Salvation And Temptationation In Beowulf: Salvation Vs. Temptation

1226 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: beowulf from grendel's point of view

Beowulf: Salvation vs. Temptation Although proper credit cannot be given to an unknown author, the extraordinary poem, Beowulf, does give proper credit to the typical binary hero system. Beowulf illustrates an impossibly perfect hero, Beowulf, with only the best of intentions who takes on not only the destructive Grendel, but Grendel’s vengeful mother as well only to end in his own impressive demise. Two thematic elements are discussed in Beowulf: that it is altogether improper to fall to the temptation of the devil and that one can survive solely under the protection of God who sends all earthly gifts and blessings. Along with the ever-present sense of salvation bestowed within Beowulf’s pride comes a direct conflict with Christian values
Little opportunity for exposure to good provides Grendel, “a fiend from hell” (101), with the motive for evil. Not only is Grendel seen as evil for his ancestry, but he is clearly depicted as the devil throughout the epic battle between Beowulf and himself. “It was well-known to men / that the demon foe could not drag them / under the dark shadows if the Maker did not wish it” (705-707). Grendel represents this “demon foe” who is literally dragging away the Danes’ beloved friends from Heorot. Grendel feels no sorrow for the evil he has set upon the Danes: “but the very next night he committed / a greater murder, mourned not at all / for his feuds and sings—he was too fixed in them.” (135-137). Grendel’s, as the devil, only concern is that he tempts the people of Danes to shy away from their Christian religion in search of an answer to his demonic ways. Therefore, the condemnation of Grendel to a hellish life causes one to recognize the symbolic aspect of Grendel as not only sin, but the devil and all of his temptations. Along with the representation of the devil, Grendel takes on the face of temptation. The Bible speaks to the fact that the Lord will not let a believer be tempted past their own strength. In Beowulf, Grendel is interpreted as the temptation of evil as he leads the people of Danes to
The town has fallen to the temptation of Grendel by committing pagan acts and cannot seem to find the way out of this never-ending slump of mass destruction until along comes Beowulf who hears the prayers of those in need:
Then my own people advised me, the best warriors and the wisest men, that I should, lord Hrothgar, seek you out, because they knew the might of my strength; (Beowulf 415-418)
Beowulf is the answer to the prayers for a hero, a savior, for someone to rid Danes of this monstrosity that is Grendel. Just as God hears the prayers of his followers, Beowulf is miraculously informed of this devastated town and takes matters into his own hands to save those who have fallen to the evil of Grendel by spreading the Lord’s righteousness. God has sent Beowulf, who is full of goodness as the impossibly perfect hero, to Danes to right the wrongdoings of Grendel. Beowulf, unselfish and brave, takes on an incredible confrontation that seems out of his battle league. Beowulf portrays a disciple of God when delivering the Danes from evil by helping the individuals, who are suffering from Grendel’s attacks, to repent. Hrothgar is first to notice how God has sent Beowulf:
Holy God in His grace has guided him to us, to the West-Danes, as I would

Show More
Related

  • Characteristics Of Anglo-Saxon Heroism In Grendel

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendel, written by John Gardner, is a novel based off the early epic poem, Beowulf. Gardner tells the tale in the perspective of the monster, Grendel, who is struggling to understand the purpose of life and his place in the world. In Gardner’s novel, Grendel terrorizes the kingdom of Hrothgar for 12 years, killing men in the night relentlessly. With the descriptions of battles and heroic deeds, Gardener conveys to the reader, the ideals of Anglo-Saxon heroes as courageous, self-righteous, humble, and loyal beings that are humanly flawless. The book Grendel tears down all these fundamental ideologies of Anglo-Saxon heroism by giving Grendel the monster a nihilist perspective that makes heroism sound stupid and meaningless.

    Read More

  • Corruption In Beowulf Essay

    1546 Words  | 4 Pages

    Beowulf is an epic poem that explores many themes and motifs within the Anglo-Saxon society. The Author, who remains anonymous, composed the epic around 1000 A.D. The literature focuses mainly on a Scandinavian warrior named Beowulf, who comes to the aid of Herot, a small town ran by King Hrothgar. Beowulf arises to rid the town of evil forces, such as the demon monster Grendel, and his savage mother who seeks revenge for the death of her son. As he ages, Beowulf presumes his title as king of Geatland, still eager to protect his loyal followers from danger. Though he is viewed as a godly force, the situations and the behaviors that Beowulf expressed, sometimes deviate how the Anglo-Saxons viewed his character. From this, the theme of "Good vs. Evil", which can be easily depicted in the literature piece, was constantly contradicted throughout the entire poem.

    Read More

  • Loyalty In Beowulf's Honor

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through his many heroic accomplishments, whether it is fighting Grendel, Grendel’s mother, or the dragon, in Beowulf’s defense of the needy and his enthusiasm to sacrifice his life to benefit others, Beowulf has earned the right to be given the name “hero.” Beowulf can be looked at as a man who demonstrates the knightly morality of his medieval counterparts. Beowulf is not only a hero, but also a model to all warriors of that they should aim to be.

    Read More

  • Herois Tradition throughout British Literature

    1877 Words  | 4 Pages

    The character Beowulf, “a man of great strength and bravery” (Magill 388), is a hero in the way he defends his neighboring country, Denmark. When the word that a hostile creature, known as Grendel, was killing tons in Denmark, Beowulf set sail to help defend the people and rid them of the hideous monster.

    Read More

  • Warfare in Beowulf

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beowulf begins with Grendel attacking the Danes out of vengeance and hatred. Grendel is the relative of Cain which means that he is outcast to eternal darkness as punishment for the crime of Cain killing his brother Abel. Therefore, when Grendel hears laughter in the hall named Heorot, he is angry and a little envious, so he goes on a killing spree in order to put an end to the warriors’ happiness. Because of Grendel’s attack upon the Danes, Beowulf arrives in order to put an end to the killing spree: “And now alone I shall settle affairs with Grendel the monster, the demon” (Donaldson, p.8). The author offers no other solution to solving this issue with Grendel but battle, and after the battle is fought and Beowulf wins, Grendel’s hand is preserved as a trophy. Beowulf is rewarded with gifts for his courage, and now the Danes are at peace.

    Read More

  • Sympathy in Beowulf

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first opponent Beowulf must face in the land of the Danes is Grendel, textually described as “a fiend out of hell … [a] grim demon / haunting the marches, / marauding round the heath / and the desolate fens” (Beowulf, line 100 – 104). The author also provides us with a moral description, explaining how Grendel is “merciless … malignant by nature, he never showed remorse” (line 135-137). As we can see here, the author’s physical and moral portrayal of Grendel is rather unforgiving. We also resent Grendel further once we learn that he has wreaked havoc upon the Heorot hall for twelve years, “inflicting constant cruelties on the people / atrocious hurt” (line 165).

    Read More

  • Grendel And Beowulf: Humanizing The Monster

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rudd cites various sections of the poem, describing Grendel as a “night-monster of the border lands” (Rudd 3), and the translation of the poem says that Grendel was, “...Conceived by a pair of those monsters born Of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God…” (Raffel 42). Rudd also gives evidence for Grendel being seen as demonic, and reasons that Grendel attacks the Danes out of “...not mere thirst for gore, as we might suspect… but rather… envy of the Danes’ happiness- and envy was a chief characteristic of the medieval devil.” (Ruud 5). He then ties this devilish persona to Grendel’s humanistic aspects, stating Grendel has a heathen soul, and therefore he must be human. Ruud also notes, however, that there are critics who question the validity of portraying Grendel as this three-sided figure, asking questions such as, “How can Grendel be a devil when he has a physical body? How can he be a man when he is so manifestly bestial?” (Ruud 7). Ruud believes that the original poet of Beowulf is doing this for effect rather than consistency, but a more reasonable explanation that encompasses all three characteristics is that Grendel represents the evil in

    Read More

  • The Evil Within

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Both Grendel and Beowulf, there is conflict. The conflict is betwixt the themes of light and dark, Paganism vs. Christianity, and Man vs. Beast. Grendel, the main character in Grendel and the secondary character in Beowulf, faces external battles but the most important battle take place internally. John Gardener recognized the basis for Grendel’s predicament which is “his [Grendel] stubborn cling to skepticism and cold, hard reason. . .” (Grendel’s Geis). Though there are many different themes present in both stories, there is one theme that remains consistent throughout out both. This theme is the lack of acceptance. Grendel’s in-acceptance is rooted in his lack of understanding of the world and its functions. As a result of the many things that have taken place in Grendel’s life, he is perceived as evil yet, not because he wants to be. He is misunderstood and not accepted. Much of Grendel’s evil wrongdoing comes as a result of lack of acceptance, lack of communication, and his ignorance.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Evil In Grendel

    628 Words  | 2 Pages

    Grendel is the embodiment of all that is evil and dark. Grendel by John Gardner retells the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf from the perspective of the antagonist, Grendel. He is the outcast of society; doomed to roam in the shadows of Hrothgar’s city, Heorot. He is an outside threat to society and all that is good. His whole existence is to hate good simply because it is good. Mankind can only be truly free if good and evil coexist in the world; and all people are born with an evil and dark side.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Summary

    584 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Beowulf” translated by Burton Raffel, the character Beowulf is portrayed as a brave, courageous, and very pious man. In the pagan tale the underlying motif of Good vs. Evil heightens these characteristics even to the point where Beowulf comes across as a symbol for God and Christianity. He battles “the demon” Grendel (ln. 16), Grendel’s mother, and a fierce dragon, all in order to save those who need aid, primarily the people of Herot. This too is very Christlike because he is serving those lower than himself for the sole purpose of doing the right thing. Although Beowulf is very brave all throughout, he becomes boastful and greedy from the time he first battles Grendel to when he takes on the dragon.

    Read More

  • Beowulf Vs. Eaters Of The Dead

    1631 Words  | 4 Pages

    The main character, and protagonist, Beowulf is first introduced in the novel by means of ancestral lineage. Born into greatness, Beowulf makes his reputation indisputable through action. With the King Hrothgar as witness, Beowulf declares his intentions to aid the Danes by way of slaying the awesome beast Grendel who has caused havoc among the lands. "Now I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat." As every great hero fulfils his boast, Beowulf did not fall short. Though the destruction of Grendel brought relief and rejoicings- a mother's wrath would cause it to fall short. Again, the mighty Beowulf takes on this mighty beast, descendant of Cain. As Hrothgar desperately states: "Now help depends again on you and you alone./ Seek it if you dare."

    Read More

  • Beowulf: Grendel is Pure Evil

    485 Words  | 1 Pages

    Time after time he charges into Herot Hall, slaughtering the warriors like sheep, and feasting on them. Denmark trembles in fear and grief as Grendel terrorizes their land. The people live in fear for their family and friends. Grendel is the Anglo-Saxon embodiment of what is dark, terrifying, and threatening. Grendel is an enemy of God. He can not know God’s great love. He is a powerful ogre that resides in the dark, wet marshes. He is a shadow of death that grows impatient with the Danes. He delights in their slaughter. No crime or savage assault would quench his thirst for evil. For evil can never be quenched. Grendel is a shepherd of evil and a guardian of crime. Grendel exhibits his envy towards the warriors as Cain did to his brother. Jealousy breed loneliness.

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Beowulf and Grendel

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story of Beowulf is a heroic epic chronicling the illustrious deeds of the great Geatish warrior Beowulf, who voyages across the seas to rid the Danes of an evil monster, Grendel, who has been wreaking havoc and terrorizing the kingdom. Beowulf is glorified for his heroic deeds of ridding the land of a fiendish monster and halting its scourge of evil while the monster is portrayed as a repugnant creature who deserves to die because of its evil actions. In the epic poem, Beowulf the authors portrays Grendel as a cold-hearted beast who thrives on the pain of others. Many have disagreed with such a simplistic and biased representation of Grendel and his role in the epic poem. John Gardner in his book, Grendel set out to change the reader’s perception of Grendel and his role in Beowulf by narrating the story through Grendel’s point of view. John Gardner transforms the perceived terrible evil fiend who is Grendel into a lonely but intelligent outcast who bears a striking resemblance to his human adversaries. In Grendel, John Gardner portrays Grendel as an intelligent being capable of rational thought as well as displaying outbursts of emotion. He portrays Grendel as a hurt individual and as a victim of oppression ostracized from civilization. The author of Beowulf portrays Grendel as the typical monster archetype as compared to John Gardner’s representation of Grendel as an outcast archetype.

    Read More

  • The Epic Of Grendel's Metaphamental Monsters In Beowulf

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    While Grendel may possess a brute strength, his lack of wit and logic is what ultimately leads to his downfall and demise. In Beowulf, the actions and character that of Beowulf, or an Epic Hero, define the perfect Anglo-Saxon warrior. Epic heroes are indicated by a variety of traits, including that they, “must look like a hero, they must be noble, famous, strong, courageous, humble, prideful, thick-skinned, self-sacrificing, faithful, focused, be a leader, and have a tragic flaw” (Jones 3). Unfortunately, aside from the ‘tragic flaw’ and ‘strong’ categories, Grendel’s character is antithetical to all characteristics of an Epic Hero. This makes him quite the villain, and a generally despicable character. “Suddenly then, / the God-cursed brute creating havoc: / greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men”

    Read More

  • Beowulf, Christianity, and Paganism

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poem Beowulf is a renowned story that displays many different surroundings and religious beliefs. Some may believe the story of Beowulf portrays pagan beliefs or customs and others believe that the poem is more in agreement with Christian ethnicity. The author of Beowulf uses both Christian and pagan elements in the poem to define the heroic warrior, Beowulf, and the evil dragons. After reading Beowulf the author clearly shows how Beowulf is a man who is filled with Christian customs and is willing to die and defend the world against evil using the help of God.

    Read More

More about Salvation And Temptationation In Beowulf: Salvation Vs. Temptation

Open Document