Important Characters in the Chapter
Grendel: Currently struggling between nihilism and the idealism of the Shaper. He observes Hrothgar defeating an enemy group and taking their king’s sister as his wife in a political marriage
Hrothgar: Takes Wealthow as a wife and is softened by her kindness.
Wealthow: Is forced to marry Hrothgar, but regardless treats the people of Hart as her own( this happens, because the king has to offer something to Hrothgar to let him go )
Unfirth: he killed his own brother, but the queen shows him sympathy and says all of it happened in the past.
Plot Synopsis
Grendel is deep in his thoughts as he experiments with the language of Hrothgar's nation and the shaper's speech, humming to himself in order to find the rhythm in his words as he claps his hands in an orderly fashion. Grendel sings about himself and Hrothgar, about the relationship that they have with each other, making it clear that they are enemies. Later in the night, Grendel looks outside for signs of life and notice a group of men on horses, which he tried to call out to, but they all ignore him. Grendel notes from that experience that the world is lonely, and considers going on another slaughtering rampage, but stops himself and thinks about his blessings instead.
Grendel shifts to thinking about his history with the humans and the countless years he had raided their Kingdom. He comments that Hrothgar was unable to protect his own hall in these two years, and as he came by often to observe on Hrothgar. Then one day, far east from Hrothgar's kingdom, Grendel notices the uprising of another king, committing the same atrocities that Hrothgar did when he was first building his empire. Hrothgar interrupts an ambush from . Hrothgar and the enemy king converse; Hrothgar will spare the king if he offers a prize large enough, and the enemy king offers his sister Wealthow as a bride. Grendel is moved by her pureness despite his nihilistic views and weeps.
After this exchange, Grendel stalks Wealthow and sees her kindness. Eventually, he resolves to kill her to disprove the value of good actions and the meaning of life, both to himself and the people of Hart. He enters the meadhall and begins ripping her apart from her legs, but stops midway through and runs away. He states that killing her would be as pointless as letting her live, and concludes that he is conflicted between
Analysis Quotes
"Enough of that! A night for tearing heads off, bathing in blood!" Chapter 7, pg. 93
-He kills to try and have meaning or seperate himself from
“I have not committed the act of nihilism: I have not killed the queen. Yet” Chapter 7, pg.93
-Here Grendel is committing that he didn't perform the act of nihilism and he didn't kill the queen."YET" this yet indicates that he's planning to kill the queen soon but he hasn't killed yet.
“She was beautiful, as innocent as dawn on winter hill. She tore me apart and as once the shaper’s song has done” Chapter 7, pg. 100
This quote is telling me that she was innocent but at the end she also tore me apart means nothing is permanent and anything can change at any moment.
"Impossibly, like roses blooming in the heart of December, she said, 'That's past.' And it was. The demon was exorcised." Chapter 7, pg. 104
Grendel comments on the impossibility of her actions, unable to accept that something like this could occur due to his worldview.
"A hero who'd killed a girl's old father out of love for the girl, and how the girl; after that, had both loved and hated the hero and finally had killed him." Chapter 7, pg. 107
This quote is expressing the feelings of love the hero killed the girl's father because he was against their love so the hero killed his father and later the girl who loved and hated the hero killed the hero because he killed her father.
"So much for meaning as quality of life! I would kill her and teach them reality." Chapter 7, pg. 110
Grendel's nihilistic and skeptic approach is shown here. He tries to disprove the value and perfection of the Queen's life by stating that if she is killed, then the people will remorse greatly.
Chapter 7 Analysis
Grendel observes the people of Hart and is skeptical of the irrational kindness which Wealthow shows to them. This goes against how he thinks the world should work according to nihilism, as seen in his reactions to Wealthow: "O woe! O wretched violation of sense!". However, just as he was moved by the Shaper, he is also moved by Wealthow's acts, crying as she gives herself to the Danes. This contradiction is what fuels Grendels actions throughout the chapter, epitomized by his opening monologue "
I will count my numberless blessings one by one:
My teeth are sound
The roof of my cave is sound
I have not committed the ultimate act of nihilism: I have not killed the queen
Yet"
By attempting to kill Wealthow at the end, he wants to prove to himself and others that everything is meaningless, but he stops midway through the act because of this internal conflict; some part of him does not want to accept nihilism. He later states that: "I hung balanced, a creature of two minds; and one of them said - unreasonable, stubborn as the mountains - that she was beautiful."