Beowulf Comparison Essay

Beowulf Comparison Essay “Be a man” is a very frequently used phrase to advise someone to handle a situation like a grown, adult male. When I think of how men should act, qualities such as bravery, strength, and prestige happen to appear in my mind. No one has ever used the phrase to help someone acquire a poor trait. Beowulf is an example of a real man with both the positive and negative characteristics. The story of Beowulf is an epic poem that tells the tale of a Scandinavian man who takes on many quests and defeats an assortment of monsters in the name of fame and glory. He is known to be “greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world”. The Anglo Saxons have passed this tale on for centuries in Old English and in 2007, the modern American society had recreated the story as a film for everyone to understand and enjoy. Although, some of the scenes may not be too accurate. In the Beowulf movie and poem, there are similarities and differences in

In both the poem and the movie, Beowulf kills the monster, Grendel, who has been wreaking havoc on the mead hall, Herot. Upon arrival, Beowulf pleads “A single request! I have come so far, … That I, alone and with the help of my men,/May purge all evil from this hall.” (Line 163, 165-166) This shows the great amount of bravery and pride stored in the great warrior. Although, the movie may portray him otherwise. After he defeats Grendel, he must face his next opponent, which is the angered mother of the monster. In the poem, he takes on the challenge and finishes it by cutting her head off. In the movie, there is the scene where, instead of smiting her, he is seductively persuaded into giving her another child and in return, more fame and glory than he could imagine. This reveals that Beowulf’s abundance of pride can sometimes go overboard and result in stubbornness especially when there is a lot in it for