Heorot Is Attacked Meaning

Wilbur does this comparison by basically calling them both petty and immature. The Danes are like a child. They see that the other children have more toys, or in this case gold and treasure, and take it from them. They act like a bully, and take want they want when they want it. If they do not get what they desire then they throw a tantrum and kill the people of that village. Grendel is also this way, and just as childish. Here Wilbur doesn’t only just call Grendel childish, but an actual child. He writes that Grendel is a “child, / Grown monstrous” (Wilbur 15). Grendel is like a child that is unruly and wild. He goes around and kills for fun and enjoys to “rip life from limb” (Beowulf 732). This comparison shows how both Grendel and the Danes are murderers that kill for their own benefit. Even though they are both have killed, the Danes still use Grendel and the monsters as an excuse for their actions. The Danes do not want to admit that they are just as sinful as those from Cain’s Clan. Another thing that supports that the Danes are just as sinful as Grendel is the character Unferth. It has been stated in the epic that Unferth has killed his own “kith and kin” (Beowulf 587) and is “under a cloud for killing his brothers” (Beowulf 1166 ). Unferth has done the unforgivable act of murder on his own family. Even after the Danes knew about this, Unferth was still ”admired by all for his mind and courage” (Beowulf 1165).

Also Grendel would not be able to be a good person if he tried because he’s done so much bad and he hates men. In the poem it stated “some evil inside myself pushed out into the trees. I knew what I knew, the mindless, mechanical bruteness of things, and when the harper's lure drew my mind away to hopeful dreams, the dark of what was and always was reached out and snatched at my feet”(Gardener 54). This shows that Grendel has a complex relationship with the evil inside of him. Which makes him bitter, he doesn’t like men and he tried to destroy the things they work hard for. Grendel has seen the dragon, and he has an idea of how his life will end. This connects to the bible story about Cain and Abel. The biblical allusion about this story was Cain was evil and he killed his own brother because of jealously. This connect to the story Grendel because him and his mother are hopelessly evil to God and a “virtuous” human society. Grendel is seen as a descendant of Cain because he kills humans out of anger and jealousy. Also in the text Grendel states “and so begins the twelfth year of my idiotic war. The pain of it! The stupidity!” (Gardener 5). This quote somewhat shows the good in Grendel because he doesn’t like the fact that he is a bad person and a social outcast of everyone else but he feels as if killing and hurting humans will ease his pain. Seeing the good and evil in Grendel it is easy to realize he can’t help the fact that he is a monster and can’t help but to hate humans because he doesn't belong and they live a better life than him. Though in a way Grendel's actions can be understandable because depression and angry can cause someone to do things they don’t normally do. With Grendel feeling this way his entire life it really affected him and caused him to do things out of spite. All in all

The embodiment of envy. In the epic poem Beowulf, Grendel exemplifies envy therefore he is discontent with the happiness of others. The infusion of Biblical ideas helps form Grendel's character. As a relative of Cain, the first person recorded in the Christian Bible to murder another, Grendel is perceived as a monster. “On the kindred of Cain the Lord living ever awreak’d the murder of the slaying of Abel. In that feud he rejoiced not, but afar him he banish’d, the maker, from mankind for the crime he had wrought,” (108-111). Since Grendel’s ancestor is Cain, Grendel has been banished from the earth. Making Grendel a hell born creature with human emotions and instincts. With Grendel comes the allusion of Cain killing Abel given the time period. Grendel kills the celebratory warriors of Herot because they exuded happiness. Cain killed Abel because he felt God gave Abel more attention. Grendel’s emotions brought him to envy, so he, like his ancestor before him, killed another. Unlike Cain, Grendel killed thirty men every night for twelve years, devolving his monstrous character into an immoral character.

When Cain killed Able, he ignited the eternal flame of a cursed family. From Cain's blood came "the curse of his exile and sprang ogres and elves and evil phantoms and the giants too" (Beowulf. Pg. 35), darkness entailed is legacy and evil embodied his future. Grendel is a descendant of Cain, so he shares Cain's exile from all that is good and light. Cain may have been the first displaced person after Adam and Eve, but he was not the last. Grendel shares his ancestor's punishment, he is exiled not only from whatever land or wealth he would have had if he were "human", but he is also abandoned by God and all who followed and indulge in his faith and grandeur. It is this abandonment that causes Grendel to destroy and murder. "The treasure seat, he was kept from approaching; he was the Lords outcast" (Beowulf pg.36), since he cannot approach the throne of the Lord like the rest of mankind, he chooses to attempt to destroy it. He has no love for God and his children if he can not be with them "hand in hand". However, unlike Cain and his parents, Grendel is doomed from

The Old English epic Beowulf is the earliest recorded poem in Old English. The story is set in Scandinavia with the antagonist Grendel. Gendel is a monster and an insensitive character. Grendel was born into a monster and was cursed his entire life. Although Grendel was strong he wasn’t very brave because he only attacks at night when the guards are asleep. He has many characteristics that a monster would have. First and foremost, he was raised to be evil, and never had the chance to be good. Also whenever he would hear joy, he would be filled with anger and hatred. Grendel likes killing people he doesn’t feel any remorse after killing people. An example from the story that shows this is “Snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds and out with their bodies (Genesis,pg 4).”Talking about Grendel ties in with our next evil antagonist known as Cain. Cain is the son of Adam and Eve. He was a farmer who was jealous of his brother who was accepted by God and when Cain was rejected he decided to kill his brother Abel. Unlike Grendel Cain believed in god he just didn’t

The story of Cain, and the murderous rage he inflicts on his brother Abel is one that many remember because of the curse Cain receives from God. After lying to God about killing his brother, Cain can no longer live a fruitful and successful life. He and his descendants are cursed to misery and torment for his transgression. Grendel, one of the unfortunate descendants of Cain, is a prime example of biblical allusion in Beowulf. “He was spawned in that slime, / Conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / By God, punished forever for the crime / Of Abel’s death” (19-23). This description of Grendel attaches a stigma to him without giving him any real characteristics. Before he has even

My point that Grendel’s pre-destined path of evil is proven in lines 1260-1276 where we learn the history of the bible story Cain and Abel, and see where Grendel’s roots lie. “And from Cain there sprang/ misbegotten spirits, among them Grendel, / the banished and accursed… (Lines 1265-1267). Once again I feel sympathy for Grendel because it seems he did not have a choice but to be the “enemy of mankind.” (Line 1275) Good could never come from these people of Cain because they fell from the grace of god, but it appears that Grendel never directly did anything to deserve this fate, he was a victim of circumstance and was trapped in his monstrous position. Grendel did not kill Abel, yet he suffers for Cain’s behavior.

In the poem, Grendel is painted as a savage monster, with no regard to human life. The Danes often refer to him as Cain’s descendant, and state that for the crime of killing Abel Grendel will never feel God’s love and henceforth is an outcast. “...Conceived by a pair of those monsters born Of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God, punished forever for the crime Of Abel’s death….and their exile was bitter, Shut away from men…” (Beowulf, lines 20-25). This form of Grendel is a murderous beast who only knows slaughter of men for the sake of murder, stating that he, “...fought with the righteous...seeking no peace, offering no truce…” (Beowulf, lines 59 and 69). However, the novel shows Grendel in a much different way than he is portrayed in the poem. While still a monster, Grendel shows his higher intelligence and human-like qualities through his thoughts. In the beginning of the novel Grendel shows that he is capable of forming coherent thoughts and speaking quite fluently, and thus is far more sophisticated than the mindless monster portrayed in the poem. This being said, Grendel does not hate the Danes at the beginning, even attempting to make peace by stating, “Mercy! Peace!” (Grendel 51), but denied the role of friend, he accepts the role of enemy and thus begins the war with the Danes.

Cain and Grendel are both very similar traits and personalities. One of the things that they have in common is jealousy. They are both very envious of their surroundings which has caused them to kill others. Cain was very envious of his brother because he had the love of God, which drove him to kill his brother and lied to God that he did not kill him. While Grendel hated to see other people in the hall being happy and partying. “In the darkness, growled in pain, impatient, As day after day the music rang”(Beowulf pg. 4l line#2,3). He grew impatient of hearing everyone having a good time, which caused him to kill them. Also, they both don't have the protection of God. “Cain was put under God’s curse” (Genesis 4:11 pg 4), he lied to God so this caused him to get the ultimate punishment from God of pain, despair and later death. Grendel never touches anything that is protected by God, an

In the story Beowulf, many of the themes are derived from the proverbs and fables practiced in the old testament, while pagan beliefs of monsters, demons, and multiple gods are added. The most popular of the biblical comparisons is viewed between Grendel, enemy of Beowulf, and Cain, evil brother of Able. Grendel and his mother are both described as decedents of Cain. The figure Cain is used as a metaphor during the period to represent the disorder and evil. In the classic story of Cain and Able, Cain viciously kills his brother in a outbreak of jealously and anger. For Cain’s sin, he was banished from the Garden of Eden by God and left only to

The ironic rejection of unfavourable traits that are the very same traits a group represses is portrayed during the opening scenes leading up to the fight between Grendal and Beowul. First, Heaney develops the sense of an ostracized identity through Grendal’s description in lines 102-107, which casts Grendal as a religious other from the Danes through diction choice of “grim demon”. He is further isolated because of Grendal’s ancestral line tracing back to Cain, (In Christianty, Cain was the first person to commit homicide). In Danish society the ancestral line is important; Beowulf is repeatedly referred to as “son of Ecgtheow”. Grendal’s dark ancestral line automatically casts him as a monster and leaves no opportunity to be anything other than that.

The story digressed from talking about Grendel to talking about Cain and Abel. Once again, this digression served more than one purpose. “He had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan”(104-106). Here we see that Grendel is a descendent of Cain. This biblical reference shows the importance of Christianity to the Anglo Saxon people. “The giants too who strove with God time and again until he gave them their reward”(113-114). They had a strong belief in a God and higher beings, as well, that the reason things happen is because God is sending a message. A theme throughout this digression is good vs. evil or Cain vs. Abel. This digressions theme is not just related to the digression, but to the overall story of Beowulf. Beowulf is the heroic warrior, and Grendel is the malevolent monster. This digression purpose was to show the importance of the Christianity culture and an overall theme of the epic

Grendel does not like Heorot because it symbolizes society and companionship, all of which reminds him of his own enforced isolation. Grendel “nursed a hard grievance. It harrowed him to hear the din of the loud banquet everyday in the hall, the harp being struck and the clear song of a skilled poet telling with mastery of man’s beginnings, how the Almighty had made the earth” (114). Grendel nursed a hard grievance towards the people in Heorot because he was outcasted by the society due to his physical appearance and his inability to talk to humans; therefore, he is jealous that people are having fun in Heorot without him. Since Grendel is also the descendant of Cain, the first murderer, he should then be destined to live a miserable life as a punishment for the descendants of Cain.

The narrator of “Beowulf” introduces us to the monster that is Grendel in the very first lines of the poem. The speaker describes “a fiend from hell” and speaks of “a cursed creature” whom God has condemned as he is “the kin of Cain”. Grendel’s description immediately aligns him with sin and the darkness of human nature found in the old biblical tale. As the poem goes on Grendel attacks Hrothgar’s hall because of the singing of praise to God. Grendel cannot bear to hear the praise as he is said to “live in the land of monsters since the Creator cast them out” (pg. 39).

This “kin of Cain” Grendel could not endure the joy of the Danes and their celebration of God’s creation of the world. Consequently he attacked Heorot and killed 30 warriors the first night. Thus the reader sees a very serious external conflict between this monster and the Danish people. This situation brought about a serious internal conflict within their king, Hrothgar, who was totally frustrated by his inability to get rid of Grendel: