How Is Grendel Portrayed In Beowulf

In the Epic Poems Beowulf, by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet, and Grendel written by John Gardner, Grendel, regardless of what he does, has been seen as unsafe to man. Grendel, perceived as treacherous, is just misunderstood and an outcast to society. The back story of Grendel is crucial to the reader’s understanding of Grendel becoming a monster. Grendel’s life experiences of his environment, men and meeting a dragon contribute to the drastic change.

While reading Beowulf I thought Grendel was a horrible monster and by classification, he is considered a monster. I couldn’t understand why he would kill people just because “it was fun” but after reading Grendel I have a different opinion of Grendel. I personally don’t think Grendel is a monster. I say this because when Grendel was a “boy” all he wanted was a friend. The creatures in the cavern were older so he never had any real friends. Finally, one day he had enough of wondering what the world of humans was like and decided to go to the world of humans. After being in the world of humans for a little while he saw his first humans and described them as having “dead-looking eyes and gray-white faces.” (Ch.2, pg.23) I know when he saw them he was scared but wanted to speak but being a big and strong “monster” he knew he couldn’t speak. Though he hid

In both works, Beowulf and Grendel, Grendel himself is generally given the same connotations. He is given kennings, called names, referred to as the evil spawn of Cain, and even viewed as a monster; but why? Why in both books is he a wicked, horrible, person who is harshly excluded from everyone? After stumbling upon John Gardner's book, it was halfway expected that some excuse would be made for Grendel; that he wasn't really the inexorable monster the thanes in Beowulf portrayed him as. But all it really did was make him worse. What is the message we are being sent about Grendel?

Everyone has a motivation behind their actions. Motivation can be affected by emotion or willpower. Many people get their motivation from what they want to accomplish. There is reasons for motivation behind actions in books, poems, and in everyday life. In the epic Beowulf, Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon all have a broad variety of motivations for what they do.

In Grendel, the story is told from Grendel's point of view. Therefore he is not viewed as a killing machine. In Beowulf however, it is the exact opposite. Grendel is seen as a monster who is terrorizing Hrothgar's people. The way Grendel is portrayed in Grendel is different from the way he is portrayed in Beowulf regarding his initiative and purpose. Grendel is portrayed the same in both stories when it comes to his actions and his nature.

Movies and books are never the exact same, sometimes even the whole plot is changed around. In the book Beowulf the plot, characters, and setting are a lot different than they are when the movie was created. If a person watched the movie before they read the book, it may be totally confusing to read. In the book, Beowulf shows up and plans to fight with his men, then leaves to go back to his own kingdom. In the movie Beowulf, Beowulf ends up staying and becoming king of Dane Land.

Children typically bear some physical resemblance to at least one of their parents. The child may have the same skin color, facial expressions or height as his or her parent. Could this be the same for behavioral traits? Are behavioral traits likewise inherited? Or, are they learned? In other words, do behavioral traits come from nature (inherited) or from nurture (learned)? This question can be applied to “Grendel,” a murderous monster a in the epic poem of “Beowulf,” Was Grendel born a monster? Or, was he raised to be a monster? Or, are his monstrous behaviors a result of both nature and nurture? Descriptions of Grendel from the “Beowulf” poem give evidence that his monstrous behavior was a result of both nature and nurture; a

Grendel, the offspring of Cain the outcast, is a demon. He is a scaly creature that lives in a swampy area. He is a reptilian human, with spikes on him. He is a human-like figure, in which the way he stands. He stands on two feet, and has arms. In the book Beowulf removes Grendel’s arm and shoulder, defeating him. This must mean he has a shoulder blade and can walk like a human. He also has razor-sharp talons as it says in the book “Venturing closer, his talon was raised to attack Beowulf where he lay on the bed” (Heaney 51). One night when he is prowling around, he hears the King and his kinsmen singing out to the Lord. He hears the songs of how great God is, and is outraged. As the outcast of God, Grendel despised of God. The songs and happiness, pushes him over the edge. He plans the downfall of the hall, in spite of their songs. He will attack at night, as everyone sleeps, and butcher them dead. He sneaks in at night, watching over the guards, ready to pounce. He rips apart the men eating them alive. “Suddenly then the God-cursed brute was creating havoc: greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men from their resting place and rushed them to his lair” (Heaney 11). This shows just how When the king awoke the next morning he grieved for his men, but little did he know Grendel would attack every night for 12 winters. Once again Grendel sets of for a night of ravishing, but the king has a plan. He has set out more guards to keep watch over the kingdom, as he sleeps. When Grendel

In the novel, Grendel, the sheltered and abnormal creature that is Grendel adopted a solipsistic view and became overwhelmed by the underground world he had grown accustomed to after experiencing an interaction with man for the first time. After years of exposure to solely the underground world, Grendel emerged from his cave and found the real world. Upon his first interaction with man, Grendel had an immediate sensation that "there was something wrong" (21). From the moment Grendel first encountered man there was an installation of a barrier between the two. The clear distance that was created contributed to Grendel's solipsistic view because it caused him to be isolated from this newly found world which led to his belief that the outside world was meaningless

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.

Everyone has feared something once in their lifetime. Fear comes in many shapes and forms and can be someone’s own personal monster. Monsters as well can come in many shapes and forms, but why do some monsters look scary while others can be pleasing to the eye? Not all monsters have to be scary. Grendel’s mother from the canto’s to the film changed dramatically, especially what could have been pictured from reading the canto’s to viewing the film. Everyone has their own perspective on monsters and why they fear this particular creature. The portrayal of Grendel’s mother in the film Beowulf (2007) is way different that what anyone could of imagined in the canto’s of Beowulf. People would of pictured a nasty big lady with hair all over her body, since that is how Grendel’s mother was described in the canto’s, but in the movie Beowulf (2007), Grendel’s mother was very beautiful and very seductive and

Sit back and think of what a monster looks like for a moment. Are you thinking of Godzilla? Something hiding under your bed? Or maybe even a killer clown? But did you ever think of yourself? In the story Beowulf, there is a confliction between the people being a monster and Grendel. While Grendel does express many horrific acts so do the people in the story. Grendel's horrific acts, ripping Grendel's arm off, and protecting the people are different views that are seen throughout the story. Grendel is the real monster is this story.

In Beowulf, each monster is given multiple human characteristics. Grendel, Grendel’s Mother, and the dragon all show human emotions and characteristics towards something or someone throughout the poem. Each of the monsters’ characteristics relate to the overall themes of the poem. The monsters in Beowulf, demonstrating anger and revenge, prove to obtain human characteristics through professing multiple feelings and emotions. Grendel demonstrates anger towards the townsfolk throughout the beginning of the poem.

The point of view used by the author affects the characterization of Grendel in each passage. The plot advances as well as the development of the characters. In Beowulf, Grendel is characterized as violent. Because Beowulf is in third person, we are merely getting observations. There wasn't much insight on how he was feeling.

According to Jack Lynch a characteristic of an epic poem is that “[there is] a concern with the fate of a nation or people” (Lynch, Epic). In Beowulf, the concern is Grendel coming to Heorot and killing Danes. An example of this in Beowulf is “suddenly then/ the God-cursed brut was creating havoc:/ greedy and grim he grabbed thirty men” (Beowulf 120-123). Grendel was killing the king’s men by the hundreds over the span of several years.