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Beowulf Poem And Movie Comparison Essay

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Beowulf Poem and Movie Comparison
Beowulf an epic poem set in scandinavia and one of the longest epic poems written in Old English. This poem has been a high achievement of Old English poetry and has been written in different verses and incorporated into a movie. They base on the hero Beowulf a man who has the strength of 30 men, a hero of the geats who travels overseas to aid Hrothgar king of the Danes. The danes are under attack of a monster named grendel. After defeating grendel, beowulf encountered other obstacles through the story. Even though it's all based on the original epic there are so many differences between the movie Beowulf and the epic poem. The epic poem, is too boring for modern, sophisticated audiences, so hollywood established the story. Pagan and Christian perspectives. In the movie, Hrothgar and his Danes are pagan. Later, Unferth goes to Hrothgar to see if they should pray to God. Hrothgar had said no. The …show more content…

non heroic values. In the movie, Beowulf struggles to keep true characteristics of a hero. He lies about the fact that he killed Grendel's mother. When instead he actually had an adulterous rendezvous with her and also with his queen’s handmaid. The epic expresses Beowulf having true heroic ethics and actions. When he follows the rule of the anglo saxons refinement. Every description that described Beowulf explains him to be a true hero.
Murdering of the dragon. In the movie and the poem Beowulf dies slaying the dragon. What differs is the relationship between the dragon and Beowulf. The movie describes the dragon as Beowulf's son, born due to his affair with grendel's mom. The dragon in the movie represents failure. Beowulf feels that it is necessary to kill the dragon, but by taking down his son he also took his life doing it. The Epic, explains that the dragon attempts to attack the geats but has nothing in relation to Beowulf. All the dragon is an enemy that Beowulf has to face to complete his dream of dying a

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The idea of a hero is explored differently in the ancient Anglo-Saxon text Beowulf and John Gardner’s Grendel. During the time period of both of the stories being a hero is very important to everyone. Beowulf is not a true hero, even if he tries to make himself out to seem like a true hero, based on modern ideas of the Hero. In the poem Beowulf being a hero is very important to the main character Beowulf.

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The hero in the epic poem Beowulf is the main character, Beowulf. He demonstrates heroic qualities as soon as the readers are introduced to his character. Beowulf proves himself to be courageous and brave by voluntarily fighting the “undefeatable” monster, Grendel. He is greatly admired by both the Danes and Geats for his courageous acts. Although his motivation is altered to only benefit himself with the title of the greatest warrior, his plan to save the Danes is greatly appreciated by all in the land.

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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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The third and final evil Beowulf must face is the dragon. At this point in the poem, Beowulf has been the “ring-giver” or king for half a century (Beowulf 2207). The role of a king in Germanic times included rewarding warriors with treasure captured in battle; however, the dragon keeps his treasure to himself. This greediness is in direct opposition to the qualities of a good king, and the dragon becomes the representation of selfishness and destruction. Beowulf takes on the role of a warrior once again, and defeats the dragon.

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Beowulf went through so much to prove he was worthy enough to protect their kingdom and defeat Grendel. The story Beowulf was a great story to read and a great movie to watch; however, the battles were very eye catching and had a lot of extravagant and heroic doings of Beowulf. The first scenario that I’m going to discuss in the movie and story of Beowulf is The Battle with Grendel. In the movie Grendel attacked Beowulf in the Heriot while everyone was dancing and singing.

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The story of Beowulf isn’t just any ordinary story, but a story that has been told for centuries. A story of a hero who’s legacy has been told for so long. Beowulf’s life shows the characteristics of a true epic hero. He showed bravery, he used his strength against his enemies and in the end gave the ultimate sacrifice for his people.

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As a payment to the king of the Danes, he decides to fight the dragon, just as he fought Grendel. Then he was a warrior and now he is a king responsible for his people. Beowulf’s decision is courageous but inappropriate for a king. His foolish but courageous decision causes him to die in the end. Before he fought the mighty dragon, he said “I’ve never known fear; as a youth I fought in endless battles.

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Beowulf is telling us that he doesn’t value the lives of his citizen, but instead values glory and is willing to fight for it. In the end, Beowulf slays the dragon but paid his life as the price. In conclusion, Beowulf would be considered a great warrior, but not a hero. Although Beowulf accomplished many heroic deeds he never did any of them for the right reasons. Therefore, Beowulf is not a hero, but only a warrior who values renown and rewards.

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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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In the movie the dragon, which is Beowulf’s son, get angry when a slave finds the dragon cup that Beowulf had given Grendel’s mother. In the movie Beowulf and Wiglaf go to face the dragon alone; when they get to the cave Beowulf enters alone the dragon chases them back and there is a bunch of men shooting at it. Beowulf eventually kills the dragon because he found a spot on the throat of the dragon that was told to him by the former king years ago. The movie and the poem of Beowulf had very many differences. There are a lot more differences between the two that you would have thought.

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Many people may have read the poem Beowulf that was written by a anonymously poet in Old English; this book was later on translated by Burton Raffel. This poem captured many people in the old days that eventually lead this to get adapted to the big screen by Robert Zemeckis. People who are into literature like the books better than the movies because they feel like they are more detailed while with the movies they have scenes that are shorten up and do not have the most important parts that we may find interesting. Most movies and books do not often relate to each other and it is rare to ever find a movie that is much more better than the actual book. After watching the movie it has come to understanding that the book and the poem are similar in some ways.

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In the movie, however, the fire-breathing dragon was actually the son of Beowulf. Both plots were built up in very interesting and unique ways, but it is true that they are not the same in most aspects of the

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How is the movie and textbook version of Beowulf different? Accordingly, to the movie and textbook version of Beowulf they share particular differences that may change your perspective of all the characters. In the movie Grendel began attacking Herot Hall; however, in the textbook he started off attacking the many people who lived in the village. In the textbook Grendel’s mother was considered a hideous a gorgeous monster who lived in a dungeon in the forest. In the textbook Beowulf’s arm was cut off casing his death, even though, in the movie Beowulf’s death was caused by the dragon fire breath.

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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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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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