Normal people really do be useless, right?

An analysis of the similarities between Beowulf & Grendel, and

what this means for the story.

Lecturer: Aline Douma

Student’s name: Jonathan Olde Scheper

Student number: S5367093

Hand-in date: 21-01-2024

Word count: 2329

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Modern research of Beowulf has drawn a great deal of inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1936
essay entitled “The Monsters and the Critics.” It laid the groundwork for the current scholarly
state of Beowulf, partly by discussing the importance of the monsters in the story. Tolkien
argued they are fundamental to the narrative, as “the monsters are not an inexplicable blunder
of taste; they are essential, fundamentally allied to the underlying ideas of the poem.” 1
According to Tolkien, the addition of the monsters is paramount to the poem and what it
attempts to convey. A myriad of them are present, with specifically Grendel being portrayed
as fairly ambigious. Although he is classified as one of the monsters, his nature is not
inherently evil. Robert L. Chapman has argued for this point, stating that “Where one would
expect an assured, unequivocal condemnation of the manslayer, one finds instead a curious
ambivalence.”2 Even though the poet assigned a great deal of elements which marks Grendel
as evil, numerous humanizing aspects have been assigned to him as well. There’s an obvious
separation from humanity present in Grendel’s portrayal, he is not alone in this regard. His
vanquisher, on the other hand, is neither an ordinary member of society. The strength
attributed to Grendel is something Beowulf most definitely shares, and even supersedes. They
are both distanced from the societal norm. Even though the hero is accepted by society, he
cannot be categorized as any other member of it. Beowulf and Grendel can both be placed
into the same category, one I will call supernatural entity, since neither of them can be
entirely classified as human. Grendel’s monstrous depictions, set him clearly apart from those
who he consumes. He wields massive strength, as seen when “the iron-braced door turned on
its hinge when his hands touched it.”3 His very nature allows him to pull feats of strength no
man could ever come close to achieving. Yet, Beowulf is the sole warrior who has matched
Grendel’s monstrous strength, which in turn inherently links them together. By the showcase
of their supernatural strength, they pose themselves as entities divided from the common man,
since none come close to matching them. The more human characters certainly have a role in
the story, but on the battlefield they appear to do very little. As such, Beowulf and Grendel
can be likened to supernatural entities, through their shared characteristics, such as formidable
strength, extreme aggression, and an indifference to human concerns, which shows the limited
influence of humanity when faced with immensely stronger foes.

1
J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Monsters and the Critics” in The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays (London,
George Allen & Unwin, 1983), 19
2
Robert L. Chapman, “Alas, Poor Grendel” in College English 17, no. 6 (1956): 334.
https://doi.org/10.2307/372370.
3
‘Beowulf,’ 57.

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 For starters, Beowulf and Grendel are written as counterparts to eachother, as their
formidable strength links them together upon entering battle. In the first attack on Heorot,
Grendel is said to have “grabbed thirty men from their resting places, and rushed to his lair.”4
Which displays how far he exceeds others strength-wise. When Beowulf is described by
Hrothgar, he states Beowulf holds “the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand.”5 The poet
ascribes similar amounts of strength to the two, allowing them to be matched in might. This
illustrates that the two are made for eachother, their shared description of formidable strength
matching them together. Norma Kroll discusses this matching, stating she believes their true
self to emerge during their clash: “As doubles, however, Beowulf's and Grendel's true natures
emerge only in their identification with and opposition to each other.”6 Kroll argues the two
are both a side of the same coin, they need each other just as much as the other needs them.
Beowulf and Grendel can be likened to each other so much that they one may say they are
counterparts.
Adding on to the strength both supernatural entities possess, they share an overly
aggressive nature. Even though revenge is a prominent part of Anglo-Saxon society, Beowulf
seems to be extraordinarily vengeful and bloodthirsty. Kroll discusses how the extreme
violence he displays is ridiculous: “He had ground the attacking sea monsters […] into pieces
with the same bloodthirstiness shown by Grendel in devouring Hrothgar's thanes.”7 Where
just ending the lives of the sea monsters would have been enough, the hero decided to go
above and beyond in their merciless execution. Beowulf is portrayed as the hero of the story,
but he is shown to be just as bloodthirsty as his counterpart. The tendencies that Grendel is
hailed for, are also present within Beowulf’s nature, which illustrates their similarities.
Additionally, Beowulf and Grendel share a certain indifference to the concerns of
other people. The hero portrays this through his egotistical actions, whereas the monster
primarily does this through his diet of Heorot inhabitants. When viewed solely on a surface
level, one might view Beowulf as the undisputed hero of the poem, the man who without
disregard for his own safety aids a different nation in their monster conundrum. However,
when diving deeper into his character, ulterior motives rise to the surface. His heroic acts are
not purely motivated by selflessness, but an egotistical desire to gain fame and renown. Even
though seeking this is common for a warrior, placing your own desires above that of your

4
‘Beowulf,’ 45.
5
‘Beowulf,’ 50.
6
Norma Kroll, “‘Beowulf’: The Hero as Keeper of Human Polity.” Modern Philology 84, no. 2 (1986): 124.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/437569.
7
Norma Kroll, ‘Beowulf: The Hero as Keeper of Human Polity,’ 125

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tribe is quite self-centered thinking. This is examplified when he returns to his homestead,
since significant tensions regarding his travels are revealed by Hygelac; “How did you fare on
your foreign voyage, dear Beowulf, when you abruptly decided to sail away across the salt
water and fight at Heorot? […] I pleaded with you long and hard to leave the killer be, let the
South-Danes settle their own blood-feud with Grendel.”8 The speech Hygelac gave, disputes
Beowulf’s status as selfless hero. He states that the departure was a sudden and abrupt course
of events, instead of a planned voyage. The hero resolved to take off to foreign lands, solving
disputes that were never his own to solve. Fighting Grendel was an unnecessary risk to take,
since Beowulf knew full well that it may be his demise, evidenced by the speech he gave
before fighting Grendel.9 Without permission he set off for Heorot, and as Jessie Bonafede
stated: “It stands to reason that for Hygelac’s character and the Geats more broadly, they
doubt how Beowulf’s goal will benefit the tribe.”10 On closer inspection, the hero is not as
selfless as he seemed earlier in the story. His tribe did not see the value in his departure, hence
Hygelac gave no permission to do so. By placing his own desires above that of the tribe,
Beowulf brings himself closer to Grendel, since he does as he pleases. Although this does not
equate him to the status of monster, the hero certainly shares an indifference to the concerns
of others with his counterpart.
Beowulf is aware of the similarities between him and Grendel, evidenced by the
decision to fight on equal grounds. His use of weapons symbolises he belongs to humanity,
since only humans wield armaments. Grendel does not belong to humanity, because his
behaviour categorises him as monstrous in nature. By choosing to adopt Grendel's behaviour,
Beowulf knowingly brings himself closer to the monster; “I have heard moreover that the
monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons […] I hereby renounce sword and the
shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-board: hand-to-hand is how it will be.”11 The hero
has learned that Grendel makes no use of weapons, and deliberately chooses to put himself on
even ground with the beast. This idea has also been brought up by George Clark, who argued
that since weapons are the physical representations of humanity, Beowulf’s rejection of them
before the battle with Grendel transforms it into “an archetypal struggle essentially unlike
human warfare.”12 It is not a struggle between man and monster anymore, it has instead

8
‘Beowulf,’ 85.
9
‘Beowulf,’ 51.
10
Jessie Bonafede, “The Good, the Bad and the Violent: Analyzing Beowulf’s Heroic Displacement
and Transgressive Violence during the Grendel Quest,” Quidditas: Vol 42, (2021): 16.
11
‘Beowulf,’ 51.
12
George Clark, “Beowulf’s Armor.” ELH 32, no. 4 (1965): 421. https://doi.org/10.2307/2872250.

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become one between supernatural entities.
Grendel and Beowulf are two sides of the same coin, belonging to the category of
supernatural entities standing above humanity. Entities that humanity holds zero influence on,
since nobody in the story comes close to matching their feats of strength, in turn putting them
above every other character from a combatative perspective. Take for example Grendel’s first
portrayal, where he rampages through the inhabitants of Heorot: “Their mighty prince, the
storied leader, sat stricken and helpless, humiliated by the loss of his guard, bewildered and
stunned, staring aghast at the demon’s trail, in deep distress.”13 Grendel comes and goes as he
pleases, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. All the other characters, but one, are solely
able to lament their losses, hoping that Grendel does not decide to make another visit.
The singular character who holds any power over Grendel is his counterpart.
Beowulf’s fabled strength allows him to defeat the beast, and allows him to act however he
pleases. As the strongest, Beowulf rises above everyone else in physical prowess. Just like
Hrothgar, he is a leader of people, who are nothing without him. Before heading off to distant
lands, he had assembled a small army to accompany him. An army of the finest men he could
find: “he moved about like the leader he was, enlisting men, the best he could find; with
fourteen others the warrior boarded the boat as captain.”14 The narrator implies that these
fourteen men are meant to aid him in his battles, to help him achieve victory. Men who are
supposedly the strongest members of Beowulf’s tribe after their captain. And subsequently,
they contribute exactly nothing to the fights. In the wrestling match with Grendel this is
understandable since “no blade on earth, no blacksmith’s art could ever damage their demon
opponent.”15 Where I cannot find the reason for their meager contributions however, is during
the battle with Grendel’s mother, since Beowulf’s crew never even attempted to aid their lord.
Merely “staring at the mere […] they wished, without hope, to behold their lord.”16 Beowulf’s
elite army solely served as decoration for the landscape, as they contributed about nothing to
the fight. Adding on to this, even the narrator is aware that Beowulf’s people are useless when
their king takes his permanent absence. Later in the story, the hero struggles with the dragon,
and subsequently loses his live in the process, after which the narrator states his people will
not last long anymore: “Now war is looming over our nation, soon it will be known to Franks
and Frisians, far and wide, that the king is gone.”17 Beowulf was the sole reason that the

13
‘Beowulf,’ 45.
14
‘Beowulf,’ 47.
15
‘Beowulf,’ 59.
16
‘Beowulf,’ 77.
17
‘Beowulf,’ 104.

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Franks and Frisians made no attempt to attack. With their king gone, his people will fall soon
as well. Basically, Beowulf is not only a leader of his people, but their sole protector as well,
since they are not sufficiently able to defend themselves without him.
Apart from the necessity for Beowulf to defend others, those that he defends are at the
mercy of his whims, examplified by Hrothgar’s severe lack of influence on the hero’s actions.
As the leader of a people, one would expect Hrothgar to be wielding extreme amounts of
power, and considering the Anglo-Saxon warrior society he leads and is a part of, especially
physical power. On the contrary though, as stated previously, he is utterly powerless in
stopping Grendel’s rampaging, and needs to be saved by Beowulf. He attempts to assert a
degree of masculine dominance on Beowulf, but is unable to do. Mary Dockray-Miller
brought up the argument that “Hrothgar, the proto-masculine great king, is actually losing
masculine status within the social networks and battles of the poem because he does not wield
power and dominate others in the manner that Beowulf can.”18 Dockray-Miller believes
Hrothgar has lost his masculine status, for the lack of any ability to defend his people from the
monster. The leader of the South-Danes fails to assert his dominance, hence loses it while
Beowulf only grows in status. According to Dockray-Miller, he attempts to gain power over
Beowulf, and thus regain his masculine essence, by trying to adopt him. Unfortunately for
him, it does not work out at all as Hrothgar’s frantic attempt to play the role of father to
Beowulf gets promptly ignored by the hero. “If Beowulf had responded at all to Hrothgar’s
emotion, his tears, the longing in his blood, it would have been an acknowledgement that
Hrothgar held some sort of power over him.”19 This points out how little power Hrothgar
holds over Beowulf, who in turn acts as he pleases.
Nobody is able to assert any influence on Beowulf’s actions, nor over those of
Grendel. The two are intertwined beings who solely hold influence over eachother. This is
evidenced by the numerous shared characters, such as formidable strength: their supernatural
strength places them far above any other human character in physical prowess. As well as
their shared indifference to human concerns, illustrated by both acting however they please.
The hero is aware of their similarities, evidenced by his rejection of weaponry before his
battle with the monster. Neither Hrothgar or the men Beowulf commands come close to
matching any of the feats of the supernatural entities. Which in turn proves how humanity is
quite useless in the face of great adversity.

18
Mary Dockray-Miller, “Beowulf’s Tears of Fatherhood.” Exemplaria 10, no. 1 (Januari 1, 1998): 2.
https://doi.org/10.1179/exm.1998.10.1.1.
19
Mary Dockray-Miller, ‘Beowulf’s Tears of Fatherhood,’ 28

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 Bibliography:

‘Beowulf’ In The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 10th ed.

Edited by Stephen Greenblatt, 37-109. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2018.

Bonafede, Jessie. “The Good, the Bad and the Violent: Analyzing Beowulf’s Heroic
Displacement and Transgressive Violence during the Grendel Quest,” Quidditas: Vol 42,
(2021)
Chapman, Robert L. “Alas, Poor Grendel.” College English 17, no. 6 (1956): 334–37.
https://doi.org/10.2307/372370.

Clark, George. “Beowulf’s Armor.” ELH 32, no. 4 (1965): 409–41.

https://doi.org/10.2307/2872250.

Dockray‐Miller, Mary. “Beowulf’s Tears of Fatherhood.” Exemplaria 10, no. 1

(January 1, 1998): 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1179/exm.1998.10.1.1.

Kroll, Norma. “‘Beowulf’: The Hero as Keeper of Human Polity.” Modern Philology
84, no. 2 (1986): 117–29. http://www.jstor.org/stable/437569.

Tolkien, J.R.R. “The Monsters and the Critics” in The Monsters and the Critics and
Other Essays (London, George Allen & Unwin, 1983). 5-48