In the beginning of “Grendel,” Grendel did not have a complete understanding of the idea of language or the world around him. As the book developed, Grendel’s sense of language also developed as he watched the humans. We are first informed of Grendel’s perception of language when Grendel meets Hrothgar for the first time. Grendel attempts to speak to Hrothgar, but fails in communicating his words, for he speaks somewhat of a different language for the humans. This introduces to us the fact that the humans cannot understand Grendel’s language; however, he can understand them.
As the novel develops, and Grendel sees the Shaper, Grendel begins to love language. The beauty and power of the poet’s words attracts Grendel, and draws him in. He even begins to use poetic words and varies in his interpretations of events and the human’s inner thoughts. This is displayed in the later chapters when he plays with the script and the way he describes his surroundings and the things taking place. The line “Thus poor Grendel, anger’s child, red eyes hidden in the dark of verbs, brachiating with a hoot from rhyme to rhyme” is the introduction to Grendel’s interpretation of Hrothulf’s arrival at Hart. It shows how Grendel has developed and improved in his language, since we are first introduced to him. Toward the end of the novel, Grendel had developed logically, which fostered improvement in his vocabulary and his language overall. Although his language improved, as well as his analytical thought of language, the humans still could not understand Grendel’s language.
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