“GRENDEL”
By: John Gardner
Submitted By: Ian Gabriel Benetua
Submitted To: Ma Graziella Sigaya
Part I
Setting: There are two main locations in which the story takes place. 1. Grendel’s Cave – A cave wherein Grendel stays to rest. He lives together with his mute mother. It was surrounded by the remains of dead carcasses and human bodies. The cave was dark and emitted a disgusting smell. Grendel was not happy living in such a place fit for animals. He thought of himself too highly to be living in such a dump. Grendel’s mother however was somehow content in living in such a dark and quiet place. 2. Hrothgar's Meadhall – A place where the soldiers drink mead at night and enjoy themselves after a long day …show more content…
Grendel passes the seasons cautiously avoiding and seeking out the company of the local humans, the Scyldings, and observes their development as a civilization and as individuals with great interest. He became fascinated by the world of men and was always watching them from afar. He noticed how the world of men evolved and was regularly fighting and betraying each other. He witnessed how Hrothgar rose into power and eventually became the most powerful King in all the lands. He then heard the songs of the Shaper and began to doubt his actions on murdering people. He tried to seek the advice of an ancient dragon. The dragon belittles the Shaper and declares all moral and philosophical systems pointless and irrelevant. Grendel gradually adopts this worldview and becomes enraged at the humans. The dragon placed a charm on Grendel making him almost invulnerable to any weapon that hits him. As the story progressed the shaper died and during winter of the final year of the war. Grendel watches a Scylding religious ceremony. When all the other priests have left, Grendel meets an old, blind priest and pretends to be the supreme Scylding deity, known as the Destroyer. Then a group of strangers from across the sea arrived, and the largest of them promises to kill Grendel. He became exited and anxious at the same time. He attacked the Meadhall that night and killed one of the men only to be grabbed by the leader (Beowulf). He then tore Grendel’s arm off whispering disturbing words to him as he did it. Grendel ran off to the woods and slipped and nearly fell into a seemingly bottomless pit. He claims his defeat was an “accident” and in his last moments cursed everything and hoped the same fate would befall