Beowulf And Grendel Research Paper
Misunderstood Monster
The two works of literature Beowulf and Grendel are both based off of the Anglo-Saxon’s oral tale of the Geat hero Beowulf. Both stories take place between 500–600 A.D. in Denmark during the invasions of England by the Scandinavians. The story of Beowulf was first written by catholic monks in about 725 A.D. and tells the story about the Geat hero Beowulf coming to help the Danes take care of an evil monster named Grendel. In contrast the modern interpretation of the story of Beowulf written by John Gardner, called Grendel, tells the first half of the story Beowulf from the view of the monster Grendel. In John Gardner’s Grendel, Grendel displays several signs of goodness. Grendel’s attitude towards helpless animals, his innate dislike for violence, and his instinctive apology to the Danes after listening to the shapers songs are all “seeds” of goodness. These “seeds” of goodness are prevented from sprouting because of misunderstandings, the dragon’s foul guidance, and the dragon’s gift.
Grendel’s goodness is continuously suppressed by the misunderstanding of humans. When Grendel first encounter’s humans, the humans immediately mistake Grendel for a bloodthirsty monster because of his appearance. In the beginning when Grendel is still developing his moral and spiritual understandings of the world, …show more content…
When Grendel is listening in on the sharper’s songs at the mead hall he is caught by surprise, but when he thinks it his life is over he notices the dragon’s gift. The dragon’s gift made Grendel immune to all the Dane’s weapons and flooded Grendel’s head with ideas of power. As Grendel retaliated he abandoned his last “seed” of goodness as he slaughtered the Danes without remorse because in those moments, Grendel’s last “seed” of goodness was lost as he begins to believe that his purpose is to kill the Danes is a good thing to
The two works of literature Beowulf and Grendel are both based off of the Anglo-Saxon’s oral tale of the Geat hero Beowulf. Both stories take place between 500–600 A.D. in Denmark during the invasions of England by the Scandinavians. The story of Beowulf was first written by catholic monks in about 725 A.D. and tells the story about the Geat hero Beowulf coming to help the Danes take care of an evil monster named Grendel. In contrast the modern interpretation of the story of Beowulf written by John Gardner, called Grendel, tells the first half of the story Beowulf from the view of the monster Grendel. In John Gardner’s Grendel, Grendel displays several signs of goodness. Grendel’s attitude towards helpless animals, his innate dislike for violence, and his instinctive apology to the Danes after listening to the shapers songs are all “seeds” of goodness. These “seeds” of goodness are prevented from sprouting because of misunderstandings, the dragon’s foul guidance, and the dragon’s gift.
Grendel’s goodness is continuously suppressed by the misunderstanding of humans. When Grendel first encounter’s humans, the humans immediately mistake Grendel for a bloodthirsty monster because of his appearance. In the beginning when Grendel is still developing his moral and spiritual understandings of the world, …show more content…
When Grendel is listening in on the sharper’s songs at the mead hall he is caught by surprise, but when he thinks it his life is over he notices the dragon’s gift. The dragon’s gift made Grendel immune to all the Dane’s weapons and flooded Grendel’s head with ideas of power. As Grendel retaliated he abandoned his last “seed” of goodness as he slaughtered the Danes without remorse because in those moments, Grendel’s last “seed” of goodness was lost as he begins to believe that his purpose is to kill the Danes is a good thing to