If Frederick Henry Met Grendel Essay, Research Paper

While stumbling through the Swiss woods and mountains near his beautiful cottage, Frederick Henry sees this massive beast feeding on animals. His flesh green and stained with blood. A ridiculous pointless monster crouched in the shadows, stinking of dead men, murdered children and martyred cows. Frederick Henry sees him eating and can and is not sure what to do he doesn t want to be seen because of the fear of what the beast, Grendel might do to him.

Grendel feasting on his dead bodies looks up humbly onto Frederick Henry obviously humble after his great defeat by the hands of Beowulf. He speaks telling Frederick Henry to go away. Frederick Henry still in awe by what he is seeing has no words. He can t even bare to move (now he is the one with the reeking stench).

What?!? Grendel yells. What do you wish, do you wish to study me talk to me, see how I live, test my philosophies, or perhaps just draw your pistol and fire at me . Frederick Henry finally musters up the courage to say something.

Could a monster have a philosophy?

Just hate for this putrid world?

Hate? A putrid world ? This world is so beautiful from the greenest of mountains to the blue sky.

“Everything around you has beauty, everywhere you look you can see some of the most beautiful sites in the world.

Beauty? Grendel remarks. I see no beauty in a world riddled with death and hate .

How- Frederick Henry tries to interrupt but cannot.

I ve seen many wars and many deaths. I ve seen the evil King Hrothgar send his men out and kill whole towns for power. I ve seen the pure white snow spoiled with blood and turned into red slush by the feet of men who are covered with blood and are moving to another town to murder some more innocent people.

Frederick Henry replies back, I ve been in a war too, I ve been in a war and seen my friend Ayamo shot and killed by one of his own because of suspicion. I ve killed two lieutenants because they ran and did not want to help us during the war. Yet, through all this blood and hate and betrayal I ve found beauty, I ve found love. Catherine is her name she is everything to me she is my life, my love, my religion. I can still walk through these mountains and see the beautiful colors of the flowers and smell their beautiful scents, I can see the bright yellow sunshine down and the green grass, how beautiful it all is.

Grendel s confused he cannot understand how a man who has seen so much as Frederick Henry, who has seen more than Grendel, can be happy and not cynical towards the world. He almost believes in Frederick Henry. Then he recalls his anger and realizes that it stupid.

Beauty is meaningless. All there is to life is to believe in yourself not a woman not the beauty of nature just you and you will be happy. I cannot stand here and listen to tall that you are saying it is making no sense to me I will not hear anymore of it. Grendel is trying to hide that he almost believes and wants to leave before it starts making more sense.

Okay, said Frederick. I will not preach to you anymore because I hate to be preached to by priests in the army, by friends of Catherine, who are trying to tell me how to live my life.

That is all we will agree on, says Grendel. I am as anti-clerical as you are I ve had a priest come to me and try to preach to me a mindless person I could not listen to him.

Grendel runs away into the darkness of the forest he thinks to himself that he has gotten away just in time he is scared and confused again he again doesn t know how to live his life. First he is a young thing without a care then becomes confused by a Shaper who lies and lies and everyone believes, then a dragon who tells him what he means to the world, and now a mountain man a former warrior who has found beauty in the world that Grendel lives in.

How could he be so happy? Grendel is very frustrated and stops and shakes his hands at the sky looking for answers he stops and weeps thinking of changing the horrible life he lives.