In the Epic poem Beowulf, both Grendel and Beowulf are one-dimensional characters. Beowulf is a cocky fighter and Grendel is a demon that kills people and animals. John Gardener wrote Grendel to show that Beowulf and Grendel are not as they seem; Beowulf is demonic while Grendel is more human.

Grendel has a dark tone. There is a lot of death, murders, and crazy thoughts in the novel. This sets up the mood of the story and the characters. Beowulf and Grendel are evil in a sense. Grendel obviously is more evil, but Beowulf still is evil. He taunts Grendel before killing him. Gardner makes the story more darker, but by doing that, the characters have more depth, which makes for a more interesting story.

Beowulf is a more of a light-hearted poem. There are still murders and violence, but there’s also celebration. The wording is easy to comprehend, and the characters are one-dimensional. The story is suppose to be lighthearted and meant to be read out loud and by enjoyed, while Grendel is a darker story.

Grendel struggles with the battle of being a human and demon. In the novel Grendel, Grendel is a demon that kills, but he also has human emotions. He feels hate, sadness, and love. Although he never directly says it, Grendel loves his mom. Before he dies, one of his last thoughts are about his mother. Because of this struggle that Grendel faces, he becomes a crazy monster. Gardner made Grendel face this problem so he can have many sides to him, not just one.

Beowulf is not just a fighter. In Beowulf, Beowulf is a hero who is just a little cocky. However, in Grendel, Beowulf depicted as a crazy man from Grendel’s point of view. This can also be seen as Beowulf being demonic in a sense. By having Beowulf come across as a crazy man, Grendel once again shows how the character is not just one-dimensional.

The different points of view also make the stories different. Because the points of view are different, you read a similar story but it shows both sides, which is also interesting. You can know what the other person is thinking and what they think of the other characters.

Gardner also wrote Grendel to show the different relationships Grendel has with the other characters. Grendel hates Hrothgar after what he and his people did to him in the tree. Grendel meets the dragon, and is soon angered with him because he is made fun of. The dragon is also the one who convinced Grendel to attack Hrothgar. Grendel’s relationship with his mother is also very important. She loves him and he reciprocates the feelings. He watches over his mother, and after Grendel dies, his mother avenges him. Although Grendel and Beowulf don’t interact much, Grendel is scared by Beowulf because he thinks that he’s crazy. Gardner shows the relationships of Grendel and the other characters to show even more of Grendel’s personality. If Grendel didn’t talk to the dragon, he might not be as evil as he is.

Both Grendel and Beowulf are interesting stories. They both compliment each other. Beowulf is a friendlier story that is merrier while Grendel is darker in depth analysis of Grendel. However, they are both entertaining stories.