Beowulf Comparison

There have been many translations of the epic poem of Beowulf since it was passed through oral tradition. Some of them are the short story, “Beowulf: A New Telling” by Robert Nye and the novel entitled, The Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton which was later made into a movie, 13th Warrior directed by John McTiernan and Michel Crichton. Although the narrative and the film are alike in some ways, there are there are many dissimilarities between the two pieces of literature. The three main differences of the short story and the movie are the setting, characters, and plot.

In his three major battles, Beowulf fights for many different reasons. His motivation varies, and as he grows older and wiser his attitude toward these battles also changes. Throughout the epic, Beowulf bradoshously beats Grendel, then more methodically murders Grendel’s mother, and with his last breathes humbly hollers for help to slay the dragon. This shows that Beowulf’s early focuses of glory and riches changes as he becomes a weathered warrior acknowledges that he cannot defeat his enemies alone and must utilize the resources provided to him such as armor, magical items, and companions.

In both ‘War of the Worlds’ and ‘Beowulf’ the enemy is described as a large inhuman creature. “A big greyish rounded bulk, the size, perhaps, of a bear” is the phrase describing the size and basic features of the Martians in ‘War of the Worlds’. The word “bulk” suggests that the creature is large and stocky but it also implies the lack of movement. Also “the size, perhaps, of a bear” shows that this creature is inhuman as the humans are attempting to compare it to “a bear” and the word “perhaps” shows their uncertainty and hesitation as they haven’t seen any creature like this. It is similar in ‘Beowulf’ as Grendel (the enemy) is presented as a large monster with the phrase “A powerful monster. Till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend”. “Powerful” suggests that he is large and able to cause mass destruction among others and that he has a large figure and a destructive attitude. “Demon” implies that he is a hellish character which means that he is against God and mankind. Also the word “fiend” suggests that he is out to cause trouble as a “fiend” is an evil spirit or “demon” which also adds to his hellish nature. Grendel is more

Have you ever watched both of the Beowulf movies? Did you ever wonder where Grendel came from? Well, in “Beowulf and Grendel”, his father is a troll. In “Beowulf”, Grendel’s father is King Hrothgar. In both of the movies, they want Grendel and his mother killed to keep the land peaceful. The plot in both of the movies are affected in different ways because of the difference in the characterization of Grendel’s father, yet in both of the movies they wanted both Grendel and his mother killed so that their land will remain at peace.

In addition, Beowulf originates from Geatland and is the nephew of Higlac, king of the Geats. Beowulf had the courage and strength no other man hand. He heard of Grendel’s ghastly tales and makes a journey to Denmark. When he arrived, Beowulf explained to Hrothgar that, he alone and his men, would wait for Grendel to return and purge herot of all evil. That night Beowulf’s men slept while he sat awake eager for Grendel’s return.

In the eleventh century, the oral poem titled Beowulf was written down by a scop, and then turned into a movie in 2007. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, this film reflects the old poem with a modern day twist telling the tale of a young hero, Beowulf, who came to rid the Geats of their curse, deeming him king, and ending with his death. However, the poem and the movie differ in a few ways, being how Beowulf handled Grendel's mother, how women are portrayed, the ending and how it shows that history can repeat itself.

The Comparison of Heroes Beowulf is a storied hero who hails from Geatland. He is the hero of the Geats and is called upon by the King of the Danes, Hrothgar, to destroy a monster who is terrorizing his mead hall. He sails across the sea to Scandinavia where the monster roosted. The hero then assassinates Grendel and his mother, and then sails back home to become the Kind of the Geats. Fifty years later, he then decides to go on one last adventure to slay a dragon.

In the Story of Beowulf, Beowulf faces three major battles while paying his debts back to Hrothgar. All three monsters have similarities and differences but they all have one thing in common which is basically to hurt others. The three monsters that will be highlighted throughout this essay will be Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon. Staring off with Grendel, Grendel is this large, evil, man-eating monster that lives in the swamps below the Kingdom of Herot ruled by Hrothgar. Grendel attacks the Kingdom every night killing innocent people who fear for their lives because of him.

In 2007 Robert Zemeckis released the film version of the poem, Beowulf. In both versions, there is a general theme of heroism exemplified through the story's main character, Beowulf. In other words, the film is different from the poem through characterization, representation of women, and the different values of both Anglo Saxon and modern societies. Unlike the film, characters are represented differently than they were in the poem.

In the story Beowulf , it tells the epic tale of the battle between Grendel and Beowulf and the struggle Beowulf went through to defeat the monster that is ruining society and the life that the people in Scandinavia lived. When you compare the story to the life we live now you can see some astonishing similarities. Beowulf holds some traits of today's monster-slayers hold to defeat the modern day monsters. Although today’s monsters may not be demons killing everyone besides the king, they still play a vital role in hurting our society and our way of life. The biggest monster today that is dooming our society is entitlement and people believing that they deserve everything and the monster-slayers are the people who work hard to get where they

In the book, Grendel’s mother and Beowulf fight and Beowulf realize that she is much more challenging than Grendel. Lastly, in the book, The Geats and Danes go with Beowulf but only the Geats keep hope that he is still alive. In the movie, on the other hand, Grendel’s mother and Beowulf don’t fight, Beowulf is actually seduced by her. She promises Beowulf wealth and that he will be the king forever if she can keep the dragon horn with her and if he gives her a

According to both the book and movie, Grendel’s mother reacted horribly to her son’s death; however, in the book she only killed one of the closest friends of Hrothgar and in the movie she killed everyone except Beowulf. In both the book and the film, Beowulf accepted the challenge to defeat Grendel’s mother. Beowulf defeated Grendel’s mother with a sword created by the gods; however, in the movie Beowulf lied about killing Grendel’s mother. Instead of killing Grendel’s mother, Beowulf had an affair with her. Hrothgar knew Beowulf did not kill her because he had done the same, but Hrothgar did not care because his curse was lifted. According to the book, Grendel was the descendant of Cain; however, in the film Grendel was Hrothgar’s son. Beowulf had followed Hrothgar’s footsteps, and soon Beowulf was cursed with a son of his

The next monster, Grendel’s mother, is less feared by the people. She however is driven by revenge for the death of her son, and therefore becomes a larger threat than Grendel. Beowulf fights these monsters and kills them, achieving what he had traveled and planned to do. In Beowulf’s later years, after returning to his homeland and becoming king of the Geats, a dragon attacks all that he has built. In this battle, both the dragon and Beowulf are killed.

The Anglo-Saxons had a rough go of it in the beginning, coming from the far north they were not able to grow crops in the desolate wastelands that the harsh winters created. This meant that they had to travel and search for more fertile land to survive. In these desperate times of survival some rose above all ordinary men, these were Anglo-Saxon heroes. The history of Anglo-Saxon heroism is widespread through art and literature. The characteristics that it embodies are courage, a fervent belief in heavenly glory, and a calling to adventure. These qualities can be clearly seen in the epic Beowulf and the elegy The Seafarer through their powerful leading characters. Without abiding by all of these heroic virtues none of the Anglo-saxon heroes

There are many similarities and differences in the movie and the original poem, telling the story of Beowulf. The most major difference is that Hrothgar was not the father of Grendel.   Also, it is never mentioned that Hrothgar or Beowulf ever being romantically involved to become the fathers of Grendel or the dragon. Other differences include that Grendel's mother is never described as covered in gold.