Grendel is the character that is changed the most between the two stories. In Beowulf, he is a relentless monster that raids and kills the people of the village as a sport. Grendel, however, offers a different perspective, told from the “beast’s” point of view, that allows him to be humanized. He is capable of feeling strong emotions of anger, fear, despair, and even intelligence. He is curious about the humans and often watches their actions. The feared and hated beast from Beowulf is evidently different from the monster the reader learns and empathizes with in Grendel. Hrothgar, the King of the Danes, is yet another character that is described differently in the two books. In Beowulf, Hrothgar is depicted as a model king who, despite his old age, is still fairly strong. He is a generous and successful leader of the village people who seems to be nearly perfect. Grendel portrays the King in a different light, though. In Grendel, Hrothgar is flawed and comes across as more human than he is in Beowulf. Grendel sees the King in a different way than the village; the village reveres him for his work he has done for them and are inept to see the flaws that the King possesses. Grendel does not have this bias that the individuals in the village have, so the monster interprets Hrothgar in a different way in his telling of the story. Ultimately, Grendel and Hrothgar are just two characters
Grendel is the character that is changed the most between the two stories. In Beowulf, he is a relentless monster that raids and kills the people of the village as a sport. Grendel, however, offers a different perspective, told from the “beast’s” point of view, that allows him to be humanized. He is capable of feeling strong emotions of anger, fear, despair, and even intelligence. He is curious about the humans and often watches their actions. The feared and hated beast from Beowulf is evidently different from the monster the reader learns and empathizes with in Grendel. Hrothgar, the King of the Danes, is yet another character that is described differently in the two books. In Beowulf, Hrothgar is depicted as a model king who, despite his old age, is still fairly strong. He is a generous and successful leader of the village people who seems to be nearly perfect. Grendel portrays the King in a different light, though. In Grendel, Hrothgar is flawed and comes across as more human than he is in Beowulf. Grendel sees the King in a different way than the village; the village reveres him for his work he has done for them and are inept to see the flaws that the King possesses. Grendel does not have this bias that the individuals in the village have, so the monster interprets Hrothgar in a different way in his telling of the story. Ultimately, Grendel and Hrothgar are just two characters