Grendel Assignment

Chapter 1:

What does Grendel's relationship with nature - the ram, the grass, the doe, the baby bird, owls, and wolves - reveal about his own character?

The relationship shows contempt for nature, especially spring, because its life and rebirth undoes his destruction. He sees flowers as landmarks of past murders: "Here, I killed the old woman with the iron-gray hair. She tasted of urine and spleen, which made me spit. Sweet mulch for yellow blooms" (p.7). This reveals that Grendel is disturbed, pessimistic, morbid, and perhaps evil. It also shows his absurdist, existential outlook on life. We are but food for worms; there is no greater meaning behind life or death. He also says that he used to take pride in striking fear into innocent woodland creatures. His middle finger to the sky is a good depiction of his defiance to the prospect of any higher order or spiritual entity.

What is the significance of the scene wherein Grendel challenges the "dark chasms"? Grendel is standing at the edge of a personal abyss.

He has been confronted with the reality of true inner darkness - of evil, of death, of the lack of meaning in life.

What does Grendel mean when he speaks of "playing cat and mouse with the universe"?

Constantly trying to start fights with the intention of receiving a reaction. With the gesture of every action calls for a reaction, he uses the metaphor to compare the similarities.

Chapter 2

In a flash back to his early childhood, what is his relationship with the "large old shapes" and with his mother? The large old shapes seem to look past him or through him. Only his mother truly looks at him. She looks at Grendel as if to consume him, and he has an inexplicable understanding that they are connected, possibly even a single entity. At times, however, the intensity of his mother's gaze causes Grendel to suddenly feel separate from her, and at those times he bawls and hurls himself at her. His mother responds by smashing him to her breast as if to make him part of her flesh again. Comforted by this gesture, Grendel can then go back to his exploratory games.

What is the significance of the scene where Grendel catches his foot in the crack of the tree trunks and is attacked by the bull? What is the paradox and irony of this situation?

This becomes the basis of Grendel's Philosophy of life; he sees the world as nothing but chaos and destruction. He views humans as the only creatures capable of complex thought and also the most dangerous thing he has encountered yet.

How is Grendel's world view and self-concept affected by his experience with men? How does this even affect his relationship with the "old shapes" and with his mother?

"The world resists me and I resist the world"(28).

Chapter 3 As a detached observer, what does Grendel learn about Hrothgar and his theories? What shocks Grendel about man's behavior to other men and to nature? Why does Grendel feat Hrothgar? Grendel discovers that Hrothgar is a powerful, influential king due to his theories and strategic warring. "He'd worked out a theory about what fighting was for, and now he no longer fought with his six closest neighbors (page 37)"; this quote shows Hrothgar's methods of gaining great power. He keeps the neighboring kingdoms as his allies and in a way, dogs on leashes by proving to them of his organizational skills (making roads, amassing a great army, etc.). What shocks Grendel are the constant, repeating bloodshed men bring upon each other. Grendel witnessed the same intimidations, provocative actions, and wars by men and is disgruntled by the pointless death and repetition. He's also shocked by how men treat other animals. "Sometimes a horse, mired to the waist, would give up and merely stand, head hanging, as if waiting for death, and the men would howl at it and cut it with whips, or throw stones, or club it with heavy limbs, until finally one of them came to his senses and calmed the others, and they would winch out the horse with ropes and wagon wheels, if they could, or else abandon the horse or kill it-first stripping off the saddle and bridle and the handsomely decorated harness (page 38)." The text testifies how cruelly and mindlessly men treated animals even if they were given the slightest reason to commit such actions. Grendel fears Hrothgar because of the Shaper. The Shaper has made Hrothgar so much more of a magnificent figure than he was before. In sense, the Shaper "shaped" Hrothgar's feats and reputation to a more amplified one, making Grendel fear the new and great Hrothgar by the skill of poetry and speech.

Why is Grendel so impressed and affected by the music of the shaper? Why does he fear the shaper?

"When he finished, the hall was as quiet as a mound. I too was silent, my ear pressed tight against the timbers. Even to me, incredibly, he had made it all seem true and very fine." (pg43) "What was he? 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." (pg. 43) The Shaper impressed Grendel a lot because he had changed the whole meaning in the world with a song. His song brought meaning into his meaningless life. Grendel was impressed how the Shaper could make things sound all true and real. The Shaper, at the same time, also scared Grendel with his power to change everyone's belief and minds.

According to Grendel, what is the truth about poetry? It is lies.

Chapter 4

Why does Hrothgar build Heorot, the Hall of the Hart?

It is a sign of the glory and justice of Hrothgar and his Danes.

How does the story of Cain and Able affect Grendel? What is the irony of the story of Cain and Able?

The role the Shaper assigns to Grendel both pleases and upsets him. On one hand, Grendel takes most of the Shaper's songs with a grain of salt, as he is aware of the songs' fictional quality. Grendel knows that man cannot be as holy as the Shaper suggests, because he himself has seen evidence of humankind's brutality on numerous occasions—if Grendel is cursed, so is man. It takes effort for Grendel to remember these considerations, and finally he breaks down, weeps, and experiences a "conversion"—a word that suggests that Grendel accepts the Shaper's religious vision. To Grendel, the story of God may be a lie, but it is a beautiful one. In this Judeo-Christian system, the outsider Grendel finds a place and a purpose, even though that position is a savage, unsavory one. Grendel is not allowed to join the humans as a brother or a friend, but he can join them, paradoxically, by fighting them.

What is the dragon's ambition? What is his final advice? What is his motto?

To count and sort his treasure. Know thyself. Seek out gold and sit on it.

How does the dragon's mind differ from Grendel's and from men's?

He is omniscient and sees into the past, present, and future.

How does Grendel know how to use profanity? What is the irony in this? Grendel knows profanity through listening to men; this is ironic because men are supposedly "good".

Chapter 6

How is the dragon/s charm a curse?

Makes Grendel indestructible but "solitary" and "alone".

According to Unferth what is heroism? What is poetry?

"sees values values beyond what is possible" (89) not afraid to face cruel truth (88) trash, mere clouds of words, comfort to the hopeless" (88)

Why doesn't Grendel kill Unferth? How does this affect Unferth?

It curses Unferth with Grendel's solitude, in the fact he is never the one who dies. Unferth becomes bitter.

Chapter 7

What is Grendel's law? What does it mean?

Balance is everything. Everything in moderation.

How doesn't Grendel rape, torture, and murder Wealtheor? Or Does he?

He convinces himself out of his attraction to her. 110

What is the parallel between Wealtheow and Grendel's mother?

Grendel sees their goodness but does not comprehend them.

Chapter 8

What threats surround Hrothgar after Hrothulf's arrival? How is Hrothulf like a scorpion?

Too many heirs, rivalry. He is a poisonous loner. Although an orphaned nephew to Hrothgar, Hrothulf is a young man who forms ideas of revolution after seeing the aristocratic thane mistreat the Danish peasants. What is Grendel’s Theorem? What does it mean?

"Any action of the human heart/ must trigger an equal and opposite reaction." He is implying that however evil Hrothulf is, he also has to be equally good in some way.

Chapter 9

What is the significance of Grendel's encounter with Ork? What does Ork have to say about the King of the Gods and about the nature of evil?

All good virtue creates purpose "time is perpetually perishing, and being actual involves elimination" (132) Ork is a human whose commitment to his beliefs allows Grendel to manipulate and play with him. Grendel is amused at the ridiculousness of ork’s theories and religious beliefs.

What I Grendel opinion of religion?

Grendel’s vision symbolizes his brief, unimportant life, as expressed by the dragon. Though conscious of the void of eternity that renders his life meaningless, Grendel still clings to his brief, individual life, like the roots of a tree overlooking an endless abyss.

How can time be inside the hunter and the hart?

It is trapped inside an "hourglass"

Chapter 10 Explain the saying “Tedium is the worst pain.”

"Tedium is the worst pain." p. 138 Grendel explains how boredom is the worst kind of pain. This constant boredom intensifies in chapter ten and only makes Grendel more anxious for something to happen. This statement is almost ironic because Grendel claims nothing is happening and all is boring, yet he still finds himself expecting something big to happen soon. Please check out my source link for this excerpt.

“What is pastness of the past”?

His past, his own history is nothing, it vanished completely from his life, and nothing exists in his life from the past. He strains to remember a time, before when he was innocent and did not know the humans and faintly brings back his past of peacefulness with his mother. Although the sharper’s death caused Grendel to have a different view, his afterthoughts show the readers that he hasn’t changed his perception of life or his views of the world.

How does Beowulf make Grendel death?

Chapter 11

How does Grendel perceive Beowulf and the Greats? Grendel thinks they look "mechanical and dead looking”. Grendel seems to be able to pick Beowulf out even though he is never specifically mentioned. Grendel notices that Beowulf is actually soft spoken and that his words seem separated from his body. Grendel goes back to his cave. He is excited by the arrival of the Geats. At last his boredom is at an end. He sees them like a big machine without a soul. Grendel looks forward to battle.

How does the Queen respond to Beowulf? When Welthow gives the mead-cup to Beowulf, she thanks God that her prayers have been answered and a hero has been sent to them. She acknowledges that she has put her hope in Beowulf to save them. Beowulf speaks of his intent to rid the land of the monster Grendel. This pleases Welthow, and she admires his boldness.

How does Grendel divide the world? Grendel repeatedly without ever varying his tactics, humans are able to make their own patterns. Rather than blindly follow a system set by a higher power, men are able to assert their own systems of meaning.

Chapter 12

How and why is Grendel defeated? Grendel is so overcome by Beowulf that he regresses and cries for his mother. Grendel tries to maintain that his death was a meaningless accident (in line with his understanding of the world as essentially mechanical and meaningless), not the result of Beowulf’s heroism or righteousness. But Beowulf has a radically different idea.

Why does Beowulf make Grendel sing of walls? How do illusions and words help cause Grendel’s death? Grendel makes this miserable statement when he discovers the dragon's enchantment has left him invulnerable to harm from the Scylding's weapons. He glories in his power, but realizes that his impervious hide now separates him even more from the world of mortal men. In a flash of insight, Grendel recognizes that his condition has not improved, but has instead become much more hopeless as he seeks a place in this world.

How does the narrative point of view function in this story? Grendel narrates in the first person, conveying his inner thoughts and observations; occasionally he narrates from the point of view of another character In what ways does the story Grendel differ from Beowulf? Grendel struggles, within his own mind, to understand his place in a potentially meaningless world. The allusion to the curse of Cain foreshadows the charm of the dragon and the Christian imagery that surrounds Beowulf the dark presence that Grendel feels in the woods and the snake he mistakes for a vine foreshadow his meeting with the dragon; the onset of winter foreshadows Grendel’s death. What is the truth about heroes and heroic action from Grendel’s point of view? Heroes are only “heroic” because of human praise. Anglo-Saxons meaning, honor, glory, and pride to the ordinary man considering them to be a hero... Grendel explains to unfeth that heroes and their actions are essentially meaningless; Unferth argues that heroes can see beyond possibility.