Sample Close Reading Beowulf 1355-57

Grendel and his mother represent a parody of Anglo-Saxon warrior society. Their behavior is understandable; battle is normal, as is avenging one's slain kinsman. Hrothgar's speech, though, shows a number of ways in which this parallel breaks down. He refers to them as "fatherless creatures" (1355) whose "whole ancestry is hidden in a past/of demons and ghosts" (1356-7). In a society obsessed with male lineage unknown parentage marks them as outsiders beyond the pale. Unlike Shield Sheafson, also of unknown origin, they cannot redeem this drawback because they are connected with forces of the underworld.