Beowulf Cause-Effect Essay The Anglo Saxons were known for their major influence on early English Literature. One good example of Anglo Saxon literature is Beowulf. Beowulf is an epic that tells the story of a warrior, Beowulf, who is on a quest to defeat various villains, such as Grendel. Although Beowulf and Grendel have many similar characteristics, Beowulf is portrayed as a hero while Grendel is portrayed as a villain. The author of Beowulf, who is unknown, makes the reader believe this by portraying each character in different ways.
In the poem, Beowulf, a Geat hero, battles three antagonists: Grendel, who is attacking the Danish mead hall called Herot; Grendel’s mother, and later in his life, an unnamed dragon. The author uses alliterative verse as the principal structuring device to unify the poem, as opposed to other devices such as rhyme. Besides the technical aspects of the poem, Beowulf is rich in Anglo-Saxon traditions. In the epic, there is an immense amount of violence that is accepted with different feelings by other characters. The two main forms of violence are preformed by Grendel, the main antagonist of the poem and by Beowulf - the hero of the story.
It was Good vs. Evil where a good warrior fights for his glory then later battles for the good of his people by battling evil monsters for there good. As a great warrior and later a king he faces near death. The first battle with Grendel he risked his life, but he did to reach fame for the glory and to prove that he is the mighty Beowulf. The battle with Grendel’s mother he fought for the greater good of the people to stop the terrorizing that they have done for years.
The dichotomies are used throughout the story, but the one that sticks out the most is good to evil. In the first of Beowulf’s three battles, he fights Grendel, an "Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend/Grendel who haunted the moors, the wild /Marshes, and made his home in a hell.”[Lines 101-108] Grendel attacked the people
Sadly, Opposing king Hrothgra’s goodness is the horrible swamp dwelling, demonic Monster, named Grendel who terrorizes and kills innocent Danes for simply enjoying themselves and having a good time. Beowulf, a young and mighty Geatish warrior, who also represents courage, honesty, and morality comes to the aid of the king. After gaining support of the Danes, Beowulf, without any armor, defeats Grendel, the
Not only does he conquer the two most hated villains in the history of Herot, but he also stands up for himself in situations such as those with Hrothgar and Unferth. Many people look up to the brave conqueror even more than before. On the contrary, he still needs to defeat the strongest and most difficult of the villains; the dragon. The vaguely ominous plot at this point in the epic is foreshadows the conclusion of the poem. As he fights with the dragon, he is now aware that he is going to die.
That was bad enough, but the following night Grendel killed more—blinded by sin, he felt no remorse.” 3. How many years has this battle with Grendel been going on? It has been going on for twelve years. “Twelve years this went on, Hrothgar suffering the greatest of sorrows.” 4. What attempts have been made to rid the land of this beast?
Taylor Davis Mr. Brumback Language Arts April 20, 2009 The McGill The villain is the most hated character in every novel. Sometimes the villain can be anyone from a criminal to a monster. In the captivating novel Everlost by Neal Shusterman there is a monster named the McGill. The McGill roams Everlost in search of souls to work for him on his ship. To get to Everlost you have to be off track going to the place that you were supposed to go after your life had ended.
After reading Beowulf, it was very obvious that Grendel is an evil character and has nothing but bad in him. Throughout Beowulf Grendel is not accepted in society and not wanted on any terms, and this upsets him. Grendel is very different than those around him which make things in life difficult. He isn’t accepted because in the peoples eyes Grendel is a killer and kills out of anger and what he holds inside. An example of Grendel killing the innocent people around him is, when Beowulf’s warriors are sleeping Grendel sneaks into the room, attacks the men and tares them to pieces.
Beowulf an Archetypal Hero Beowulf, A New Telling, the epic novel by Robert Nye tells an adventurous tale about Beowulf defeating the deadly, malicious Grendel and the fiercely, terrorizing firedrake. Beowulf is challenged and inspired to help the Danes, and agrees to fight Grendel. He also faces the firedrake that is out to get revenge for the geat slave stealing the goblet. As a result of Beowulf accepting the two challenges, defeating Grendel and over coming the firedrake, Beowulf is classified to be an archetypal hero. Beowulf demonstrated various challenges in proving himself an archetypal hero.