The narrator says, "It harrowed him to hear the din of the loud banquet everyday in the hall " the characters never say why they thin Grendel attacks. According to the narrator Grendel is bigger than a man and his arm that is removed by Beowulf feels like "barbed steel"". It is also mentioned that his skin is made of scale and he has claws. .
5. Cain exiled Grendel and it why Grendel lives in the swamp. His punishment is the root of his jealousy of the humans in the story. As the other characters are happy and singing Grendel is living in no mans land. Exile, in Beowulf, functions as a form of punishment. This belief was valued during the Anglo-Saxton period. .
6. The audience most likely feels sympathy for the Danes. Mainly because they are not strong enough to fight Grendel, who has been attacking these innocent people for "twelve winters ". The Danes feel so much fear for Grendel that they even begin to believe God is not around to help them; "The Almighty Judge of good deed and bad, the Lord God, Head of the Heavens and High King of the world, was unknown to them. I think sympathy for Grendel's mother is order as well. Grendel's mother is trying to avenge the death of her only child; "now she would avenge her only child. " This is a natural human quality, which is easy to feel sorry for even though this quality is attributed to a monster in the poem. I don't believe Grendel deserves any sympathy because he is acting on the ego driven emotion, jealousy. .
7. Unferth tries to ruin Beowulf's glory by telling everyone Beowulf lost a swimming match against Breca. Beowulf replies by explaining he was attacked by sea monster and then he alludes to the fact he defeats them by saying, "there would be no monsters gnawing and gloating over their banquet at the bottom of the sea. " This contest adds credentials to Beowulf's heroic charracter of the story. Beowulf never mentioned this victory and now out of jealousy Unferth brings it up.