"In times of peace, the warrior man attacks himself." The poem “Beowulf” illustrates the violent and primal reality of truth in Nietszche's aphorism. The monster Grendel plays a symbolic role as the 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 overcome and control, but also to accept his violent impulses. Beowulf's acceptance of his nature is what truly qualifies him to be a hero, while the heroic feats of strength he performs are merely an inevitable progression of events after Beowulf first realizes that he's destined for greatness. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay While the Spear-Danes were still warrior men, violence reigned supreme. “Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes, demolisher of mead benches” (4-5) was hailed as a “good king.”(11) At this point the violent expenditure of energy was directed outward and peace in the ranks. Spear-Danes was possible. However, when Hrothgar “turned to building halls” (68), the Danes remained warlike men, but without war. It is then that warrior civilization turns against itself. By physically entering the seemingly peaceful Heorot and tearing apart human beings 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 Grendel's antithesis. It does not, however, 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 to defend the foundations of Danish society, as opposed to the impulse from Grendel to betrayal and cowardice. When the two characters in Beowulf take on this meaning, their fight takes on the meaning not only of a fight between a man and a monster, but also an epic battle between glory and decadence, courage and cowardice. It is essentially a battle between Beowulf's drive to rise and succeed and Grendel's tendency to decline. However, neither adversary escapes the violence inherent in humanity. 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 eternal fluctuation of power that is the only law governing the world of Beowulf and the Spear -Danes. Grendel's mode of existence and his way of attacking show that his meaning has transcended that of a single monster, but that he represents all monsters in all their forms and all the traits they can carry, from the physical mutation to the betrayal of a man in the era of Hrothgar. court. In times of peace, the Hall of Heorot now resembles a war-torn kingdom. "All were in danger; young and old were hunted by this dark shadow of death." (159-160) He is described as a “demon from hell”. (100) Although these descriptions illustrate the literal threat posed by Grendel and are essential in establishing Grendel's identity, the true core of what Grendel is lies in his creation, not just his treatment of the Danes. He is described as part of the "clan of Cain, whom the creator had forbidden andcondemned as a pariah. (106-107) Grendel represents all the values ​​of man which have been ordained as evil, which men have tried to twist from their character but which have never been truly destroyed. Grendel may be an outcast, but he still exists, and even though he lives on the fringes of civilization, out of sight in the swamps, he strikes right in the middle of the mead, at the very heart of Danish civilization. However, his attacks always take place "after dark" (115), implying that he is not seen, in exactly the same way that man's violent tendencies are always repressed and rarely visible, but their effects are always devastating when revealed. Until Beowulf's great battle with Grendel, no living Dane had even seen the monster that terrified them. He is not so much a physical entity as a barely intangible presence who has infiltrated the lives of the Danes and inflicted horrible pain and sorrow on them when they are not looking. Likewise, the failure of conventional weapons of war against Grendel indicates that now the Danes' enemy is not as precise as the armies they were accustomed to conquering, but that Grendel is an insidious enemy who cannot be defeated only with immense personal strength. 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 of the acts committed by Grendel. This is essential because the world of Beowulf is largely centered around actions. While Beowulf is not a hero until he does something heroic, Grendel is also not a monster unless 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 highlights his good behavior is that he "never cut down a drunken comrade." (2179) Meanwhile, Grendel's attacks always come after the men have feasted and are drunk and vulnerable to Grendel's insatiable appetite. Even more telling is the fact that Unferth, who is allowed to "crouch at the king's feet" (449), killed his "own friends and relatives." (587) The coincidence between Grendel's arrival in Heorot and the emergence of a murderer in the mead hall is too obvious to ignore. The reason for Grendel's banishment from humanity is the brutal murder of family members 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 this primordial act of violence takes over a man or a society. Heorot's propensity to lash out at himself in this manner is even described as "the killer instinct unleashed among the in-laws, the bloodlust rampant." (84-85) Similarly, in the digressive poem describing the marriage of Hildeburh and Finn, peace between the two factions is impossible and a deadly battle breaks out between the wedding guests. Likewise, the endless cycle of revenge and reparation for murder has become so constant in the world of Beowulf that it has surpassed any real appearance of cycle and become a permanent state of being. When Hrothgar attempts to bring his people out of this state of being and send them to the mead hall, he does not realize that his men are not at peace simply because they are at peace. Now that they are civilized and short of enemies, the instinct for violence is repressed, not to disappear but to stagnate and become a target for its oppressor, civilization itself. Grendel is nothing new for the Danes - he only has a new setting. There..