According to custom, guests had to be introduced to the king by a herald, and thus it is the herald who brings Hrothgar news of Beowulf's arrival. However, it is absolutely clear that Hrothgar is delighted to have Beowulf and his men visit him, as he hopes that Beowulf, the fame of whom has already reached his hall, will be the long-awaited deliverer he and his people have been waiting for who will be able to release him from the terror of Grendel's night-time visits. Note how Hrothgar responds to the news of Beowulf's arrival:
Holy God of His grace has sent him to us West-Danes, as I hope, against the terror of Grendel. I shall offer the good man treasures for his daring. Now make haste, bid them come in together to see my company of kinsmen.
Hrothgar therefore sees Beowulf's arrival as an answer from God to...
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his plight and situation. The way that he plans to offer Beowulf riches shows how important the arrival of Beowulf is to Hrothgar, and the haste with which he bids his herald welcome them in formally only underlines this importance. Hrothgar therefore welcomes Beowulf with open arms, seeing in him a potential saviour for himself and his people.
What is Beowulf's response to Hrothgar's plight in Beowulf?
Beowulf immediately comes to the aid of the Danes when he hears of Grendel's attacks on Herot. I think what is interesting is that, while he comes to help and he's traveled across the seas to do so, it's really all about him. In greeting King Hrothgar, he "boasts" about being "blood-flecked" in battle directly before being notified of the Danish plight. "Themselves had seen me from slaughter come/ blood-flecked from foes, where five I bound,/ and that wild brood worsted." He talks about his bravery and then says the following:
Grendel now,
monster cruel, be mine to quell
in single battle! So, from thee,
thou sovran of the Shining-Danes,
Scyldings'-bulwark, a boon I seek, --
and, Friend-of-the-folk, refuse it not,
O Warriors'-shield, now I've wandered far, --
that I alone with my liegemen here,
this hardy band, may Heorot purge!
He's come to help, but you can tell by his tone and by his word choice that he is here for himself more than anything or anyone else. He says Grendel is "mine to quell in single battle!" He's brought his band of men to take on the task, but he really only needed them to guide the boat to get there. The battle, he says, is all his.