Hrothgar is the king of the Danes. After rising gradually to power, Hrothgar created a vast kingdom. As the leader of the Danes, Hrothgar is Grendel’s main rival. His kingdom flourishes on ideals of justice and heroism, which the Shaper’s glorifying (and propagandistic) songs help establish. As he ages, though, Hrothgar faces numerous threats—from rival kingdoms and from unhappy inhabitants of his own, such as his nephew Hrothulf and his scheming adviser Red Horse, to Grendel himself. In the end, Hrothgar must rely on the help of the Geats to defeat Grendel.
Hrothgar Quotes in Grendel
The Grendel quotes below are all either spoken by Hrothgar or refer to Hrothgar. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1
Quotes
The king has lofty theories of his own. “Theories,” I whisper to the bloodstained ground. So the dragon once spoke. (“They’d map out roads through Hell with their crackpot theories!” I recall his laugh.)
Related Characters:
Grendel (speaker), Hrothgar, The Dragon
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Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7
Quotes
What will we call the Hrothgar-Wrecker when Hrothgar has been wrecked?
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Chapter 8
Quotes
This nobility of his, this dignity: are they not my work? What was he before? nothing! A swollen-headed raider, full of boasts and stupid jokes and mead. ...I made him what he is. Have I not a right to test my own creation?
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Hrothgar Character Timeline in Grendel
The timeline below shows where the character Hrothgar appears in Grendel. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...of his own voice. Leaving the cliffs, he makes his way for the meadhall of Hrothgar, king of the Danes, and continues to talk to nature. Wolves and other animals are...
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Grendel comes to Hrothgar’s meadhall, where he’s been busting down the door and terrorizing the inhabitants for eleven years...
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...saying that he is a punishment sent to them because a god is angry and Hrothgar’s people are sinful. He leaves the meadhall, as the humans are praying to their gods,...
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Chapter 2
...One suggested that he was a fungus or growth. One human, identified as a king (Hrothgar), suggested that they could cut the fungus out of the tree, but another thought that...
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Chapter 3
Grendel says that he didn’t decide to be Hrothgar’s enemy because of the axe he threw, and only decided to take that role once...
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...Grendel watched season after season, sometimes from the high cliff wall near his den, as Hrothgar gradually rose above the other men in power. Hrothgar collected tribute from nearby groups, who...
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Hrothgar met with his council about these problems and decided to build roads throughout his realm....
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One night, watching from behind a cowshed, Grendel saw a blind man arrive at Hrothgar’s meadhall with a harp and a young companion. The harper went inside and talked to...
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...about how true or false the Shaper was. From the top of the cliff overlooking Hrothgar’s realm, he screamed loudly. The scream sounded ugly compared to the Shaper’s beautiful music. He...
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Chapter 4
In the present day, the Shaper still sings, as Grendel continually spies on Hrothgar’s greatest meadhall, Hart. Grendel says that the Shaper built the hall with the power of...
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Grendel knew the Shaper was lying but his words sounded true. Hrothgar gathered a slew of workers to construct the new meadhall. Grendel kept listening to the...
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Chapter 6
In the summer of the first year of Grendel’s war with Hrothgar, Grendel was drawn to the meadhall though he had not yet begun systematic raids. He...
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...against the dragon’s charm. Grendel laughed as man after man attacked him, shouting about honor, Hrothgar, and God. Though laughing, Grendel felt empty and imagined himself going on killing without difficulty...
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...to himself as a hero, which annoyed Grendel. Grendel decided to carry Unferth back to Hrothgar’s meadhall safe and unharmed.
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Chapter 7
...do define themselves against him, just as the dragon said. He could kill all of Hrothgar’s men in one night, but he restrains himself, realizing that he needs the humans, as...
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As Grendel’s stream of consciousness continues to alternate with third-person narration, he thinks of Hrothgar’s queen, Wealtheow, and tries to define her geometrically and physically as a cross-section of time-space.
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Hrothgar met with the other king. Grendel anticipated a battle, but the king asked for a...
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...times Grendel would go to the meadhall and watch Wealtheow serve all the tables, charming Hrothgar like the Shaper. She softened tempers and mediated arguments, her beauty resolving men’s disputes. She...
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...in the wall. The humans were all merry, though Grendel noticed some underlying tension between Hrothgar’s men and Wealtheow’s brother and his men. Back in his cave, Grendel was frustrated by...
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Chapter 8
Imitating an epic, heroic style, Grendel tells of how Hrothgar’s brother was murdered and so his young nephew Hrothulf came to live at Hart. Grendel’s...
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...scene, Hrothulf is in the yard, thinking about all of the peasants that toil in Hrothgar’s kingdom. Hrothulf is frustrated that the entire kingdom is predicated on violence that is deemed...
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...why he is so sad at his young age. She speaks of future generations inheriting Hrothgar’s riches. She says that she used to love unthinkingly, but has now had more life...
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Grendel notes that Hrothgar is no longer physically strong and is aware of the scheming of his various relatives...
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Grendel thinks of a dream to “impute” to Hrothgar. Hrothgar then narrates the dream he has: he is alone standing in a thicket. There...
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Chapter 9
...night. He feels that some event is coming and feels afraid. Grendel watches one of Hrothgar’s bowmen hunt a deer. He watches the deer die and the image sticks in his...
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Chapter 10
At dusk, Grendel watches Hrothgar’s men going about their business. There are guards posted throughout the realm, though there is...
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The Shaper is sick. Grendel watches as Hrothgar, Wealtheow, and Hrothulf go to visit the Shaper’s sickbed. Grendel laughs, asking “Where are all...
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Chapter 11
...come ashore. They got off the boat, decked out in armor, and met one of Hrothgar’s guards. Grendel particularly noticed the strangers’ leader, a huge, strong man (who is never named...
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Grendel sees that Hrothgar’s Danes are embarrassed and frustrated that foreigners have come to save them. It offends their...
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...says that Beowulf lost the contest and predicts that he will be defeated by Grendel. Hrothgar’s men laugh. Beowulf responds that he actually won the swimming contest, in which he swam...
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