In Beowulf, Grendel's Mother is faintly described, but described enough to make her an outsider and an other. Grendel's mother is described as an aquatic witch-monster with claws; essentially, something alien to human knowledge except for a slight resemblance to a woman. This void of human similarities adds to its horror and how she is portrayed, for it is easier to hate an alien than a neighbor. Even when she exhibits human characteristics, such as revenge for her son, she is o

When the level of difference is called into question, it becomes obvious that the characterization of the monster is contingent on the level of difference. Thus, society defines difference as monstrous, a frightening normative assumption that society has been lulled into.

Beowulf 2000, not to be mistaken for soft-core pornography, is an even more blatant example of how diminished monstrosity is related to the lack of difference between Grendel's mother and society. Grendel's mother is depicted as a Swedish bikini model, hardly a disfigured beast to be feared. She even lives in the same place that the helpless victims do, thus society cannot rely on geography to classify her as an other. Finally, she behaves like humans do, lusting and protective of her property, her motive for the havoc she wreaks on the outpost. This humanizing depiction drastically diminishes her monstrosity and

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Approximate Word count = 605
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)