Grendel a Character Analysis free essay sample

It is implied in the poem that Grendel has similar characteristics of a large animalistic beast; the author even refers to his murdering of the warriors inside Heorot as, â€Å"hunting for prey in the high hall† (line 713). Additionally, throughout the poem, Grendel only appears at night, as would a nocturnal hunting animal. His described physical appearance portrays him as an animalistic. When Beowulf tears Grendel’s arm off, it is described as being covered in impenetrable scales and horny growths; like that of a reptile. Grendel also possesses unnatural and seemingly inhuman strength that appears when he mercilessly kills the warriors in Heorot. The narrator states, â€Å"and his glee was demonic, picturing the mayhem: before morning he would rip life from limb and devour them, feed on their flesh† (lines 730-733). Grendel seems to take his only pleasure from assaulting Heorot and destroying the warriors inside. Grendel is seen almost as a demon, a creature that is â€Å"malignant by nature† and who â€Å"never showed remorse† (line 137). We will write a custom essay sample on Grendel: a Character Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page By describing Grendel in this way, we begin to think of him as evil mindless creature out to spread evil by wreaking havoc on Heorot. On the surface we are lead to believe that Grendel is completely evil and should lack our compassion or sympathy because he derives pleasure from these violent acts. Although Grendel has many animalistic attributes and a grotesque, monstrous appearance, he seems to be guided by vaguely human emotions and impulses. The poet hints that behind Grendel’s aggression against the Danes lies loneliness and jealousy. By lineage, Grendel is a member of â€Å"Cain’s clan, whom the creator had outlawed / and condemned as outcasts. † (lines 106–107). This association that Grendel has with the biblical Cain, who killed his own brother, automatically portrays Grendel as an ominous creature by association. Grendel is explicitly referred to as â€Å"the Lord’s outcast† (line 169). He does not interact with the rest of the Danish society and is restrained to the confinements of his underwater cave. He is even described as â€Å"spurned and joyless† (line 720) and the 11-year war he wages with the Danes is described as his â€Å"lonely war† (line 164). We know little about Grendel’s upbringing, his personal philosophy, or the expected experiences of hurt he faces as an outcast of his society. Grendel is simply angry toward mankind and lacks compassion for the people of Heorot because he has never been given any himself. The reason behind his slaughtering of the mead-hall is not because he is a mindless beast, but because he is envious of not being able to share in the feasting and celebrating in Hereot. His alienation from society causes him to kill and feel no sorrow over these violent acts. Grendel leads a solitary life out of the light and to see others living a life involving feasts and music not only disturbed him, but also hurt him emotionally. The torture of listening to people enjoy themselves in Heorot was enough to push Grendel over the edge into anger and violence. If he could not partake in celebrations with them, he would prevent them from celebrating and being happy while he lived in misery. This is why Grendel, â€Å"driven by evil desire and swollen with rage,† (line 36) works so hard to destroy Heorot. These feelings of jealous and envy are emotions that the reader of Beowulf should be able to identify with, thus leading them to sympathize with Grendel’s character. We know little about Grendel himself in the epic Beowulf, and it seems that the author manipulates the reader into thinking Grendel is a thoughtless, evil monster by using kennings like â€Å"shadow of death† (line 160) to depersonalize him. Despite these negative associations, the reader can’t help but sympathize with Grendel after realizing that his motive for his destructive behavior is driven by very human emotions of jealousy.