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Beowulf: Cultural Differences In The Film And Epic

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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. This means that they portray what we like, value, and can relate with. It is obvious that we like different things now than we did before. Loyalty, revenge, sexuality, and violence all accurately represent their respective time periods for different reasons in the text and movie Beowulf. …show more content…

Beowulf exhibits this trait multiple times in the text, as does his follower Wiglaf. When asked by Hrothgar to slay Grendel, the ever-so-loyal hero says, “send my hammered / Mail of my armor to Higlac, return / The inheritance I had from Hrethel” (Beowulf 186-188). This shows the loyalty he has for his family. When Beowulf (from the movie) heard about the demon beast, he willingly journeyed across the sea with his men to help a friend of his family rid the land of the evil creature. Wilgaf also proves to be loyal in both the text and movie by staying with Beowulf to help him conquer the dragon, even though all the other men had ran away in fear. He is rewarded with the right to the throne by Beowulf on his deathbed; “Wilgaf, lead my people, / Help them; my time is gone.” (Beowulf 811-812). Loyalty is a cultural value that influenced the Anglo-Saxon society and is still present

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In Beowulf, Wiglaf proves the trait of loyalty is an archetype that fails to fade as time passes. In sharp contrast with the rest of Beowulf’s chosen thanes, Wiglaf chooses be brave and

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Passed down through various societies for multiple generations, the poem Beowulf is a true literary masterpiece. While first spread by word of mouth, the work was later transcribed, translated, and transformed into numerous forms of literature and media. Due to this, we know that their is not one true Beowulf. As Professor Martin Foys once said, “each generation gets the version of Beowulf it deserves”. These various adaptations led to differing tales of the conquests of Beowulf, as is the case with the first of the three agons, Beowulf’s clash with Grendel.

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Loyalty is a factor in Wiglaf and Beowulf’s friendship as well as it is in gangs in modern day society. Loyalty is expressed in Beowulf by Wiglaf’s unquestionable desire to do anything that was required of him to remain devoted to Beowulf. Wiglaf states in Beowulf, “I’d rather burn myself than see flames swirling around my Lord” (44). His loyalty was stronger than his trepidation.

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Finally, both men beowulf and wiglaf, demonstrate Anglo- Saxon value of loyalty. All decisions made by both men are done due to their loyalty to their king and the Danes. Beowulfs loyalty to the danes stems from his fathers war, that hrothgar ended. Hrothgar explains, “Ecgtheow acknowledged me with oaths of allegiance.”

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Beowulf Battles How far would one go to show loyalty? A hero would risk his life and glory for a proven loyalty status. In the Heroic Poem Beowulf by an Anglo-Saxon writer, the main character Beowulf attempts to show his loyalty through his heroic actions. His attempts may or may not be successful.

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I would recommend this movie to someone who read the poem but only to show them how the movie ruined a good story. After watching the movie my final reactions are the movie is way off from the poem, but if it wasn't based off of the poem "Beowulf" then I think it would be a great

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He withheld his strength, unless necessary, and with time, grew the loyalty, courage, and faith warriors have today. To start off with, loyalty is defined as “the quality of being loyal to someone or something”. In Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is illustrated in your mind as a powerful being who is modest in thought and speech and he is very loyal to his king and the Danes king, Hrothgar. Beowulf, is both modest and humble, when kindly explaining to

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It is not uncommon to see that a book is different than a movie. It also isnt very uncommon to see the same story is altered when it hits the big screen. There are stories such as the Harry Potter series that some say are undoubtedly different. Some of that may be because of people reading a story and them having an image in their head of what a character looks like, then they see the movie and that same character is nothing like they imagined. However, the story that will be discussed in this story is Beowulf.

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The epic poem Beowulf was a story told in the anglo saxon time period. A time when people believed in dragons, monsters, and curses. Many stories told by people of this time talked about the good and evil forces there are in the world and what happens when they collide in battle. The hero in this story has sailed from his home to fight this evil being named Grendel, a monster that has become a nuisance in Herot.

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The poem Beowulf has been around for years. The story has been around since 700 A.D. It has been passed down since it has been written. The story was written in Scandinvia around the Anglo- Saxon era time period. In Anglo Saxon era, the people looked up to their king to be powerful, brave and about action. This is much like how the poet wanted us to see Beowulf.

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These nations were all founded by Anglo-Saxons and while they shared languages, religions, and culture, they were constantly at war with each other, as all Anglo-Saxon warriors must embody possibly the most important of the Anglo-Saxon values, loyalty. Warriors must be absolutely loyal to their own kings and must fight to protect him and the kingdom even at the cost of their own life. In Beowulf, both loyalty and lack of loyalty are displayed. Beowulf's loyalty is shown when he asks his king, Hygelac, if he could be allowed to help King Hrothgar defeat the monster Grendel, who had been attacking Hrothgar's kingdom for the past 12 years. His victory over Grendel added greatly to his reputation as a warrior, and he had earned the respect of Hrothgar, but Beowulf remained loyal and returned to his king.

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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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"He gave Herdred all his support, offering an open heart where Higlac's young son could see wisdom he still lacked himself: warmth and goodwill were what Beowulf brought his new king. " This shows Beowulf's loyalty to Higlac his late King, and to his family. Beowulf would not be dishonorable by taking what wasn't rightfully his; he would rather stand by Higlac's son and teach him all he knows. Beowulf is the hero to his King's son and country, by staying loyal and having honor.

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The movie Beowulf is about the story of a man who saves the day in the town of Herot that takes place around 700-1000 CE. Many different elements went into making this film such as camera angles, actors, costumes, and sets. In the movie, Herot is in a time of misery because an evil creature named Grendel is coming to the town at night and killing the kings’ army. Hrothgar, the king, is tired of this monster coming and ruining his home, so he calls for Beowulf, who is known for being a warrior, to come and defeat Grendel. Beowulf comes to Herot with some of his army and waits in the town hall for Grendel to come.

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