In addition to Rene's answer, I would also argue that the showing off the Grendel's arm is a way for Beowulf to symbolically "shout from the rafters" his success where other warriors have failed. He quite literally lords his success over them. Remember, Grendel has been snacking on Danish knights for a dozen years and none of the men could stop him.
Beowulf could just have easily left the arm where it was, or chucked it into the sea after its dying owner. Instead, he uses the arm to cement his own reputation.
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