In many stories throughout ancient times, Monsters have been the focus of the problems in one’s society. These creatures of the dark have always posed a certain threat to society. Further monsters have been connected to features that are subhuman or primitive animal like features. Beowulf, who’s author is unknown, is an epic poem which portrays these themes associated with monsters during the pre Anglo-Saxon times where feudalism has dawned and revolves around a lonesome hero from Geatland named Beowulf.
In this epic poem monsters are shown as beings which exhibit the dark side of an and bear features that are animal-like or grotesque, and later showing how man shuns such beings. Throughout the poem three monsters appear from the darkness. Grendel, a powerful monster spawned from hell, Grendel’s mother, a creature that brewed in a cold murky lake, and the Dragon, a great beast who personifies death, are monsters in this poem who exhibit these traits of darkness. The representation of evil where rage and wraith are involved are most seen in the character of Grendel.
The idea of rage and wraith is seen as being linked to man’s violent ways are embodied in him. The Author states “.. , living down in the darkness, growled in pain, impatient as day after day the music rang loud in the hall, the harp’s rejoicing” (86-89), exposes Grendel’s great fury against this enjoyment. As Grendel’s character development increases, the narrator tells of Grendel’s features and origins which entails how he was ,”… spawned in that slime, conceived of Cain, murderous creatures banished By God… (104-107), furthering the resentment of man, and man’s will of getting rid of such freakish creatures.
The author’s notation of Cain from the bible in the ine shows the dark side of man, and how Grendel symbolizes it. As opposed to Grendel’s deeds and wild rage, Grendel’s mother can be seen as almost a moral antagonist. Grendel’s mother could be viewed as having a human persona that is all too familiar to most people.
Grendel’s mother is seen as a symbol of revenge when the author states, “But a monster had lived and meant revenge she’d brooded on her loss. isery had brewed in her heart, that female horror,”( 1257-1259) which displays the loss of Grendel and her revenge for his death. The plot of Beowulf’s defeat of Grendel’s mother symbolizes man’s overcoming of evenge. As for features represented in Grendel’s mother is spoken of as being a she-wolf, displaying the human disinclination of the primal or animal-like. Grendel’s mother is emblematic of the dark side of the human psyche of its disaffection for revenge and disfavorment of the primitive.
Of all the monsters in the poem, none can amount to the evil and acridity of the dragon. The dragon is seen as the one who is most despised because of his sense of true and metaphysical evil. One of his traits would be that of greed. For example the line which states, “The cup rought peace to a slave, pleased his master, but stirred the dragon’s anger- The dragon followed anxious to find the man who had robbed it of silver” (2285-2295), exhibits how one piece of treasure out of his whole treasure can disturb such a creature.
The poem later then captures the dragon’s metaphysical villenous in taking out all of Beowulf’s villages with his fiery breath. ((add one more sentence to back it up)) Anger, revenge and greed are traits of man’s dark side. These qualities of man are embodied in monsters. Such monsters are even more personified by giving certain looks in which are animal like or subhuman.
