Grendel Vs Beowulf

Words: 562
Pages: 3

People like to say that the conflict is between good and evil. The genuine conflict is between truth and lies" (Don Miguel). The poem of Beowulf is a tale of a man named Beowulf, a hero of his people, going on an adventure to save another kingdom from repeating attacks from a monster said to embody the evil of the world, only known as Grendel. Throughout the poem, there is that repeating theme of good vs. evil or hero vs. monster, but can we truly simplify a story down to such a theme? We are told the story mainly from the perspective of Beowulf and his men, drastically changing the story's perspective in favor of Beowulf. But what if we had more views of Grendel's side? We might look at it from a different perspective and realize that these two people, each having defining characteristics, are …show more content…
Beowulf is portrayed as a warrior with unparalleled skills and abilities, and throughout the poem, we hear tellings of Beowulf's adventures and how, on several occasions, even with the odds stacked against him, he triumphs against a monster or several at once. As the book says, "Five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth. I swam in the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one" (Lines 420-424). On the other hand, Grendel is portrayed as a monster with immense strength and ferocity that terrorizes the Danes at night, while the ruler, Hrothgar, does nothing in his grief. He was described as "Snatched up thirty men, smashed them unknowing in their beds and ran out with their bodies, the blood dripping behind him, back to his lair, delighted with his night's slaughter" (Lines 122-125). Although they utilized their strengths differently, both can be described as possessing colossal strength and significant expertise in combat. Another similarity between the two is that they both are isolated from each