Grendel, the first villain in Beowulf, killed out of jealously of the happiness of others and challenges the Geats’s stability. Grendel, a descendent of Cain, lived apart from the Geats and their new mead hall. As the offspring of one of the most sinful humans, Grendel was a perpetual social outcast with a hideous appearance, and thoughts “as quick and as bitter as his claws” (McDougall Littell 36). The Geats often celebrated and communed in Herot, the mead hall, often making music and noise, which disturbed Grendel. For a warrior culture used to having to move around frequently, the mead hall was a triumph and an important cultural symbol for the Geats. Beowulf even mentioned when he arrived to the Geats that the mead hall was “a notable structure” (42). Grendel stands out as a threat to the Geats because he ruthlessly kills and because he intentionally comes to the one place the Geats have to commune and celebrate together as a society. Motivated by jealousy of their community, Grendel strikes where he believes it will hurt the community at large. But after Grendel’s attacks on the Geats in the mead hall, Herot stood empty for twelve winters (34). When Beowulf finally comes to restore peace, there are joyous celebrations to commemorate the restoration of an important social structure. In his first battle, Beowulf successfully restored a symbol of social commerce and stability; his subsequent battles will restore a new and unique element of the Geats’s society.
Topic Sentence #1: Grendel killed out of jealousy of the happiness of others and in doing so challenges their well-being and stability. Topic sentence #2: In order to avenge her son’s death, Grendel’s mom kills and attacks, and challenges the reparation system. Topic sentence #3: The dragon, guarding the wealth of the Geats, poses a threat to their economic system. |
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May 2015
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