... English epic, Beowulf, this pattern of making monsters out to be outsiders remains firmly in place, witnessed through the descriptions, attitudes, and actions of the fiend Grendel and his horrific Mother. There exists, however, a paradoxical symbolism within the epic's framework concerning this beast and his kin in which they serve as examples of the negative aspects of the Germanic society in ... amorphous phantom, "that female horror/monstrous hell-bride" (ln.1259-1260), a shape outside of human comprehension. Furthermore, whereas Grendel lived just on the outskirts of civilization in t...

• Word Count: 1184
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The Battle With Grendel's Mother When Grendel's mother found Beowulf running around on her ground, she picked him up and took him to a high arched building with a large battleground. She clawed at his mail shirt, but it did ... ...

• Word Count: 313
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... and serving drinks to the warriors and other men in the meadhall. Wealhtheow, the queen of the Danes, represents a typical subservient Anglo-Saxon woman. As a foil to Wealhtheow, Grendel's mother is a strong and combative monster whom Beowulf must kill. By analyzing these two characters in Beowulf, we can understand the treatment and mistreatment of women in Anglo-Saxon society. The ... this particular warrior deliberately to inflict the maximum amount of damage on Hrothgar. The next morning, Beowulf follows her tracks back to her underwater lair. Despite her physical shortcomings, Grend...

• Word Count: 1587
• Approx Pages: 6

... as being trivial than men; described as "war-thirsty" and "kill-greedy" (lines 1497-1499). Through the usage of Grendel's mother's monstrous actions and characteristics, the author portrays how women were perceived as insubstantial, especially compared to men, during the time the novel was written. Through ... during this time also tried extremely hard to get by day to day being treated and seen as the way they were. The author shows this through Grendel's mother's unending commitment to the battle against Beowulf, "Up again quickly, she gave him hand- payment/ with a terrible crush, aga...

• Word Count: 1052
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography

... typical question that the reader encounters as he/she reads the Old English poem, Beowulf, an epic with unknown authorship. Grendel and his mother are introduced as evil monsters and descendents of Cain. However, their ogre bodies have strikingly human characteristics as well. These creatures often display ... the Heorot or its inhabitants. However, the murder of her son unleashes the "monster- within her to seek vengeance. Grendel and his mother are considered as monsters with human-like qualities and characteristics; hence, humans can also be considered as having monstrous qualities. H...

• Word Count: 1174
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... . Good Anglo Saxon women are peaceful and unassertive, greeting guests and serving drinks to the warriors. Wealhtheow, the queen of the Danes, represents a typical subservient Anglo Saxon woman. Contrastingly, Grendel's mother is a strong and combative monster whom Beowulf must kill. By analyzing these two characters in Beowulf, we can understand the treatment and mistreatment of women in Anglo Saxon society. The ... sake of revenge, which is certainly more understandable and acceptable than her son's mindless serial killings. The author builds more sympathy for Grendel's mother by prese...

• Word Count: 1175
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... " (Critical Analysis of Beowulf). The Danes had set down to sleep after a huge celebration, in honor of Beowulf's victory, when Grendel's mother attacked. She snatched one of the thanes and scurried back to the mear, she like Grendel murders innocent people. After this vicious attack Hrothgar begged ... 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 late king an...

• Word Count: 2051
• Approx Pages: 8

... Grendel was his greatest challenge, so once he was "dead- Beowulf and the rest of Heorot were lulled into a false sense of security. Enter Grendel's mother, who attacks Heorot to avenge her son. For many reasons there's something wrong with this picture: first, it isn't typical for women to be brutal fighters ... she intended to kill; a life for a life, and I can't know for certain because the author never wrote from her point of view. Thirdly, is Grendel's mother, a monster kin to Cain, following the honor code? According to the honor code the death of a family member must be avenged. No...

• Word Count: 1647
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... depict from the battles that Beowulf dealt with finding his true power during his battle with Grendel, the adversities of weakness with the battle with Grendel's mother, and then the ultimate battle which was his death which resulted in the birth of a new hero. Beowulf was considered a hero for many ... it angered her, and she went after the one who had killed the demon known as her son. This ultimate action by Grendel's mother showed how a mother's love will drive her to make The final sacrifice for her child. This trait can be familiarly seen in society throughout time. In this ... B...

• Word Count: 1294
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... being a threat because of her monstrous actions towards them by wanting revenge for the death of her son. Beowulf comes forth to fight Grendel's mother and this fight initiates the change of Beowulf into this monster. As Chih-Chiao Joseph Yang explains, "Before he dives into the waters, ... and the treasures of Horothgar. Plunging into the lake inhabited by all kinds of monster symbolizes his metamorphosis into a monster. His subsequent fight with Grendel's mother turns him into a truly evil figure"(Yang p 5). Yang initializes the way he did not care to jump into a lake infested with mon...

• Word Count: 1577
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... 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 the ... reader is logically forced to assume that she is also more evil and heinous than Grendel (strange case of Grendel's mum). Can the mother's actions be justified? Grendel's mother only attacks the Heorot hall in order to avenge her son, "is presented as a noble and brave opponent and even as ... i...

• Word Count: 1275
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... goes to the king. He then allots treasure to each warrior according to the man's achievements as a soldier. When Beowulf defeats Grendel and Grendel's mother, he expects and receives great riches as his reward, including a golden banner, helmet, and mail-shirt, as well as a jeweled sword, magnificent ... he is thus celebrated and received as a hero. Unferth, on the other hand, proves an empty chatterer, unwilling to fight Grendel or Grendel's mother. Though such verbal elements as boasts and stories are crucial to the warrior culture, heroes are, above all, defined by action. As well t...

• Word Count: 3090
• Approx Pages: 12

... ? Is it the instinct that females gain after having a child, or the natural intuition? Well maybe it is a combination of many things that only a mother can understand, realize and embrace. There are so many queries and yet so little answers on this subject. Some of which will never be answered. However, ... Beowulf's victory over Grendel. They seem unaware of the fact that Grendel has kin who may come to avenge his death. However, meanwhile Grendel's mother is rapidly approaching Herot to gain revenge for her son. In her anger she rushes into the hall and viciously grabs Aeschere, who is...

• Word Count: 665
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... reputation is more evident than ever when he consoles Hrothgar on the death of his friend. He offers his "services" once again by offering to kill Grendel's mother. Hrothgar, Grendel, and a few warriors set out and follow the monster's tracks until they reach the lake where the monsters live. "...they encountered Aeschere's ... own mortality. Unlike past battles, there is no mention of God's help. Beowulf, in this battle, is relying on his own courage. When Grendel's mother appears to have they key to Beowulf's death, God interrupts the battle. It seems as if He was watching all along, as...

• Word Count: 3190
• Approx Pages: 13
• Grade Level: High School

... lifetime. Beowulf defeats all of the insignificant, everyday monsters with ease, but much attention is drawn to the major, more problematic monsters- Grendel, Grendels" mother, and The Dragon. Grendel is "a powerful monster, living down in pain"; a descendant of Cain, Grendel lives under an inherited curse of God. This ... past. Humans likewise follow Beowulf, by turning to a reliable source- either their past knowledge, or a specialized person to help them. Grendels" mother enters the plot of the story as she does Herot, out of nowhere- she has abruptly mentioned before her attack on He...

• Word Count: 866
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... , whether it be Abraham Lincoln for freeing the slaves, Albert Einstein for being a genius, or someone as simple as a mother or father. Through his battles with Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the fire dragon, Beowulf accomplishes the privileged status of an epic hero. The battle with Grendel first allows Beowulf to ... an eye, until Hrothgar beckons Beowulf to save his people once again. His superhuman skills are first apparent when he goes to find Grendel's mother, in her underwater cave. Normal humans do not possess the stamina or athletic ability to swim to the bottom of the ocean, b...

• Word Count: 1010
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... of Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, are not real, but fictitious creatures representing evil because of their attacks on the Anglo-Saxon societies. Grendel, his mother, and the dragon are the imaginary creatures that originate from Cain, which causes Beowulf, the Geat hero, to come to the rescue. Cain is the source ... loss. Women who defied this ideal were thought of as monsters and these women were viewed as such: a monster. When someone kills her child, the mother takes care of her child and then goes out and gets revenge. After being fatally hurt, he went to "his resting place, ...

• Word Count: 1062
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... believed that if someone was murdered, then it is only right that one of their loved ones could avenge that death. This is evident in Grendel's mother. Once she has heard the news of her son's death, she surfaces from her underwater home and seeks vengeance on the Dane's land. She beheads ... battle on the behalf of the Danes. This time the attack would be underwater, and instead of Grendel, he was sent to fight Grendel's mother. Grendel's mother was strong and was just as much of a threat as Grendel was. Her supernatural abilities also prevented her from being affected by weapons. This ...

• Word Count: 2599
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... believed that if someone was murdered, then it is only right that one of their loved ones could avenge that death. This is evident in Grendel's mother. Once she has heard the news of her son's death, she surfaces from her underwater home and seeks avenges on the Danes land. She beheads ... battle on the behalf of the Danes. This time the attack would be underwater, and instead of Grendel. He was sent to fight Grendel's mother. Grendel's mother was strong and was just as much of a threat as Grendel was. Her supernatural abilities also prevented her from being affected by weapons. This ....

• Word Count: 2583
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... -45). These lines use alliteration with the "s" sounds that describes only the beginning of Beowulf's preparation for his battle with Grendel's mother. It also give us the imagery of the armor before the battle. One can imagine and picture the armor all laid out waiting to be ... between monster and warrior. The imagery between darkness and light gives the reader a glimpse into the foretell of Beowulf's upcoming battle with Grendel's Mother. "The Weather-Geat prince/dived into the Mere/the waves closed over the daring man/it was a day's space before he could glimpse ... the darkened ima...

• Word Count: 821
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... performing great acts, or by battling evil. In this epic good is portrayed as a cleanser of evil. In this epic many characters such as Grendel, his mother, and the dragon are used to express the overall view of how evil hopes to destroy the good. Throughout the play Beowulf undergoes many acts that make him appear ... as a figure of good especially by his pledges to kill Grendel and his mother, and his pledge to kill the dragon. The good that is portrayed in the epic begins to show after Beowulf slays Grendel. This fierce act shows the ... of Grendel who is evil as being cleansed by th...

• Word Count: 1097
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... the pleasure of individualization, but what about monsters? Can monster possess distinctiveness? In the epic poem Beowulf, three monsters have the pleasure to show different personalities. They are Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon. Grendels thoughts of revenge fueled his rage against Beowulf but he didn't have the courage to back it up. "Instantly that monster, hardened by crime, realized that ... should suffer for being united without him. He believed in the quote, "an eye for an eye". Grendel's mother had the same emotional pattern as her son but she had a reason to kill inno...

• Word Count: 948
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... his old age. As a young man, Beowulf becomes a legendary hero when he saves the land of the Danes from the creatures, Grendel and his mother. Later, after fifty years pass, Beowulf is an old man and a great king of the Geats. A monstrous dragon soon invades his peaceful kingdom ... edited by monks; it is the work of a learned but inaccurate Christian antiquarian" (Clark, 112). The author has exhaulted the fights with Grendel, his mother, and the dragon into a conflict between powers of good and evil. Grendel is a member of the race of Cain, from whom all "misshapen and ... in hell," a...

• Word Count: 1694
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... when Beowulf completes the first of the battles, by killing Grendel, and celebrating the victory with Hrothgar and his host. That night, Grendel's mother kidnaps and kills Hrothgar's close friend and the next day the king tells Beowulf where to find the two monsters: I've heard that ... or danger. Beowulf certainly experiences a great deal of risk throughout the battles. For example, Beowulf arrives at the lake preparing to fight Grendel's mother without a clue of any sudden events that may occur: "Beowulf, anxious to take part in battle, leaps into the lake without waiting for ... , G...

• Word Count: 918
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... devil, who has no remorse for his actions and enjoys killing people and causing chaos in the bible. Grendel's mother who tempted and kill people of the land could portray as the Devil. Grendel's mother lives in a dark and hidden, "hole" (cavern) and "hollow place which denotes the hell where Devil lives ... . The various part of the poem shows familiarity to Christian religion and the idea of Grendel and his mother who tormented people as a Satan who tempted the religious follower. Beowulf is demonstrated as an honor to his race as Christ was demonstrated as Christian messiah ... Moreove...

• Word Count: 1284
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate