The Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare - 1549 Words

Beowulf is one of the earliest and most famous works of English literature, and is still widely read today. However, over a thousand years has passed since it was written down in England, and even longer since it was originally spread by word of mouth in the old norse lands, and our values and concepts of the world are radically different than the people of Beowulf’s age. Although the epic Beowulf shows their concept of simplistic duality, in which there is only black and white, good and evil, the modern movie adaptation shows a much more complex view on the world, which can be seen in its main characters Grendel, Hrothgar, and Beowulf himself. While in the epic poem Grendel is shown as pure evil, simply killing the Danes because he was a demon of pure evil intent, the Grendel of the movie is shown to be much more human and dynamic as a character. In the epic, Grendel is introduced as a descendant of Cain, the first person to commit the horrible sin of fratricide, and has no f ather, and an evil sea witch for a mother. He is enraged by the Danes in the Heorot mead hall, and attacks them in the night, mercilessly killing dozens of men. He does not speak any language, and is shown as more beast than man, with very little given to empathize with. When he is killed by Beowulf, there is none to mourn his passing, and all celebrate unanimously the killing of such a vile creature. However, in the movie, Grendel is illustrated as a much more dynamic, human, and relatable character.Show MoreRelatedThe Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare932 Words   |  4 Pageshave the values of being kind and modest. Before Beowulf arrived to Herot he was known for his heroism, which was shown again and again during the fight with Grendel, the fight with Grendel’s mother, and his final battle with the dragon. While his heroism was shown at each of these events, there were changes in his heroic nature over time. Regardless of these changes, he was still seen as the migh ty hero throughout the epic poem of Beowulf. As Beowulf was making his voyage to Herot from Geatland toRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare939 Words   |  4 Pageswithout actually writing things down. These epics would be passed from one another through verbal communication and were based around different aspects of life for a someone of Anglo-Saxon descent. The story Beowulf is a perfect example of how Anglo-Saxons based their stories around their beliefs on how a hero should behave. Around the time the story was first told, people were often terrified of the horrible things in the world. The character Beowulf was built around how a hero would be representedRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare977 Words   |  4 Pageslooking at a culture’s epic tales and heroes one can get an insight to the culture’s values and traits that are noble to them. Beowulf, as an epic hero, is a direct representation of the ideal man as seen through Anglo-Saxon eyes. In looking at the poem Beowulf an d analyzing the characteristics of the epic hero, it will become evident the desired attributes that were desired in the Anglo-Saxon culture: physical strength, pride, bravery, selflessness, and loyalty. An epic hero is a person thatRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare953 Words   |  4 PagesBeowulf is one of the most well known pieces of literature in history. Written between 700 and 1000 AD, this poem has captured the minds of scholars, historians, and readers across the globe. However, despite the fact that it has been passed down for numerous centuries, perhaps one of its most fascinating characteristics are the intriguing battles that Beowulf, the protagonist, takes on. Throughout this epic poem, Beowulf takes on many battles, all of which are practically unwinnable. Each battleRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare1549 Words   |  7 PagesBeowulf is one of the earliest and most famous works of English literature, and is still widely read today. However, over a thousand years has passed since it was written down in England, and even longer since it was originally spread by word of mouth in the old Norse lands, and our values and concepts of th e world are radically different than the people of Beowulf’s age. Although the epic Beowulf shows their concept of simplistic duality, in which there is only black and white, good and evil, theRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare935 Words   |  4 Pageshis life for the good of others , well Beowulf was both. In the novel Beowulf , to me, the main theme of the entire story is heroism. Beowulf is your knight in shining armor or your fire fighter who goes into a living hell to save a kitten. Heroism is scattered all over this epic poem. Sure paganism and christianity are in it as well as good vs evil but they are not as i would say the backbone of Beowulf. to prove my opinion I shall gather quotes from the epic novel would strongly aid the fact thatRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare1176 Words   |  5 Pagesbeen nearly fifteen movies that were made after â€Å"Beowulf†. It may be due to the fact that â€Å"Beowulf† is one of th e most famous epic poems in the English Literature history. It is also the oldest surviving epic poem to date. â€Å"Beowulf† was written in 10000 AD in Old English by an author who remains unknown. In â€Å"Beowulf†, there are many important literary elements that help empathize the main motif of the poem. The motif of this poem is courage. Beowulf is about courage and it is shown through the charactersRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare1401 Words   |  6 PagesAnglo-Saxon focus qualities. A champion amongst the most prestigious works from that time period is Beowulf. The story tells us of how one man, Beowulf, sails to the rescue of King Hrothgar and his kinfolk remembering the final objective to extra them from a horrifying beast that is undermining their lives and additionally their way of life. The warrior Beowulf without a doubt demonstrates characteristics of an epic legend through valor, dedication, generosity, family relationship, accomplishi ng somethingRead MoreThe Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare1836 Words   |  8 PagesBeowulf is one in a sea of many epic poems exemplifying battle, glory, great leaders, and, inevitably, death. Classic plot lines have followed the general flow of such stories from exposition to conflict to resolution, the majoity thriving off of a hero-villan mentality. The battle between good and evil has been perpetuated throughout history in literature and story. The media today suffers from the clear segregation of right and wrong just as much as society did in the days that Beowulf was firstRead MoreThe Heroes Of The Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare1292 Words   |  6 PagesEpics consists of benevolent or disastrous intervention from the supernatural world, and the superhuman capabilities that the heroes and antiheroes occupy. Tales like these represent the characteristics of what heroes are considered to be during the time they were written; however, they follow a specific formula , namely that the Gods intervene in the lives of the hero and, that the hero is burdened with a tragic flaw. In Virgil’s Aeneid, it is Aeneas’ dangerous disobedience to the ordinances of the The Epic Of Beowulf By William Shakespeare - 1549 Words Beowulf is one of the earliest and most famous works of English literature, and is still widely read today. However, over a thousand years has passed since it was written down in England, and even longer since it was originally spread by word of mouth in the old Norse lands, and our values and concepts of the world are radically different than the people of Beowulf’s age. Although the epic Beowulf shows their concept of simplistic duality, in which there is only black and white, good and evil, the modern movie adaptation shows a much more complex view of the world, which can be seen in its main characters Grendel, Hrothgar, and Beowulf himself. While in the epic poem Grendel is shown as pure evil, simply killing the Danes because he was a†¦show more content†¦In fact, the opening scene of the movie shows Grendel playing in a field with his father, giving him an innocent look, and clearing away the negative thoughts paired with having no other father figure but a man n otorious for committing the first murder and fratricide. Soon after, Hrothgar’s men ride down and kill Grendel’s father in cold blood, showing the young child’s heartbreaking loss of his father at such a young age gives more humanity to him, as he doesn’t attack the Danes merely because of his inherent wickedness, he does so to avenge the unjust death of his father, an action that would not only be considered acceptable in their Norse culture, but the honourable and just thing to do. The movie also shows his love interest in an added outcast witch character, a character who understands him, and helps to show his more human qualities, such as his ability to speak, and his unwillingness to fight the Geats and Beowulf, as they had done no wrong to him. By the end of the movie, the addition of Grendel’s son with the witch lets the viewer see a young face which reminds them of the young Grendel at the opening scene of the movie, coming full circle to re mind the audience once again that Grendel was more than just an evil beast. Although the Danish king Hrothgar of the epic was shown to be a just, kind king who had fallen upon hard times at the unexpected and