Grendel, the beast who “had dwelt for a time in misery among the banished monsters, Cain’s clan, whom the creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts” (Heaney 15-17), is just purely wretched and evil by nature. He is filled with bloodlust like that of Cain. Because his being is simply sans all joy, and he is incapable of being happy, he is deeply filled with jealousy and envy when he hears the Danes loudly celebrating in Herot Hall. Jealousy such as that of Grendel can easily turn into hatred and that hatred in this case was the drive for Grendel to attack Herot Hall. The fact that they are able to be happy, and have God’s blessings while he cannot, propels him into being a sad creature without love experiencing envy and isolation. Although
