Chapter 12, Grendel
English 4 AP / Mrs. Ramos
1. Grendel has already decided that Beowulf is insane (p. 162). How does this characterization of the
Geat develop in chapter 12?
2. What does Grendel mean when he says, “I am suddenly awake. The long, pale dream, my history,
falls away.” (p. 169)?
3. How do Beowulf’s words on pg. 170 (“A meaningless swirl…copulating dust…”) echo the words
of the dragon in chapter 5? Why wouldn’t Grendel want to hear what Beowulf says?
4. Can we / are we supposed to make sense of Beowulf’s words on pages 170 – 171, “As you see it it
is… By that I kill you”? If we can make sense of him, what does he mean? If we can’t or aren’t
supposed to make sense of his words, why do you think Gardner has Beowulf speak
incomprehensibly?
5. What does Beowulf mean when he says “Grendel! Grendel! You make the world by whispers,
second by second. Are you blind to that? Whether you make it a grave or a garden of roses is not
the point.”?
6. Why does Beowulf force Grendel to “sing walls” (171)? What does that mean? [HINT: check out
Beowulf, lines 763 – 769 and the top of pg. 169 in Grendel.]
7. What supernatural events occur in the battle between Grendel and Beowulf? What effect does this
create?
8. John Gardner wrote, “There’s a medieval tradition in which Christ and the devil are both dragons.
That’s partly what I have in mind.” Explain how this idea is manifest in chapter 12.
9. What might cause Grendel’s feeling of joy as he is dying (173)?
10. Examine Grendel’s curse on the last line of the novel. What ‘accident’ do you suppose he is
wishing on the world?