In the book Grendel, by John Gardner, Grendel is portrayed as a lonely character that is misunderstood, and is disliked by everyone. During the course of the story, Grendel meets many people whom change the course of his destiny. Three characters that have impacted Grendel the most are the Dragon, the Shaper, and Beowulf, each playing a role in either inspiring or destroying him.
First off, the dragon has one of the biggest impacts on Grendel because he changes his perspective on life itself and also grants him stone skin which makes him impervious to all weapons. The Dragon talks a lot about space and time. He explains to Grendel that time is like a black hole, that soon everything is going to be destroyed. The Dragon has no hope and is very cold and shrewd in answering questions Grendel had for him. The dragon tells Grendel, My advice to you, my violent friend, is to seek out gold and sit on it. (74) In this saying the dragon is summing up everything he had explained to Grendel, which is that in the end everything is going to die and there is nothing Grendel can do about it. Grendel takes everything the Dragon had to say to heart, after being granted stone skin Grendel goes on slaying men and that started the twelve year war with Horthgars Danes.
The shaper is a storyteller in Horthgars court. He provides the Danes with stories of heroic acts, love, and grace. He also downplays the savage past of Grendel. Even though all of the shapers songs are fake, it provides the Danes with something to hope for and strive for. Grendel knows that his songs are fictitious but find the songs seductive and wishes he had something to strive for. The shaper sang a song about two brothers which split all the world between darkness and light. (51) Grendel soon realized that he was the dark side. Even though Grendel was seduced by the Shapers words, they also made Grendel weep for his loneliness. After hearing the song Grendel went to the Danes and cried Friend! Friend! (52) But the Danes kept attacking him and forced him to flee. The Shaper represents the voice in Grendels life. Even though he sings of songs of hate towards Grendel, he also gains hope from his inspiring music.
Beowulf plays the biggest role in changing Grendel. Close to the end of the book Beowulf has an encounter with Grendel. Beowulf objective was to kill him and while they where fighting, Beowulf would whisper words in his ears such As you see it it is, while the seeing lasts, dark nightmare-history, time-as-coffin; but where the water was rigid there will be fish, and men will survive on their flesh till spring. Its coming, my brother. . . . Though you murder the world, transmogrify life into I and it, strong searching roots will crack your cave and rain will cleanse it: The world will burn green, sperm build again. (172) What Beowulf was saying is that even though the world is going to end soon, there is always life after the end. Beowulf also calls Grendel brother which has brought Grendel the closest he will be to mankind. Beowulfs is seen as a Christ figure who helps Grendel realize that life always comes after death.
Grendel always believed that he had something to live for even though he had times where he felt like dieing. During the course of his life Grendel went through many emotions and hardships leading up to the end. May people have changed his course of destiny and brought him to everlasting peace.
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