Important Characters in the Chapter:
Grendel: In this chapter, Grendel watches the growth of Hrothulf. Grendel sees Hrothulf change his perspective on violence. Grendel sees how Hrothgar is growing old and beginning to settle down, this sparks an anger in Grendel wondering why he hasn't made a move on Hrothgar.
Hrothulf: In this chapter, Hrothulf is introduced after the death of his father, Hrothgar's brother. He holds a strong perspective against violence considering his father's death.
Old Man/Red Horse: In this chapter, Red Horse is Hrothulf's counselor and friend. Red Horse holds strong opinions on the hierarchy: the kingdom maintains those with power and prevents others from rising to power, public force is important to a kingdom, sees every system/government as evil.
Wealtheow: In this chapter, Wealtheow serves as a pitier towards Hrothulf. She is first mentioned welcoming Hrothulf and is later seen comforting him beside his bed. Grendel describes her abilities and beauties were wasted on a man like Hrothgar.
Plot Synopsis:
In this chapter, Grendel talks in "scenes" as if to be more artistic in his wording. The chapter starts with the arrival of Hrothulf, Hrothgar's nephew, whose dad has just died. Grendel watches as the town goes on praising each other for committing acts of violence, even though it has very bad consequences. Hrothulf goes into the forest to meet his counselor, an old man that is nicknamed Red Horse. Red Horse goes on to explain to Hrothulf how in times of crisis violence turns from a crime to a virtuous act that especially the governement and the institutions that rule us do not condemn.
The setting changes to the meadhall where Hrothulf is sitting with his cousins. Most of them are younger than him but he takes a liking to one girl named Freawaru. Little does he know that Hrothgar intends to give her to another ruler. Grendel remarks that even though it is the job of rulers to put their people first, selfishness keeps them from doing the right things many times. He uses Hrothgar as an example when he did not try to save the queen when Grendel attacked her. At the end of the chapter, Hrothgar has a dream about two intertwined trees and then a blade going into them.
Moral Philosophy Quotes:
"Strange providence! Shall I call the tree tyrannical, since where it stands nothing survives but itself and its high-borne guests? Condemn it because it sends down stifling darkness, sucks the life from grass, and whitens the sapling leaf for trifling, fluttering friends?" (Gardner 115)
Hrothulf takes note of a tree that seems to take all life from around it for its own survival. He questions if the tree could be considered tyrannical, establishing the criticism of machiavellianism, since the tree is thriving, though everything else around it is dying.
"I too can be grim: snatch my daylight by violent will and be glorified for the deed, like him" (Gardner 115).
Hrothulf again taking note of the corruption in the political value, as even though Hrothgar is held in good light by the majority, he has still committed acts of treason that the populace ignores because those acts brought them into a better position.
"Rewards to people who fit the system best, you know. Kings immediate thanes, the thanes' top servants, and so on till you come to the people who don't fit at all. No problem. Drive them to the darkest corners of the kingdom, starve them, throw them in jail or put the out to war" (Gardner 118).
Wealtheow speaks of how those who fit an already established mold are the ones that will grow to the top; one of the main goals of machiavellianism acting similarly, meaning this statement contributes to the background of Gardner's criticism.
"Revolution, my dear prince , is not the substitution of immoral for moral, or of illegitimate for legitimate violence; it is simply the pitting of power against power" (Gardner 119).
States change does not occur due to morality, but instead for the ability to gain/lose power over a group.
"Hrothgar, keen of mind, is out of schemes. No fault of his. There are no schemes left. And so he waits like a man chained in a cave, staring at the entrance or, sometimes, gazing with sad, absent-minded eyes at Wealtheow chained beside him" (Gardner 122).
Hrothgar has run out of lies to embellish his facade of power, now leaving him in a place of continuous lying and no growth; he has also pulled another alongside him, forcing her to battle the same fate.
"A black tree with a double trunk--two trees / Grown into one--throws up its blurred branches. / The two trunks in their infinitesimal dance of growth / Have turned completely about one another, their join / A slowly twisted scar ... that I recognize ..." (Gardner 124).
The dream that Grendel chooses to show Hrothgar is of the tree mentioned prior in the story, though now it is formed by two trees merged into one. The tree is representative of the corruption from earlier in the chapter, but now Gardner uses Hrothgar to expose his criticism as Hrothgar himself recognizes the falsification to his power.
Chapter Analysis: Grendel tells the story of Hrothgrar's brother's death, and how his nephew came to live at Hart. He narrates the story in scenes, in a way that imitates the Shaper. Hrothulf begins to question the violence and the peasants in Hrothgrar's kingdom. Wealtheow, the queen, asks Hrothulf why he is so sad at his young age. She explains to him that future generations will inherit Hrothgrar's riches. This scene reveals that Grendel and the humans have similarities, and both can feel loneliness and isolation.
Grendel then describes how Hrothulf is beginning to become interested in violence. he follows Hrothulf and Red Horse one day and listens to them. they discuss violence and revolution, agreeing that the system of the kingdom isn't right. Hrothulf's refusal to praise violence makes him different from Red Horse, Grendel, Hrothgrar, and the rest of the kingdom. Grendel also notices how Hrothgrar is growing older and he knows he won't have his power for much longer. Yet Grendel continues to terrorize him despite all of his problems because he wants to.