1. Majesty lodged there, its light shone over many lands. (ln. 310) This sentence is a huge contrast. It talks about the light of Hereot and how it is a symbol of hope and power to other lands, but at the same time, there is no hope actually in the hall with Grendel around. The Danish warriors are too weak or cowardly to fight them, and their fear is a type of darkness by being a black mark against them. Grendel is also a source of darkness in the land of light by being the one who is doing the raiding and taking to hope of the Danish people.
2. ...with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand... (ln. 380) Foreshadow to Beowulf's victory over Grendel. Earlier in the epic, the author tells us of Grendel's first raid and how he took thirty men. By saying that Beowulf has the strength of thirty men in just one arm tells us that he can handle Grendel because he has the strength of sixty and Grendel only has the strength of thirty. It also makes the ripping off of Grendel's arm symbolic of how they fought; if Beowulf fought with one hand, they would have been even.
3. My flesh was not for feasting on... (ln. 561) Here, Beowulf is speaking about the sea monsters, but there is also a hint that he is also talking about Grendel and how he eats his victims. Beowulf is saying that he bested monsters once, and he will do it again. He will not allow his body to be desecrated by a monster who goes into a fit of rage just because he hears music and laughter and merriment.
4. ...but his fate that night was due to change. (ln. 733) There is a suggestion here that the changing of Grendel's fate might not be a good thing. When God put the mark on Cain, no other man would touch him becase they feared being smited by God. The fact that Beowulf kills the marked descendent of Cain puts him in danger of being smited. It's also possible that by killing the marked one and changing fate, Beowulf is taking the fate of Grendel on himself, or at least a small part of it.
5. ...bloodying the path... (ln. 844) The reason for the bloody path now has a much different significance to the Danes than when Grendel was the one causing the bleeding. When the people know that it is Grendel's blood that makes the path, it gives them a feeling of triumph, even if they weren't personally the ones with the victory. Before, when it was the blood of their friends and family, they felt helpless and insulted because there was nothing they could do to stop Grendel's raids. Now that it is Grendel's blood, they know that he will soon be dead and everything can go back to the way it was before he came to Heorot.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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