The Shepherd Of Evil In Beowulf

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The shepherd of evil, Grendel, fights his final battle in this section of Beowulf . Grendel heads to the mead hall of Herot in order to find food. Grendel is overjoyed at the sight of fresh prey, but he makes a fatal mistake. Grendel kills and eats one Geat, then tries to eat Beowulf, whom leaps up and grabs Grendel. Grendel had never met a man who had greater strength than himself. His first thought was to flee, but he couldn't escape Beowulf's grasp. This passage plays an important role in the whole story. For twelve years, Grendel had terrorized the people of Herot unmatched by any man, until the night when Beowulf faces him. This passage is the first time we are shown the true strength of Beowulf, and we learn that he is an epic …show more content…
"Grendel snatched at the first Geat he came to, ripped him apart, cut his body to bits with powerful jaws, drank the blood from his veins, and bolted Him down, hands and feet; death" (421-425) These descriptive words help to show us how vicious Grendel is, and that he is truly pure evil. An assortment of literary elements are used throughout the passage including alliteration and kennings. Examples of alliteration include" Up from his swampland, sliding silently" (397), and "By morning; the monster’s mind." (414). Two kennings found in the closed reading are "That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime," both are used to describe Grendel. These elements help to set the tone and mood of the passage. The tone of this passage is the anticipation of violence, throughout the passage the narrator mentions that Grendel is coming to feast, and have his finale meal. The themes that advance during this closed reading are good versus evil, and. This passage reveals an array of characteristics of an epic poem. The idea of a larger than life hero is clearly present when Beowulf, a mortal man, fights Grendel, a monster unmatched by any man. The characteristic of a hero having courage and great strength is also present when Grendel is grabbed by Beowulf, and is unable to flee because of his firm

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