Comparing violence

I found myself comparing the violent actions of Grendel to the violence displayed by the humans throughout the book. While both parties are shown to display violent tendencies, I felt the context through which these occurred differed. Though Grendel's actions may be more savage, is it fair to say that Grendel's may have been rooted in deeper instinctive emotions than the humans' actions? Looking at the situation objectively, does Grendel hold more or less accountability for his violence?