Grendel Good Vs Evil

In Grendel, John Gardner’s book based on Beowulf, the forces of good and evil go into war. The forces of good are the Danes and Beowulf, and the forces of evil are the monsters Grendel and the dragon. Sometimes the forces would overpower each other such as whenever Grendel attacked a mead hall. There is a constant tension between the two forces and in the end Gardner has good triumph. This tension can be seen through the dragon. the power of Wealtheow, and the last battle with Grendel.

The force of evil was at its most powerful point when Grendel meets the dragon. The dragon has a big impact on Grendel when he starts to talk to him about his own philosophy. The dragon states that he knows everything from the beginning to the end. Then he goes into saying how dragons have a different mind because they can control whether something happens from the mountaintop. He explains this method of

One force of good is Wealtheow. Grendel thinks that she is a “holy servant or of common good” (100). At first, Grendel had these mutual feelings about her. He felt weak whenever he looked at her. As it seems that she puts a spell on him. Wealtheow also becomes like a shaper for Grendel. She becomes as this for Grendel becomes the queen is a force of good because they’re leadership and guidance helped the danes overcome hard times. “My chest was full of pain, my eyes smarted, and I was afraid—O monstrous trick against reason—I was afraid I was about to sob. I wanted to smash things, bring down the night with my howl of rage. But I kept still. She was beautiful, as innocent as dawn on winter hills. She tore me apart as once the Shaper's song had done” (100). Grendel was in pain just looking at her, which shows how she has power over him by doing nothing, except showing her beauty. This was one of the most powerful points of Wealtheow because of her leadership and how she helps the Danes overcome the threats of