How we cite our quotes: (Page) Vintage Books, 1989
Quote #10
"If you win, it's by mindless chance. Make no mistake. First you tricked me, and then I slipped. Accident." (171)
We might excuse the soon-to-be-defeated Grendel for this outburst of pre-adolescent whining. He's being beaten at his own game, and that was not supposed to be possible. The dragon charm should have held, but we can see that the dragon's prophecy is winning: Grendel, like everything else on earth, really will die (and for no good reason). Grendel wants to make sure that if he has to die, Beowulf understands that he's nothing special for vanquishing a monster. It's only fair if everyone joins in Grendel's purposeless misery.