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Grendel's Parent In Beowulf

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Throughout time people have experienced a lot of different things and these different events have built how people think.Though set in the Anglo-saxon and medieval periods the epic poem Beowulf is an Old English poem written sometime between the 500s in Scandinavia, Because of that, the narrator is characterized as Omniscient Despite viewing both Grendel and his mother as very wicked and violent, the narrator uses kennings, imagery, and diction to portray Grendel as anger and violent for no reason while portraying Grendel’s mother as violent and vengeful.In Beowulf During this time period there was a lot of evil and Christianity didn’t exist at the time so people had a different way of thinking. The narrator is a Christian and it is hard for …show more content…

In the story Beowulf, Beowulf goes to Heorot Hall that’s where the attack on Grendel took place. During this attack Grendel wanted to kill everyone and eat them that was what motivated him to fight, but Beowulf has a different plan he was able to defeat and kill Grendel. This upset Grendel’s mother so much like it would hurt any mother to know someone killed their son,she wanted to met this Beowulf that killed her son. She wanted to kill him, she eventually got to him. When she got to him it says “repair him with her clutching claws wildly tearing at him” “she drew a dagger, brown with dried blood and prepared to avenge her only son” in other words she was going to kill Beowulf for what he did to Grendel. The attitude of narrator towards both Grendel and his mother is that they are very vicious and anger and demonic like because of all the killing they …show more content…

It says “he was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God punished forever for the crime of Abel's death” Grendel is from Cain's line Cain was the son of Adam and Eve that killed his brother Abel out of jealousy, it goes on to say “ The Almighty drove those demons out and their exile was bitter shut away from men they split into a thousand forms of evil spirits and fiends, goblins,monsters,giants.” This all goes back to the Bible because Cain called his brother God cruised his bloodline and because Grendel is apart of his bloodline that’s why he is a monster and demon like.The narrator shows us that although Grendel and his mother are similar they have different reason by saying things like “his crimes killing as often as he could, coming alone, bloodthirsty and horrible.” Grendel kills just for the fun of it he is vicious and angry without reason. While grendel's mother was vicious and anger it says “prepared to avenge her only son” she did it because they killed her son and she wanted them to pay for what they had

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ln. 19-23). This quote shows how Grendel was punished by God for murdering family just as Cain did to Abel. Murder of your own kin was one of the worst crimes that you could commit and I think this monster was created to deter this crime from happening. The story goes on to state “The shadow of death hunted in the darkness/ stalked Hrothgar’s warriors…”

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During, The Battle with Grendel’s Mother, “ Beowulf defeated Grendel's mother by using a specific sword, too heavy for an average man to handle, and killed Grendel's mother.” (line 513-525) The author illustrates Beowulf as a strong godlike individual. The importance of this passage, is that it portrays and supports the motif of strength within the characters of the story. Finally, in the final story we see how roles are reversed and the men to something honorable for Beowulf.

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He was a perfect mold for the descendant of Cain, because of his series of murders and attacks he committed. Beowulf decided to fight Grendel in defense of Hrothgar. Grendel had been lurking after Hrothgar’s warriors and Beowulf would not allow him to anymore. Beowulf believed if Grendel were to win the fight then it would be a terrible day. Grendel would walk around the corpse with no remorse, but only happiness and gloat his victory.

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He is a descendent of Cain, who killed his brother Abel. Because of this, God marked Cain and his descendents to all be despised by men. As seen in Beowulf, the story suggests that Grendel is related to Cain: “..monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished / by God, punished forever for the crime / of Abel’s death” (Beowulf 20-23). Moreover, society does not accept Grendel for the way he is; therefore they retaliate and fight against him because he is different from everyone else. As the King talks to Beowulf for the first time, he exclaims that Grendel “has brought them much trouble” and “surely Lord Almighty / could stop his madness and smother his lust” (Beowulf 209, 212)

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The cultural influences of Christianity can be traced to the presence of monsters in Beowulf. The depiction of the monster Grendel is a reflection of demons in Biblical nature. His existence itself “among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts” (David and Simpson 44) prove that as Grendel is a descendant of Cain, who killed his own brother Abel, he is an evil figure that stems from a Christian symbol of evil. Nonetheless, as Grendel is a spawn of Cain, Goldsmith argues that the poet wants to show the battle with Grendel “is part of the uncompoundable feud between God’s people and the race of Cain”(Goldsmith). Furthermore, while the battle to defeat Grendel is one to protect home and hearth by banishing evil, it is also an inevitable battle that will be forever connected between Christians and Cain’s offspring.

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While what we may be reading is not the exact terms that the original poet intended to use, we are using the translated terms to describe Grendel’s mother. In researching more extensively, in Old English, the original poet describes Grendel’s mother as “ides, aglæc-wif” (1259) which according to an Old English to Modern English Translator, “ides” means lady/woman, “aglæc” which means “trouble distress oppression misery grief torment” and “wif” which means wife. However, when translated, the translation is quite different. On the same line, in modern English, we get “monstrous hell-bride” (1259). Therefore, when analyzing the whole text to figure out who exactly is Grendel’s mother, perhaps it is impossible.

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Grendel’s death at the hands of his barbaric challengers produced a revengeful mother, whose only vow is to cause suffering to all those responsible… They say that a mother's love is stronger than distance, more powerful than time, and can be transcended to the grave. I watched in disgust as those cruel creatures celebrated the wrongful death of my beloved son. Murders are what they are; their crimes are unjust and gruesome, yet they believe they are the hero’s. I don’t recall a time when I thought so highly of myself, that I would celebrate my murder of another.

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In beowulf grendel is a demon from the depths of hell who hates happiness, when he realized that people in denmark where having a good time he grew jealous. Grendel can be read destroying the mead hall and killing anyone he can. (Source 6). His mother can be seen doing something similar to avenge her sons death after being killed by beowulf. Plotting her revenge, she decided to go and destroy denmark and kill the king (Source 6).

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At the beginning, we are introduced to Grendel ─ the evil monster ─ described as a powerful monster growing in pain as there is music in the Mead Hall. Hence, one wonders whether Grendel should be pitied, as some Danish fellows were playing loud music bothering him. Grendel is also referred to as demon from hell. Besides there is also an allusion to Cain ─ the oldest son of Adam and Eve who murdered his brother Abraham. That is why he is described as a violent creature.

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Grendel’s Mother in the poem seems like just the typical protective mom that is always there for her child. In the poem, she goes into battle with Beowulf, and fights to defend her boy’s name. Like the poem, in the movie, after Grendel is defeated by Beowulf and Grendel’s Mother finds out, she craves that vengeance of her only son. But unlike the poem, when Beowulf looks to go into battle with her, there is no battle he finds out that she is actually a very beautiful woman.

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After Grendel's death his mother took into action and decides to get revenge. Grendel's mother got very furious and cruel and kills the king's closest friend for revenge. She wanted him to feel her pain for losing someone really close to her. Her plan worked and so the king decides to call Beowulf for help. This shows us how much Grendel's mother cared about her son and how much she loved him.

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This is seen by her pinning down Beowulf before she attacks to show that she is committing a necessary evil and that she truly doesn't want to engage in killing. This kind characteristic is seen when Grendel's mother will “avenge her only son” as a sympathetic tone is used here to show the good side of Grendel ’s mom. Her actions were justified because her intentions was to simply avenge her son whom she deeply cared for. Diction is additionally used in words such as, “pounced” to show the fierce actions, demonstrating Grendel’s mom’s anger and at the same time her love for

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Grendel is classified as a monster due to his outsider status of being an outcast, unreligious, and dishonorable, which establishes him as the antithesis of Anglo Saxon culture. As an outcast of society, Grendel represents the idea that in Anglo Saxon culture unity and cooperation is what holds society together. In a world classified by kinship and strong family lineage, Grendel is “conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God” (Heaney 22). In a society focused upon blood lineage and strong family ties, to be related to a “monster“ in any form is something sinful, and cause enough for complete hatred.

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However, she never let herself grieve her loss, and no matter how hard she fought back, her son was not able to return. Just as humans make rash decisions that can leave a negative impact on others, Grendel’s mother had the same thought process going through her

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In the epic poem, Beowulf, there are clear distinctions between an epic hero and a monster. Beowulf is the prime example of a epic hero possessing characteristics such as superior strength, courage, and loyalty. On the other hand, Grendel and Grendel’s mother are characteristized as evil and immoral based off of their actions. These characteristics are presented throughout the poem, and monsters are given grotesque, hideous appearances to further prove that they are evil. After Beowulf kills Grendel, Grendel’s mother reaction revealed how the full presentation of a character can allow readers to react differently than before and even sympathized with them.

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