Answer:
The answer is C. Grendel is capable of human emotions.
Explanation:
A traditional, historical monster is typically incapable of emotions. Its sole purpose is to destroy, no reasoning behind its actions. That's not, however, the sole way in which Grendel is described.
In Beowulf, the epic poem in which the character Grendel first appears, the characters themselves seem to see Grendel as a typical monster. He is said to be a descendant of Cain, accursed by God, a devourer of the human kind. At a point, it is said he has been plotting all day to come and destroy humans. That very affirmation should be enough to show Grendel is capable of reasoning, since monsters don't plot anything, they just do. However, there is even more. Grendel shows feelings such as hatred and fear, typically human emotions.
John Gardner developed the human side of Grendel in his poem that takes the character's name. Note the excerpt below:
<em>Thus I fled, ridiculous hairy creature torn apart by poetry—crawling, whimpering, streaming tears, across the world like a two-headed beast, like mixed-up lamb and kid at the tail of a baffled, indifferent ewe—and I gnashed my teeth and clutched the sides of my head as if to heal the split, but I couldn’t.</em>
Grendel feels misunderstood, not being able to convey his feelings in a way humans can comprehend.
