When the author writes that Grendel is the seed of Cain they are explaining on how horrible of a creature he is. They are referring Grendel to Cain in the book of Genesis in the bible because Genesis was an evil man. The author also refers many of the other characters
Another theme in this story is the theme of men versus monsters. This theme comes to light when Grendel is described. Even in Chapter 1, it is made known that Grendel is going to be a monster. He is called the “enemy of mankind” (29) and rightly so. That automatically makes the reader see him as a completely evil character.
The battle is a sign that even though good has the advantage, good can never have an ultimate victory over evil. Through its powerful use of symbolism in Beowulf’s battles with Grendel and the dragon, Beowulf draws a clear distinction between good and evil, going on to show that the world is fated to a never-ending battle between good and evil. Throughout the poem, Beowulf matures from a good warrior to a good king. He follows comitatus; the relationship between the king and his thanes where the thanes are loyal and fight battles for their king, and in return, the king gifts them with winnings from the battle. A good king or warrior also pays wergild, the price a warrior pays to the family of a slain warrior.
One could argue that “Macbeth” is Shakespeare’s most excessively violent and horrific play as it is “more imaginative, subtle and complex than any other plays” (Spurgeon), validated by the fact that there are over one hundred references to “blood” throughout. Additionally, the protagonist is tarnished as a “butcher” by Malcolm due to his savagery and violence exhibited throughout the course of the play, ultimately inflicting fear onto the audience- both contemporary and modern. Technically, “Macbeth” is regarded as a pre-gothic text as it was published before the term “gothic” was first used. However, Shakespeare has incorporated many gothic elements throughout to inflict the same effect on the audience as what a pure gothic text would, like Dracula. Shakespeare initially exposes the audience to violence in the opening Act, as the “weird sisters” inform us about the existing conflict between England and Scotland.
In the story of Beowulf there are many demonstrations of Beowulf’s superhuman strength, but there is one event that stands out the most. That event occurred during the battle of Beowulf and the monster Grendel, in which Grendel finally is defeated. “He twisted in pain,/ and the bleeding sinews deep in his shoulder/ snapped, muscle and bone split/and broke”(105-108). Beowulf is so strong, that he is able to rip Grendels arm off. Grendel is a big, evil monster who would kill humans, so it is no easy task ripping Grendels arm off.
Lilly Morrone May 13, 2012 Roser 8 Man’s Demise There is no escaping violence. It has and will always be there; mankind is just naturally violent. William Golding shows just that in his story, Lord of the Flies. Taking place in World War one it is a story that holds many controversial messages; he makes many war references and is always talking about savagery. All of the points he brings up can be connected to one thing; Violence.
With his effective use of imagery, diction and irony, Wellford Owens strips away the glory of war and reveals the horror of what it was really like to fight in WWI. Imagery is one of the powerful devise Owen uses to show the realities of war in his poem. Owen uses descriptive words and graphic imagery to provoke feeling and deep emotions within the reader as a way of driving home his anti-war message. For instance, he writes of “froth-corrupted lungs,’’(22)”sores on innocent tongues” (24)and even describes the dying man’s face as a “devil’s sick of sin“(20). As a reader one cannot help but get a mental picture of the terrible war condition as well as feel deep compassion for the soldier.
This gives an explanation of what evil was looked at upon in Anglo-Saxon times. It was the Hero, Beowulf, who clashes with the tremendous and terrifying adversary, Grendel for a fight to relinquish the evil haunting the King’s
This part of the epic is starting to describe the torment and badgering that Grendel receives from the Danes in Herot. *Grendel’s motive for killing a portion of the Danes is not what one would normally think. In addition, this is what is what Grendel hears everyday from Herot,“ As day after day the music rang / Loud in the hall, the harp’s rejoicing / Call and the poet’s clear songs, sung / Of the ancient beginnings of us all / … Conceived by a pair of those monsters born / Of Cain, murderous creatures banished / By God, punished forever by the crime / Of Abel’s death ” (Raffel 40). The songs of Herot in which they call him a felon, torments Grendel day after day, by calling him the most dangerous and disastrous monster there is. Grendel had never disrupted the Danes or done anything to make them hate him so much.
Attila the Hun was the legendary leader of the Hunnic Empire, his reign lasting from 434 to 453. He was also the General of the Hun army, who were Mongolians that originated from central China. The Hun army was considered to be a vicious, barbaric tribe that most Romans found considerably frightening. Attila the Hun made a momentous impact on the ancient world, extending fear over Europe, almost destroying Rome and in turn, was dubbed as “The Scourge of God”. Not only did the Huns leave a lasting impression on Rome by demolishing numerous communities and constructions, but the destruction was firmly imprinted into the minds of the Romans and European history was significantly altered as well.