Contrast of Beowulf and Grendel
The epic is a long narrative poem that recounts the adventures of a hero who embodies the culture and ideals of the society in which the epic is based. The characteristics of the warrior culture of the Anglo-Saxons are displayed in the epic Beowulf, the national epic of England. In the epic, the Geat warrior hero Beowulf comes to the aid of the Danish King Hrothgar, and slays the demon, Grendel, who he has been ravaging his lands for twelve years. Written around 750 A.D. by an unknown poet, Beowulf is considered by most to be the first masterpiece of the English language. Beowulf belongs to the present as well as the past. Over one thousand years later, in 1971, John Gardner wrote a modern version of the epic. In re-working the epic Beowulf into prose, Gardner created the modern novel Grendel that is markedly different from its source in both form and content.One main difference in the two works is the way the author favors the protagonist in each work. In Grendel, the reader, through knowing Grendel's thoughts, develops a feeling of empathy toward him, and understands why the monster attack
" This advice provides the incentive for Grendel to start attacking the humans. In Beowulf, Grendel does not think but acts only out of instinct. Beowulf, however, begins in the twelfth year of Grendel's attacks on Beowulf and his thanes. When Gardner wrote a modern version of the national epic of England, he did not change the plot; however, he did change the way it is conveyed to the reader. Although he is initially curious about the humans and tries to make friends, man labels him as different and throws him out of Heorot. The epic Beowulf is considered of the greatest works in the English language. He bellows about his inability to speak to his own mother, "She had forgotten all language long ago. In comparing the novel with the epic, one realizes there are many differences. " He even considers stopping his raids on the humans because he becomes, "filled with gloom again. He exclaims that killing the humans leaves him with an empty feeling, and makes him "feel depressed. In conclusion, has greater insight into Grendel's character in the novel than in the epic as a result of the different time frames of the plots.
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