Grendel is a creature that feeds off of humans. He doesn’t kill for pleasure but to prove that not everyone is willing to follow the Germanic Heroic Code, earning him a bad reputation. McNamara states “That struggle had been too strong/but after one night, Grendel once more committed /yet more murderous slaughter/he mourned not for his horrid deeds: he was too bent on those/when danger became clear/as the truth was told by signs of terror” (Beowulf pg.7 133-141).This creates the aspect that Grendel is a cold blooded murderer with no sense of right and wrong but simply for pleasure. This also creates different interpretations on the reason why Grendel kills. He might kill because he dislikes people viewing him as a creature not a human. He can also kill because of problems that were not discussed in the poem, the Danes might have killed his father and he is seeking revenge, since he is never mentioned. Overall Grendel’s killings are caused by fear, hatred, and revenge that result in his reputation
Grendel is a creature that feeds off of humans. He doesn’t kill for pleasure but to prove that not everyone is willing to follow the Germanic Heroic Code, earning him a bad reputation. McNamara states “That struggle had been too strong/but after one night, Grendel once more committed /yet more murderous slaughter/he mourned not for his horrid deeds: he was too bent on those/when danger became clear/as the truth was told by signs of terror” (Beowulf pg.7 133-141).This creates the aspect that Grendel is a cold blooded murderer with no sense of right and wrong but simply for pleasure. This also creates different interpretations on the reason why Grendel kills. He might kill because he dislikes people viewing him as a creature not a human. He can also kill because of problems that were not discussed in the poem, the Danes might have killed his father and he is seeking revenge, since he is never mentioned. Overall Grendel’s killings are caused by fear, hatred, and revenge that result in his reputation