Boredom as a Theme in Grendel

The tale of Beowulf is one of bravery, courage, and triumph in the face of possibly the most terrifying evil imaginable. This epic describes the journey of a Gaet, Beowulf, who leads a company of soldiers to Denmark, in order to assist the King of the Scyldings, Hrothgar, by slaying an evil creature named Grendel. However, a parallel version of the well-known epic was later produced, titled Grendel, and it told the tale of Beowulf from the perspective of the antagonist, Grendel. This version of the tale follows Grendel from his early childhood when he first started interacting with humans, until his ultimate demise at the hands of Beowulf. Grendel's discussion of his childhood gives the reader insight into the intentions behind Grendel's seemingly evil actions, as well as the creature's understanding of his existence and the values which he held dear. Readers are able to understand from Grendel's narration the constant emotion of boredom which plagues Grendel throughout his existence and how it stems from questioning his place in life. Thus, the majority of Grendel's decisions are led by his desire to overcome the boredom he cannot escape. The onset of the tale is presented as Grendel having a flashback to his early childhood, a perspective which is retained until the close of the tale. However, in the time before his flashback Grendel speaks of his battles with the Scyldings, and he makes a point of the boredom and tedium which he feels trapped in, “So it goes with me day by day and age by age, I tell myself. Locked in the deadly progression of moon and stars” (8). From even his most early years Grendel felt boredom, a trait which is evident from his curiosity in leaving his cave; “I nosed out, in my childish games, every last shark-toothed chamber and hall, every black tentacle of my mother's cave, and so came at last, adventure by adventure, to the pool of firesnakes”(15-16). For a while, Grendel is able to cure his boredom by exploring the nature found outside of the cave, in which he resides in. That is until he encounters humans for the first time and has an unpleasant experience in which, due to Grendel's difficulty with speech, his desire to befriend is misunderstood and Grendel is attacked by a group of men, “'Pig!' I tried to yell. It scared them. They all began shouting at each other. One of the horses neighed and reared up, and for some crazy reason they took it for a sign. The king snatched an ax from the man beside him and, without any warning, he hurled it at me.”(27). From this traumatic experience Grendel develops a cynical attitude toward humanity, and the first signs of his evil nature begin to emerge from his otherwise naïve personality. Grendel then becomes somewhat of an observer as he chooses to watch the interactions of mankind, in order to try and gain an understanding of their constant battles, “The fighting went on all that summer and began again the next and again the next... I watched it season after season” (36-37). After observing the humans for quite some time, Grendel is witness to the kingdom of Hrothgar and his rise to power where Grendel hears the stories woven by the Shaper with his voice and harp. The stories of evil in which Grendel is mentioned confuse him, “He told of an ancient feud between two brothers which split all the world between darknes and light. And I, Grendel, was the dark side, he said in effect. The terrible race God cursed. I believed him”(51). He then tries to find meaning and understanding in his life by talking to a wise dragon, “'Why can't I have someone to talk to?”(53). Thus, Grendel overcomes his early boredom by exploring nature outside of his cave and eventually observing the development of mankind. Grendel's education from the dragon regarding time, fate, and purpose leave him a transformed creature, with a newfound interpretation of phenomenon which he might have otherwise have dismissed. The dragon almost immediately is able to notice the boredom which has always resided in Grendel, “'Don't look so bored,' he said. He scowled, black as midnight. 'Think how I must feel,' he said”(64). One example of such a change in understanding is when the dragon reveals to Grendel the concept of time and how nothing that Grendel will do could possibly leave a lasting impact in any way, “'Meaningless, however. These jugs and pebbles, everything, these too will go. Poof! Boobies, hemorrhoids, boils, slaver...' / 'You don't know that!' I said”(70). However, the dragon attempts to give Grendel a sense of purpose and alleviate his boredom by informing him that his attacks on the humans are actually helping them. Using a sort of Darwinian, survival of the fittest concept, the dragon makes an effort to convince Grendel that by threatening the humans, he gives them motivation to be cunning and improve themselves to secure their own survival, “'You improve them, my boy! Can't you see that yourself? You stimulate them! You make them think and scheme. You drive them to poetry, science, religion, all that makes them what they are for as long as they last. You are, so to speak, the brute existent by which they learn to define themselves'”(72-73). Grendel summarizes the discussion with one profound statement, “Nothing was changed, everything was changed, by my having seen the dragon”(75). Grendel's entire perspective towards his purpose in life was adjusted, altered by the idea that by attacking humans, he was actually helping them and alleviating his boredom in the process. The inception of this idea by the dragon allowed Grendel to rationalize his desire to fight and kill the humans, allowing Grendel to overcome his boredom in a (from his perspective) beneficial way. Thus, the wisdom of the dragon played a vital role in Grendel's development and his inner conflict with boredom. Grendel soon chose to define his existence based upon his intense encounter with the dragon. Upon his next raid after speaking with the dragon, Grendel believed that “... the dragon had put a charm on me: no weapon could cut me. I could walk up to the meadhall whenever I pleased, and they were powerless” (75-76). Grendel was under the impression that it was his meeting with the dragon that gave him power, but it was merely this meeting that made Grendel aware of the power which he already had. Also, it was with this discovery of near invulnerability that Grendel once again became bored. However, Grendel soon found amusement for a short while by playing sadistic games with Unferth, a thane from Hrothgar's meadhall. Grendel refused to give Unferth the honor of killing him in battle, an act which would have granted Unferth entry into his culture's version of a Christian's Heaven. Grendel soon tires of playing with Unferth though, even when Unferth follows Grendel into his cave. Once again after what Grendel notes as “Midway through the twelfth year of my idiotic war” (92), he begins to play somewhat of a more passive role in his existence, merely conducting occasional raids and observing the interactions of the human kingdoms. However, Grendel is forced into action when one of his most influential peers, the Shaper, dies and he most cope with the missing link between himself and mankind. This coping doesn't last for long due to the arrival of Beowulf, who is the first human to pose a real threat to Grendel. Grendel has been anticipating this dangerous opposition for quite some time yet he still hopes to follow his fate by facing Beowulf in order to alleviate his boredom; “It is the business of rams to be rams and goats to be goats, the business of shapers to sing and of kings to rule”(165). Beowulf ultimately is able to slay Grendel and this momentous event takes Grendel by surprise because of his previous belief of invulnerability. Thus, the final sections in the tale of Grendel feature a return to his boredom and misconceptions about his purpose in life. Grendel constantly sought to cure his boredom throughout his struggle by finding a purpose in life. The main technique which Grendel used to alleviate this boredom was his attacks upon the Scyldings and his observance of the Shaper's stories, which had an effect upon Grendel's development as a child. Grendel attempted to rationally think through his decisions, but preconceived notions by humans and sinister motivation from the dragon led to Grendel performing violent and cruel acts despite his best intentions. Grendel sought enlightenment from the dragon regarding his (Grendel's) purpose in life but the dragon twisted the thoughts of Grendel and attempted to convince him that by working towards something that satisfied himself he would be finding his own purpose in life. The dragon was aware of Grendel's violent actions and had made an effort to encourage them on the basis that it was helping humans in a way and that based on the concept of time Grendel's actions would not have any lasting impact, regardless if they were technically good or bad. Thus, Grendel's pursuit of purpose and his alleviation of his boredom influenced his actions and defined his character.