Beowulf Grendel

Beowulf: Examining Grendel
One of the reasons that Beowolf is such a timeless text is because of the entrancing ambiguity of many of the characters described. Perhaps the most quixotic is Grendel, an entity which is described as monstrous, but which might not actually be a monster. This paper will discuss how Grendel in many respects embodies so many forms of all that is monstrous. However, when determining if Grendel is a human being or more of a supernatural monster, this paper will show how the text demonstrates that he is indeed a monster.
Some scholars think that Grendel is intended to just be a human who is symbolic of supreme evil and all that is monstrous, however that is just incorrect. For example, some scholars will use the following quote as evidence that Grendel is actually human during his scuffle with Beowolf: “suffered grievous pain; a gaping wound opened on his shoulder; the sinews sprang apart, the muscles were bursting” (XIII, 25). Some people seem to think that because Grendel had a shoulder meant that he was just a human being that was meant to resemble something monstrous personified. Animals have shoulders, and some monsters do to. However, the most significant negation of this interpretation is the following: “alone now with Grendel/He intends to fight Grendel unaided./ I shall manage the matter, with the monster of evil,/The giant, decide it…(VII, 54). Even if in this case Beowolf just refers to Grendel as a monster because he behaves monstrously, this line demonstrates that he also refers to him as a “giant.” This is not the only time that Grendel is referred to as a giant, and such a description of him makes sense. Grendel is capable of much damage, destruction and intimidation. If he is of a gigantic size this would make complete sense. This is why his wrath is so imposing and why he Beowulf deciding to battle him is such a significant decision.
Moreover, it’s possible that Grendel is some sort of human/giant-monster hybrid. The reader already knows that he has some human qualities like hair, however, he also has some beastly qualities. Consider this description: “ ’Twas a manifest token,/
When the hero-in-battle the hand suspended,/The arm and the shoulder (there was all of the claw/ Of Grendel together) ’neath great-stretching hall-roof” (XIII, 42-45). This description aptly captures the hybrid qualities of Grendel: he has an arm and shoulder, which are obviously human qualities, as well as a great claw, which evokes the image of something beastly and monstrous. It is possible that Grendel looks like a giant werewolf or a giant animal of some sort, or some sort of human-beast combination of all these in giant proportions.
It is important to realize that while there is textual evidence to demonstrate that Grendel has human qualities, there is also plenty which indicates that he has inhuman qualities as well. Consider the following description: “But on earliest occasion he quickly laid hold of/A soldier asleep, suddenly tore him,/ Bit his bone-prison, the blood drank in currents,/ Swallowed in mouthfuls: he soon had the dead man’s/ Feet and hands, too, eaten entirely” (XII, 31-35). No human did this. This is the work of some massive sized creature, something with both super human strength and super human size. Any other conclusion is a blatant dismissal of the evidence in the text.
In summary, Grendel is one of the worst monsters to every appear in world literature. Despite his evil and his monstrosity, there has been much speculation regarding what exactly Grendel is and what he represents. While some scholars argue that Grendel is a human personification of evil, he is not just human. Grendel certainly has some human qualities, but is definitively a monster of gigantic proportions.





















References
Gutenberg.org, & Hall, L. (2005, July 19). Beowulf: An Anglo-Saxon Epic Poem. Retrieved from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16328/16328-h/16328-h.htm#page_5