Examples Of Grendel In Beowulf
A Misunderstood Little Monster: Grendel of Beowulf
Oftentimes, those who are seen as monsters may turn out be misfits, lonely, misunderstood and cast out of society. In the epic poem Beowulf, the sympathetic portrayal of the monster Grendel serves as a reminder of society’s cruel and unforgiving treatment of outcasts. Grendel, lonely and suffering, lashes out at any opportunity he comes across, putting all his aggression into his attacks. Indeed, he is first introduced as “living down/In the darkness” (ll.23-24), a pariah who “[haunts] the moors, the wild / Marshes” (ll.39-40). Just like any human being, Grendel suffers from anger and “[growls] in pain” (l.24). His backstory suggests that he has been living in pain for so long that he wants
Oftentimes, those who are seen as monsters may turn out be misfits, lonely, misunderstood and cast out of society. In the epic poem Beowulf, the sympathetic portrayal of the monster Grendel serves as a reminder of society’s cruel and unforgiving treatment of outcasts. Grendel, lonely and suffering, lashes out at any opportunity he comes across, putting all his aggression into his attacks. Indeed, he is first introduced as “living down/In the darkness” (ll.23-24), a pariah who “[haunts] the moors, the wild / Marshes” (ll.39-40). Just like any human being, Grendel suffers from anger and “[growls] in pain” (l.24). His backstory suggests that he has been living in pain for so long that he wants