... sin. His evil is the source of sorrow and distress within himself and within Hrothgar's kingdom. In my view, the poet is correct in presenting Grendel. Grendel is an unfortunate and suffering creature by his own free will. Angry and irritable at everything good, he murders innocent men. Neither the poet nor ... respect for others, and is incapable of working for and with others. The poet tells of how the peace and contentment of Hrothgar ends because Grendel comes and brings misery to the Danes: And then as now warriors sang of their pleasure: so Hrothgar's men lived happy in his hall ...

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... credibility to his evil than just his actions alone. Depicted by the poet as a member of "Cain's clan," (9) Grendel's biblical and spiritual history holds significant value. More specifically in his genealogy, Grendel lives as a product of Cain after Cain became "outlawed" by the "creator" (9) for the killing of his brother ... remains relentless without any sympathy or regret for who he kills. Unaware of good, and impartial to other's death, Grendel's mind functions on only a malignant level. The power and force of Grendel, in addition to his intentions, create a clear idea of what the ...

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... and their exile was bitter, shut away from men; they split into a thousand forms of evil--spirits and fiends, goblins, monsters, giants." (Lines 43-49). Grendel has swift, hard claws, and enormous teeth that snatch the life out of his many victims. This "shadow of death" not only kills; he drinks the blood of ... his prey. His forefather, Cain, was also known for this hellish act and just as Grendel is an outcast, so Cain was cast out of the Garden of Eden. To the Danes, the worst crime a person could commit was the crime killing one's ... (Lines 2-3). The mead Hall, Herot, was a symbo...

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... he is trying to fight against. 2. He says that what man deems as evil, may not be the true evil but the actual evil. This sparks Grendel's interest, because this is the first time someone has said that maybe he's not the true evil, but in fact man is. This is what ... . If we considered this philosophy to be at all true, than everyone would go out and murder, if not only to defend themselves, but to further their existence. Grendel would just think that if he wasn't there to murder that then, his sole purpose is to murder. 6. He knew that a change was coming that would mean ... the end ...

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... nature of humans that is so well concealed by a fazade of self-adulation and nobility. Though deemed an evil monster by the humans, Grendel observes the sinister characteristic of humans through religion. They preach peace and prosperity yet their own practices disprove their principles. In a ritual, for ... these actions is perpetuated by the fact that the priests think highly of their hypocritical position, yet the villagers are completely indifferent. When Grendel wrecked the sacred images of the Scyldings? gods,no one was especially bothered? (128). Only the priests, however,lamented...

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... you my experiences with the monster over the past few years. The first time I challenged him to honorable combat, he merely mocked me and would not fight. Grendel surprised me when he managed to talk, even though the words he spoke were only pathetic insults of my abilities. When I tried to fight him, the bastard ... and prepared to rush the sleeping monster, his damn mother awoke and rushed forward, keeping me at bay until her oaf of a son woke from his slumber. Grendel got up, pushed his mother aside, and stood there dumbly waiting for me to do or say something. Even though I was exha...

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... other scholars such as Andy Orchard disagree with this claim, and believe that there is "something deeply human about the 'monsters'". While Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon are indeed portrayed as evil and violent foes, there are parts within Beowulf that can also lead a reader to believe that ... 83, strange case). According to Bob, she "acts in accordance with the standard Germanic code of blood-revenge," (Might of Grendel's Mom, 83). If Grendel's mother is considered monstrous and evil for committing an act of revenge, than what can we say of Beowulf and the men who ......

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , warriors, are sharing. He wants no peace with any of the men in the Danish community, and would not withdraw his murderous acts. Grendel has been attacking the Danish community for the past twelve winters killing the warriors, until a fearless warrior, named Beowulf, comes to the rescue. ... servant who stole a callous, as a peace offering to his master. The battle with the Dragon takes place many years after Beowulf had defeated Grendel and Grendel's mother, approximately fifty years of peace and prosperity had passed. Beowulf had become king of the Geatish community in honor of his la...

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... total opposite of Beowulf. He has no wealth, no honor, and he in infamous as an evil killer. This lack of wealth and honor defines Grendel as a symbol of evil and corruption. In addition to using Honor and wealth to define a character's character, the story-teller(s) have incorporated alternating ... modern times due to the lost of the Anglo-Saxon culture and beliefs. An example of the Biblical motif in Beowulf is Grendel. Grendel it biblically described as evil in this excerpt: [ Grendel] was spawned in that slime, Conceived by a pair of those monsters born Of Cain, murderous creatures...

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... Herot's happiness is about to end because, "The monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel. " By describing him using words associated with sin, the author also associates Grendel with wickedness. The author also shows us how impious Grendel is through his actions, such as going into Herot and slaughtering thirty sleeping warriors. Using ... living in the darkness implies his malicious nature, since darkness is always associated with evil. Not only did the author imply that Grendel is wicked, but he describes the other side - the fine people of Herot - to further strengthen this v...

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... has a Christ-like behavior in his good-heartedness and charity. Beowulf understands the plight of the Danes that are being oppressed by the evil monster Grendel just as Christ knew of the oppression of the Jewish people. Both set out on a venture to save their people. To free themselves from ... the monster, the Danes need a savior, and Beowulf, through his desire to disperse their suffering, comes to save them. When Beowulf battles Grendel, he exhibits a sense of fairness when he refuses to use a weapon. The idea throughout the poem of living right, of loyalty, and of being ... a timele...

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... Grendels first killing at Herot was merciless act in which he "snatched up thirty men, smashed them and then took their bodies back to his lair (38)." Grendel sounds truly like a monster until the author takes him down to size with a vivid metal image of the battle that took place. His description of how ... Beowulf rips off his arm shows that Grendel wasn't entirely all he was cracked up to be. He had the spell where no mortal weapons could hurt him but apparently wasn't smart enough to make ... hall (2)." If one lived somewhere where their neighbors were always playing music and being ...

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... creatures, giving one example of his great strength. The next example of strength in the epic is when Beowulf proposes to Hrothgar that he will kill the monster Grendel. Beowulf states, "Let me live in greatness and courage, or here in this hall welcome my death!" In this statement Beowulf is simply saying that if he ... the quote "The iron sang its fierce song, sang Beowulf's strength" thus showing how strong he is (Raffel 597-598). After he chops of the head of Grendel, he carries it from the ocean with no hesitation, however it takes four men to lift it and carry it back to mead-hall....

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... various sources causes the characters to portray more Christian characteristics. Seamus Heaney uses both Biblical and Paganistic views throughout the story to describe certain things. Grendel is Biblically and Paganistically described in this excerpt: So times were pleasant for the people there until finally one, a fiend out of hell, ... began to work his evil in the world. Grendel was the name of this grim demon haunting the marches, marauding round the heath and the desolate fens; he had dwelt for a time in misery ... by traveling to Geatland to help rid his people of a threatening mo...

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... throughout this epic as having the ability to cleanse evil. One of Beowulf's deeds is his offer to King Hrothgar, in which he proposes to eliminate Grendel, who had been terrorizing his kingdom, killing innocent lives. Beowulf kills this evil creature, and brings peace to Hrothgar's kingdom, cleansing them of this evil ... . . Another selfless act is Beowulf' slay of Grendel's mother, who seeks revenge for Grendels death. After Beowulf becomes king in Geatland, he again shows his great ability once more by hie pledge to kill ... of the Geats "greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in...

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... , giants, /A brood forever opposing the Lord's/Will, and again and again defeated" (Beowulf ln.25-29). This time reflects the values and heroic ideals of a particular culture. Lets start with Grendel, a mean, cunning, and intelligent beast that would kill for pleasures. He often described himself as smarter than most other creatures. He once said "Not of course, that I fool myself with ... thoughts that I"m more noble" (Gardner 6). This shows the arrogance in Grendel and betrayed by Beowulf. Beowulf once stated, "No one else could do/What I mean to, here, no man but me/Could hope to defe...

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... me rise from the darkness of war, dripping with my enemies" blood." Basically this statement reveals that the people believe that Beowulf is capable of defeating Grendel because they observe him in action in the same way that people adhered to the power of Christ based on the miracles that he performed. The first ... impression that the reader perceives of Grendel is that he is "that demon, that fiend, who haunted the moors, the wild marshes, and made his home in a hell, not hell but ... earth." This immediately reveals that Grendel is a creature of darkness that thrives on depraved ple...

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... expresses his thoughts on the inevitability of death: " God must decide / Who will be given to death's cold grip" (lines 174-175). Although Grendel had wreaked havoc and filled the people with terror over many years, he too must eventually perish: "And yet his time had come, his days / ... Were over, his death near; down / To hell he would go" (lines 486-488). Everyone, even an enormous and powerful beast like Grendel, eventually succumbs to death. Beowulf comments on the certainty of his own death as he is instructing Wiglaf on what to do once he has passed: ... characteristics and id...

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... against the monsters affirm the ultimate triumph of Good over Evil. In Beowulf's first battle at Herot, he fought Grendel with honor without any armor or weapons. Fate chose Beowulf to overcome Grendel's strength in order for Beowulf to be successful in his battle. Fate is expressed furthermore in the quote, " ... Had he met a man whose hands were harder;"(Beowulf 432-434). Fate allowed Beowulf to overcome Grendel's strength. Beowulf had a much stronger grip then Grendel would ever have. In addition to the previous quote, Grendel realized, "Now he discovered-once the afflictor/ Of me...

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... Despair is demonstrated when "the wise old king trembled in anger and grief, his dearest friend and advisor dead." This was due to the attack from Grendel's mother. Seamus describes it, "blood was spilled," and the king "mourned under morning." Another theme was Light vs. Dark. A direct quote was " ... at daybreak, with the sun's first light, they saw how well he had worked." This is reference to how well Grendel had "worked" the Mead Hall the night before. Other examples of light include, "the world's candle lit," and "earth's lamp light." These both ... Geats, yielded benches to the ...

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... a reviser or interpolator" (Klaeber 1). These engrained elements Klaeber speaks of are strongly found in the battles of Beowulf and the three antagonists of the poem, Grendel, his mother and the dragon, whereas each battle represents the struggle between good and evil. Early in the poem, Beowulf appears as if an agent of ... God to "calm the turmoil and terror" (282) caused by Grendel's evil among the Danes. Beowulf, who is referred to as the "prince of goodness" (676) is symbolic of all that is pure and innocent while ... out of hell [who] began to work his evil in the world" (100-101)...

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... his heroic tendencies. Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon hero, has all three characteristics. His quest is to restore Herot, due to the mass destruction caused by the monster Grendel, the evilest of all evils. Grendel had been terrorizing the city, killing thousands of men in their sleep, depriving them the ability to fight back. King Hrothgar hired the brave knight Beowulf to defeat ... and soon had her head. Throughout his life, Beowulf was a man of many achievements. He was very victorious in battle, and for this Hrothgar chose him to defeat Grendel. When Beowulf killed Grendel and his mother,...

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... his heroic tendencies. Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon hero, has all three characteristics. His quest is to restore Herot, due to the mass destruction caused by the monster Grendel, the evilest of all evils. Grendel had been terrorizing the city, killing thousands of men in their sleep, depriving them the ability to fight back. King Hrothgar hired the brave knight Beowulf to defeat ... and soon had her head. Throughout his life, Beowulf was a man of many achievements. He was very victorious in battle, and for this Hrothgar chose him to defeat Grendel. When Beowulf killed Grendel and his mother,...

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... in two of the main characters of the story. The epic tells the story of a hero, a prince named Beowulf, who rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, a descendent of Cain, and of his exploits fighting Grendel's mother and a Dragon. Beowulf, as a conquering hero, destroys all the monsters in the sea as well as the giants. He has done this for fame and ... . The theme of good vs. evil that is present in the story of Beowulf, has become the classic foundation of many modern stories today. Beowulf and Grendel represent the ultimate struggle of good and evil. Grendel tries to destroy everything ...

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... . Like Jesus and Moses, Beowulf, the epic hero, comes at a time of need and chaos in Herot, thereupon ending the chaos and destruction by killing Grendel and his mother. He comes after "twelve winters of grief," (62) and avenges evil by "[purging] Herot clean," (508). Just as Moses who was ... Beowulf's life imply that the battle against evil is unending. Symbolically the three battles are fought with evil: one with Grendel, one with Grendel's mother, and the third with the dragon. Grendel is decidedly evil because he "was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born...

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• Grade Level: High School