Post by coreybrown on Sept 2, 2013 0:49:36 GMT
There are two characters in this book that seem to greatly affect Grendel: The Shaper and the Queen. Both of them enthrall Grendel and the people, but in different ways. The Shaper sings songs that glorify kings and kingdoms, “…and all of them, incredibly, lies” (43). As Grendel puts it, “The man had changed the world, had torn up the past by its thick, gnarled roots and had transmuted it, and they, who knew the truth, remembered it his way – and so did I” (43). The Shaper bends the truth, changes it, to please the king and the people. He enables the kingdom to forget their troubles and find some joy. Even Grendel is caught in his spell. I, however, value the truth and dislike the Shaper for distorting and changing it. When Grendel asks the Dragon about the Shaper, he expresses a similar sentiment. “…the Shaper saves them. Provides and illusion of reality – puts together all their facts with a gluey whine of contentedness…It keeps them going – for what that’s worth. As for myself, I can hardly bear to look” (65).
A bit later in the novel, the character of Wealtheow, the Queen, comes into play. She, like the Shaper, holds a certain power over the people and Grendel. “She was beautiful, as innocent as dawn on winter hills. She tore me apart as once the Shaper’s song had done” (100). Despite the hardships in her forced marriage, she put on a beautiful smiling face for her people to see. She, like the Shaper, helped them forget their troubles. Unlike the Shaper, Wealtheow did not distort the truth to the same degree as the Shaper; she merely hid her own woes from the public so that her people might find some happiness. In my opinion, that makes her a better person than the Shaper, more worthy of the respect and attention of the people and of Grendel. What are your opinions of the Shaper and the Queen? What similarities do they share? What differences keep them apart?
A bit later in the novel, the character of Wealtheow, the Queen, comes into play. She, like the Shaper, holds a certain power over the people and Grendel. “She was beautiful, as innocent as dawn on winter hills. She tore me apart as once the Shaper’s song had done” (100). Despite the hardships in her forced marriage, she put on a beautiful smiling face for her people to see. She, like the Shaper, helped them forget their troubles. Unlike the Shaper, Wealtheow did not distort the truth to the same degree as the Shaper; she merely hid her own woes from the public so that her people might find some happiness. In my opinion, that makes her a better person than the Shaper, more worthy of the respect and attention of the people and of Grendel. What are your opinions of the Shaper and the Queen? What similarities do they share? What differences keep them apart?
