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Grendel And Beowulf Comparison Essay

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Movies are cinematic depictions of written ideas manipulated to appease audiences composed of ever-changing individuals. Within the epic Beowulf (Heaney 2000), and the film Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson 2005) you are able to make a clear distinction. The epic portrays one of the first cultures in human existence while the film portrays the modern culture that we are all familiar with today. The differences can be thought of as a representation of who we once were, and what we have evolved into today. In our culture today, we have lost sight of simplistic duality and have now evolved into an audience that needs more in order to be entertained. Through both these portrayals of entertainment, the characters are altered in order to please the cultural view of that time. In the epic Beowulf, Beowulf is “a thane, they declared, with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand,” (380) Essentially, Beowulf is a perfect being lacking any human flaws, and upon meeting Hrothgar, he begins an epic boast, “... they had seen me boltered in the blood of …show more content…

He is viewed as a monstrosity in both aspects, but they mainly differ through their characteristics. Grendel has no reason for his beastly actions but continues to maul and kill anyone that strays in his path for sport. “And his glee was demonic, picturing the mayhem: before morning he would rip life from limb and devour them, feed on their flesh…” (730) The line from the epic illustrates an example of how Grendel views the people of Heorot and the pleasure that is found in killing them. This version of Grendel presents the idea that there are no human characteristics present within him. He is pure evil, which continues to prove the simplistic duality cultural views the epic portrays. Grendel shows no signs of knowledge beyond his urge to kill which further leads to conclude that there is no way to compromise or communicate with the

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This quote from the poem only makes Grendel seem like he is a vicious monster but, if anyone had read the novel they would know that Grendel was all alone in a world where he was like no one else. Now in the novel and the poem there is philosophy but the difference is that in the poem it is an older form of philosophy. “That I, alone and with the help of my men, may purge all evil from this hall,” (Lines 244-245). This philosophy was written in. Time where people believed that they would fight because they wanted to be the hero for the

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336 Words | 2 Pages

Up until the end of Chapter 7, Grendel’s actions are influenced by the dragon.   He believes nothing matters, there is no good or bad, and everybody eventually dies. The people of Heort know Grendel as a monster and a killer and he lives up to his reputation.

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Grendel has changed from a impressionable and inquisitive cynical monster in the beginning, to a grieving child of Cain, longing for purpose. From this, he then transitions into a very aggressive monster, attacking ruthlessly but not without thought. After Grendel meets Beowulf, another character that his once again influenced his thought killing him, he slowly dies and finally understands everything he’s gone through. His last lines “Poor Grendel's had an accident," (He) whispers. " So may you all.”

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674 Words | 3 Pages

(Gardner 123). Grendel’s only thing he has is his power to beat things up and kill things that are happy unlike him. He is an upset person who is jealous of people that are

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870 Words | 4 Pages

To begin, when Grendel is first introduced he is alone, watching and casting questions towards a ram and the sky, however he receives no answer. This is a first look into the mindset of this descendent of Cain, Grendel has no one to speak to. Later on, when his mother is introduced, it is revealed that she is incapable of verbally speaking with her son. This lack of communication creates a canyon between Grendel and his mother, one that no bridge can cover. There is no mother or God to guide or teach him the ways of socialization, and so, he is isolated; watching the lives of others through a crack in a wall.

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817 Words | 4 Pages

In Beowulf, the epic, it states, “Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts (Heaney, pg. 9).” This shows that, in Beowulf, Grendel was just seen as

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435 Words | 2 Pages

Grendel vs. “The monster” Grendel in the novel by John Gardner is very similar to “the monster” in Frankenstein by Mary Shelly because both Grendel and the monster feel like outsiders, they kill humans, and they both are able to learn new things. Grendel feels like an outsider because he knows he is different and he wants to know the truth of why he is what he is and why God made him that way. Grendel asks his mother “Why are we here?” which means that he is doubting his existence. Grendel kills humans in the mead hall while they are asleep.

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523 Words | 3 Pages

Without the context of Grendel’s perspective, Grendel presents himself as purely evil, with no part of him being remotely good or innocent. Moreover, the book is a first person narrative that gives Grendel’s

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991 Words | 4 Pages

The film and epic poem Beowulf may seem alike because of their similar plots and characters, but when looked at deeper, it is clear that their cultural differences set them apart. Traditionally, epic poems are lengthy stories that praise the deeds of heroic warriors whilst reflecting the brutal reality of life. They expressed cultural pride and teachings, while telling everyone that we are hopeless in the hands of fate; that all human ambition ends in death. In our modern world today, movies are made to entertain, but more importantly to sell and make a profit.

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703 Words | 3 Pages

This is the beginning of Grendel falling directly into the role that the dragon said he would need to fill. Grendel’s murderous tendencies completely reflect the monstrous side of his personality and the more he kills the more he grows insane, separating from rational, humanistic thought. “I am swollen with excitement, bloodlust and joy and a strange fear that mingle in my chest like the twisting rage of a bone-fire... I am blazing, half-crazy with joy” (168). It is clear that, by the time Beowulf arrives, Grendel has embraced the fact that he is required to be evil, despite the fact that he previously claimed he would oppose that destiny.

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783 Words | 4 Pages

To begin with , Grendel seemed to be a creature of free will, there are a number of things to take into consideration ,the first and most important being a matter of his birth .Being born a monster put him at a disadvantage where his appearance was put before almost everything else . Grendel was often judged on his appearance as seen with the reactions of almost everyone who saw him . He often tries to choose his own fate but seems to hold

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980 Words | 4 Pages

He attempts to make peace, his actions are no different than those of others, and he is experiencing resentment. Although there is no excuse for murdering others, Grendel does not kill for the fun of it. His actions are just reactions to emotions he is experiencing. Furthermore, his willingness to make peace emphasizes the remorse he feels for the crimes he has committed. This also shows that he acted impulsively because of his strong feelings of resentment.

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637 Words | 3 Pages

Thus, with no notion of who Grendel truly is, the Danes already believe him to be

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631 Words | 3 Pages

The poem and movie of “Beowulf” are very different and they are also sort of similar. There are a lot more differences between the two than you would expect and while some of them are minor differences others are drastically different. Most movies are very different from the book they are made from. The biggest differences between the movie and poem were the three battles. The three battles have drastic differences.

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752 Words | 4 Pages

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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