Grendel And Unferth Relationship

Gardner emphasizes Unferth’s preference to end his life rather than fall short of his tribe’s heroic standards for him, to convey the inarguably harmful, and potentially fatal, effects of striving to exemplify society’s expectations. Gardner has Unferth immediately promote his epic persona, when meeting Grendel: “tell them in Hell that Unferth, son of Ecglaf sent you, known far and wide in these Scanian lands as a hero among the Scyldyings” (82). Unferth’s command to “tell them in Hell” reveals his primary motivation: to spread his heroism, both in the “Scanian lands” and the underworld. Gardner strategically places Unferth’s self-assured declaration at the beginning of his encounter with Grendel, to efficiently express his core rationale. Gardner contrasts the bravado of Unferth’s initial assertion with the cowardice of his subsequent appeal to be killed by Grendel: “‘I’ll kill myself,’ [Unferth] whispered. He shook violently now. ‘Up to you,’ [Grendel] answered reasonably, ‘but you’ll admit it may seem at least a trifle cowardly to some’” (90). Unferth’s threat evidences his inclination to commit suicide, in order to avoid returning to his tribe defeated. Additionally, it indicates that Unferth, the “hero among the Scyldyings,” cannot bear to be labeled a failure, as one loss might overwrite the legacy that he has constructed. In failing to battle Grendel, Unferth would fail to preserve his persona—he

Another ironic moment that contributes to the tone of the novel, is the encounter between Grendel and Unferth later in chapter six. Unferth seeks out Grendel to prove himself, or develop a high level of undeserving fame. Unferth is supposed to be a strong hero, yet he is arrogant and a coward. Unferth criticizes poetry, calling it “mere clouds of words, comfort to the hopeless” (88). The irony of that moment is that in that era, poetry defined what a hero was supposed to be. The only reason why Unferth opinions on what heroism is, is because of how fame is seen is his Anglo-Saxon

I did nothing” (87). Unferth didn’t tell Grendel that he wanted Grendel to kill him, but Grendel was able to draw that conclusion. As alike as Grendel and Unferth are, there is no good relationship between them, furthering Grendel’s isolation from other characters even those that possess the same

Throughout Gardner's book Grendel good vs. evil is a prominent theme. Grendel struggled with life because he was not like everyone else. Therefore, he did many evil things to humans. Gardner paints an image of Grendel being a monster that is unhappy with himself and is socially isolated. His alienation is due to being unwanted by the Danes: Hrothgar and his people want him dead. As such, Grendel symbolizes a social outcast and that is at odds with the Danes for about twelve years. Nevertheless, Grendel is a very intelligent person which makes him closely related to his human counterparts. He feels haunted by the beauty and intelligence of the human mind which causes him even more frustration with humanity and his very existence. Grendel is

Grendel starts off his life story by explaining how he is always on the outside of everyone and everything. “Pointless, ridiculous monster crouched in the shadows, stinking of dead men, murdered children, martyred cows....Ah, sad one, poor old freak!” (6). Further throughout the novel, Grendel’s feelings of isolation increase when he realizes the dragon has placed a spell upon him. “Though I scorned them, sometimes hated them, there had been something between myself and men when we could fight. Now, invulnerable, I was as solitary as one live tree in a vast landscape of coal.” (76). Grendel’s consistent separation from the rest of the society causes the reader to feel sorry for him, despite all of his wrongdoings. The only thing that Grendel wishes for is a companion, making him relatable to readers who may feel alone. Grendel is a relatable character that readers may be able to sympathize with because of his isolation and constant feeling of being

In Grendel’s first encounter with Unferth, he finds out that Unferth can understand him leading to Grendel mocking Unferth in all chances he can get. This power of language lowers Unferth’s heroic quality and thoughts in a matter of a few lines and reactions. Unferth is further buried by Beowulf’s words in their little spat of insults. Unferth attempts to belittle Beowulf’s reputation through talk of how he lost a swimming match, to which Beowulf retorts with the sharp dagger of words that is the line, “... I don’t recall hearing any glorious deeds of yours, except that you murdered your brothers.” (Gardener 162). Finally, Beowulf’s words get to sting one last time in his fight with Grendel. Beowulf talks to Grendel as if he were nothing, creating thoughts in Grendel’s mind of loss and of an unwinnable battle. Beowulf’s words may have had a stronger effect on the fight than his strength did, for his words crippled his opponent making him weak and

In Grendel’s cave, Unferth stumbles in wishing he “had a chance. That [He] knew [He] had no more than that. It’s all a hero asks for,” (Gardner 89). Unferth believes that it does not matter if he lives or dies, or whatever the outcome would be, he just wants a chance to be a hero. He then speaks of what a true hero is; “The hero sees values beyond what’s possible. That’s the nature of a hero. It kills him, of course, ultimately, but it makes the whole struggle of humanity worthwhile,” (Gardner 89). In Anglo-Saxon times, it was normal for that to be the one goal of people’s lives. Unferth tells Grendel that he knows he is a hero, not by his successes or failures, but his dedication to the heroic craft . Unferth is very comfortable with his suicide for he knows he is a hero before the rewards and glory that come along. Unferth’s intentions are pure, but his actions are not. There is a clear hypocrisy between these characters where Beowulf acts like he wants to help, but has negative intentions. Unferth has the right intentions, but his actions are

This is what differentiates him from the all the other creatures and monsters. When Grendel was stuck in the tree trunk, he "bellowed for [his] mother". I feel a connection to Grendel because he reminds me of a child. His actions are childlike. He is in search of love just like any other child. Grendel is also afraid just like any child would be. By Gardner’s humanization of Grendel, he is able to create sympathy for him. After sparing Unferth, each time he sees him, he "roll[s] on the floor with laughter" to mocking him. Grendel is able to feel and shows that he knows that humans have feeling too because he knows each time he mocks Unferth he knows that it is a painful reminder of his failure and kills him a little on the inside. When Grendel sees Wealtheow, he describes her as "beautiful [and] as innocent as dawn on winter hills". Wealtheow "tore [him] apart as once the shaper's song had done." Grendel is touched by her beauty. He has the "greatest admiration" for

Grendel is characterized as a lonely creature who is trying to figure out the meaning of life around him. Grendel is an unhappy soul because he feels useless in society and doesn’t want to accept his given role. Throughout the novel Grendel feels as if he has no friends and nobody else accepts him but his mother. Humans have always been a problem in Grendel’s life and they affect how he lives life each day. Grendel is not an evil creature, he is just unhappy because of the way he is treated. We should sympathize for Grendel because he is suffering on Earth and he does not know what to do about it. The author shows that Grendel is in a place where he needs love and does not get punished because he uses his emotion to escape from his punishment.

When looking at monsters, most everyone immediately assumes that it is that of something evil. But, looking into the novel, we see how what most people would judge as a “monster”; how he thinks and feels. Reading and thinking deeper, it truly shows that all assumptions are put to questioning. In the novel “Grendel” , written John Gardner, We really start to look into the personal thoughts of what most of us would consider a monster. It shows the constant battle of thoughts and feeling going on in his head and hows those thought ties to how he observes the “wasteful, greedy, and brutal creatures” of which we would know as mankind. In looking at the bigger picture, Grendel is more human like than monster because of how he thinks, sees,

After killing Grendel, “Unferth grew quiet, gave up quarreling over Beowulf’s old battles, stopped all his boasting. Once everyone saw proof of that prince’s strength, Grendel’s huge claw swinging high of that loathsome hand ending in nails as hard as bright steel”

In what sense does he "become" himself?4. According to Unferth, what is heroism? What is poetry?5. Why doesn't Grendel kill Unferth? And why is Unferth so bitter?6. Who or what is the dragon?

Unferth’s shows much more courage than the other two characters. He keeps fighting Grendel despite being defeated every time. Grendel sees this as pathetic shown when he says “He lives on, bitter, feebly challenging my midnight raids”(Gardener 90). To keep trying even after facing defeated multiple times

Grendel is a horrible beast who massacres king Hrothgar’s people, but he does respect his ability to command his people. Hrothgar is an older man who has grown his empire's wealth and its military. He has no eligible successors and so he must maintain his throne until his two sons Unferth and Hrethric are of age. Hrothgar does this with several methods like marriage, ring-giving, and Beowulf. The choices Hrothgar makes is the reason he is seen as good king and that is why Grendel despises him enough to murder.

The book Grendel, written by John Gardner, and the poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, both have very distinct opinions on what role each character plays. The translator of Beowulf and the writer of Grendel follow the idea that everyone has a story. A story is the writer’s perspective on a character’s personality, the way people in the story see and treat the character, and the way it ties the ideas together. There are many examples in these two writings of this concept, but the main instances connect with the lives of Grendel, Beowulf, and Unferth.