Epic Of Beowulf Essay: An Analysis Of The Dragon

This led Grendel to have conversations with two very influential people who made Grendel into Grendel which were the shaper and the dragon. The shaper told Grendel a bunch of lies and Grendel knew that they were lies but they sound so good he let the shaper continue to tell them. The shaper told Grendel lies but the Dragon had the most negative effect on Grendel. The dragon act like he had some “power” and he knew everything so he told Grendel how the humans felt about him. The Dragon got a lot of humor from Grendel’s face when he found out how they felt. After hearing that Grendel didn’t want to scare the humans anymore but dragon encourages him to. Once he left from his talk with the dragon he felt uselessness until he realized he had some kind charm which protected him from getting hurt. Being invincible caused him to get a little cocky in a sense he said, “I am Grendel, Ruiner of Meadhalls Wrecker of Kings!” (Ch.6, pg.80) Though he could destroy any humans all he ever wanted was a

Like many whom suffer the same disorder, Grendel completely changed his mind, extending from one topic to the exact opposite. He goes against his own ideas as if he were two totally opposing characters. He also always thought the dragon was near. Grendel allowed the ways and beliefs of the dragon to get in his head. He would claim he could “smell the dragon’s scent” whenever something sinister occurred. All of these symptoms, in addition to the isolation from Hrothgar’s people lead to the overall cause in withdrawal from society. Grendel’s emotional disturbances caused him to react completely unreasonable and rather foolish many times within his life.

Set in an era long before the customs of contemporary western civilization, Heaney’s translation of Beowulf follows the courageous hero through an epic journey that solidifies his figurative immortality. Much like the Greek’s great Odysseus or the Roman’s devout Aeneus, Beowulf serves as an impressive and almost godlike warrior for the Anglo-Saxons, providing insight into the constituents of greatness for that society. Confident in his abilities and committed to his task, Beowulf voluntarily embarks on a mission to defeat Grendel, the treacherous enemy of the Danish kingdom. Beowulf solidifies his classification as an epic hero as he satisfies his quest for glory, saves a kingdom from destruction, and reveals the values of an era.

Beowulf makes his final boast. He says that, even though he is old, he shall “still seek battle, perform a deed of fame” by killing the dragon. (Norton59)

Throughout the novel, Grendel finds himself in certain situations or comes in contact with certain people which alter his thinking. Grendel clearly displays that he is growing and maturing, and the absorption of the two juxtaposing characters, as well as other minor things that juxtapose one another confuse Grendel. He learns that some humans are good and some are bad as well as creatures. Grendel views the Shaper as ultimately good and a beacon for hope for Hrothgar with his people in contrast to the dragon who is viewed as a destroyer of humanity. The presence of the shaper in the novel stops Grendel from giving into nihilism completely and it is not until after the Shaper’s funeral does the reader see that Grendel commits fully to the dragon’s philosophy.

Peace!” The Harper broke off, the people screamed. Drunken men rushed me with battle-axes. I sank to my knees, crying, “Friend! Friend!” They hacked at me, yipping like dogs. I held up the body for protection.” In the end man was too afraid of Grendel to befriend him, so they tried killing him and would have succeeded if Grendel gave them the chance. So now Grendel, not getting any answers from his mother or man he is forced to go to the last source of help that can possible help him, the dragon.

The novel “Grendel” by John Gardner can be seen as reconstruction of “Beowulf” an epic tale with the considered beast showing his innocence and loneliness. The novel and the epic are models where there are two point of views on a main situation. In “Grendel” the monster is someone who is lost through the words of the Shaper and the Dragon, and is trying to fit in and make friends. Due to the words of the Dragon Grendel is able to be comfortable with being seen as a monster and takes on the role of a villain. Through the novel one can see how the author express himself after being involved with the death of his brother. John Gardner’s novel, “Grendel” can be seen as a reflection of the author’s life involving the death of his younger brother through the way the characters act and specific details, Grendel’s interactions with his mom, and the ideology and principles.

John Gardener’s ‘Grendel’ depicts the monstrous Grendel, previously portrayed as the vicious villain in ‘Beowulf, journeying through his life, attempting to achieve some kind of self-realization. Spending much of his time observing humans, Grendel develops a great disdain for religion. Gardener reinforces Grendel’s with anti-religious quotes from poets and philosophers, like William Blake and Francis Nietzsche. As his spiritual void increases, Gardener slips into an existential despair, fueled by the talk of the Shaper, who’s strangely persuasive words confuse Grendel’s underdeveloped mind. Finally, as Grendel slowly recognizes he is separate from men, his encounter with the dragon drives him to the self-realization that he is a monster

During his encounter with the Dragon, Grendel does not wholly understand what he is being told and calls the Dragon a liar for the majority of the scene. He tells Grendel that he [Grendel] is humanity, in the sense that he makes them plot and scheme, and he is the cause for their evolution. Grendel denies this, refusing to embrace such an idea even though it makes sense. The Dragon puts an enchantment on Grendel that prevents him from being harmed by the humans’ weapons, and this development makes Grendel all the more eager to torment the humans and break his

Grendel never became enemies with the Scyldings until he sought out the route of this shadow, the dragon. When the dragon says unto Grendel in the line, “If man’s the irrelevance that interests you, stick with him! Scare him to glory! It’s all the same in the end, matter and motion, simple or complex,”(Chapter 5, page 73) he tricks the human-like beast into carrying out havoc on the villagers. After this long, deadly confrontation with the fabled creature, Grendel always seemed to smell the evil presence of the dragon. This smell made the monster go mad and his actions towards the Scyldings got to the point of massacres. Some may think the winged lizard remained the source of the shadow, but it was not the only thing that led to Grendel’s actions. The Shaper, that seemed to enchant Grendel with his songs, became another key part of Grendel’s shadow. This shadow made it hard for Grendel to continue to grasp the basic concepts of the

After meeting with the Dragon and being given an immense amount of knowledge, Grendel walks away with only one thing, he must be the monster humans need to survive, "Whatever I may have understood or misunderstood in the dragon's talk, something much deeper stayed with me, became my aura. Futility, doom, became a smell in the air, pervasive and acrid as the dead smell after a fire" (Gardner 75). The dragon sought to assist a lost soul, yet when he realized Grendel was not understanding his lessons, he took an opportunity to create a monster. Grendel finally accepts this answer to his question of "how should I live", yet it sinks him deeper into a Nihilistic way of thinking. He begins to understand that life had no real value, neither do the humans surrounding him, " It leads gradually to his increasing isolation: he finds fault with all the great human values (and the fault is legitimate; nothing in this world is perfect...)" (Gardner's Letter). However, this life of destruction is pointless and begins to bore Grendel. Both of his encounters with Unferth demonstrate how "over it" Grendel has become. Rather than entertain Unferth and fight, he decides to have fun and mock him instead, " And now I was raining apples at him and laughing myself weak." (Gardner 85). This interaction with a man who is supposed to encompass all human values, leads Grendel to doubt the words

Next, the dragon tells Grendel that the Shaper’s stories and teachings are false. This is when Grendel’s internal conflict becomes evident, as they cannot agree with each other, and Grendel is left in a state of confusion and anger upon leaving the dragon’s chambers. As the dragon points out the falseness of the Shaper’s teachings, Grendel begins to question them himself. It is at this point in the novel that Grendel is introduced to two opposing views of the world, both of which he believes and doubts, and so he is caught between them. Even though Grendel encounters the dragon once, he continues to feel his presence in the back of his mind, reminding him of his teachings throughout the rest of the novel. The dragon was clearly able to get into Grendel’s head. He makes good points in their discussion, convincing Grendel that his views are correct, even though he responds to them

After meeting with the dragon, Grendel’s perspective is changed. Although previously Grendel had felt above humans, he had still been equal in a sense to them, being that he was mortal. Now Grendel was invulnerable to the humans. When Grendel is attacked by humans, he “feels nothing”. After the dragon charmed Grendel, he became a monster. Grendel is now displaying existentialism towards the people. Feeling that he is above everyone, and

Throughout life a man makes many descions which determine the way his life will be lived and the way it will end. All choices a man makes in his life have consequences and each man must account for them. In life, every man must reap what he has sown. The values a man holds to be important in his life govern the choices he makes. The epic Beowulf is a good example of this truth. In the story, Beowulf is a god-like human who possesses a strength and warrior spirit unmatched by anyone. The choices he has made resulted in this power and it is also those same choices that play a part in his end.

He sees man as lowly and stupid. The dragon’s views directly conflict with the shapers view. Grendel has to choose which view of the world he prefers… The shaper’s, or the dragon’s. The shaper tries to put meaning to everything in life, while the dragon doesn’t care about anything but gold.