The Meaning of Villains in BeowulfAncient, timeless, and very, very difficult to read, Beowulf has tormented well-meaning college students for centuries with its cryptic passages and vague metaphors. Yet at the root there resonates a sort of clear allegorical criticism aimed at the Scandinavian warrior society. In the story of Beowulf, the poem's unnatural demons were each symbols of political conflict in the system. They formed the basic constructs into an allegory against the flawed nature of the warrior society of the time. Grendel, the first monster, makes his appearance immediately after the poet refers to the men in their mead hall. Yet it is not simply mentioned in a natural transition from one theme to another: it is actually presented immediately after talking about the future conflict in the family in that room. Notice in the following passage where the poet interrupts what began as a paragraph about the feast taking place in the hall known as Heorot. The hall was high, lofty, and with a broad gable: it would await the fierce flames of the vengeful fire; the moment had not yet come for the sword-hatred between son-in-law and father-in-law to reawaken after the murderous rampage. Then the ferocious spirit painfully endured adversities for a time, he who lived in darkness. The form it takes can essentially be described as "They celebrated, but all was not well with the future of the hall. Besides, Grendel waited outside...." The close proximity between the description of the family betrayal and the introduction of Grendel brings to the conclusion that the two are related. In my opinion, the demon Grendel is a symbol of the terrible succession problem that the Danes have suffered time and time again. The unstable nature of the field and the...... middle of paper ......m. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Shippey, Thomas A.. “Structure and Unity.” In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1997. Sisam, Kenneth. "The Structure of Beowulf." In Beowulf: The Donaldson Translation, edited by Joseph F. Tuso. New York, WWNorton and Co.: 1975.Tharaud, Barry. "Anglo-Saxon Language and Traditions in Beowulf." In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.Tolkien, JRR. "Beowulf: Monsters and Critics." In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge history of English and American literature. New York: Sons of G. P. Putnam, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000