ipl-logo

The Characterization Of The Monsters In Beowulf's Story

749 Words3 Pages

Imagine a story thats dates back to the old English era, where there is a warrior who kills monsters and dragons just for honor and glory. This warrior is Beowulf he is one of the strongest men on earth during that time defeating any monster that gets in his way. The Beowulf story is one of the oldest in old english history, And was told by many different anglo saxon author but this story changed every time some else's told it. Although the poem and the movie share many similarities, the different portrayals of Characterization of the monsters, The behavior of Beowulf, and roles of religion reveal the values of the societies in which they are told.
The first example of the similarities and differences in the poem and the movie is regarding characterizations of monsters. In the movie and the poem in found some similarities regarding this topic. “A powerful monster, living down/ In the darkness, growled in pain” (lines 1-2). Grendel is a monster that comes to Herot’s mead hall because of all the loud music, noise and came in the night taking men's lives. Also, Grendel's mother lives in the same murky lake in both and comes to Herot to get revenge because Beowulf killed her son. Some differences that I …show more content…

The characterizations of monsters was that the monster where more sympathetic but still wanted to cause terror to the people of Herot. The behavior of Beowulf he was a mighty warrior who fought for honor and glory, In the movie he had a weakness for women and would also boast a lot. Roles of religion back the christianity was just starting to spread and get popular, In the movie christianity was portrayed negativity. Both the movie and poem were very interesting and, they showed a lot how the anglo saxon culture lived and what they fought

Show More
Related
1005 Words | 5 Pages

Heaney’s descriptions of Grendel during the first agon represent a battle hardened creature, with a heart full of hate and rage. On the other hand, Zemecki’s half-breed herot is a creature who has been abandoned by his father and the rest of society, forced to live a desolate life in his mother’s lair. Where we encounter the two Grendel’s also helps us contrast who they are. We first encounter Heaney’s Grendel alone prowling in the borderlands, signifying him as a independent creature. Meanwhile, we first see Zemecki’s Grendel writhing in pain in his mother’s home.

Read More
570 Words | 3 Pages

Monsters and enemies have been in books and stories for a long time. Monsters usually play the role of the “bad guy”, that tries to stop or defeat the main character from completing his task. The monsters in the poem represent and show that there are many fearful enemies that you have to defeat and save your town from if you want to be a hero. The monsters in the poem reinforce the heroic code because the missions Beowulf had to do always reinstated how fierce and dangerous the monsters that Beowulf had to defeat were. They showed how brave and strong Beowulf had to be to defeat these monsters and prove himself as a hero.

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

When they find the iceberg, which is said to be “darker than the darkness of the night,” they ring the bell frantically to notify the captain of the iceberg. However, it takes a while for the captain to get the drivers, and by that time, it’s too late. Another similarity is the size of the gash that is made by the iceberg, and how it is found and announced. In both book and movie, the gash is said to be approximately 300 ft. long, stretching across 5 boiler rooms. A 3rd similarity that is easily spotted in both types of media is the chaotic mood.

Read More
991 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
214 Words | 1 Pages

The movie is said to be a clearly epic but fiction. It really teaches us how to be brave in every trial and challenge in life. The main character Beowulf faces many strong opponents but in the end he defeated all. Beowulf wanted to be honor by his fellow soldiers and for that reason he fiercely battled with the beast, Grendel, who ate all men in sight.

Read More
984 Words | 4 Pages

This example shows how despite what happens in the story good always wins over evil in medieval film and literature (“Beowulf” 50, 54, 60, Simon, par 14). Also it shows the bravery and chivalry of Beowulf which in addition could be said about Batman in the film Dark Knight because he was willing to risk his life to save his world (“Beowulf 63, “Dark Knight,” par. 1). The similarities of modern films and medieval romance display how modern films are

Read More
1285 Words | 6 Pages

In the poem Beowulf, there is a contrast between good and evil. This distinction is presented through the monsters Grendel and his mother, in parallel to the hero Beowulf. The themes of evil and monstrosity are therefore used in the story, as a way to create the notion of Grendel and his mother as monsters. Beowulf therefore appears as a character representing good. Although Beowulf shows traits of abnormal power, like Grendel and his mother, his motifs are interpreted differently.

Read More
827 Words | 4 Pages

The Hero of all Heroes Beowulf is a captivating story of an earthly human who has superior strength, and is extremely ethical. Beowulf sets out on a quest to defeat monsters that embody dark, destructive powers and forces of evil in the land of Denmark. In the epic poem an unknown author uses rhetorical devices such as tone, diction, imagery, and style to illustrate the mighty power that Beowulf had in him and how it reflected on the Anglo-Saxon way of life. The unknown author who wrote Beowulf, was a very scholarly writer.

Read More
221 Words | 1 Pages

There have been many tales told around the world about monsters, but each has their own dwelling place. Although, they all have one thing in common: it is a dark place where no one dares to enter. Normally this would be a cave, swamp, or castle. No light may go past the front door. They lurk in the shadows, invisible as they hide behind the night sky.

Read More
79 Words | 1 Pages

Julius Corbin Mrs. Goad English IV 15 September 2017 Beowulf Monster Stand Off Beowulf is an iconic littercher piece that has found its ways to many of teen’s school all around the world. Beowulf is a story told by the Anglo-Saxons for they believed strongly in courage, strength, loyalty, and many other beliefs. In the book beowulf displays some monster qualities. Which could be used to say that since Beowulf has monster qualities. He himself is a monster.

Read More
407 Words | 2 Pages

In Beowulf’s time, people admired a traditional hero who destroyed evil and protected the people by fighting monsters. This was the hero’s place in his society, and today a hero’s place is still not too different in fictional work. We see similarities between Beowulf and today’s fictional heroes in that they fight monstrous villains and always have a moment where they hit a low point in their story to defend their people or complete their mission. The first way Beowulf is similar to today’s fictional heroes is that they both still fight larger-than-life villains and monsters. In Beowulf, we see Grendel, the descendant of Cain who unleashes his power over Herot.

Read More
631 Words | 3 Pages

Most movies have a few differences between the book and poem they are originated from. The battles in the movie and poem were probably the biggest differences between the two. Both the movie and poem are similar and

Read More
579 Words | 3 Pages

The supernaturals, The speeches and styles, and the kennings are all very important views on the story, and puts it together perfectly. The oldest surviving literature in the 1000A.D. is still one of the greatest action stories, yet. heroes of life will soon come to an end, and Beowulf realized that during his last battle with the mighty

Read More
964 Words | 4 Pages

There are many differences that stood out in both the epic poem and movie. Such as, in the poem Beowulf tracks Grendel’s Mother down in a lake and commences fighting her in armor and with the sword. During the fight Beowulf’s sword breaks, and Grendel’s Mother tries to stab him, but Beowulf’s

Read More
1363 Words | 6 Pages

Accompanying Beowulf is a book told from the monster's perspective titled Grendel by John Gardner. A consistent theme throughout Beowulf and Grendel is the utilization of the heroic code, which strongly values courage, loyalty, honor and strength - all of which Beowulf demonstrates in his

Read More

More about The Characterization Of The Monsters In Beowulf's Story

Related Topics

Open Document