Every world has a monster – each unique in their own way. They come from different beginnings, possess different traits, and have their own desires. However, they share one similarity: perception. Regardless of crime or victim, monsters are always perceived with paranoia and fear. Little to no consideration is paid to the emotional and mental states of these hell-bound creatures. Condemned for life, cursed by god, these beings spend their days pathetically wallowing in their shameful existence, scornful of the present and hateful of past. Grendel, a lonely monster who despises the world as much as it despises im, is one such being.
Leaving the ill-fated waters of his pond, Grendel plagues the world of King Hrothgar and the Danes. Coming every night, Grendel massacres Hrothgar’s people in the Herot, a famous hall of music and riches. This murder and terror continues until the arrival of Beowulf, a warrior with the intents of defeating Grendel once and for all. Courageously, an unarmed Beowulf fatally wounds Grendel to the celebration of the Danes – for it is only right to celebrate the death of a monster. As portrayed by “Beowulf”, the poem “Afterwards” by Whitehead, and an excerpt from John Gardner’s novel Grendel,
Grendel, serves as the imperfection in the otherwise virtually- perfect world of Beowulf. Hence, a monster such as Grendel must exist, for no world can be perfect, and he, is what renders his world imperfect. Therefore, without the being of a monster such as Grendel, Beowulf’s world would not exist. Initially, his appearance and actions are what make Grendel an imperfect being, as he separates himself from the ideal and perfect world. The “God-cursed brute” (Beowulf 7), Grendel, is reduced to “a dark death-shadow”(13),”a prowler through the dark”(9). In the early stages of the Beowulf, Grendel has no ertain appearance.
For a period of time, Grendel is not a physical being, instead he is an idea. He is an idea which embodies fear, death, and murder. Although his presence is always felt, it is not often regarded and realized. Thus, the physical appearance of Grendel is limited to the imagination of the people. Grendel is simply imagined by the people to be a hell-bent monster; even Grendel sees himself as a “ridiculous monster crouching in the shadows” (Gardner). This is mainly because Grendel is a beast unlike no human – a truth which is later realized during Beowulf’s and Grendel’s showdown.
As anything else abnormal and alien, Grendel is pushed away by civilization and the rest of the world. Grendel feeling remorse, also pushes away from the ideal world, raising a “defiant middle finger” (Gardner) towards the sky. To his frustration, however, “the sky ignores [him]”. In a similar fashion, the goat he opposes, to Grendel’s bewilderment “considers the angles, [and] decides to ignore [him]”. Grendel is exasperated, and “[hammers] the ground with his fists”. Although, Grendel may not wish to be part of society, he certainly wishes to be acknowledged by it.
He is ngered and agitated by “the din of the loud banquet every day in the hall, the harp being struck and the clear song of a skilled poet telling with mastery of man’s beginnings”(Beowulf 9). He hates being ignored. This hate and strong emotion of Grendel causes him to further isolate himself from society. Consequently, he builds up a rage which motivates his murderous desires. Therefore, because of his appearance and actions, Grendel is separated from the rest of the world. As he lives by himself, he fails to recognize and live by the ideals of his world.
This renders himself as an imperfect monster who lives in world that without him, would be perfect. Furthermore he is isolated, – left like his ancestor Cain: “[kneeling] awhile in the field of the ending light, picking at the black moons beneath” (Whitehead 1-3). Another factor which creates Grendel’s role as the imperfection in a nearly-perfect world is how he sees the world and himself – in an ugly and horrid form. Looking around Grendel sees no beauty, merely “storm piling up black towers to the west, some rotting, docile stump, some spraddle-legged awe” (Gardner).
Grendel wants to be in the dark, he wishes to be in the shadows. Wishing to be concealed, under the cloud-murk he moved… until it shone above him” (“Beowulf” 49). He has no wish but “to blend the sour vomit into that turned earth” (Whitehead), for he is disgusted with himself. It is in himself, in whom he sees a “pointless, ridiculous monster crouched in the shadows, stinking of dead men” (Gardner). He feels melancholy, and often has the urge to “cry, and hug [himself], and laugh, letting out salt tears” (Gardner).
Grendel is not a monster by circumstance, for he himself has a great role in the creation of the hell-bent creature. Seeing the world through one shade of darkness, Grendel must concede that he does not fit into this world. He fails to see beauty, and most importantly he fails to understand himself. His failure to be acceptant of his very self, is a major cause of his violence and murder. It is true that Grendel is a brute, a freak of nature who is cursed through his appearance. Yet, it is the awareness of his appearance which renders his character.
Grendel’s constant self-depreciation and cynicism, coupled with his hate of the world, powers his motives. These are the feelings which make Grendel constantly hunger for blood and revenge. Through these emotions Grendel is willing o disturb peace, “[inflict] constant cruelties on the people” (Beowulf 13) and to ultimately prevent the world from being a perfect or ideal place. Therefore, it is this outlook that Grendel has on upon himself and the world around him, which shapes his mentality, playing a huge role in him serving as the imperfection of an otherwise perfect world.
Grendel, the “fiend out of hell” (Beowulf 9), sends waves through Beowulf’s otherwise perfect world, disturbing it from its peace. When the Herot is constructed, it is a “great mead-hall, meant to be the wonder of the world forever”. There is tranquility in the Danish Kingdom and “times [are] pleasant for the people” (Beowulf 7). As day changed to night, “the stars [opened]. Nearby, a cow moaned for milking” (Whitehead 20-21). With little regard to the occurrences of the previous day, life moves onward, undisturbed and indifferent.
Beowulf’s men lay in the Herot – “asleep from their feasting, insensible to pain and human sorrow”. As peace, happiness, and prosperity reign over this carefree world, it could not be closer to its ideal state. However, Grendel enters the Herot, and wreaks havoc on the people, murdering them all. By morning, “as dawn brightened and the day broke, Grendel’s powers of destruction were plain” and the people’s “mighty prince.. sat stricken and helpless” (Beowulf 11). This exhibits that without Grendel, the world can be ideal.
Although wars are waged and battles are fought on a daily bases in Beowulf’s world, the deaths are just. As these battles open the door to glory, they are welcomed by the Nordic population. Similarly, the world is not waivered by death, as death is inevitable. In contrast, Grendel is a monster, who murders unjustly and cold-bloodedly. Satisfied by fear, Grendel plagues the population. Thus, it is clear that Grendel must exist to disturb the calm. He must make blood flow. He must monger fear in others. He cannot allow the world to lay unperturbed in its peaceful slumber.
Hence, it is clear that without Grendel the world can move ever-closer to its perfect state of happiness and peace. Ultimately, Grendel is there to serve as the imperfection in a world which without him would be perfect. Taking everything into consideration, the world cannot exist without a monster such as Grendel. Every world must have a monster. In “Beowulf”, the poem “Afterwards” by Whitehead, and the xcerpt from John Gardner’s novel Grendel, Grendel serves as the imperfection in the otherwise virtually-perfect world of Beowulf.
Grendel accomplishes this by separating himself from the ideal and perfect world through his appearance and actions, by perceiving himself and the world around him through a shade of darkness and frustration, and by disturbing the otherwise perfect world from its peace. In the end, the world of Beowulf cannot exist without Grendel. Without Grendel there would be no imperfection in Beowulf’s world, creating a world that is perfect and ideal – an impossible phenomenon.
