Beowulf and Grendel

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Beowulf and Grendel

Beowulf and Grendel are actually the same stories in the fact that they are based on the same epic "Beowulf." "Beowulf", that is told of here is translated by Kevin Crossley-Holland, and there are many different translations which makes Beowulf the epic so interchangeable. Although "Beowulf" and "Grendel" seem very similar they do have many differences as well. Reading the two stories back to back gives you the impression of how many differences there are. For example, "Beowulf" is written from an outsider's point of view. "Grendel" is written from Grendel's point of view. This changes the whole perception of the book. Seeing a story written from two different points of views not only helps you to understand the story better, but can also change the story dramatically. These stories were written during the Anglo Saxon period. Lifestyles and culture were very different from those of today. Anglo Saxon time was a time of Medieval England. When envisioning medieval England one sees a time of kings, knights, meadhalls, loyalty and devotion to the king. The two epics show medieval society throughout their entirety. "Beowulf" and "Grendel" are very different, but are in fact based on the same epic, the different points of view allow the stories to change from the original version, and create two different stories.

One major difference in the two stories is that "Beowulf" and "Grendel" are written from two different points of view. "Beowulf" is written from an outsider's point of view and "Grendel" is written from Grendel's point of view. This makes a big difference in the stories. It leads to differences in how you look at the characters, the point of the story and also the scenes change ...

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... the different points of view allow the stories to change from its original version to create two different stories. Although both stories follow a similar plot, they do come off as different. An outsider tells one, and the other is told from Grendel's point of view. Some aspects in "Grendel" were emphasized and were barely mentioned in "Beowulf", this is because Grendel is looking at it from himself. We could never get the actual picture of Grendel's relationship with his mom, through another person's eyes. The Anglo Saxon world was very different from that of today. In medieval time there was much devotion to the king, fighting, and wars. In today's society we do not even have a king nor would we respect him enough to do good deeds for him. "Grendel" and "Beowulf" are two very good stories that are based on the same epic but are in fact there own stories.

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