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Beowulf Comparison Essay

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Beowulf is an old story that originated from the Anglo-Saxon time period. It was often told by a Scop, a man that memorized stories and told them to the entire tribe, and each story often had a message that was supposed to be given to the warriors or the king. These stories were often told to younger generations for it to be remembered, and every time it was passed down, it had some changes made to it. It was finally recorded by two monks. Since then, there have been many movies of Beowulf, with the most recent being made in 2007 as an animated movie with somewhat related plot, but it had many revisions to make the movie mostly different from the poem itself, and with those changes it shows how our society is different from the Anglo-Saxons. In the Beowulf movie and poem, there are similarities and differences in Beowulf himself, religion, and themes, which reveals themes that reflect both Anglo Saxon and modern societies. …show more content…

There was a central theme that was referenced throughout the movie and the poem. However, The theme for the movie was that history would repeat itself while the theme for the poem was good versus evil as well as how kings and thanes should act. In the poem, The main theme that was present was how kings and thanes should act, and in line 691, it was said that, “None of his comrades/Came to him, helped him, his brave and noble/Followers; they ran for their lives, fled/Deep in a wood. And only one of them remained, stood there, miserable, remembering,/As a good man must, what kinship should mean.” On the other hand, the theme for the movie was that history was doomed to repeat itself. This is because Hrothgar was the first person to be seduced by Grendel’s Mother, then Beowulf was the one to follow in Hrothgar’s foot steps. Lastly, the movie ended with Wiglaf holding Grendel’s Mother’s cup while he was staring at her in the

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Hrothgar throws another celebration for the young Hero’s actions, but at this gathering in the mead hall Beowulf gives word that he thinks it is time for he and his men to return home. The encounter with Grendel’s mother made Beowulf realize he is not invincible and that one day, perhaps, his victories may not result in his victory. Thus, Beowulf announces he will soon return back to the land of the

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The conventions of an epic tale consist of allusions, archetypes, foils, symbols, and parallels. The use of the literary devices of an epic tale are strewn throughout the plot of The Natural and are utilized very well throughout the movie. The Natural, starring Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs, demonstrates the same examples of allusions, archetypes, foils, symbols, and parallels as the classic epic tale Beowulf. An allusion is a reference to something, whether that it’s a person, place, object, or piece of literature.

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What conventions make an epic tale? The conventions of an epic tale consist of allusions, archetypes, foils, symbols, and parallels. The Natural, starring Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs shows the same use of the conventions of a classic epic tale as the story of Beowulf. The conventions of an epic tale are strewn throughout the movie, and are utilized thoroughly throughout the plot.

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Fear has the ability to manipulate people into believing there is danger when there is not, causing them to make rash decisions. These decisions can result in a disobedience to one’s cultural beliefs, as seen in Lord of the Flies and Beowulf. Even though the characters from Lord of the Flies and Beowulf come from cultures built around nobility and loyalty, fear tears them apart from the society they had worked hard to achieve. Although the boys from Lord of the Flies tried to keep their culture’s morals, the fear of the unknown caused the children to betray their Culture.

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The film and epic poem Beowulf may seem alike because of their similar plots and characters, but when looked at deeper, it is clear that their cultural differences set them apart. Traditionally, epic poems are lengthy stories that praise the deeds of heroic warriors whilst reflecting the brutal reality of life. They expressed cultural pride and teachings, while telling everyone that we are hopeless in the hands of fate; that all human ambition ends in death. In our modern world today, movies are made to entertain, but more importantly to sell and make a profit.

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1.When Grendel “plunges” into meatball, he is confident, carefree and careless knowing he is going to have a delicious dinner. “I am swollen with excitement, bloodlust, and joy”. The parenthetical remarks emphasize his thoughts and emotions running through his head. When Grendel is snatching his men one by one for dinner, he mentions, “I reach for another one(whispering, whispering, chewing the universe down to words!)”. 2.Grendel’s initial response to Beowulf grabbing him is that this was a mistake.

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The novel, Beowulf, intertwines and twists many different motifs within its story. These include monsters, weapons, and feasting. One motif, storytelling, is woven throughout the tale, and has an essential role in Beowulf. With little or no access to the written word, storytelling was the ideal way to spread ideas for public consumption. Oral tales provide a view into Anglo Saxon beliefs, how their monarchy functioned, and their socio-political structure.

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The movie called 13th Warrior has many similarities and also differences at the same time when compared to the poem, Beowulf. There are a lot of changes in plot of the poem, and the sequence of things in the movie. The idea of the existence of an old race and the need for an epic hero is evident in the movie and in the poem as well. The differences and similarities shown in The 13th Warrior and Beowulf can be found through the plot, setting, supernatural, and the central idea.

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Beowulf is a poem that based in the 10th and 11th century that revolved around the idea of good vs evil. The poem is named after Beowulf who is a supernatural hero that slays any evil that crosses his path but is a real sweetheart when it comes to other people or the king. Beowulf is to be considered an epic poem because the hero in the story creates acts of being courageous and even superhuman in some cases, reflecting timeless values such as courage and honor, and the poem reflects unforgettable values with honor and courage. Typically in an epic poem, one will see a character or “the hero” who has outstanding courage and commit superhuman deeds and show values to other people in that era. “Then he drew himself up beside his shield./The fabled warrior in his warshirt and helmet/trusted in his own strength entirely/

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Beowulf and King Arthur are both portrayed as heroes and someone to look up to. Some similarities are both of them are very brave. They are also both very compelling leaders in their own respective ways. Even with their similarities they  have differences in their heroic qualities such as Beowulf not really being a human in the sense that he can do superhuman things and King Arthur being a normal human being. It's also interesting to note that King Arthur was more of a hero for his character whereas Beowulf was more of a hero in the sense that he slays monsters and dragons.

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Have you ever watched a movie based on a book that told the exact same story? To me, for some reason, books always seem to be the better one out of the two. I feel that in novels, the author develops the story with as many details as possible, while in movies that aspect doesn’t appear in the same way. There aren’t as many details in films since it has to last for a certain amount of time, but books can last for as many pages as the author would like them to. When I read, the fascinating novel “Beowulf,” I really enjoyed how the author made me use my imagination to create a picture of the world that the characters were living in.

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The epic poem Beowulf is a classic tale of good versus evil. Good, as shown in the story, is any action that fights evil and defends the community and the people of it. The evil intent of Grendel, the story’s antagonist and cannibalistic murderer, who is depicted as a “fiend out of hell” (99), is strongly countered by the heroic actions of the stories main protagonist, Beowulf. The noble King Hrothgar is a role model for young Beowulf at the beginning of the epic, displaying acts of charity and wisdom throughout his life.

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656 Words | 3 Pages

Stories contain many characters with some that stand out more than the others. A person is considered the protagonist depending on who is telling the story and what story is being told. The protagonist is the main character in a literary work. Whether good or evil, the audience sympathize with the protagonist and understands the motif of the character. Beowulf is a protagonist whose encounters with evil proves him to be a strong heroic warrior.

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Grendel in both stories is described as a vicious "Monster", but is viewed differently. The character of Grendel, in the novel by John Gardner, portrays a different visualization than that of Grendel in the epic poem Beowulf. In the novel the story is told in first person point of view which gives Grendel human qualities while Grendel in Beowulf is told in third person point of view not giving Grendel his standpoint. In both works, the authors give two different perspectives of Grendel. Grendel in the novel is not seen as a "Monster", but as a human that has emotions and is very sympathetic about everything that comes his way.

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In the movie and epic poem Beowulf there were many similarities and difference that was noticed. Beowulf was not a true as he was in the movie. However in the epic poem he was more honest and he kept his word. For example, when Beowulf doesn’t tell the truth about defeating Grendel’s mother, but in the poem he actually defeated her. On the other hand it was interesting to see the poem come to life and it made it easier to understand the concept of the story.

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