Beowulf is a old novel that displays a variety of archetypes, most notably heroism, villainy, evil, demon, etc. The story clearly depicts and explains these characters so that we know right away what role they play in the story. For instance, Grendel is a fear feeding, hatred seeking ogre that lives in a swamp. He has no concept of love or happiness, and is a purely instinctual predator. That being said, he clearly symbolizes the id of the story, and is the villain or most obvious evil antagonist.
The Christian influence in Beowulf’s epic adds certain meaning and connotations for the events that are happening within the story. Without it, many implications written would hold no meaning, and instead appear to be completely random and without any reason. In Beowulf’s fight against Grendel’s mother, Beowulf managed to survive a fatal blow due to miracles created by God (Seamus, pg 107). If Christianity is taken out and God is removed from the story, Beowulf’s survival would’ve been very unlikely or he was truly lucky. A moment after, however, Beowulf stumbled upon a lucky encounter once again; a godsend sword that is able to slay Grendel’s mother was just hanging around the cave walls (pg. 107-108).
“Beowulf” is an epic poem written around 700 A.D concerning a hero named Beowulf from Geatland which is current day Sweden. Beowulf’s epic expedition was to assist the Danes in conquering a demon named Grendel and later to defeat Grendel’s mother in her attempt to get revenge. Beowulf
Have you ever heard of the story Beowulf? If not, then I will be telling you the different scenarios that occurred in the movie and the book. Beowulf is about a heroic fellow who saves a kingdom from a magical named Grendel. He went through numerous of battles between Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the Dragon. In this essay I will be discussing the different event that happened in the story and the movie.
Beowulf is a fighter that defeats many battles and born in Geatland. Before the battle may begin he must have the Kings permission to leave his hometown. Beowulf has many struggles throughout the writing in which you can see as he is battling the other character throughout the literature. He can be described as a powerful and strong monster even compared to the three battles he faces. He is very heroic and seems to find the “itch” he has for each of the characters.
The main theme in Beowulf is that bravery is always needed when in a battle. All throughout the story Beowulf is referred to as a hero and a warrior. The book shows that Beowulf is a hero to the Geets. He has a lot of people that follow and look up to him. In the movie Beowulf is shown as a brave hero but it also shows his flaws.
Beowulf is a tale that follows the events of a man, Beowulf, as he travels and slays three monsters. Each monster has one thing in common with one another; they were provoked by a human. Grendel, for example, was disturbed by the constant parties and noise the mead hall, Herot, produced. Had the Herot never been built, Grendel would have left the Dains alone and never killed their men. Instead, the ruckus coming from the mead hall aggravated Grendel and he handled the situation on his own.
Imagine a beast so evil, so dangerous, so powerful, that it could only be brought down by one man, The Almighty Beowulf the Great. Beowulf was one of the first pieces of English language literature that was later made into several movies. The book and movie diverge into different storylines as the plot moves along. While the poem gets past the idea of Grendel and his mother moving along to a dragon that kills Beowulf, the movie on the other hand has a strong focus on Grendel’s mother all throughout the story. Although the movie and the poem share many similarities, the different portrayals of Grendel, mead hall etiquette, and the comportment of Beowulf communicate the values of the societies in which they are told.
Beowulf was a noble, heroic warrior in the book; however, he was portrayed as a liar in the movie. In the book Beowulf defeats Grendel after he had attacked Herot for twelve winters. Grendel’s mother came and attacked to avenge her only child’s death. Beowulf also defeated Grendel’s mother in the book, whereas in the movie he lied about killing her. In the movie, after Grendel’s mother attacked Herot, Beowulf went into her lair, but he didn’t do what he had gone to do.
Daniel Tong Professor Michael Call IHUM 201 20 March 2017 A Study of What the Demon Grendel Denotes in “Beowulf” The epic poem "Beowulf" is one of the oldest surviving pieces of Old English literature and cited by many scholars and historians to be one of the most important works in the canon of English literature. Though some critics will argue that the late discovery of “Beowulf” and the even later date of the first known publication in the 19th century means that the epic poem’s influence on the development of the English literature was only more prevalent with modern authors and poets (New World Encyclopedia), the significance of the poem is no less important overall. The fabled legend is set in Scandinavia during the Medieval Ages.
Beowulf was written during the Anglo Saxon period, a time when society was in the process of converting from Paganism to Christianity. In this heroic epic poem, these two religions fused and came through the actions of its characters. This reveals a reflection of Anglo Saxon ideals and concepts. During the story, flashes of this religion metamorphosis become evident. The beliefs of several monstrosus forces like Grendel, Grendel’s mother and the dragon are just a few examples of these Pagan ideals, while the Christian mortalities impact the story from a different side.
Beowulf is the story of an epic hero who was no ordinary man by any means. He had to gain many qualities in order to become an epic hero. His story started when he took a jaunt to Hrothgar’s kingdom. Beowulf took this jaunt to help Hrothgar destroy a slovenly monster that had been killing his men for twelve consecutive years. The first characteristic that he showed was one of being on a quest to help Hrothgar get rid of the monster, Grendel “and quickly commanded a boat fitted out” (Beowulf 113).
The story Beowulf is a phenomenal story. However, the movie Beowulf portrays the story to be something it is not. The movie transformed the book from a legendary tale to a drama filled om-com/action movie. The killings were more gruesome and detailed. Beowulf was not as heroic as he was in the book.
The movie on the other hand is more complex and makes Beowulf seem like a normal person, however a warrior of the finest kind. Grendel is not just a monster; he is a troll whose father was killed by Hrothgar when he was only a child. He was killed because he had crossed paths with the Danes and took a fish. Hrothgar was the only Dane to see the child and decided to spare his life.
The Mythological Influences of Beowulf on The Lord of the Rings It was not by chance in the way which Tolkien has infused his Lengendarium with the flavorings of myth and legend. Tolkien’s childhood and early writings were steeped with the learnings of primeval languages and Middle English myths. Tolkien’s interest in the languages of Old-English cultures would drive Tolkien to delve deeply into the realm of poetry and myth in pursuit of his passion for understanding the languages of those cultures. When Tolkien was 23 Years old, he had already learned Greek, Latin, Anglo Saxon, Old English, Finnish, Welsh and Gothic, a budding philologist even prior to becoming a professor of the Anglo-Saxon language at Oxford (Carpenter 56). As if the triumph
