Beowulf

Why do you think grendel hates herot? What symbolic meaning might underlie the confrontation between grendel and hrothgar?

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We are told in Lines 86-98 that Grendel had a grievance. He was mortified by the sound of music, and the words of the stories told by poets. Tales of creation, the splendors of God's Earth, the lives beget from God's first creations. We can infer that Grendel, known as the son of Cain, was angered at his given lot..... that he wished to destroy the lives of those who celebrated God's gifts. Symbolically, Grendel might see Hrothgar as the son of Abel, the son of Adam and wish to destroy him for the curse put on the sons of Cain.

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Beowulf