He attacks Hrothgar's mead hall and men every Spring being very careful that he only leaves enough to get them through till the next Spring. When he is not acknowledged he tends to get angry and attacks whoever disregarded him. .
Beowulf- Beowulf is the leader of the Geats. He doesn't have any fears, and is always confident. He represents everything that evil isn't, and is a supernatural hero. Beowulf represents the authors response to Grendel's questions about the meaning of life.
The Dragon- The Dragon is a bitter old beast. He can see all of time in a single instance, and knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen. Life has no more importance to him, since he knows everything there is to know, he has become bitter. To make it seem like life still has meaning he steals huge amounts of gold and guards them. After Grendel meets the dragon, Grendel becomes a beast of pure destruction. .
The Shaper- The Shaper is Hrothgar's harper. He is an old, blind man. His music inspires the Thanes. Grendel is left out of the shaper's visions, so he grows fond of the old man while at the same time he hates the old man. .
Hrothgar- He is the leader of the Danes. When still young, he was a great conqueror, and he brought order to the land he owned, and had a great kingdom. He soon became the meaning of Grendel's fury. After being at war for years with Grendel, Hrothgar becomes old and his kingdom has shrunken, and doesn't think much of life anymore.
Wealtheow- She is the queen, beautiful, and a sad young woman. She was given to Hrothgar when he attacked a neighboring king. Hrothgar believes that she is wasted on an old man like him, but she is a symbol of status so he keeps her. .
Unferth- Unferth is a half-hero, who tries to kill Grendel, but fails so he attempts to die honorably at Grendel's hands. Grendel won't let that happen though and amuses himself by toying with Unferth.
