When there is a hero, there is a monster. What is a hero without a foe? What is a hero who does not have anyone to fight against to show their brilliance? This is the same case in books. Beowulf and Grendel, from Beowulf, is the hero and the monster of the book and both have an extremely terrifying strength. Though Beowulf and Grendel are both strong and robust, their different characteristics, motive, and actions, present in the book make Beowulf a grander hero.
The crucial difference in characteristics between Beowulf and Grendel make Beowulf a grander hero. While Grendel is ferocious, Beowulf is calm and prideful. When Grendel goes to kill people in Herot, he is wild, going around killing whoever he sees, “[Grendel] found them sprawled…show more content… There simply is no sincere motive for Grendel to arrive and Herot and murder humans. He has pleasure in doing so and that is it. “[Hrothgar] wept, fearing the beginning might not be the end. And that night Grendel came again, so set on murder that no crime could ever be enough, no savage assault quench his lust for evil” (133-138). It shows how the only motive for Grendel to turn up at Herot is one reason: Killing people. The motive of Grendel makes him look like a bloodthirsty, cold blooded killer. However, Beowulf’s motive is exceedingly different. “I’ve never known fear; as a youth I fought in endless battles … But I will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me” (2511-2514). The glorious speech of Beowulf tells on thing: He will fight for fame. The quote might lead to opinions making Beowulf look like a stuck up, show off, but his final words of death leads another opinion. “For this, this gold, these jewels, I think our father in heaven, ruler of the earth- for all of this, that his grace has given me …” (2794-2796). The other perspective that comes up is the fact that Beowulf not only fights from fame but also fights for God, his father in
