Comparing Beowulf And Grendel's Mother

In several ways, Grendel’s Mother could be seen as The Dangerous Woman. In Beowulf, Grendel’s Mother is treacherous and fierce, which are common traits of Dangerous Women. However, Grendel’s Mother is missing a few key characteristics that are linked to the idea of The Dangerous Woman. Grendel’s Mother also relates multiple ways to women from Greek mythology.

The battle description of Grendel and Beowulf fighting is very different than the way Beowulf and Grendel's Mother fighting. When Beowulf and Grendel were fighting he relied on the strength that the Lord had given him. Which in return, he tore Grendel's arm off with his bare hands. The fight with Grendel's Mom he gave us very human like qualities. He relied on his war gear to protect him, in this case it did save his life. However, if Beowulf had only relied on his strength, the Mother would have killed him several times.

In the poem, Beowulf, the main character acknowledges God as his guardian. Beowulf in the poem recalls fighting with Grendel’s mother, he notes, “The flight would have been straightway if God had not guarded me (Beowulf 56)”. In this quote, Beowulf acknowledged God and showed his humbleness for God realizing that Grendel’s mother could have killed him in battle. According to the Bible, First Peter 5-5-6 it notes, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time”(King James Bible). The quote’s meaning, with the quote on page 56 emboldens believers to depend on God, when they are in need of help, and he will guide them through their trial and tribulations. He will care for you in the time

13. The Danes and monsters have in a sense traded deaths, but it is not over yet. They have traded deaths in the way that Grendel killed many of Hrothgar’s warrior as they slept in the hall and then Beowulf killed Grendel by slaying off his arm. Grendel’s mother is now present and enters Herot, just as her son did, and “took a single victim”. Grendel’s mother is said to have taken a special members of the Danish men in revenge for them killing her son. It states, “She’d taken Hrothgar’s closest friend… She’d killed a glorious soldier, cut a noble life short.” (Lines 18-20). Beowulf got revenge, now Grendel’s mother has, so next Beowulf is back to kill Grendel’s mother.

Beowulf talks about a creature from some other world when in reality this "monster" is actually a mother following the same rules of revenge that Beowulf himself follows. Grendel was killed by Beowulf for no reason other then fame and fortune and as Grendel's mother she is "grief-racked...and desperate for revenge" like any other

She shows no sign of intelligence and functions like a wild animal. Her son describes her as “Life-Bloated, baffl[e], long-suffering, hag”(Gardner 11). Her mental handicap prevents her from coherent speech, causing her to only make sounds such as “Dool-dool” and “Warovvish” (Gardner 145). Similar to Beowulf, she feels the need to protect her son. Before Grendel heads off to Herot for one last time she has a motherly instinct to not let him leave, for fear of his oncoming death. “She tries to prevent me”(Gardner 147). Compared to Beowulf, Grendel’s mother has the mind of a true

This passage starts off with Grendel's mother fully intended to get revenge from her son's death. The passage goes on to explain the kind of women Grendel's mother is and the thing she does to men when in battle. After the explanation Grendel's mother is in the mead hall and takes Grendel's claw along with taking and killing Hrothgar's closest and noblest friend. Unable to be stopped because Beowulf and the Geats were given better beds that night, soon after that tragedy, Beowulf is sent to the lake were Grendel's mother lives. The lake is described to be never-ending where the mist looks like black clouds (line 427-428). It is said that if Beowulf defeats yet another evil from Herot he will be rewarded in gold and ancient

Grendel’s mom was trying to grab Beowulf a lot and he struggles to escape each time. She lunged and managed to catch him in her brutal grip, when he hit her with his sword it bounced off and did nothing. In the end he finds a giant sword and kills her. Grendel’s mom is infuriated from Grendel’s death and out for revenge. She possesses some characteristics such as violent and repulsive features as her son.

In the Movie, Beowulf is asleep in Heort after slaying Grendel when he has a nightmare about grendel's mother, awaking from it to see that she has silently murdered many of the men in Herot. Grendel's mother takes off her own sons head. This is the only token beowulf has brought back. Beowulf and Wiglaf travel to the cave, where beowulf enters alone. As the dragon flies back to Herot. Which ends up getting attacked. The entrance to Lair is deserted. Beowulf is aware of the weak spot in the dragon's neck, from a story told from him years ago. Hrothgar declares beowulf kinf before he commits suicide. As no one witness nesses Grendel's mother slaughter, it is Hrothgar that Beowulf learns of her identity. Unferth gives Hrunting to Beowulf before

Grendel’s mother, on the other hand, is not such an easy foe to understand. She serves a function as a sort of feminine antitype. In Anglo-Saxon society, a mother was given purpose through her son . This is seen when Hrothgar says ‘whoever she [Beowulf’s mother] was who brought forth this flower of manhood, if she is still alive, that woman can say that in her labour the Lord of Ages bestowed a grace on her’ (941-945), when talking about what Beowulf has achieved. Grendel’s mother goes against this, acting for herself when her son is killed. Despite her deviant actions, she is never named in the poem, known only as ‘Grendel’s mother’. She is

Revenge is the first characteristic we are going to discuss. Grendel's mother in the epic poem was not visual to the public she usually just stayed in her den. Grendel spent most of his days causing chaos because of how happiness made him feel. He(Grendel)took out most of his anger by killing the people in the hall where the people of the town celebrated. When Beowulf came to the town and killed Grendel by ripping his arms off his mother came to do the same. Grendel mother was infuriated and wanted to find the person who killed her son and do the same to them. She attempted to stab Beowulf with a dagger during the story after she attacked the town and Beowulf and his men pursued her. Herot was her playground for one night but that night was when Beowulf

She was only trying to get back at the men that killed her son, but Beowulf saw her as a threat to Heorot. Years later, after the death of Grendel’s mother, a new monster

Grendel’s mother, likewise, exhibits evil completely. Grendel’s mother is furious when she hears about her son's death and promises revenge. She kills the king’s most trusted advisor and sends the Danes back into a panic. Beowulf swoops in to save the day and shows his strength and courage again. Grendel’s mother is bigger and more villainous than Grendel, so the fight is not as easily won for Beowulf.

During Mid-evil times humans tended to fear the thought of another being having powers or different qualities than them. They feared other beings to be more superior to them. Grendal’s mother is a villain that is portrayed in two different characterizations and two different films of Beowulf. In the 2008 version of “Beowulf,” Grendal’s mother is represented differently then in the 2005 live-action version of “Beowulf.”

Mankind has a certain way of getting away with actions and still manage to play the innocent victims. In the epic, Beowulf, by an Anglo-Saxon poet, Hrothgar, the town’s king, and the citizens are terrorized by a ‘frightening’ creature called Grendel, and a hero, Beowulf, in desperate need comes to the rescue, but in the novel, Grendel, by John Gardner, Grendel’s backstory is further explained, justifying his actions, yet it seemed as if the people in the story were supposed to play the innocent role. However, in both pieces of literature, the humans are the true monsters due to their cruel actions such as their misusage of power, the harsh interaction with Grendel and the lies and jokes they make.