- Grendel reminds us how powerful the Shaper is—his words not only create history out of thin air, but whole meadhalls spring into being, too.
- Grendel's bitterness toward Hrothgar grows.
- Now that the Shaper has mentioned it, Hrothgar wants to build the best crib in the neighborhood (that's a meadhall, in Anglo-Saxon terms) to show off his wealth and power.
- A meadhall is a good place to chill with your battle buddies, listen to the Shaper's songs, pass the mead bowl, and boast a lot about the deeds you may or may not have done. It's also the place where a good king hands out treasures to his best thanes.
- But Grendel can't be part of any of this, of course, so he is tormented by the sounds of companionship, and by the boasting and lies of the Shaper.
- It's the Shaper's words that make Grendel doubt what his instincts tell him—which is that humans are bad.
- As the meadhall rises, Grendel becomes more and more confused. The Shaper's glorious vision of humanity must be true; otherwise, how would Hrothgar be able to command resources like this?
- Hrothgar throws a huge house party to celebrate his new meadhall, and people come from far and near to get down with him.
- Guess who's not on the guest list?
- Grendel is again swept up by the words of the Shaper. He's conflicted by the Shaper's version of the humans' story—so conflicted that he starts arguing with himself, out loud. He's watched mankind, and he knows that they aren't so fantastic.
- What is actually happening, then, when the Shaper sings? Is he actually lying? Or does he have the power to make mankind into something nobler?
- Grendel hates this possibility—think of what it would mean for him if he'd been wrong about men this whole time.
- The name "Shaper" suddenly makes a lot more sense. If that's his job title, isn't he professionally bound to reshape the world into something better than it really is?
- Deep down, Grendel knows that the poet is really just another hired hand—he's getting paid to make the humans look good. Still, he can't figure out how humans (those stinking murderers) can be capable of producing someone like the Shaper, with his beautiful poetry.
- All of this makes Grendel feel uneasy, as if someone or something were watching him. He feels it following him as he retreats to his cave, but it disappears just as soon as he gets there.
- The poor monster is freaked out. To make matters worse, he steps on a mutilated corpse as he runs away.
- Clearly Grendel was right: humans are disgusting. That same group in the meadhall, supposedly all civilized poetry-lovers, had slaughtered their fellow man and left him to rot.
- Still, the Shaper continues doing his thing. This time, he's singing about creation. If you think Grendel is conflicted now, just wait until you get a load of this.
- Grendel's about to find out something very important about his lineage. The Shaper tells the story of Cain and Abel (Cain killed his bro Abel out of jealousy and is punished by God for it), and he tells how evil is sifted from the good.
- Grendel gets the hint. When the poet talks about the evil, God-cursed race, he's talking about Grendel and all his kin.
- What should Grendel believe? The Shaper? Or his own experience of humans? Are Grendel and humans both cursed?
- It's too much for the poor monster. He wants to prove that he's not such a bad guy, so he moves toward the meadhall to make some friends.
- It does not go well.
- You see, Grendel's totally carrying the mutilated corpse that he tripped on in the woods.
- Grendel takes out two guards and chucks the corpse at the rest of them before running off into the woods. He weeps and begs for mercy (from whom?).
- Grendel throws a little bit of a tantrum (not for the last time). Why does he have to be so alone? Why does Hrothgar get all the goodies? It isn't fair.
- Overall, Grendel's confusion level is still pretty much through the roof. Are humans evil? Are they glorious? Are they better than him?
- Either way, Grendel has a major addiction to humanity. He can't stay away.
- On his next visit, Grendel hears the Shaper's version of his "attack." Turns out the Shaper's got a pretty different take on things than Grendel does. Grendel's frustrated by the lies, so he kills a guard. Hey, at least he doesn't eat him.
- The Shaper warns that all evil beings are going to hell. Grendel is now sure that the Shaper is full of it, but a nagging voice keeps asking: is he cursed? Is he really from the race of Cain?
- Back at the cave, Grendel makes up his mind: there is no good God, there are no brothers, and there is no cursed race.
- And yet—gasp—Grendel actually wants it all to be true, even if the rules aren't in his favor.
- Why not? Life with Mama isn't stimulating. She's got no brains and no language—she's right at the bottom of the evolutionary chain.
- All this angst pushes Grendel to give into the darkness that has been pressing in on him and to fall toward the dragon.
- Confused? Read on.