Journal 1

Beowulf is an Old English epic poem that has survived since the Anglo-Saxon time period and has been rewritten to modern English. Beowulf, a great Geat hero, has been asked by Hrothgar to kill the monster Grendel has been terrorizing the mead-hall and killing the people who sleep there. Described as a descendant of Cain, born as a monster, Grendel leaves his home to go feed on humans in the mead-hall. The character of Grendel is portrayed as an evil monster. This is proven by study of his ancestry, actions, and personality.
Grendel is a monster born of Cain, terrorizing Herot. He was born a murderous monster due to his ancestry. “He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain, murderous creatures banished by God”. (19-22) Grendel was banished by birth and feel hatred towards man. He gets back at man by killing the men that sleep in the mead-hall. Grendel is a monster banished by birth, seeking revenge from the people who banished him.
Grendel would constantly eat and terrorize the Danes until Beowulf arrived to help. Grendel would often leave his home at night looking for people to eat. “The monster’s thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws; he slipped through the doors and there in the silence snatched up thirty men”. (34-37) He was a monster great in size; causing him to be easily feared. He would kill up to thirty men at a time and spared no bodies until his thirst for blood was full. Grendel was a large monster who would murder and eat people at night.
Grendel is shown throughout the story with a dark and gruesome personality. As Grendel attacks Herot, it seems as though he is only directed towards evil. “No savage assault quench his lust for evil”. (53-53) This quote proves how evil and cruel Grendel is at heart. The quote also shows how no matter how many people Grendel kills; his quench for evil will never be satisfied. Grendel is shown throughout the story as a dark monster who has a great need for evil.
Different things such as ancestry, actions, and personality portray Grendel as an evil monster. Grendel, being banished by birth from men, seeks his revenge throughout the story. He was a large monster and would seek his revenge by eating people in the dark of the night. These acts portray him as an evil monster who wants nothing but death. Although Grendel may have been doing what came natural to him, he paid the price for his evil ways in the end.