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Grendel and beowulf comparisons
Beowulf and Grendel comparison essay
Beowulf and Grendel comparison essay
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Grendel and beowulf comparisons
Beowulf and Grendel comparison essay
Beowulf and Grendel comparison essay
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Nevertheless, I don 't recall hearing any glorious deeds of yours, except that you murdered your brothers. You 'll prowl the stalagmites of hell for that, friend Unferth—clever though you are" (Gardner 162). This clearly justifies the fact that Grendel is not a devious and destructive creature. In the quote Beowulf is boasting and smack talking and Grendel doesn 't do this much at all. So this is clearly conveying in my opinion that that Beowulf has a chance to stop the fighting and madness but he continues to boast and stir Grendel up.
Beowulf is brave and grendel is spiteful. They both act out pride because Beowulf is an epic hero and most epic heros let the pride eat then. In other words it gets to their heads, which then hurts them in the end. Grendel has more of a vengeful pride. He killed Herot men for fun and because he was annoyed by their stories.
In Beowulf, Grendel the dragon is looked at in a very negative light, as an evil character. This is due to the strong descriptive words that the author uses, such as: “a powerful monster…in darkness…growled in pain” (pg.41 L. ). These words paint a clear picture of Grendel, and it supplies you a feeling for how evil the beast truly is. The epic states that Grendel was “spawned in that slime” (pg.41 L.), giving a very dark image of what he was conceived into. Grendel is a character of true evil.
Beowulf the static character Beowulf mesmerizes anyone he encounters with his ability to accomplish impossible tasks. From fighting monsters underneath the deep blue sea to competing with gods in impossible competitions, he never ceases to amaze people all around the world. Because of his inability to lose or fail in battle, his arrogant personality remains stagnant throughout the story. For example, early on in Beowulf 's life, Grendel becomes known across the land for his tremendously evil strength and might. He needed to be stopped because of the damage he caused to the people of Hrothgar yet no one could stand up to his immense strength.
Unlike Grendel Beowulf is a human who is wealthy and is his father was known throughout the world for his actions. Beowulf has everything a normal person in Beowulf would want, but Grendel is the symbol of evil and hate to
Beowulf’s purpose within the epic is to drive it out the evil that terrorizes Herot. He is to take on Grendel, the beast who goes on killing sprees whenever he feels like it, alone. The whole point is to save Herot. Grendel throughout the epic is presented as dark, scary, monstrous, and most of all evil.
Grendel is the villain so many people through history were told about. He was the monster that haunted their nightmares. Then a powerful demon, a prowler through the dark, nursed a hard grievance. It harrowed him to hear the din of the loud banquet every day in the hall, the harp being struck and the clear song of a skilled poet telling with mastery of man's beginnings (Heaney 86-91).
Beowulf was the guy who would come and stop this hideous creature from being so nasty at once and for all. Beowulf came over from across the sea to come help King Hrothgar, he was the one who would be willing to stop the Grendel. In this story Beowulf exerts a lot of heroic stature from this, because he is coming to make an offer and try to help King Hrothgar. Beowulf wants nothing more them to help them get rid of this monster. In relations to the Story of Odysseus, beowulf and him both want to help when people are in danger, helping them fight their battles such as the Trojan war for Odysseus when he led that.
Both Beowulf and Grendel seem to be dominated by the id aspect of the personality at this point in time. Beowulf feels the need to fight an undefeatable foe…unarmed. He feels that he is invincible, and has a need to prove it to himself and the world. Grendel, on the other hand, is just stepping on ants. He is bothered by something, and has the power to alleviate the source of his nuisance.
In Grendel the themes of isolation, hatred, and the questioning of free will or destiny, are all themes throughout the story. Grendel the outcast and monster, tries to find his place in the world. The nature of human beings is examined through the eyes of Grendel, opposing the original epic Beowulf. The good and evil nature of humans is ironically questioned by a “beast.” The meaning of life, destiny or free will, all questions that everyone has at a point in time are all interwoven in this tale by a mythical creature.
PROMPT- Is Grendel really a bad character at nature? Or is he just misunderstood in a way? It is absolutely intriguing that Beowulf and Grendel are based on the exact same situation. While reading both stories, I have seen completely opposite perceptions of the protagonist, and antagonist.
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.
Beowulf is fighting for glory and to make a name for himself, but he is also fighting for the people that Grendel terrorizes. Beowulf is fulfilling his responsibility to the other
In the story “Grendel” by John Gardner, the monster Grendel is portrayed as a beast. Grendel is shown as a villainous monster in the epic poem, Beowulf. Throughout the story, Grendel shows characteristics including jealousy and bitterness. These features substitute Grendel's murderous intentions and turns him into an evil creature. Near the end of the novel, Grendel’s villian trends transforms his life into a never ending battle for acceptance.
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.