In both works‚ Beowulf and Grendel‚ Grendel himself is generally given the same connotations. He is given kennings‚ called names‚ referred to as the evil spawn of Cain‚ and even viewed as a monster; but why? Why in both books is he a wicked‚ horrible‚ person who is harshly excluded from everyone? After stumbling upon John Gardner’s book‚ it was halfway expected that some excuse would be made for Grendel; that he wasn’t really the inexorable monster the thanes in Beowulf portrayed him as. But all
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the most famous of epic poems‚ especially in the Anglo-Saxon works of literature. All things in the world boil down to being either of the two‚ good or evil. In the story Beowulf good and evil are portrayed in a very black and white manner. There are two main characters representing both‚ one good and one evil. The good character being Beowulf and the bad character being Grendel. Their reputations‚ the manner in which they use their strengths and their surroundings define the good and evil characters
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in John Gardner’s Grendel serves as a mentor for the main character‚ Grendel. Grendel visits the Dragon in his underground lair in hopes of finding purpose and meaning to his life of killing humans. However‚ Grendel quickly discovers that the Dragon has a unique viewpoint on life. The Dragon tells Grendel that he has the ability to see into the future‚ and‚ as a result of this vast knowledge‚ life has no real purpose. The river of time can not be slowed or altered. He tells Grendel that his place in
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unfamiliar with until we talked about it in class. The relationship between Grendel and existentialism was profound to me not only in the way that it drew lines of symmetry‚ but in the way that it helped me to interpret the concepts behind the philosophy. This quote spoke to me because it demonstrates how Grendel is pressured into living an existentialist lifestyle by the very forces that he says push upon him. Grendel delves into the psyche of a man-beast whose only choice is to react to the world
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The Battle with Grendel Summary: As the Danes slumber‚ another sinister monster trudges toward Heorot. It is Grendel’s mother‚ who is also dammed to spend eternity in the dark moors. She has passed the day mourning for her dead son‚ and she comes to Heorot seeking vengeance for his death. When she bursts into Heorot‚ the warriors awake and grab their weapons. She is not as strong as her son is‚ but she still is strong enough to devour one warrior and snatch the arm down from its place on the
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Hrothgar and his followers leave Herot‚ and Beowulf and his warriors remain to spend the night. Beowulf reiterates his intent to fight Grendel without a sword and‚ while his followers sleep‚ lies waiting‚ eager for Grendel to appear. THE BATTLE WITH GRENDEL 235 Out from the marsh‚ from the foot of misty Hills and bogs‚ bearing God’s hatred‚ Grendel came‚ hoping to kill Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot. He moved quickly through the cloudy night‚ Up from his swampland
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individual. Evil is typically perceived as the dualistic opposite of good. While many characters in literature throughout history are conceived as evil‚ two distinct characters stand out from the rest; Macbeth in Shakespeare’s definitive tale Macbeth and Grendel in the legendary masterpiece Beowulf. These two literary figures both exemplify traits of gullible ambition‚ avaricious guilt‚ and true wickedness. The two pieces of literature depict the terrible effects that these traits‚ as well as many others
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Authors often have to choose between concentrating on either plot or social commentary when writing their novels; in John Gardener’s Grendel‚ any notion of a plot is forgone in order for him to share his thoughts about late sixties-early seventies America and the world’s institutions as a whole. While Grendel’s exploits are nearly indecipherable and yawn inducing‚ they do provide the reader with the strong opinions the author carries. This existentialistic novel can be seen clearly as a narrative
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Meaning in a Meaningless Place In Grendel‚ by John Gardner‚ the character Grendel considers the world to be cyclical and ponders the meaning of existence. Throughout the novel‚ the Shaper sings songs which persuade listeners to think life and the universe is greater than it actually is. The Shaper represents the power of illusions to create meaning in a meaningless place. The affects he has on the characters‚ builds the themes and conflicts in the novel. The power to create illusions is based
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Out from the marsh‚ from the foot of misty Hills and bogs‚ bearing God’s hatred‚ Grendel came‚ hoping to kill 395 Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot. He moved quickly through the cloudy night‚ Up from his swampland‚ sliding silently Toward that gold-shining hall. He had visited Hrothgar’s Home before‚ knew the way— 400 But never‚ before nor after that night‚ Found Herot defended so firmly
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