Beowulf and Grendel are the protagonist of the scenes 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 attitude, motion and behaviour. The language used to have the audience follow the trade of the story resource to different stylistic choices.
The first of one is the use of an inversion in the 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 semantic choice hat is apparently contradicting with Grendel's monstrous nature. The effect is paradoxically to evolve a certain affection in the listener/reader. Indeed existent of which epic poetry is narrative projection, does not simply consist of good but for good to recognised it must be set against evil.
This explain for the narrator to drove the attention mainly on he monster.
The qualities or feature the narrator focus the attention on are the typical ones of the predator. The first element the listener comes across in the scenes is Grendel's ability in having immediate reflexes underline and highlighting by alliterative sound "s" in "struck" and "started". In addition, it must be sad that alliteration is a condition sinequanon for the survivor and life of Anglo-Saxon epic poetry: the means true which it can be undid own orally. It goes without see that alliteration bans words together does elbowing the composer to remember it
Grendel's lack is visible and perceptible even from the word order that puts "nor" together with "keep in 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.
Alliteration is insisted along the hall extract to reinforce the idea of a fairfull creature that has not pity because he acts on an instinctive principle which the one of savage animal. You can see it clearly at line 741 where ones more alliteration recreates the famelic action of a monster whose placiourand fullness depend on the slighter of the pray. Blood and bone are symbolically just apposed to visually suggest the result of a human being reduced to pieces.
Punctuation plays a relevant function in suggesting the typical motion of a predator's attack by the labial sound of "b" that implicit short brokers in the telling. The result is dramatic and significantly you can see it at line 743 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.
Sinnedoct of "hand and foot" makes almost visible the result of Grendel's energy and voracity.