Journal 1

Grendel, a ferocious, reckless, and dark monster, plays the powerful antagonist in Part One of Beowulf. Part One of Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, takes places in Scandinavia during a time of great terror. The vicious monster Grendel brings havoc upon King Hrothgar’s great mead-hall Herot and threatens anyone who dares walk unguarded. Grendel, as an antagonist, appears to be the root of all evil and darkness that has overcome Hrothgar’s once wonderful kingdom. The character of Grendel is essentially portrayed the same way most villains are portrayed: despicable, unruly, and somewhat jealous.
The despicable character traits of Grendel come from his cursed lineage. “He was spawned in the slim, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God, punished forever for the crime of Abel’s death” (21). Legend has it that Cain, the first murderer of mankind, was cursed, and therefore, all Cain’s descendant were also cursed. As evident from the quote, Grendel did not choose to simply terrorize Herot; instead, since Grendel is cursed with darkness, he is dictated to terrorize mankind with his sheer strength and grotesque manner. Part One of Beowulf also expands on the idea of Grendel’s strength and utter evil by saying, “ he [Grendel] snatched up thirty men, smashed them, unknowing in their beds, and ran out with their bodies” (22). This quote brings to point that Grendel is no ordinary person and may, in fact, have supernatural strength. There seems to be no reasoning behind Grendel’s commotion except for his inherent evil he obtained as a descendant of Cain.
The unruly nature of Grendel is noticed by many in Hrothgar’s kingdom. In fact, many feared his wild nature so much that they left the city to save themselves. As a result of the evacuation, Hrothgar’s kingdom “stood empty, and deserted for twelve winter” (22). The narrator goes on to say, “ How the monster relished his savage war on the Danes (people of Hrothgar’s kingdom), keeping the bloody feud alive, seeking no peace, offering no truce, seeking no settlement, no price, in gold or land, and paying the living for one crime only with another” (22). So, the narrator means to say that the savagery of Grendel would not allow for compromise; thus, it is made clear that Grendel is inherently unruly.
One may argue that Grendel is a confused, jealous monster, having grown up in darkness away from civilized society. When Grendel is first introduced into the epic, he is said to have, “haunted the moors, the wild marshes, and made his home in a hell not hell but Earth” (21). The grim landscape of his homeland is just as gloomy as his character. The hellish place Grendel inhabits possible makes him envious of the contrasting, delightful place of Hrothgar and his people, who have festivity and gathering at Herot every night. Since Grendel has never been an active member of society before his invasion, he has never been invited to participate in the festivities that the Danes participate in. Being irrational and inherently wicked, Grendel decides to inflict pain upon others because he has an inner pain he cannot relieve.
As evident from his actions, Grendel is an unruly, despicable, and jealous character. In Beowulf, Grendel’s unwillingness to compromise—for irrational reasons—with Hrothgar makes him appear highly unruly. Grendel’s grotesque manner and treatment of innocent humans is utterly appalling and despicable. The atmosphere of Herot contrast with the grim atmosphere of Grendel’s filthy marsh, and as a result, Grendel is jealous of the blessings mankind has. Since Grendel’s curse of wickedness dictates his cruelty to mankind, Grendel has no other option except accept himself and destroy all that he perceives to trouble him.