Perverted Humanity: The cautionary Monsters of Beowulf

ii ~ ~ This study examines the metaphorical language of Beowulf, presenting the monsters of the poem (Grendel, his Mother, and the Dragon) as symbols of perverted ideals of--"j humanity. ( Through a close reading of the descriptions and ""'t:l~ actions of these creatures, the paper emphasizes the artistic skill with which the Beowulf poet contrived his masterpiece. The use of both human and inhuman epithets to characterize the monsters proves the conflicting and ambiguous identities with which the poet imbued them. By detailing the various facets of these ambiguities! the thesis underscores the importance of maintaining a polysemous interpretation of the poem. C~e thesis treats each of the monsters individually and in detail. It is argued that the synthesis of human and inhuman identities establishes the creatures as exaggerated, monstrous examples of human evilJ Grendel represents the evil thane whose primary goal is the destruction of the fraternal loyalty of the dryht-system. The female monster becomes a perverSlon of the role of the queen or peace-\Aleaver \Alho instead of promoting respect and tolerance seeks war an