- What did the visit to the dragon accomplish?
- Whatever optimism the Shaper might have given Grendel has pretty much been destroyed.
- Even worse: Grendel has left with a parting gift—a dragon spell that keeps all weapons from biting his flesh.
- This makes Grendel more... evil? Fearless? Depressed? Try all of the above.
- Invulnerability makes Grendel more solitary (just like Harry Potter with his Cloak of Invisibility) and even less like the humans.
- At this point, Grendel still hasn't done any major raids. Yes, he's killed a few guards here and there, but nothing on a grand scale.
- Now, Grendel hears the Shaper's song and feels rage. What's getting his goat? Is it the humans' smugness? Sure. But it's really something else that irks him: their ability to hope.
- Grendel finds out about the "dragon's gift"—the spell that keeps weapons from cutting him—when he encounters an armed guard. The guard attacks, but nothing happens. Guess what happens to the guard?
- Let's just say that Grendel is not on his best behavior. When the others come running, he bites the guard's head off and sucks his blood.
- Don't laugh at this one: Grendel never wanted to hurt these dudes. It's his bitterness and the stupidity of the whole situation that drives him to monstrous behavior.
- Grendel's playing the role they've cast him as—even when he doesn't want to. He has to be a monster because that's what the humans have decided he needs to be.
- Then the raiding begins for real. Grendel snatches seven men from their beds and eats them.
- The full belly gives him a big epiphany: he doesn't need Mama to be the ordering principle of the universe anymore. He is the focus of the chaotic world, because he's invincible, and everyone is afraid of him.
- Grendel's finally got a solid identity—no more whining and debating about it. He's a destroyer, yo.
- Each time, the situation is absurd. Grendel shows up; the humans draw their swords; he eats them. Where is all of this going? When will it stop?
- There is one thane who is particularly absurd: Unferth. He stands out from the others with his outrageous boasting.
- Then it happens: the humans realize that Grendel can speak—and that they can understand him.
- Unferth especially gets it, and he is stunned (wouldn't you be?).
- From this point on, Grendel and Unferth antagonize each other, each trying to outdo the other as they debate about what it means to be a hero.
- Grendel mocks Unferth's "heroic" boasting. He sympathizes with the burdens of being courageous—everyone looks up to you, you always have to be noble—and praises the perks, like always getting the girl. Unferth, Grendel says, is nothing like this.
- Grendel decides that it's part of his mission to humiliate Unferth. He throws an apple at his head while everyone is looking on.
- And then Grendel pelts Unferth with more apples. Heroic Unferth can do nothing.
- Unferth's ridiculous situation confirms Grendel's theory about human dignity—basically, that it doesn't exist.
- Then Unferth does something surprising. He tracks Grendel back to the monster cave. He swims through the firesnakes and shows up on Grendel's doorstep.
- Grendel gets it right away: Unferth wants to die a "heroic" death, trying to vanquish a monster.
- Clearly, Grendel won't be giving suicidal Unferth that satisfaction, but he does let the guy go on about heroism.
- Unferth believes that heroism isn't something that exists only in poetry. He's willing to die in the mere without anyone ever knowing or praising him for it.
- Unferth claims that he only wants a chance to do something heroic.
- Grendel gets tired of Unferth pretty quickly, but Unferth has no intention of shutting up.
- Grendel speaks only to tell Unferth that he won't get the chance to be heroic. He's going to scoop him up and deliver him right back to Hrothgar at any moment.
- Unferth has a tantrum and promises to kill himself. Then, he gloriously falls asleep, and Grendel takes him back to Hart.
- For good measure, Grendel kills two guards, but he leaves Unferth unharmed. Ouch.
- What happens to Unferth? He does what every "hero" might do: becomes bitter and jealous of Grendel's victims.