Grendel Vs. Beowolf: An Anti-Hero

There are two sides to every story. The events may be the same, but the tone in which the story is told shapes the reader’s understanding of the events. This idea is never more evident than through the disparity between Burton Raffel’s translation of Beowulf and John Gardner’s Grendel. Both novels are based on the idea of Beowulf killing Grendel. However, the two different points of view telling the story create vastly different novels. Beowulf highlights the heroic and positive world in which Beowulf lives. Whereas Grendel elucidates on the miserable life that Grendel is circumscribed to. The consistent variance in tone skews the events in two completely different directions. The tone between Beowulf and Grendel differ in

Beowulf is about a warrior who fights a huge monster to show his loyalty to a king that was not even his. It was written in the Anglo-Saxon time period and this greatly affects the way the story is written. Grendel is written from the monster's point of view and this was written many years later.

Beowulf’s cruelty is never seen as such (except by Grendel’s mother), and that leads him to become an undefeated hero in the eyes of the people

In the Old English epic poem Beowulf, the author conveys through the use of vivid diction and imagery, the evil natures of two monsters, Grendel and the dragon, by portraying the dragon as the lesser of the two evils. Both monsters symbolize the evil in human nature as they are enemies who bring destruction and wreak havoc to innocent people. In the Anglo-Saxon society Grendel represents evil, and the sin of man; traits that the Saxons neither valued nor respected, but in fact, feared. Though Grendel appears to be a wicked demon, the reader can infer that he is human, as he is described as a descendant of Cain, an outcast in the Bible. The dragon, on the other hand, is not human, but represents greed and evil or quite possibly, the devil.

Beowulf is a young prince known throughout Sweden. Grendel is a monster known throughout the land of Dane. Both characters share public recognition even though they have two different reputations. Both characters are strong natured as well. Combining two strong natured and well-known people results in the fight

The story of Beowulf is a story not everyone has gotten the chance to enjoy, however Beowulf has been represented in different works of literature that most of us have been exposed to throughout our lives. Beowulf was a noble Anglo-Saxon hero who was never afraid of any challenge. Many may compare him to a god due to his power and bravery, but some may compare him to a superhero that are shown in movies today. The old english poem Beowulf is about a young Geatish warrior who goes to help the King of the Danes, Hrothgar, who was wounded while being terrorized by a monster named Grendel. Traits like bravery and strength are brought to the surface when Beowulf slays both Grendel and Grendel’s antagonistic mother. One of the many superhero films

Grendel is seen as one of the most gruesome and terrible creatures to ever plague the earth in the poem, Beowulf. He lives in a dark and horrifying place, and he commits evil deeds. On the other hand, there is Beowulf, the poem’s legendary hero. He is everything ever needed or wanted in a hero: strong, brave, and practically invincible. Although Grendel and Beowulf are perceived as completely different characters, they are actually very similar.

In the epic poem, Beowulf, by Seamus Heaney, Grendel is made into a monster by the reaction of society to his ancestry and the roles of Cain and his mother.

In the novel, Grendel is portrayed as a monster with an unhappy soul. The monster character inside Grendel feels he is friendless with the exception of his mother. John Gardner’s novel Grendel is a retelling of the poem Beowulf. Grendel’s desire to “fit in” with humanity is displayed throughout the novel, but by the end he seems to abandon those desires. Grendel battles on being himself and being a part of the human world throughout the novel as described in the situations that he encounters. Main events in the novel surround his mother’s love and the dragon’s evil plans for him.

Beowolf is an epic peom that was told by the Anglo-Saxon, collected and refined by the Christian monks. The events take place in the land of Herot, a peaceful land with trees and relaxing harp music. Ruled by a noble man goes by the name of Hrothgar, the king of the danes. Hrothgar created a wonderful mead hall for his people, to let them celebrate and relief their pain and stress, till the darkness drops, a vicious monster called Grendel rose from hell, deep down the earth, to bring the terror and chaos with him. Grendel started attacking the guards and people of Herot, leaving no one behind. The vicious monster had no mercy. At daybreak, they saw the slaughtering of Grendel, Hrothgar sat joyless and helpless. Herot stood empty. Twelve winters

In Grendel we see the monster as a more humane character. In this portrayal of the monster we see an almost human reaction and actions through the growth and change of the monster. In Beowulf the monster is truly seen as a beast; his character rampages and terrors the people and the humanity or intelligence of the character is close to none. In Grendel we see the monster growing and changing. Through the novel we see this character discover his closeness to humanity; through this portrayal we see him discover his emotions and we in turn discover the passion behind everyday life.

The story of Beowulf can be related to society as a man that is able to stand up against and defeat the impossible. In this society the only monsters that exist are those of imagination or of story and the ones we fight within us. In many ways Beowulf fight against Grendel can be related to a person fight against their addiction. Grendel is a monster that keep coming back and every time he come the kingdom is in a worsted shape than before. A person who addicted have relapse, withdrawal, and serious issues that leaves them in a horrible condition. Beowulf defeat of Grendel though endurance and strength can relate to a person being able to overcome all the variables that lead to their addiction and beat their addiction. Beowulf can also be

Dalton Hill Sophia DeSilva English 12 30 September 2015 The Great Comparison of Beowulf and Achilles Most people who are curious about Greek gods don’t do their own research. Well if you have been curious about Greek gods of the past then this essay is exactly what you need in your life. Achilles and Beowulf are both historic mighty noble warriors that shared many similar qualities. These qualities include defeating whoever or whatever stood in their path towards glory.

Grendel starts out, clearly, as the monster of the story of Beowulf. When first introduced in the story, Grendel is coming out of the hole that he lives in the marsh. He is introduced similarly to a spawn of Satan, “bearing God’s hatred, Grendel came, hoping to kill” (trans. Raffel 393-394). He attacks Hrothgar’s hall, Heorot, often and Beowulf has agreed to take him down, although, it was thought to be impossible. Grendel is cannibalistic and takes pride in his actions of killing King Hrothgar’s warriors. He comes up to the hall and looks in, seeing the warriors scattered and sleeping, “his heart laughed, he relished the sight, intended to tear the life from the bodies” (trans. Raffel 410-414). Based off of this quotation, Grendel is nothing

Paragraph 1: Anne is a character that demonstrates loyalty, this is also a trait Beowolf shows very clearly. Anne’s past as an orphan has meant that very few people wanted her. She finally finds a friend, Dianna that won’t leave her or make fun of her. Anne quickly becomes loyal and they quickly become the best of friends with Anne making sure that no one makes fun or hurts Dianna. Beowolf is a person who is very loyal. He treats his team of warriors like family as each risk their lives to protect so many others. He is also loyal to his people by going out to defeat Grendel so they wont die if Grendel decided to attack and eat them.