Grendel from the book was a totally different Grendel from Beowulf. In Beowulf we see Grendel as an evil monster that wanted to kill everyone and had no feelings. But we know that he did have true feelings for people and for himself. “My head aches” (page 13), is an example of something we would have never known by watching the movie. We also know that he cared deeply about his mother and other people. We also would have never known that he was actually very intelligent and could…
It gives the reader the feeling that he does not possess the same thought processes as humans do; therefore, he is characterized as a monster. However, in this novel, Grendel’s point of view and thoughts are more developed and deeper than how he is portrayed in Beowulf. The readers get a glimpse of the story through his eyes and it may change their view of Grendel. He is a solitary and disoriented creature who is misunderstood by humans and all those around him. He looks for a place to belong and his quest is to know who and what he…
Beowulf, an epic poem written in England in the 8th century, introduces us to a character known as Grendel, a vicious beast who terrorizes a village in Denmark. In 1971, an American author named John Gardner reintroduces the character, this time re-telling the story from the monster’s point of view. In both stories Grendel is portrayed in many similar, but also many different ways.…
In defining the isolation and hatred that Grendel has experienced throughout his whole life, Gardner creates an anti-hero that has more defining characteristics than that in the “Beowulf” text. In all, without “Grendel” the reader would not be able to experience a different perspective that differs from its medieval origins but adds a new layer to complex…
“Poor Grendel’s had an accident, I whisper. so may you all” (Gardner 174). I think it is Grendel’s hatred of the society of mankind that develops throughout the novel, leading to his ultimate curse he lays upon them with those words. “I knew I was dealing with no mechanical bull, but with thinking creatures, pattern makers, the most dangerous things i'd ever met” (Gardner 27). This quote is an example of why I think Grendel's last words refer to a curse to mankind. Grendel believes mankind are the most dangerous and terrifying creatures out there and deserve to be cursed as they have treated him so bad. For example “But they were doomed, I knew, and I was glad. No denying it. Let them wander the fogroads of Hell” (Gardner 53). Grendel wishes…
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.…
Many novels are an allegory, a novel in which it has a literal meaning and a metaphorical meaning. Sometimes the literal meaning is important but many readers will lose the meaning of the literal part of the novel. This is especially true in the novel, Grendel. The zodiological and philosophical content in the novel, Grendel, have pushed out the whole other perspective of the novel, which is in Beowulf’s point of view.…
A hero is a person noted for their act of courage and nobility of a purpose. In the novel of Grendel by John Gardener, there is a hero but he is not who would think it is. The issue of who the true hero is illustrated through the conflict between Grendel and Unferth. Grendel is treated as a monster that killed villagers and considered embodiment of evil. Unferth goes after the “monster” in order to have his name live forever in history and, apparently, to save his people. While they both share the same primal instinct of survival, there are several major differences between them. Grendel is the hero of the story because he is proud, intelligent, and strong under fire.…
Grendel is one of the three major antagonists in the poem "Beowulf". We are told he is a monster and a descendant of the biblical figure "Cain" early on in the text. "Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend/Grendel who haunted the moors, the wild /Marshes, and made his home in a hell./Not hell but hell on earth. He was spawned in that slime/Of Cain, murderous creatures banished/ By God, punished forever for the crime/ Of Abel 's death." (Lines 101-108).…
Even though Beowulf fought to protect his people, he was very arrogant and cocky. In the poem, on page 53 lines 356-358, it states, “The victory, for the proof, hanging high from the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monster’s arm, claw and shoulder and all.” Grendel’s mother may represent the evil but she also has a little bit of good in her. Even though she killed a lot of people, she was only doing it to get revenge for her son’s death because she thought that was the right thing to do. Grendel sees Beowulf as an evil person because he is trying to save the people that worship God. Beowulf sees Grendel as the evil person because he he killed innocent people. Grendel’s mother sees Beowulf as the evil person because he killed her son and took a trophy to show off his victory. Good people are always going to have others that think of them as the evil, and that also goes the other way around for the evil person.…
In This Descriptive essay, I will be writing about the Monster "Grendel,' from the story of Beowulf. I will be giving details about him, while he is in action in a scene of the story, which will lead to my conclusion of why I believe he is a coward, a horrible monster, & above all, an obmination.…
First of all, the writers of the Beowulf screenplay changed several things about Grendel. In the poem, Grendel is portrayed as a “man-eating, troll-like creature,” (Lawall 1174). In the film by Zemeckis, Grendel is more of a frail, child-like creature. The change of Grendel from monster to a child-like being takes away the fear of the beast that the original story put in the reader. Also, throughout the screenplay, Hrothgar implies that he is the father of Grendel. In the scene after Beowulf’s triumph over Grendel’s mother, Hrothgar says to Beowulf, “The mother, the hag... She 's not my curse, not anymore. Not…
A home is a place where one lives and feels most comfortable. In John Gardner’s Grendel, the dragon is a character that has a large influence on the way Grendel thinks towards the end of the novel. He also is responsible for Grendel’s decision to attack the Scylding people, and eventually this decision led to Grendel’s “unexpected” death. The dragon impacts the Anglo-Saxon people because his words influence Grendel to raid the Scyldings, he impacts Grendel by presenting a different outlook on life, and the character reflects the meaning of the book because he believes everybody has a set role in the world and they cannot change that.…
In the epic of Beowulf, one of the warrior’s biggest adversaries is a creature from the swamp named Grendel. Although the character of Grendel is present for only a short portion in the story of Beowulf, Grendel signifies one of the important messages in the text about humanity. In Beowulf, Grendel is called a ‘monster’. However, if observed closely, analyzing the meaning behind the story, it is easy to see that Grendel is not a typical monster, in fact, it doesn’t seem like he is a monster at all. There is much evidence within the short period of the text where Grendel is present, which indicates he is not a true monster. In observing the relationship with his mother, his circumstances of his given situation, and his own actions it is obvious that the character of Grendel is extremely complex and is much more than just your typical ‘monster’.…
Grendel's purpose was very obvious in Grendel. He is merely trying to get the humans to stop destroying him home. This is a war that they started and Grendel was just trying to finish it. Grendel is Beowulf is portrayed as…
