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Grendel's Character Analysis

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Grendel’s idea of himself changes throughout the book, as he grows and meets new people. At first Grendel wonders what his purpose in this world is? Why was he created? Curiosity then turns into frustration and anger, he can’t answer his question. At one point Grendel even asks the Heaven for answer, “I ask the sky. The sky says nothing, predictably. I make a face, uplift a defiant, middle finger, and give and obscene little kick”(6). This shows that after that Grendel has lost hope in ever knowing who he is, but will take out his frustration. Without an answer he now believes that he doesn’t have a purpose, that he’s existence was just a coincidence. For example, he says “Pointless, ridiculous monster crouched in the shadows, stinking of dead men, murdered …show more content…

Grendel’s hatred for men grew, and he was even more evil. For example, “My heart became darker because of that”(76). He felt as though he had finally become something in life and called himself “Grendel, Ruiner of Mead Halls, Wrecker of Kings”(80). However, he also goes on to say that he felt more alone than ever even if he knew his purpose now. Moreover, was still bored he wanted to be in an epic battle since no one could match him. This changes in chapter 9, when the monster sees a group of men arrive, one of them extremely strong which made Grendel have two emotions. For instance, “I could drop into trance with those shoulders. He was dangerous. And yet I was excited, suddenly alive”(155). Grendel now knew that his other purpose was to fight this strong man, and might not win this time. The monster wondered if he was ready for this, and if he was scared. In conclusion, he was right when the two were confronted even though it started good for him it ended bad. Beowulf defeated the monster, as he was dying Grendel wondered if he was happy because he accomplished his destiny or

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Grendel remains in an inner conflict with his beliefs throughout the entire story. He is directed by two compelling desires in which play a role in introducing him to the divergences between good and evil. The Shaper convinces him with his meaningful music, whereas the dragon persuades him through his ideology of nihilism. Both the Shaper and the dragon play a part in influencing his views on the human society.

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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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656 Words | 3 Pages

As Grendel is swaying in suffrage from a tree, he has epiphany of the truth about his universal role in the kingdom. He also realized that there is only fate. “I understood that the world was nothing; a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears. I

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313 Words | 2 Pages

Equally important, the innocence Grendel had as a child provide an outline for his lack of baneful intentions. One act of innocence that has shown through Grendel’s entire life, from childhood until death, was a tendency to call for his mother when in danger of any kind. Putting this into perspective, shortly before the death of Grendel, on page one-hundred and seventy, he calls for his mother for the final time. “Mama!” he is heard bellowing.

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330 Words | 2 Pages

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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639 Words | 3 Pages

Especially , because he knows the songs are not true. Grendel went back to the mead hall to hear The Shaper sing a song once again. This time Grendel did not feel anything at all. For instance , he said “ I know only that it had a strange effect on me : it no longer filled me with doubt and distress , loneliness , shame . “

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226 Words | 1 Pages

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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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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321 Words | 2 Pages

At the end of Chapter 12, Grendel’s last words were “Poor Grendel’s had an accident … So may you all.” (Gardner 174). Such words are meant as a curse to affect mankind. To start off, Grendel’s relationship with humans are not great.

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546 Words | 3 Pages

When Grendel is first presented, he is described as

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487 Words | 2 Pages

Pointless, ridiculous monster crouched in the shadows, stinking of dead men, murdered children, martyred cows” (Gardner 54). Grendel recognizes that it is the isolation that has turned him into what he is. He has seen how the humans have rejected him and tried to kill him, the first person viewpoint allows us to share this experience with

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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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1144 Words | 5 Pages

This time however, he is swept away by a person name the Shaper, who Grendel is ultimately scared of, because of the fact that the shaper is very good at changing the view of people very easily. During this same period, Grendel started to become more violent as well, first by attacking the humans. Grendel didn’t like the way Hrothgar lived and made the Mead Hall and in response, Grendel started to attack it at night. He killed anyone and everything that came into his sight, and even ate the humans. Grendel now became a real threat to the humans, which inevitably changed his status from sinister to pure

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980 Words | 4 Pages

In response, Grendel runs to the hall and shouts “Mercy! Peace!” (51). His willingness to ask for peace shows the remorse he feels for his actions. He realizes his actions have resulted in him being viewed by others in a negative

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752 Words | 4 Pages

In the epic poem it says, "Grendel's one thought was to run from Beowulf, flee back to his marsh and hide there" (Beowulf 314-315). This quote explains that the people at Meadhall believed that Grendel was startled by the way the people responded back on his attack. This makes the readers think that Grendel was not confident enough to take the people at Meadhall down because of his fearful view. In this attack from Grendel, in the novel he not viewed as if he was terrified but in the epic poem he was, however, this part of the stories was then lead by his

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