil, and, thus, he is not expected to be fair or sensible, while seeking his “reparation” or revenge. On the other hand, there is an implication that the counsellor or the Anglo-Saxons put importance on fairness and equal retaliation. This exemplifies a clash between societal morals and ethics, and the detrimental and primal human emotions such as

This is evident when the speaker describes the dangers that Grendel poses to the Danes by saying, “all were endangered; young and old/were hunted down by that dark death shadow” (159-160). The point that Grendel causes absolute menace due to his greed is emphasized using alliteration in the words “dark death shadow”. Again, these lines emphasize that good and evil, in the form of indulging in greed, are both an integral part of human nature and everyone is affected by it whether it be an innocent child or an elderly person. Furthermore, the fact that greed leads to other self-destructive aspects of the Anglo-Saxon culture or human nature such as violence, irrationality, violence and vengeance is clearly indicated by the usage of the words “fair reparation” in the before-mentioned lines as Grendel, who symbolizes greed, is not able to get past his desire for power, reparation or revenge, and, thus, the speaker describes him as this wild and vicious monster “whose rabid hands” act without any remorse or restraint. The lack of remorse is also indicated when the poet portrays him as, “insensible to pain/ and human sorrow”