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Essay about the character beowulf
Arthurian legends times essay
Analyses of beowulf
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay about the character beowulf
Arthurian legends times essay
Analyses of beowulf
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
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.
When Grendel last words “Poor Grendel’s had an accident . . . So may you all” . These words are used as a curse because just like Grendel suffered from an accident everyone else will suffer to . For example , “It was an accident,” I bellow back. I will cling to what is true.
In the book Grendel he seems to change throughout the book. At the beginning of the story Grendel is sensitive , immature and very lonely. Giving a feeling of sympathy . That all changes when Grendel talks to The Dragon. When Grendel first meet The Dragon he was afraid of it. He was so terrified to ask him questions.
Fiddlesticks “’Fiddlesticks, that’s what I said,” he repeated. “Why not frighten them? Creature, I could tell you things…”’ (Gardner 61) Written in 1971, John Gardner takes a character from the epic poem of Beowulf and fully develops him from a new point of view: Grendel, the monster.
Beowulf is a story about a geatish warrior saving Denmark from the god-cursed Grendel, killing Grendel’s mother, becoming king of the Geats, and fighting a dragon. It is a classic take on the Anglo-Saxon society and their ending. This paper will be discussing about whether or not Beowulf was altruistic in his quest to save Denmark from Grendel. Altruism is the act of helping others for unselfish reasons, rather than for ones own benefit. Beowulf is not an altruistic character in his quest to save Denmark from Grendel.
The Beowulf poet doesn’t describe Grendel and his mother’s appearance because it makes people imagine how the giant monster is supposed to look like. Yes, the poet should have left a brief description of their appearance. When people can imagine the monster’s looks they can make it look scary by their standards. People have different ideas of what they would find scary, and if they get a detailed description of a monster they might not find that monster’s image as scared as it could be. They can imagine if Grendel’s claws are strength and sharp like a knife or are curved and thin like a cat’s claws.
In this story I (Grendel) am going to tell you how I an ogre died because of misjudgment. They judged me without knowing me and turned me into a monster someone I never thought I would be. It was a warm sunny day in the swamps I took off to wonder like any other day. I would play in the forest and sometimes I would also get hurt while playing. Other times I would get lost and get really scared but, mama would always come and find me.
The “Monstrous ogress” was “savage in her grief,” and her actions become even more beastly than her sons (Beowulf 1258-76). Women in this Germanic Warrior society were meek, so the actions of Grendel’s mother greatly contrast with the typical behavior of a woman in this time period. Grendel’s mother’s gruesome actions are beastly in nature, but her emotions of outrage and grief for the murder of her son are human. Once again, Beowulf’s victory of the savage monster shows the overall theme of good winning against evil.
Complete isolation is not the only contributing factor to Grendel’s savage raids and aggressive behavior. The label and detestation that he receives from the humans themselves prove this. Ironically, the society who dubbed Grendel “evil” is the same society that tormented him to the point of consuming humans. The reason that Grendel is even debated to be evil is because of the humans that showed him hatred and brutality. At their first meeting, Grendel narrates, “Darts like hot coals went through my legs and arms and I howled more loudly still,” (Gardner 27).
Grendel attacks the Danes because he is an evil creature, and hates the happiness of the Danes in the Heorot hall. All the noise that the men make causes Grendel to become very irritated and does not want them to be celebrating and partying at all. Grendel's attacks kills many Dane warriors. Grendel wants to kill every single warrior that is the Heorot hall. The only thing that can help the men stay alive is if they are not in the Heorot hall.
Grendel’s Mother is not named yet her very existence is independent of the male social code. As a female monster that exists on the boundaries of the (male) civilised world she can cross the boundaries, into Heorot, just as her son could. Grendel’s Mother “rage in her grief” takes on the masculine role of vengeance and uses violence, not words of diplomacy, in seeking revenge. She even has her own private space, a mere with “blood on the water” with “serpents and wild beasts”, within. This is a feminine and bloody space that speaks of the mysteries of the female body, the monsters: the fear men have of what lurks within.
The common characteristics of what makes a monster have remained constant throughout society: evil, isolated, violent. Monsters have no regards for social normatives, and cause chaos and destruction wherever they go. Grendel is no exception. In Beowulf, Grendel manifests every characteristic of a stereotypical monster. He is considered inherently evil, and is an outcast; he roams alone and commits devilish atrocities whenever he pleases.
The charcter that came alive for me is grebdel brendel is a character in the story beowulf the reason he came alive for me is he represents all in the story he was fueled by lonliness jealusy and anger grendel was fueled by many things in thisstory one was lonliness loneliness everyone has experieneed at one point eating alone or going to game how you know this in the story you learn he was one of evil spirits grendel was exiled from living among human beings this leads you to see the lonelinness is of the emotion that fueled grendel in the story
After Grendel’s death, she channeled all that hatred and grief towards the people that harmed her child. Her love for her child lead her to commit these acts. Even though her actions are considered evil, it is natural to feel some sort of pity and sympathy for Grendel’s mother after her loss. Unlike Grendel, Grendel’s mother doesn't kill or destroy randomly. It is clear that she only wanted to take revenge for her son and targeted those that harmed him.
The anger from her son's death turns her into a strong fighter. Grendel's mother is able to take on Beowulf, himself a strong warrior. The text, Beowulf, says, “She paid him back quickly with angry claws and clutched him against her,” when talking of her battle with Beowulf. Grendel's mother is of strong character thinking of only her poor son. She cannot be hurt by a normal sword and so she continues to give a good fight.