Examples Of Monstrosity In Beowulf

Monstrosity The term monster is exceptionally ambiguous, and there are many different types of monsters. A definition a classical monster is a being that cannot reason and kills solely for the sake of killing. This definition fits Grendel as he is depicted in Beowulf, however, it does not fit him in Grendel. It is evident that Grendel is capable of logical thought and reason, and not a mindless beast. He better fits into this definition of a monster, a being that is capable of thought, reason, and that has a conscience in some form that still chooses to do terrible things. The fact that he is able to reason these things out, and that he still chooses to do them makes him even more monstrous. To understand this monstrosity one
Up until he met Hrothgar, Grendel had never even spoken to another being before, and this first interaction could not have gone worse. He was attacked simply because he was misunderstood, which will become a common theme in the rest of the book. His next influences are the shaper and the Dragon, and neither one of those is more positive than Hrothgar. They both influence Grendel further down the path towards monstrosity. The shaper and his stories paint Grendel as a monster, and he eventually comes to accept this role. When he speaks with the Dragon, he is only further told that he is a monster and that his purpose is to go and kill men. This is an attempt to make Grendel seem more sympathetic, but even his whole terrible developmental period do not excuse the actions he chooses to take and make them any less
After the first couple of killings he says he feels sick to his stomach, and regrets killing the men. However, after talking to the Dragon and conforming to his philosophy of Nihilism, he attempts to justify the killing that he does.While he is talking to the Dragon he also feels bad about scaring the men and making them suffer needlessly, which makes him want to repent of it. He is discouraged by the Dragon who treats this idea with great scorn. He does not try to justify his killings at first when he goes and kills because he wants to give into his bestial urges. Later on, he justifies his killing by either saying that nothing matters, I might as well do what makes me feel good, or by using the Dragon’s view which is “ You improve them my boy… You are, so to speak, the brute existence by which they learn to define themselves… Scare him to glory!” (73). Grendel grows to believe that has built them up through their suffering, and develops a god complex from it. What is monstrous about all of these actions is that he is capable of reason, and knows that they are wrong. His choosing to do them anyways, giving into his hedonism, is what makes him a