Journal #2

In the ancient poem, Beowulf, an epic hero is forced to save his threatened community by battling and defeating a total of three monsters. One of these monsters is the character Grendel, who had previously terrorized citizens of the area for many years. His attacks had become routine, and the king, Hrothgar, began to take drastic measures in order to defeat the monster for good. Throughout the epic poem, Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, the character of Grendel is portrayed as ruthless and malevolent. However, many aspects of the story point to the conclusion that Grendel may not be to blame completely for his tormenting behavior.

As the poem Beowulf begins, readers can immediately see that the image that will be given to the character of Grendel throughout the entire story is the role of the antagonist. The poem opens by stating, “…A powerful monster, living down/in the darkness, growled in pain…” (Raffel 1-2). These lines foreshadow the presence of an evil being in the story although readers are not yet introduced to the actual character. Soon after this grim opening, however, a direct statement is made to ensure that readers realize the demonic nature of the monster Grendel. “So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall/Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend/Grendel, who haunted the moors” (Raffel 15-17). Here, the readers are formally introduced to the character of Grendel, and immediately can assume that his character will be one that is not favored throughout the story. His physique is described as animal-like, having a grotesque appearance. This image coincides with the typical image that comes to mind when thinking of an evil being or character.

Although Grendel’s character is one filled with malice, the poet implies that not all of the monster’s characteristics are guided by evil. His emotions throughout the story seem to be vaguely human, leading readers to think that Grendel may not have all of the evil intentions that are portrayed through the opinions of Beowulf, Hrothgar, and the rest of the terrorized town. In times before the story takes place, Grendel and his mother had been exiled to a swamp located outside of the town, far from any place where they could obtain human interaction. This prompts the idea that Grendel is a character only longing to be accepted into the realm of human society and may just be confused on how to do so. The poet reveals that Grendel was “conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / By God, punished forever for the crime of Abel’s death” (Raffel 21-23). This is a direct allusion to the book of Genesis in the Bible, the story of Cain and Abel, the two sons of Adam and Eve. According to the book of Genesis, Cain killed Abel out of jealousy, becoming the first murderer in human history. This aspect of jealousy carries over into the monster Grendel, as his aggressiveness towards the Danes may be the effect of jealousy of their lineage and way of life.

Despite the fact that Grendel’s behavior may be partly to blame on his lineage, the nature of his character, as well as his mother’s, is that of a monster. His attitude is one that seems to have never shown any sort of remorse for his actions. Grendel is also described as “Killing as often as he could, coming / Alone, bloodthirsty and horrible” (Raffel 80-81) and “bearing God’s hatred, / Grendel came, hoping to kill / Anyone he could trap on this trip to high Herot” (Raffel 393-395). These passages give Grendel the image of a bloodthirsty monster, stopping at nothing to defeat his prey. This also shows readers of his selfish intents to torture and take advantage of anything and everything that he could attack successfully. The images given to the place where Grendel and his mother live also gives insight to the behavior that might be seen by the monster. Their lair is located at “the mud of the bottom” (Raffel 574) of the lake. This location is one filled with darkness and gloom and is the perfect setting for a ruthless monster.

Throughout the play of Beowulf, Grendel is possibly the most memorable character present. His dark and evil intentions are those far beyond that of many antagonistic characters throughout literature. No one knows exactly whether Grendel’s malice is to be blamed on his nature, his lineage, or both. Throughout the poem, the poet indirectly implies that while Grendel’s resentment towards Hrothgar and his subjects is due to his widely known status, he had always been malignant in nature. It is that the lack of resentment in his actions that would result in his staying the same for all of eternity.