Grendel Timeline and Summary

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• Grendel opens his story in the twelfth year of his raiding spree on Hrothgar's meadhall. His existence is isolated and depressing. 
• In a series of flashbacks, Grendel tells the history of his conflict with humans and the universe in general. 
• As he watches Hrothgar's rise to power, Grendel is grossed out by human viciousness, waste, and deceit. 
• Grendel's even more enraged by the injustice of the Shaper's songs, but he's helplessly caught up in them. 
• The songs drive Grendel to despair, and in his bitterness, he "falls toward the dragon." 
• The dragon teaches Grendel more than he ever wanted to know about life—like how pointless and short it is. 
• When he returns from his infernal field trip, Grendel notices the dragon-charm on his hide. The charm makes it so that swords can't pierce his skin. 
• Grendel makes his first raid on the meadhall and encounters Unferth, who understands his speech.
• Grendel immediately runs up against Unferth and realizes that the thane can understand his speech. 
• Unferth follows him home, but Grendel won't fight him. He returns Unferth back to Heorot. 
• Wealtheow enters the picture. The moment he sees her, Grendel finds a new level of hell. 
• Grendel puts off raiding the meadhall for the whole winter. Instead, he stalks Wealtheow until he can't take it anymore. 
• Hrothulf arrives at Heorot, and Grendel is happy: more chaos and mayhem might follow.  
• Grendel "scripts" an episode between Wealtheow and Hrothulf. Nothing good will come of it. 
• When he sees Hrothulf hanging around with Red Horse, Grendel knows bad things will happen to Hrothgar's kids. 
• Things begin to fall apart. The Shaper gets sick. There's lots of snow and boredom. 
• The Shaper dies, and Grendel feels lost. 
• But strangers arrive, and Grendel now has purpose—even though he knows he might die. 
• As night falls, Grendel knows it's time to dance. He shoves open the doors to the meadhall and ties a tablecloth around his neck like a bib.
• Grendel sucks back a couple of thanes and then reaches for Beowulf. 
• Surprise: Beowulf was not asleep. The crazy dude let Grendel eat a bunch of his thanes just to figure out how he worked. 
• Beowulf puts Grendel's arm in a death lock—and now Grendel gets to see just how big a heap of crazy this hero is. 
• Beowulf talks a lot of smack to psych Grendel out and then... rips off his arm. 
• Grendel stumbles off to the forest to die, surrounded by the animals he once hated so much.