Have you ever examined a situation and stopped to think about the circumstances of both sides? Whether you may have read the epic story of Beowulf, or any other tale of hero and foe, it may be time to take a moment, and check out the other side. The author Seamus Heaney for example, must have kept in mind the views of both the heroes and villains while translating this masterpiece. Things such as reasoning and revenge may have driven the evil doers to have done something we consider evil. In Beowulf, monsters like Grendel were inspired by the agony with which they lived, the revenge of which they acted upon, and the growing hatred of their own existence. Unfortunately, not all of us can grow up in a loving home, with a proud mother or father. Yes, some are abandoned by their loved ones, whether forced to guard an ancient treasure, or left to live in a wretched swamp. After a closer look at things, monsters in Beowulf arent that much different from the good guys. Taking a look at the following quote from Beowulf, I want to examine that ancient gold, gaze my fill on those garnered jewels; my going will be easier for having seen the treasure (Heaney, 185) truly shows the greed and gluttony of Beowulf.
Not everyone can live a fulfilling and happy life. For some they are left buried away in the earth swallowing in a life of anguish and misfortune. In Beowulf, you have the monster Grendel who has a poor role model of a mother and no father to care for him. He lives in a wretched swamp with no brothers, companions, or friends. Maybe hes too shy, and feels different from others. With poor living conditions, and an empty soul, mean old Grendel may not be so mean after all, only a little bit misjudged. There is an old saying judge less ye be judged. This saying parallels the fact of how Grendel was already considered to be an outcast, a menace, because of where he lived, and how he looked. Imagine if you were Grendel, how would you feel to be mistreated and looked upon as such a demon. Would you like to be negatively stereotyped and looked down upon simply because of how you look and where you come from. On the other hand, there is our poor friend the Dragon, whose life hasnt necessarily been the happiest either. After most likely being abandoned as a child, he was perhaps forced to guard a treasure that is of no personal use to him. Just imagine having to stay in the same place for the rest of your life, especially if its in a dark old cave. Although this still might not be considered quiet as bad as a swamp. That will for sure build up an undoubting rage of agonizing hatred over the years. Looking back at Grendel, he was simply living in his home peacefully, when all of a sudden he was continually disturbed by a rapid bunch of inconsiderate party animals. It harrowed him to hear the din of the loud banquet every day in the hall, the harp being struck and the clear song of a skilled poet telling with mastery of mans beginnings(Heaney, 9). Imagine if you had a group of neighbors, and all they did was party, drink beer in their huge mansion, not caring about disrupting anyone. Would you not be the slightest bit agitated? I sure know I would be. Grendels approach to his neighbors may be looked upon poorly, and though he didnt go with much intent of reasoning, he responded the only way Grendel knew how to deal with any situation in life, by fighting. It was the only thing he ever knew, Grendel was a fighter. He fought for his safety, for peace, and for his life. He was not raised and cared for in a decent manner. Most likely, he was starved, beaten, and punished all his life. As the old saying goes, it takes two to tangle. Neither attempted to consider a diplomatic proposal, and technically Grendel was not the initial cause of the problem. We should feel sorry for Grendel, because of the unfortunate life he has lived. In celebration, his arm was ripped off and hung on the roof as a trophy. Clear proof of this could be seen in the hand the hero displayed high up near the roof (Heaney, 55). This reveals how modest, and heroic the good guys really are.
Though the monsters in Beowulf did each perform some kind of uneventful deed, they were all most certainly provoked. The difference between someone who is evil and someone who is good is that the person who is evil kills for pleasure, and joy, and just for the sake of doing it. Where as someone who is severely provoked, time and time again, and then takes action, is only human. A person who randomly takes a bat to a windshield is just evil. However, if you avenge the action by doing the same thing to their windshield, than thats only human behavior through provocation. But now his mother had sallied forth on a savage journey, grief-racked and ravenous, desperate for revenge (Heaney, 89). This shows how Grendels mother was relishing in anger of losing her son, merely sought out for revenge and nothing more. Grendels mothers actions were most certainly justified by taking revenge. Thats what any loving family member would do in such a situation. She did not just proceed in an act of destruction based on pure randomness; she was most certainly inspired by a wicked bunch of beer drinkers, and sex addicts, or in this story we refer to them as the heroes.
One is not inspired by only revenge and agony alone, but the feeling of hatred for ones true demons. You take a good look at the three monsters in Beowulf, and youll see that the only thing driving these most aggravated creatures is the absolute hatred for their agitators. For the Dragon in this tale, he did indeed live a life of agony, and perseverance for the most formidable duty one may obtain through his existence of life. Just imagine if you were set up in a dark gruesome room, forced to stay chained and forbidden to leave, so you can guard a useless treasure that means nothing to you. To the dragon the treasure is absolutely worthless, and sitting in the same old place day and night, just to protect it would be more than a dreadful task, more than a curse, and even worse than death. Nothing is worse than being restrained or restricted like the Dragon in Beowulf was for so long. One can only imagine the thoughts that have passed through his head. Maybe it was the dream of getting married, exploring the world, having children, and so much more than just being left to guard a meaningless piece of materialistic metal. Years and years of the same thing will drive you insane no matter what it is. As the Dragon was dreaming of a life he could be having, a thief walks into the cave and steals some treasure. The Dragon wakes only to find that he has failed at his job. Finally all that anger buried deep inside him comes out to be realized. He becomes very upset and filled with rage about the fact that he has been cheated. He rippled down the rock, writhing with anger when he saw the footprints of the prowler who had stolen too close to his dreaming head (Heaney, 155). This quote from Beowulf explains the reaction of the Dragon upon his wake. He feels guilty of not fulfilling the only duty which he was sent to do. Now all that has been meaningless, because of all the time he wasted protecting this treasure which has been stolen. This feeling of rage grew into hate. Hate is a strong word, as anyone will tell you, but the Dragon has no idea who has stolen the treasure he was destined to protect, so anyone or everyone in his mind may have done it. You can see the Dragons side, and perhaps see that the hatred for his duty has built up, only to eventually explode out of him.
The happy and sad thing about this poem is that all three of the outcasts in Beowulf have had something in common. They each have miserable and sad lives and how they find happiness in the end. It is happiness when they die because of the evil they committed. It is sad when they die, because of their misrepresented, lonely, misfortunate life they had lived. In death, the anguish and loneliness they felt all their lives has been taken away. This ending is a happy moment, finally allowing these common creatures to live no more with sorrow. It is sad because you feel sorry for the life that they most likely wish they could have lived, if given a chance, a second chance, or just an opportunity to make peace with the ones they have wronged. No one ever knows if they may have changed their ways, or if they ever will. Everything in life we usually pick the side that is most favorable, most benefiting, most cared about, more likely to win, and most importantly, just like us.
Works Cited
Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf. New York: W.W Norton. Print.
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