Christopher Booker is a scholar who wrote that every story falls into one of seven basic plot structures: Overcoming the Monster, Rags to Riches, the Quest, Voyage and Return, Comedy, Tragedy, and Rebirth. Shmoop explores which of these structures fits this story like Cinderella’s slipper.
Plot Type : Tragedy
Anticipation Stage
Grendel starts off as a typical ill-fated hero. He's the son of a beastly mother—literally—who can't speak to him and therefore can't fulfill his desire to know more about himself and his place in the world. This monster Mama can't even tell him what's outside their mere or why she looks so worried all the time.
As a result, Grendel yearns to discover what's out there for him. He explores farther and farther away from the hearth—learning, in the process, that his skin is charmed (the watersnakes can't hurt him), and that the natural world is beautiful.
Dream Stage
Our young explorer encounters the greatest danger of all: mankind. And not just any part of mankind: royalty. Baby Grendel meets King Hrothgar in the most awkward of circumstances, when the King chucks a hatchet at him.
Grendel tells us later that this hatchet incident isn't really the cause of his "idiotic war" with the King—but it sure does lead him to some serious conclusions. At this moment, Grendel realizes he has an identity problem, and he also realizes that humans really don't understand him. This puts him in a tight spot since he's now irresistibly attracted to the very beings that are repelled by him.
Frustration Stage
Oh, where to begin?
The inner conflict is rising to a boiling pitch in Grendel when he first encounters the Shaper. The poet casts the horrendous behavior of Hrothgar and his men into a glorious light and informs Grendel that he is nothing more than the "kin of Cain"—monstrous and banished just because of his genetic code. It's almost more than our hero can take.
Grendel knows what he sees: men behaving badly to one another (and to him). How can they be somehow privileged and noble while he is outcast for behaving... efficiently?
But that's not where it ends. The "trafficking" of Wealtheow to King Hrothgar nearly puts Grendel over the edge. She is everything the Shaper says and more: she's good, kind, and beautiful. How can these men deserve her? Why does Hrothgar, an old man, wish to force himself on her in marriage? All of this is more than the sentimental monster's heart can take.
Nightmare Stage
From the moment that the Shaper dies, things start to spin out of control for Grendel. Why should the Shaper's death matter? Well, it was the Shaper who gave him hope for a purpose in life (even if was a dreadful purpose), and it was the Shaper who gave him something to admire about the world around him.
The only thing Grendel has left is the philosophy of the dragon, a real Eeyore-like creature filled with existential gloom and cynicism. Grendel begins to accept that he really is an insignificant speck in the universe and that all the drama is for nothing.
It doesn't do wonders for his attitude. He feels that something is coming for him—and his recurring apocalyptic visions of oak roots and the abyss disturb his mind even more.
Destruction/Death Wish Stage
Grendel senses Beowulf's coming long before it actually happens. He actually wants Beowulf to come. The oppressive winter is just too much for him; he needs action, and he doesn't really care how it all turns out for him.
When Grendel sees Beowulf, he feels a fear even greater than what the fear he felt for the dragon (and that's saying something). Still, Grendel can't tear himself away. He feels compelled to meet the newcomer and "shake hands." He doesn't count on meeting a creature as monstrous as himself, and he quickly finds that he's out of his depth... and down one arm. He crawls back to the cover of the woods and dies cursing everyone and everything on the planet.