Comparative Analysis: Storytelling in Beowulf and Grendel

Beowulf as well as Grendel are both stories that for a majority of the time center around the same general premise, that being the story of Beowulf and his numerous encounters with evils beings. Where the stories begin to differ between one another is in the way the story is told to the reader. In Beowulf, the story is told from a perspective that was common during the Anglo-Saxon time period. What this means is that a majority of the clashes that take place in the story of Beowulf are worded in a way that tailors itself to the views and beliefs of the Anglo-Saxon people. An example of this is how throughout the duration of Beowulf there is practically no mention of the struggle, failure, or weakness of the Geats. This portrayal of only strong,

Grendel on the contrary attacks the subject matter from a radically different perspective. To begin, the most noticeable difference is that the story is told from a first person perspective of the monster Grendel in place of that of the third person narrator used in Beowulf. This means that we are able to see the inner monologue of the monster himself and not simply a narrator’s explanation.

As these stories in theory harness the same basic plot, there are many scenes that take place in both stores that share many similarities and differences. One scene in particular that takes place in both novels is that of the bloody battle between Beowulf and Grendel. In Beowulf, the scene paints Grendel in an incredibly negative fashion, focusing more on portraying him as a savage beast then an intellectual, misunderstood creature. Lines such

Each party has their own motivates, views, and beliefs, and neither one could be labeled as being more correct then the other. The scenes are similar in that they both encompass one side winning over the other, but they differ in that neither side ever seems to be more morally correct then the