Question 1
What were Hrothgar's men singing about in the mead hall?
Answer: The men were singing about God and the creation of the earth.
Question 2
Explain the biblical allusion to Cain in the first stanza of the poem.
Answer: The poem says that Grendel was descended from Cain, the son of Adam and Eve who committed the first murder. Cain was exiled from God and was marked in some way. The poet explained that his descendants were marked by being turned into all forms of monsters.
Question 3
Why did Grendel attack Herot?
Answer: He was tired of the songs being sung about God by Hrothgar’s men.
Question 4
How many men did Grendel kill on his first trip to Herot?
Answer: 30
Question 5
Why does the poet use the word “lair” to describe Grendel’s home?
Answer: The poet used the word “lair” to make Grendel seem inhuman.
Question 6
How long after his first visit to Herot did Grendel return?
Answer: He returned the next night.
Question 7
How long did Grendel terrorize Hrothgar’s men?
Answer: He terrorized Hrothgar’s men for 12 years.
Question 8
The poet says that Grendel “…relished his savage war on the Danes….” How does the use of the word “relished” help the reader understand the monster’s true feelings about his crimes?
Answer: The word “relish” implies that the monster enjoyed every aspect of his crimes and actually drew strength from them.
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