I think that Grendel said "Is it joy I feel?" becuase he had finally fulfilled his life's purpose: to be defeated by Beowulf. When Grendel was talking to the dragon, the dragon told Grendel that the purpose of his life was to cause misery to the Thanes and terrorize them. Part of this purpose was also to be killed by Beowulf. So the reason that Grendel said "Is it joy I feel?" is because he was actually feeling joy. He had fulflled his life's purpose, and he was surprised because isntead of feeling sadnes and defeat, Grendel was feeling joy. In the beginning of the novel, Grendel stands at the edge of the abyss and shouts at it to take him. He never has the courage to jump down by himself though. In the end, Grendel finally jumps into the cliff. He just does it. He doesnt even really think about it. It just says that he struggles up to the cliff and falls. Maybe Grendel aslo felt like he had some meaning in life, becuase it says that all of the animals who were his enemies gathered to watch him fall. Even though they were his enemy, he still had some sort of meaning for them. In some kind of way, I think Grendel was tied in to all of the creatures surrounding him, where they needed him, and he needed them.
Grendel asks if he is feeling joy because he is about to die, but surprsingly he is not upset about it. He is thinking that the he is finally free from all the pain, suffereing, and isolation he felt during his life. Now he does not have to worry about hating the humans and fighting, he is finally at peace. When he says "Poor Grendel had an accident, so may you all" (174)this can be interpreted two very different ways. At first it seeems like he is cursing all the animals taking pleasure in his demise, saying that he hopes they all die too. He had always taken jy is watching others suffer, but now that he was sufferning it angered him that others were taking joy at his suffering. But when it is analyzed more in-depth he could actually be hoping something good happens to them. His whole life has been miserable and he has hated almost eveery moment of it. Now that he knows he is dying he is finally at peace and is content. He may be hoping that the other animals who hate him like he hated humans will finally be able to find peace and contentment soon in their own lives. Grendel is finally able to overcome the hatred and pain in his life, he is almost even happy. He will not have to be around other people and not communicate with them, he will not see humans who infuriate him, he has nothing to worry about anymore. He also may have to come to the realization that there is no reason for others to suffer too, so that is why he says that an accident could happen to the animals watching. He is not neccessarily saying he hopes they die, he is saying he hopes that they can find a moment in their lives where they no longer have to care or worry about anything either
Grendel asks this question because although he is dying a painful and horrible death, he has become numb to the pain and he almost feels happy to be dying. He is hop[eless in his life. He had no friends and he could not even talk to his mother. His pain has numbed so he can start to feel his emotions again instead of only feeling his pain. He has nothing important in his life that he would want to stay alive for. He has lived a tough life all his life and he thinks that his meaning in life is just to be mankind's "brute existant." He is the enemy is which humans define themselves. He Has really only conversed with The Dragon and the Ork. The Ork only talked to him because he thought that Grendel wass the Destroyer, their most high Deity. Gredndels Death would not change anything with the humans, for he will easily be replaced with another terrorizer. He is merely just a "brute existant" and he knows this. His dying brings him more joy than sadness. Once the pain has gone away, he is just happy that he no longer has to deal with humans, or deal with doing evil things, or deal with loneliness, or deal with confusion. Grendel has been confused for his entire life. He does not understand the world and the Shaper's veiw and the Dragon's veiws have extremely confused him since they go against each other. It will all be over for him. This brings him joy. He no longer has to deal with the physical or mental pains that he has had to go through.
Like all other times throughout his life, Grendel is confused about how to react to his death. He feels joy because he knows that with death the hardships and isolation of his life will end. He does not feel particularly sad or have any strong negative emotions because he feels that his life was meaningless and the world will hardly be affected by his demise. As the dragon told him, he is just a ripple in time. His only role in life is to terrorize the Danes, and yet that role could easily be taken up by something else, so he doesn't feel like even his raids have any real significance. Everything Grendel does and everything that he sees the humans do is insignificant in his eyes because it will hardly affect the larger universe, which is cold, uncaring, and indifferent. Since Grendel does not place any value on anything including himself, his death does not scare him the way it probably should. He knew when he went into the mead hall that he was possibly going to be killed that night by this new warrior, but he went in anyway. He feels as if he is more governed by fate than by any of his own choices, and it was fated Beowulf would kill him. This is ironic, because Beowulf, too, believes his life is governed by fate (which he mentions in the epic).
Grendel asks "Is it joy I feel?" as he is dieing a terrible death. He is alone without anyone to care about him or to miss him. He even has mixed emotions about the death he is about to face. "I seem to desire the fall, and though I fight it with all my will I know in advance that I can't win" (Gardner 173). He is looking foward to dieing and being put out of misery, yet he still fears death knowing that he cannot escape it. Grendel also hates that he will not be remembered for anything good in his life; he is not leaving anything memorable behind from his past. He never had anything positive in his life, and he never did anything positive to be remembered for. As all of the animals gather around to watch Grendel die this terrible death, he feels joy knowing that he will finally be able to escape the world that he hates so much. He will no longer be surrounded by the views of the Shaper and the dragon that have encompassed his life and made his life so difficult. He is leaving behind a life of lonliness, hatred, and seclusion. He knows that once the painful death is over, he will no longer feel pain or suffering; rather, he will be at peace for eternity. Knowing that the suffering will shortly be over forever, Grendel feels more joy than sadness.
Interesting insight displayname. I agree with you that in some negative way, Grendel's death gives his life meaning. It's the fulfillment of his destiny and really, an end to his misery. He has always wanted to interact with and be a part of man's world even though he sees its flaws. When a man finally kills him, he has finally communicated with them in some way.
Chris B -- I'm not sure I agree he's always taken pleasure in others' suffering. He is distraught by man's cruelty to man in the beginning. In fact, he's so distraught, he decides to join in (kind of ironic but he can't handle the hypocrisy so he lashes out at them). I think you've identified an important aspect of the diction in these last lines. It's somewhere between a curse and a prayer: "so may you all". It could also be a warning -- you never know what's coming down the line.
8 comments:
I think that Grendel said "Is it joy I feel?" becuase he had finally fulfilled his life's purpose: to be defeated by Beowulf. When Grendel was talking to the dragon, the dragon told Grendel that the purpose of his life was to cause misery to the Thanes and terrorize them. Part of this purpose was also to be killed by Beowulf. So the reason that Grendel said "Is it joy I feel?" is because he was actually feeling joy. He had fulflled his life's purpose, and he was surprised because isntead of feeling sadnes and defeat, Grendel was feeling joy. In the beginning of the novel, Grendel stands at the edge of the abyss and shouts at it to take him. He never has the courage to jump down by himself though. In the end, Grendel finally jumps into the cliff. He just does it. He doesnt even really think about it. It just says that he struggles up to the cliff and falls. Maybe Grendel aslo felt like he had some meaning in life, becuase it says that all of the animals who were his enemies gathered to watch him fall. Even though they were his enemy, he still had some sort of meaning for them. In some kind of way, I think Grendel was tied in to all of the creatures surrounding him, where they needed him, and he needed them.
Grendel asks if he is feeling joy because he is about to die, but surprsingly he is not upset about it. He is thinking that the he is finally free from all the pain, suffereing, and isolation he felt during his life. Now he does not have to worry about hating the humans and fighting, he is finally at peace.
When he says "Poor Grendel had an accident, so may you all" (174)this can be interpreted two very different ways. At first it seeems like he is cursing all the animals taking pleasure in his demise, saying that he hopes they all die too. He had always taken jy is watching others suffer, but now that he was sufferning it angered him that others were taking joy at his suffering. But when it is analyzed more in-depth he could actually be hoping something good happens to them. His whole life has been miserable and he has hated almost eveery moment of it. Now that he knows he is dying he is finally at peace and is content. He may be hoping that the other animals who hate him like he hated humans will finally be able to find peace and contentment soon in their own lives.
Grendel is finally able to overcome the hatred and pain in his life, he is almost even happy. He will not have to be around other people and not communicate with them, he will not see humans who infuriate him, he has nothing to worry about anymore. He also may have to come to the realization that there is no reason for others to suffer too, so that is why he says that an accident could happen to the animals watching. He is not neccessarily saying he hopes they die, he is saying he hopes that they can find a moment in their lives where they no longer have to care or worry about anything either
Grendel asks this question because although he is dying a painful and horrible death, he has become numb to the pain and he almost feels happy to be dying. He is hop[eless in his life. He had no friends and he could not even talk to his mother. His pain has numbed so he can start to feel his emotions again instead of only feeling his pain. He has nothing important in his life that he would want to stay alive for. He has lived a tough life all his life and he thinks that his meaning in life is just to be mankind's "brute existant." He is the enemy is which humans define themselves. He Has really only conversed with The Dragon and the Ork. The Ork only talked to him because he thought that Grendel wass the Destroyer, their most high Deity. Gredndels Death would not change anything with the humans, for he will easily be replaced with another terrorizer. He is merely just a "brute existant" and he knows this. His dying brings him more joy than sadness. Once the pain has gone away, he is just happy that he no longer has to deal with humans, or deal with doing evil things, or deal with loneliness, or deal with confusion. Grendel has been confused for his entire life. He does not understand the world and the Shaper's veiw and the Dragon's veiws have extremely confused him since they go against each other. It will all be over for him. This brings him joy. He no longer has to deal with the physical or mental pains that he has had to go through.
Like all other times throughout his life, Grendel is confused about how to react to his death. He feels joy because he knows that with death the hardships and isolation of his life will end. He does not feel particularly sad or have any strong negative emotions because he feels that his life was meaningless and the world will hardly be affected by his demise. As the dragon told him, he is just a ripple in time. His only role in life is to terrorize the Danes, and yet that role could easily be taken up by something else, so he doesn't feel like even his raids have any real significance. Everything Grendel does and everything that he sees the humans do is insignificant in his eyes because it will hardly affect the larger universe, which is cold, uncaring, and indifferent. Since Grendel does not place any value on anything including himself, his death does not scare him the way it probably should. He knew when he went into the mead hall that he was possibly going to be killed that night by this new warrior, but he went in anyway. He feels as if he is more governed by fate than by any of his own choices, and it was fated Beowulf would kill him. This is ironic, because Beowulf, too, believes his life is governed by fate (which he mentions in the epic).
Grendel asks "Is it joy I feel?" as he is dieing a terrible death. He is alone without anyone to care about him or to miss him. He even has mixed emotions about the death he is about to face. "I seem to desire the fall, and though I fight it with all my will I know in advance that I can't win" (Gardner 173). He is looking foward to dieing and being put out of misery, yet he still fears death knowing that he cannot escape it. Grendel also hates that he will not be remembered for anything good in his life; he is not leaving anything memorable behind from his past. He never had anything positive in his life, and he never did anything positive to be remembered for. As all of the animals gather around to watch Grendel die this terrible death, he feels joy knowing that he will finally be able to escape the world that he hates so much. He will no longer be surrounded by the views of the Shaper and the dragon that have encompassed his life and made his life so difficult. He is leaving behind a life of lonliness, hatred, and seclusion. He knows that once the painful death is over, he will no longer feel pain or suffering; rather, he will be at peace for eternity. Knowing that the suffering will shortly be over forever, Grendel feels more joy than sadness.
Interesting insight displayname. I agree with you that in some negative way, Grendel's death gives his life meaning. It's the fulfillment of his destiny and really, an end to his misery. He has always wanted to interact with and be a part of man's world even though he sees its flaws. When a man finally kills him, he has finally communicated with them in some way.
Chris B -- I'm not sure I agree he's always taken pleasure in others' suffering. He is distraught by man's cruelty to man in the beginning. In fact, he's so distraught, he decides to join in (kind of ironic but he can't handle the hypocrisy so he lashes out at them). I think you've identified an important aspect of the diction in these last lines. It's somewhere between a curse and a prayer: "so may you all". It could also be a warning -- you never know what's coming down the line.
Post a Comment