Beowulf .vs. Grendal

A detailed Summary of Beowulf .vs. Grendal

Contrasting points of view in Grendel and Beowulf significantly alter the reader's perception of religion, good and evil, and the character Grendel. John Gardner's book, Grendel, is written in first person. The book translated by Frederick Rebsamen, Beowulf, is written in third person.

Good and evil is one of the main conflicts in the poem Beowulf. How is Grendel affected by the concepts of good and evil? Grendel is an alienated individual who just wants to be a part of something. His desire to fit in causes him to do evil things. Grendel is fascinated by the Shaper's poetry. He often returns to the mead hall to listen to it. One night while he is listening, he hears the story of Cain and Abel, including the Danes explanation of Grendel. His reaction to this leads to one of his most dramatic emotional reactions: "I believed him. Such was the power of the Shaper's harp! Stood wriggling my face, letting tears down my nose, grinding my fists into my elbow the corpse of the proof that both of us ere cursed, or neither, that the brothers had never lived, nor the god who judged them. 'Waaa!' I bawled. 'Oh what a conversion!'" (Gardner 51). Grendel then cries for mercy from the Danes. He wants their forgivenes

s as well as unification with them, which represents the good in him. The Danes reject him by confusing his outburst of sorrow as an attack.

Good, is portrayed by God, and evil seems to be what fate has in store for the hero. Beowulf occasionally talks to God and asks God to give him strength before the battle and to give him the valor he needs to overcome his enemy. Evil seems to always get the bad side of things since it always gets conquered by God's good side. Even though this is true, evil lives the high life for a long time. Grendel, Beowulf's first opponent, killed thousands and thousands of men before he met his match.

The character Grendel is viewed in a different light in the book Grendel. Grendel is pitiful in Grendel; however, Gardner uses this pity to arouse sympathy for Grendel by giving him human traits and emotions and by using first person. This novel is actually narrated by Grendel, which offers understanding of the beast's innermost feelings, as well as evoking sympathy from the reader. In Grendel, the antihero has human traits: he walks on two legs and speaks a language similar to the Danes. He also has strong emotions of fear, anger, and sorrow as well as intellect.

After visiting with a dragon that tells Grendel a fictional version of the Shaper's tale, Grendel continues to believe the Shaper's story. He searches for the goodness in human beings, which was mentioned in the story. He eats people only because it provides a place for him in society, even if it is a negative position. Good and evil is one of the main conflicts in the poem Beowulf, and ultimately both wipe each other out.

The point of view of the book Grendel allows the reader to see another side of Grendel. In Beowulf, Grendel is viewed as the antagonist and the e

Some common words found in the essay are:
Grendel Beowulf's, Cain Abel, Grendel Beowulf, Grendel Gardner, Beowulf Grendel, King Hrothgar, Additionally Christian, God God, Cain Grendel, Ruler Earth-For, poem beowulf, grendel beowulf, grendel viewed, references cain, book grendel, character grendel, main conflicts poem, main conflicts, evil main, conflicts poem, beowulf grendel, evil main conflicts, conflicts poem beowulf,

Approximate Word count = 1194
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English