Grendel's Development In 'Beowulf' By John Gardner

In 1971 John Gardner wrote Grendel, a novel based on the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf. Instead of following the life of Beowulf, however, Gardner explores the mind and development of Grendel, the monster who Beowulf kills. Although Grendel is presented as a destructive monster in Beowulf, in Grendel he demonstrates some goodness and potential. Gardner makes the reader think twice when reading Grendel, especially if the reader has read Beowulf, because the reader expects that Grendel is evil. However, the reader will come to see that the humans are generally more evil than Grendel because their interruption in Grendel’s development caused Grendel to become monstrous. The clearest example of human interference in Grendel’s growth is the Shaper’s songs. The Shaper makes up history to please Hrothgar and the rest of the company in the mead hall. The eloquence of the Shaper’s stories causes Grendel to believe them, even though he knows they are not true. Grendel then becomes conflicted between the beauty of the Shaper’s words and the actual truth. Grendel’s

struggle causes him to view the world, humans, and himself differently and eventually leads to his death.
When Grendel first hears the Shaper’s song about Scyld Scefing, he believes the made-up history that the Shaper is creating.

The Shaper later “[tells] of an ancient feud between two brothers which split all the world between darkness and light” and makes Grendel “the dark side.” Grendel then goes into the hall and asks the men for friendship, but they attack him. This episode causes Grendel to question reality, but then he starts listing everything that he knows to be true. However, the beautiful poetry continues to confuse Grendel, and he cannot determine the truth. Although Grendel has mixed feelings, he keeps coming back to hear the Shaper’s songs. One day, Grendel hears a story about how he raided the mead hall, and he decides to become the monster that the Shaper makes him out to be since he knows the story is false. Grendel’s dilemma demonstrates the power of craft and art and the Shaper’s effect on

Grendel.
After Grendel decides to seek revenge for the Shaper’s song, he comes upon a dragon. The dragon originally frightens Grendel, but after the dragon explains that the way Grendel sees him is the way humans see Grendel, he begins to become more comfortable. The dragon, however, encourages Grendel to continue scaring the people The dragon reveals that the Shaper is an “illusion” and that the dragon knows “the beginning, the present, the end.” The dragon later states that “all carnivorous cows eat meat” to further demonstrate how the Shaper is only providing an illusion. The final advice that the dragon gives Grendel is to “know thyself” and “to seek out gold and sit on it.” With this statement the dragon wants to instill a sense of pride in Grendel, which would allow him to become more comfortable being the bad guy. Although Grendel absorbs the information that the dragon gives him, he still ignores the information because he “has no intention of terrifying Hrothgar’s thanes for nothing.” Grendel goes back to the mead hall to hear more of the Shaper’s songs, but “all around their bubble of stupidity [he] could hear the brume of the dragon.”