Beowulf a New Prose Translation by E. Talbot Donaldson Literature

¶ … Old English poem Beowulf offers a number of contrasts in telling the story of the hero Beowulf and his fight to save a community not his own first from the monster Grendel and then from Grendel's mother. Later in the poem, Beowulf also fights a dragon. These monsters fight from different motives, from the relatively petty pique of Grendel to the desire for vengeance from Grendel's mother and the desire for revenge against a wrong from the dragon. In each case, the attack produces a response from Beowulf that shows aspects of his character, makes it possible for him to show his prowess, and suggests the values that shape the society of his time.

The monster Grendel attacks Hrothgar's army in Heorot, and the motivations given in the poem begin with the fact that the creature is simply unhappy and does not like to see human beings happy. The army celebrates because of its great victory in war and because Hrothgar has constructed Heorot, and Hrothgar now holds a feast where he gives out rings and treasure to his men. Grendel is described as a "fierce spirit" (3) who painfully endures hardship and "who dwelt in the darkness" (3), and the reason given for his pain is that "every day he heard loud mirth in the hall" (3). The warriors "lived in joy" (3), while Grendel is called a "grim spirit" and a "hellish enemy" (3). Grendel is also described as an "Unhappy creature" (3), and one of the reasons for this is that "he lived for a time in the home of the monsters' race" (3). This is a reference to the place to which Cain and his progeny were banished after Cain slew Abel. This aspect of the story is a likely addition from the Christian era, but the story as it now stands suggests that Grendel is seeking revenge for having been so banished and for having to live with "all the bad breeds, trolls and elves and monsters" (3) that were born to Cain and his descendants because of that banishment.

The relationship to Cain also suggests that Grendel is evil, allied with the devil, and he is in fact so described. He is called a "creature of evil, grim and fierce... savage and cruel" (3). Grendel is also described as "the enemy of mankind" (4), which further explains why he bridles at hearing any happiness from human beings and why he seeks to stamp out that happiness through violence and murder. The human beings in Heorot are part of a huge family, while Grendel is described as the "walker-alone" (4). For Beowulf, such an enemy is an opportunity to achieve fame and to do so by defending humankind from something perceived as pure evil. Beowulf thus becomes the protector of home and hearth against the ravages of a creature without God. Beowulf in fact becomes God's messenger in the Christianized version of the poem, fulfilling the call Hrothgar makes ("God may easily put an end to the wild ravager's deeds!" [9]). The kind of celebrating that so angers Grendel is what makes the humans human, for they revel in their achievements and in being part of something greater than themselves, namely the army of Hrothgar and the community represented by Heorot. Their celebration at the coming of Beowulf also attracts "the walker in darkness," who arrives "wearing God's anger" (13).

The motivation for Grendel's mother is even clearer, for she seeks revenge for the death of her offspring. She is also one of those sent to dwell in darkness because of Cain's sin and is also resentful at this punishment and at the fact that human beings continue to enjoy living in the world, but she has the added reason of vengeance for the death of Grendel. She is described as "woman, monster-wife" and is said to be "mindful of her misery" (23). She has also suffered from her banishment, and the poet says her misery comes from the fact that she had to "dwell in the terrible water, the cold currents, after Cain became sword-slayer of his only brother, his own father's son" (23). Cain had to flee "the cheerful life of men" (23), precisely the sort of life that Grendel so hates in the followers of Hrothgar. Cain's children included many monsters, "many a devil sent by fate" (23), and one of these was Grendel, now dead. Because of this, Grendel's mother, "still greedy and gallows-grim, would go on a sorrowful venture, avenge her son's death" (23).

While in the earlier part of the poem Grendel was described as walking alone, Hrothgar now cites two of his men who have told him that "they have seen two such huge walkers in the wasteland holding to the moors, alien spirits" (24). One of them was female. Grendel and his mother thus are both seen as unfortunate and fearful creatures exiled from the world of human beings. Grendel could not stand to hear human beings celebrating, and his mother is seeking vengeance. This new assault on Heorot brings Beowulf forward once more to prove himself and his willingness to take on the ills of this foreign people. In fighting Grendel's mother, Beowulf discovers that Grendel is not dead but only resting, wounded and weary of the fight. Now, Beowulf finishes him and takes his head. He has now rid the kingdom of both the creatures that wander the moors and kill humans.

The fight with the dragon is a fight by a much older Beowulf against a new foe, testing his courage and ability later in life. The dragon attacks because he has been wronged by a thief who entered his barrow and stole a cup from the treasure the dragon guards. The thief is a slave who takes the cup to his master, seeking peace, and the master takes more of the treasure. The dragon awakes and finds his treasure depleted, and he vows revenge on the thief, saying he "would find the man who had done him injury while he slept" (40). The dragon "took joy at the thought of war, in the work of fighting" (40). The creature attacks and leaves a wall of flame around the humans, the land-dwellers, and so angers Beowulf, who vows to rid the kingdom of the dragon.