Beowulf and Grendel are the protagonist of the scene which is the object of analysis of the present extract. Apparently they seem to be given the same level of importance, but that’s not true. You can see it even from the number of lines devoted to Grendel: the narrator is carefully showing the listener all of the monster’s attitudes, motions and behavior. The language used to have the audience follow the thread of the story resorts to different stylistic choices, the first is the use of inversion in ordinary word order. The intention is to put the word “creature” into a central focus so that the listener may well understand the real protagonist of the narration. “Creature” is an interesting semanthic choice that is apparently contradictory with Grendel’s monstrous nature. The effect is paradoxically to involve a certain affection in the listener’s reader. Indeed existence of which epic poetry is a narrative projection, does not simply consist of good but for good to be recognized it must be set against evil. This explains for the narrator to draw the attention mainly on the monster. The qualities or features the narrator focuses the attention on are the typical once of the predator: the first element the listener come across in the scene is Grendel’s ability in having immediate reflexes underlined and highlighted by the alliterative sounds (“Struck, Started”). In addition, it must be said that alliteration is a condition sine qua non for the survival of Anglo-Saxon epic poetry: the means trough which it can be handed down orally. It goes without saying that alliteration binds word together thus allowing the scoop the composer to remember it. Grendel’s lacks of hesitation is visible and perceptible even from the word order that puts “nor” together with “keep him waiting”. The idea of the immediate, instinctive voracity is suggested by line 3 where short verbs are used to convey the idea of Grendel’s speedy attack. Not only is the nature of a monster predator suggested on the rational level. It is also recreated on the sound level. Alliteration is insisted along the whole extract to reinforce the idea of a fearful creature that has no piety because he acts on an instinctive principal which is the one of savage animals. You can see it clearly at line 4 where, once more, alliteration recreates the famelic actions of a monster whose pleasure and fullness depends on the slaughter of the prey. “Blood and bones” are symbolically juxtaposed to visually suggest the result of a human being reduced to pieces. Punctuation places a relevant function in suggesting the typical motions of a predator’s attack reinforced by the labial sound of “B” that implies short brakes in the telling. The result in dramatic and significant: you can see it at line 6 where the difference in line length underlines “utterly lifeless”. Again alliteration of the liquid sound (“L”) and elliptical sentences bring to surface all the results of Grendel’s violence. Synecdoche of “hand and foot” makes almost visible the result of Grendel’s energy and voracity.