"In peaceful times the warrior man targets himself." The poem "Beowulf" illustrates the violent and primitive reality of the truth in Nietszche's aphorism. The monster Grendel plays a symbolic role as primordial and inalienable instincts that exist on the fringes of human civilization, whose existence is ignored and whose presence is desperately barred from entry into the great and glorious mead hall. At the same time, Beowulf's battle with Grendel is an affirmation of man's ability not only to conquer and control, but also to accept, his own violent impulses. Beowulf's acceptance of his nature is what truly qualifies him as a hero, while the heroic feats of strength he achieves are only an inevitable progression of events after Beowulf first realizes that he is destined for size. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay While the Danish spearmen were still warlike men, violence reigned supreme. “Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, destroyer of mead stands” (4-5) was praised as a “good king.” of the Danish Lancers was possible. However, when Hrothgar "devoted himself to the building of halls" (68) the Danes remained warlike men, only without war. At this point the warrior civilization turns on itself. By physically entering the seemingly peaceful Heorot and tearing apart humans and the society they have created, Grendel becomes a tangible presence to represent the tendencies of civilized man that are repressed but impossible to eliminate. By virtue of Grendel's symbolic meaning, Beowulf becomes the antithesis of Grendel. However, it does not transcend the violence inherent in Grendel's behavior. His violent impulse manifests itself in the form of a desire for glory, to perform great deeds and uphold the foundations of Danish society, in contrast to Grendel's impulse for betrayal and cowardice. When the two characters of Beowulf take on this meaning, their battle takes on the meaning not only of a clash between a man and a monster, but of an epic battle between glory and decadence, courage and cowardice. It is essentially a battle between Beowulf's will to ascend and achieve and Grendel's tendency to decline. However, neither opponent is beyond humanity's inherent violence. Whatever the outcome of the battle, the one thing that will certainly be affirmed is the universal law of violence: the massive expenditure of energy and the eternal fluctuation of power that is the only law that governs the world of Beowulf and the Danes Lancers. Grendel's way of existing and his way of attacking show that his meaning has transcended that of a monster, but that he represents all monsters in every form and all the traits they can carry, from physical mutation to the betrayal of a man in world of Hrothgar. Court. The hall of Heorot in times of peace resembles a kingdom ravaged by war. "Everyone was in danger; young and old were hunted by that dark shadow of death." (159-160) He is described as a "demon of hell". (100) While these descriptions illustrate the literal threat posed by Grendel, and are essential to establishing Grendel's identity, the true core of who Grendel is lies in his creation, not just how he treated the Danes. He is described as one of "Cain's clan, whom the creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts." (106-107) Grendel represents all the values ​​of man that have been enshrined as evil, that men have tried to eliminate from their character but have never truly been destroyed. Grendel may be an outcast, but he still exists, and althoughmay live on the fringes of civilisation, out of sight in the marshes, strikes right into the mead, the very heart of Danish civilisation. However, his attacks always occur "after dark" (115), implying that he is not seen, in exactly the same way that man's violent tendencies are always repressed and rarely seen, but their effects are always devastating when are revealed. Until Beowulf's great battle with Grendel, no living Dane has ever seen the monster who terrorizes them. It is not so much a physical entity as an almost intangible presence that has infiltrated the lives of Danes and caused them horrible pain and sadness when they weren't looking. Likewise, the failure of conventional weapons of war against Grendel indicates that the Danes' enemy is now not as clear-cut an enemy as the armies they used to conquer, but that Grendel is an insidious foe who can only be defeated with immense personal commitment. strength of mind and body. In addition to the poet's description of Grendel's monstrous nature and his relationship with society, he also exposes many acts that Grendel has committed. This is essential because the world of Beowulf is largely about deeds. While Beowulf is not a hero until he does something heroic, similarly Grendel is not a monster until he does something monstrous. These acts are also clear manifestations of man's violent impulse in society. For example, after Beowulf became king, one of the traits that outline his good conduct is that he "never killed a companion who was drunk." vulnerable to Grendel's insatiable appetite. Even more revealing is the fact that Unferth, who is allowed to "crouch at the king's feet" (449) has killed his "friends and kinsmen." (587) The coincidence between Grendel's arrival in Heorot and the appearance of a kinsman killer in the mead hall is too obvious to ignore. The reason for Grendel's exile from humanity is the brutal killing of relatives committed by Cain, an ancestor of Grendel. Cain's fratricide is the first act of violence committed in the Bible: it is the original act of hatred committed by one man against another member of the human race. Grendel is what happens when that primal act of violence overwhelms a man or a society. Heorot's propensity to impose himself in this way is even described as "killer instinct unleashed among his in-laws, bloodlust rampant." (84-85) Similarly, in the digressive poem describing the wedding of Hildeburh and Finn, peace between the two factions is impossible and a deadly battle breaks out among the wedding guests. Likewise, the endless cycle of revenge and reparation for murder has become so constant in the world of Beowulf that it surpasses any real semblance of a cycle and becomes a permanent state of being. When Hrothgar attempts to remove his people from this state of being and bring them to the mead hall, he does not realize that his men are not peaceful simply because they are at peace. Now that they are civilized and no longer have an enemy, the instinct for violence is repressed, so as not to disappear but to stagnate and become a target of its oppressor, civilization itself. Grendel is nothing new to the Danes: it just has a new setting. Beowulf's epic battle is less a matter of Heorot's purification or redemption than a quest for glory. Beowulf is not bound by the repression of civilization. Instead of condemning his impulse to violence, he embraces his strength, courage and vitality, and instead of an instinct for violent betrayal, he is strong enough to maintain a vision of greatness. His statement in the mead shows that he is fully aware of his position and the Geats' current impotence. "[Grendel] knows he can trample you Danes at will,.