Grendel's psychopathy

That is an interesting interpretation. I did not necessarily see Grendel as a psychopath. I definitely saw him as a flawed character, but I saw many many other characters as flawed as well. The humans would act in hypocritical, violent, and heartless ways, which seemed to blur the lines between good and evil or hero and villain. The animals would also act in harsh, mindless ways. Grendel's encounters with the stubborn bull who attacks him mindlessly or the ram on the cliff make Grendel not look so bad, in comparison. What Grendel has, however, is greater power to destroy. If humans or animals were born into the monster body Grendel was born into, they too might wage destruction on civilization.

Grendel did not seem to be born a monster, at least on the inside. He seemed to become a monster through his observation of the world and society. I just finished "Frankenstein" this summer, which follows the same archetype of the "misunderstood monster." Frankenstein's monster was benevolent and wanted to belong when he was created. His first encounter was with a blind man -- they had a civil conversation because the blind man could not see his form. When he met other people, however, they treated him like the monster he appeared to be. Being treated this way made him become a monster, waging destruction on the humans around him.

I believe Grendel is similar to Frankenstein's monster in this way. I believe Grendel's rage and destructive tendencies are out of his control. I found a quote that seemed to support this point of view: "I feel my anger coming back, building up like invisible fire, and at last, when my soul can no longer resist, I go up -- as mechanical as anything else -- fists clenched against my lack of will, my belly growling, mindless as wind, for blood" (Gardner 9). Phrases like "mindless" or "lack of will" seem to emphasize that Grendel's rage is not something he chooses; rather, it is an outside force that effects his choices. Much of Grendel's descent into being a monster seems to be caused by outside forces, like rage -- and his rage is caused by the faults of society, and the inability for society to understand him. While Grendel may become a "psychopath" through his encounters with society, I do not believe he was born a "psychopath."