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The Human Condition In Beowulf

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The human condition is defined by Dictionary.com as being the positive and negative aspects of existence as a human being, especially the inevitable events such as birth, childhood, adolescence, love, sex, reproductions, aging, and death (Dictionary.com 1). Although humans place confidence that they are remarkably different from their ancestors, humans share countless amounts of similarities over time that do not modify. Mortals cannot adjust these aspects, and will always experience them. These elements to consider range from loneliness to death. The poem, Beowulf, written by an unknown author demonstrates countless facets of the human condition, including loneliness, vengeance, greed, violence, gifting, mortality, and envy.
Gifting not …show more content…

Loneliness has always existed in the human condition and is inevitable. Although loneliness has shown in many different forms over time, it is still a key factor in the human condition. Whether exiled from a friend group or exiled from a kingdom, loneliness is crucial. It is an emotion that mortals have always experienced at one point in his or her life. One way loneliness is illustrated in Beowulf is through the monster, Grendel. Grendel encounters feelings of loneliness from being exiled from the townspeople’s parties. Since Grendel was a monster descended from Cain, he was not accepted by other …show more content…

Vengeance has always been a fierce feeling homo sapiens receive. Humans will always ache for revenge when a terrible event occurs to his/her loved one. A mother of a murder victim will always desire revenge. A father of a kidnapping victim will always demand revenge. Vengeance is a vital part the human nature. In Beowulf, Grendel’s mother represents vengeance as part of the human condition. After her son, Grendel, is exterminated, she immediately craves revenge on Beowulf and his people, the people who murdered her son. The fire-breathing dragon also portrays the emotion of vengeance in Beowulf. The dragon becomes incredibly vengeful due to a fugitive stealing its treasures from its cave. The dragon then raids the countryside and burns down home in

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330 Words | 2 Pages

Grendel: Human or Monster In the story Beowulf, the character Grendel is highly misunderstood. Grendel was born in the wild marshes outside of Herot. Being raised in such harsh conditions, Grendel grew to hate the Danes and God. As a descendant of Cain, he was banished as a small child and forced to live in exile with his mother.

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674 Words | 3 Pages

In the book Grendel, John Gardner conveys Grendel's loneliness by Grendel's attacks on the people showing the lack of companionship drives him to destroying other people through his actions, thoughts and relationships. Body paragraphs: Grendel's loneliness is expressed greatly through his thoughts. The authors describes Grendel's need to jeopardize others people life just because Grendel is unhappy. The quote, "Pointless, ridiculous monster crouched in the shadows, stinking of old men, murdered children, martyred cows" (Gardner 6). This proves Grendel's view of the world is horrid and he has nothing in his life meaningful to him.

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870 Words | 4 Pages

Society shunned him and, again, he was alone. Left to struggle with determining who he was and what his place was in the world. He had no self-identity, no idea as to who or what he was meant to be. Grendel seemed to only want to be accepted into society, to interact in their songs and gatherings. He would often ask, “Why can’t I have someone to talk to”.

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886 Words | 4 Pages

Grendel lived alone with his mother in an isolated place because he was not like the other people in the society. Comparably, after Victor created Frankenstein, he left him all alone wandering in the world without any help, and this made him feel lonely. The monsters were alienated because the people considered them as the undesirables of the community because of their monstrous looks. All they wanted was to integrate with the human society; by they were rejected and sent

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511 Words | 3 Pages

Nevertheless, Grendel’s isolation from animals, “The doe in the clearing goes stiff at sight of my horridness, then remembers her legs and is gone (Gardner pg.7)”, and other monsters, “”I see,” I said. It was to some extent untrue (Gardner pg. 65)”, leave him alone. He has no companions from the animals, who are scared of him, nor the other monsters, who he can not totally understand. Isolation from society deals major blows to self esteem and confidence. In Grendel’s case if society believes you are a monster, “”Friend!

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703 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel Grendel by John Gardner, Grendel’s largest internal conflict is whether or not he can overcome his predestined status of monster. Throughout the course of the story Grendel is influenced by both sides, human and beast, through the dragon and the Shaper. Although Grendel initially wants to align himself with the humans, no matter how he tries to communicate with them as an equal they will not accept his company, causing him to become lonely and angry. Grendel’s anger turns to violence, which makes the humans turn further against him and, as he is alienated from any sense of humanity he ever had, he eventually discovers that he has no choice and must fulfill his role as the enemy to humans. Initially, Grendel’s free will

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738 Words | 3 Pages

He is banished to the swamplands, which is described as “in a hell not hell but earth”. Grendel longs for the acceptance of mankind; he is jealous of the society that he cannot be a

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338 Words | 2 Pages

Beowulf is the main hero in the poem, and he travels to the land of the Danes to help King Hrothgar get rid of the monster Grendel. After having slain Grendel, there is still a huge crisis present. Grendel’s mother comes to the Hall of Heorot to avenge the death of her kinsmen by killing Aeschere. Aeschere is one of Hrothgar’s most trusted advisors, and his loss bear’s heavy on Hrothgar’s heart. In the culture displayed in Beowulf, the bonds of friendship and kinsmanship are very important to the characters.

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968 Words | 4 Pages

Readers can learn some things about Grendel in Beowulf but in order to dive deeper into the character and who he is, people go to the book Grendel. The book takes a closer look at Grendel and how he discovers the order and disorder of people and the world (Sanchez). Grendel is thought to symbolize the dark side of humanity, or the sins of man (Farrell). It’s easy for readers to sympathize with Grendel at points because he is a natural outcast of society. He is said to be the son of Cain and because of that he was labeled from day one (Sanchez).

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959 Words | 4 Pages

In the great epic, Beowulf, an unknown poet describes Beowulf as an invincible hero with the amazing strength stronger than any human ever, but does having the traits of an incredible warrior, make him a great king? A great king is loyal, generous, reliable and should be able to realize what he needs to do to make sure his people are safe. Beowulf is brave, strong, and extremely confident in his combat abilities, but Beowulf does not think about the possible effects of his actions. Beowulf cares about his fame, fortune, and legacy, but he often makes rushed decisions that risk his life and could potentially leave his people powerless and unprotected. During Beowulf’s transformation from thane to king, he has always had more of a warrior’s mindset,

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770 Words | 4 Pages

Meghana Sunder Mr. Wachtor English 12 31 August 2015 Beowulf Character Analysis In the poem Beowulf, we see the Anglo-Saxon hero. It is an epic of a hero who embodies the honor of the Anglo-Saxon culture and tradition. The poem in itself is an elegant script of Anglo-Saxon times. Composed in 8th or 9th century the epic was passed down from generation to generation orally and has no known author.

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1455 Words | 6 Pages

Revenge lies within us all, Revenge is an instinctive human characteristic. These emotions and actions associated are neither preventable nor controllable. Everybody has felt and taken action on the emotion of revenge, whether it 's your sibling, friend, or enemy. Revenge can bring justice but as well bring pain to someone else. Vengeance is an extremely popular emotion in today 's life whether it is terrorism or a dispute between family and friends.

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1080 Words | 5 Pages

Once upon a time, there was a marvelous warrior that was a hero to so many and king to some. In the story of Beowulf, the hero, Beowulf, must follow and go through the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey has twelve stages, or three acts. The stages go in the order: 1) The Call to Adventure, 2) Assistance, 3) Departure, 4) Trials, 5) Approach to the Inmost Cave, 6) Crisis, 7) Treasure, 8) Result, 9) Return, 10) New Life, 11) Resolution, and 12) Status Quo (Winkler). Since Beowulf is facing three different monsters, there is not only the story’s significant journey, but also multiple inside it.

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1033 Words | 5 Pages

The epic poem Beowulf is a classic tale of good versus evil. Good, as shown in the story, is any action that fights evil and defends the community and the people of it. The evil intent of Grendel, the story’s antagonist and cannibalistic murderer, who is depicted as a “fiend out of hell” (99), is strongly countered by the heroic actions of the stories main protagonist, Beowulf. The noble King Hrothgar is a role model for young Beowulf at the beginning of the epic, displaying acts of charity and wisdom throughout his life.

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503 Words | 3 Pages

A hero's journey is a pattern of narrative identities that appears in many dramas, storytellings, myths, and psychological development. The journey consist of twelve different steps and in the story Beowulf we read about the magnificent and rough journey that Beowulf and this men accomplish. Many people question if Beowulf is considered a hero and if what he did was good. The journey that he embarked on, leads me to believe that Beowulf is a hero and always will be. The first step in the hero's journey is called the “call to adventure” this is when something is disturbed from external pressure of from inner conflict.

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