Within the book Beowulf, monsters play a major role and have an important significance in Beowulf’s life. Beowulf is divided into three main parts throughout the book and each of which shows the hero's struggle against a particular monster, first Grendel, then Grendel’s mother, then the dragon. In Beowulf's bloody battle against Grendel the first part of the story already reaches its climax. The poet chooses to relate much of this struggle from Grendel's perspective rather than from Beowulf's. By doing this the the fear and pain that Beowulf causes upon the demon is emphasized a little more. This narrative technique makes Beowulf seem even more godlike and even seems to be an unstoppable heroic force. Throughout the fight, Beowulf is treated as more than human. He shows himself stronger and more powerful than even the monstrous Grendel, and he seems completely invulnerable. It is not very clear what kind of being Grendel actually is, he is described as a demon, fiend, spirit, and stranger. Grendel is referred to as "an unnatural birth" [1353]). However, he seems to be a horrific beast, a large and distorted creature of hardly any human shape. His supernatural monstrousness makes Beowulf's victory over him that much more impressive.

Each of the three monsters in the book has a symbolic significance. The narrator seems to present Grendel as a representation of evil. He is also be interpreted as an evil force lurking within the Danish society. The poet's culture finds the borders of society threatening, and Grendel is presented as an outsider who has infiltrated their boundaries. Since Hrothgar, like Grendel established himself by conquering his neighbors, it seems that Grendel is the symbol of the society's sins that have come back to haunt them. Where he lives in the swampy, dark, landscape proves this true. He seems to be a life of evil created by the human conscience. However, Grendel and Beowulf give up weapons to engage in brutal hand-to-hand combat. This clash is a mere battle in a more personal conflict between equal opposite forces.

The significance of Grendel and his mother whether they are part of the same evil force or represent two separate ones. After Grendel's defeat there are many suggestions, even among the celebration that the

evil that Grendel represents has not been stamped out. This allows the suspicion that Grendel may still be alive though Beowulf rips his arm off, we never actually see Grendel die, and Beowulf regrets letting him get away. The monster's mother suggests that although an instance of evil has been eliminated with Grendel the evil must still be destroyed. Grendel's mother might be thought of as representing a different type of evil than Grendel himself. She seems to be more animalistic and less a symbol of pure evil than Grendel is. An example is how she attacks Beowulf to avenge her son’s death.

The dragon is the poem's most powerful symbol, representing the idea of “wyrd” or "fate" that fills the story with a tone of doom and death. Whereas Beowulf is still invulnerable to Grendel and his mother, he is in danger from the beginning against the dragon. As Beowulf feels his own death approaching, the dragon emerges from the earth, creating the feeling that the unavoidable clash will result in Beowulf's death. This is emphasized by Beowulf's unwillingness to meet death, to "give ground like that and go… unwillingly to inhabit another home… in a place beyond" (2588–2590). This hint of death as represents movement from one realm to another, from the earthly realm to the spiritual realm.

The dragon is the poem's most potent symbol, embodying the idea of wyrd, or fate, that imbues the story with an atmosphere of doom and death. Whereas Beowulf is essentially invulnerable to Grendel and his mother, he is in danger from the beginning against the dragon. As Beowulf feels his own death approaching, the dragon emerges from the earth, creating the feeling that the inevitable clash will result in Beowulf's death. The poet emphasizes Beowulf's reluctance to meet death, to "give ground like that and go / unwillingly to inhabit another home / in a place beyond" (2588–2590). This poetic evocation of death as constituting movement from one realm to another—from the earthly realm to the spiritual one—reveals the influence of Christian ideology on the generally pagan Beowulf. It is also poignant from the perspective of the warrior ethos, in which leaving one's homeland, the anchor of one's entire identity, is a very serious and significant undertaking.The dragon is the poem's most potent symbol, embodying the idea of wyrd, or fate, that imbues the story with an atmosphere of doom and death. Whereas Beowulf is essentially invulnerable to Grendel and his mother, he is in danger from the beginning against the dragon. As Beowulf feels his own death approaching, the dragon emerges from the earth, creating the feeling that the inevitable clash will result in Beowulf's death. The poet emphasizes Beowulf's reluctance to meet death, to "give ground like that and go / unwillingly to inhabit another home / in a place beyond" (2588–2590). This poetic evocation of death as constituting movement from one realm to another—from the earthly realm to the spiritual one—reveals the influence of Christian ideology on the generally pagan Beowulf. It is also poignant from the perspective of the warrior ethos, in which leaving one's homeland, the anchor of one's entire identity, is a very serious and significant undertaking.The dragon is the poem's most potent symbol, embodying the idea of wyrd, or fate, that imbues the story with an atmosphere of doom and death. Whereas Beowulf is essentially invulnerable to Grendel and his mother, he is in danger from the beginning against the dragon. As Beowulf feels his own death approaching, the dragon emerges from the earth, creating the feeling that the inevitable clash will result in Beowulf's death. The poet emphasizes Beowulf's reluctance to meet death, to "give ground like that and go / unwillingly to inhabit another home / in a place beyond" (2588–2590). This poetic evocation of death as constituting movement from one realm to another—from the earthly realm to the spiritual one—reveals the influence of Christian ideology on the generally pagan Beowulf. It is also poignant from the perspective of the warrior ethos, in which leaving one's homeland, the anchor of one's entire identity, is a very serious and significant undertaking