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What Role Does The Monsters Play In Beowulf

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Monsters and enemies have been in books and stories for a long time. Monsters usually play the role of the “bad guy”, that tries to stop or defeat the main character from completing his task. The monsters in the poem represent and show that there are many fearful enemies that you have to defeat and save your town from if you want to be a hero. The monsters in the poem reinforce the heroic code because the missions Beowulf had to do always reinstated how fierce and dangerous the monsters that Beowulf had to defeat were. They showed how brave and strong Beowulf had to be to defeat these monsters and prove himself as a hero. One role the monsters play in “Beowulf” is that they reinforce the heroic code. Beowulf makes himself look strong …show more content…

One example is when he disproves Unferth’s criticisms about Beowulf losing a swimming race to Brecca: Unferth said, “You’re Beowulf, are you-the same boastful fool who fought a swimming match with Brecca? … you struggled seven long nights to survive. And victory was his, not yours.” This plays right into Beowulf’s hands when he can flip the script and use a story about the time he lost to basically explain how heroic he is. Beowulf slightly lost after swimming versus Brecca for a long time; during the race, he had to fend off many sea monsters that attacked him and Brecca. Beowulf then replied, “The truth is simple: no man swims in the sea as I can, no strength is a match for mine. … I remained near him for five long nights, Until a flood swept us apart … A monster seized me … But fate let me Find its heart with my sword, hack free; I fought that beast’s battle, left it floating lifeless in the sea.” Another monster that helps reinforce the heroic code is Grendel. Grendel had the city hopeless when he attacked and killed many. Hrothgar could not find an

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The monster in Beowulf, known as Grendel, is a representation of human fear, hatred, and impulse. On page 44, the narrator states, " He found them sprawled in sleep, suspecting nothing, their dreams undisturbed... He slipped through the door and there in the silence snatched up thirty men, smashed them..." Because the Anglo Saxons mainly lived on the coast of England, they feared that vikings or some other enemy will come attack them in the middle of the night. Grendel, this excerpt is a reflection of that fear,where Grendel is the enemy.

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