Comparing Beowulf and Michael Crichton's The 13th Warrior Essay

Beowulf is an epic poem written a long time ago. The 13th Warrior is pretty much a movie based on Beowulf but not exactly. The two pieces of literature both shared a lot of differences and similarities as well. The 13th Warrior offered a more realistic, believable, and more understanding of the epic tale of Beowulf. It’s a short story covering the bases of a triumphant hero battling three supernatural monsters. But there had a lot of theatrical remake of the original story; it provides us with the barbaric cannibalistic tribe of the Wendols, which were creatures of the mist. Both the epic Beowulf and the movie the 13th Warrior shared similarities and differences in the struggle of good

Michael Crichton intertwined some aspects of Beowulf with his own thoughts to produce the drama, “The 13th Warrior.” Beowulf, written down by an unnamed Christian monk in the 8th century, served as a framework for the plot of “The 13th Warrior.” Beowulf and “The 13th Warrior” have many differences but the similarities that they share are more abundant through out the two pieces.

Heroes bring a hope to people whom they protect. Heroes bring people joy and bring a sense of relaxation to the people of their society because they play such an important role in lives everywhere. Heroes are complex rather than unembellished because they can fight dragons to defend their kingdom, or create a non-profit foundation to enhance the quality of life for more than 2,000 underprivileged kids. Heroes in our present day can be very complex because a person’s viewpoint on a hero’s life can be a completely different than the way another person looks at that same hero. Thomas Davis Sr. can be extremely comparable to Beowulf but they also have major differences.

The 13th Warrior has various similarities and differences when compared to the original epic poem, Beowulf. These similarities and differences can be seen through the plot, character traits, and themes. Beowulf was composed by an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet and is dated between the 8th and the early 11th century. The 13thWarrior is directed by Michael Crichton and John McTiernan

Being a hero can be defined many different ways. Several qualities like courage, respect, and strength can define heroism. A hero is noted for his or her actions for being brave, powerful, and acting with honor. In the epic poem, Beowulf, the main character Beowulf shows all of these characteristics by defending the Danish king, Hrothgar, and his people. He is a true hero by honoring his country and exerting his power and strength to protect others. Beowulf embodies the qualities of bravery, being powerful, and demonstrating his honor; therefore, he can be considered a true hero.

Most of us have heard of modern day heroes such as Spiderman, Superman, and the Hulk. Each is a hero to many children. Heroes are introduced to people early on in life usually as fictional characters, but as children grow older their perceptions of heroes alter. The characteristics of a hero are usually based around the ideas of a society or culture. In the epic Beowulf, the main character is thought of as a hero. Beowulf, a pagan warrior and the main character of the epic, shows certain characteristics such as bravery, loyalty, and generosity, which portray him as a hero. It is interesting how modern day heroes show the much of the same qualities as Beowulf.

Beowulf makes his final boast. He says that, even though he is old, he shall “still seek battle, perform a deed of fame” by killing the dragon. (Norton59)

Have you ever noticed how a movie can be very different from the book that it is supposed to portray? Beowulf is an example of one of these types of movies. Although the movie covers the general story of Beowulf in the book, it changes some key elements of the plot, shifts characters roles, and contains differences in the setting. Throughout the start of the story it seems as if the movie will be identical to the book, but as the plot progresses many scenes, settings, and roles appear to be very different. Even though the movie twists the plot and applies new scenes that are not found in the book, it still follows the correct sequence in which the general events are ordered.

The main characters of Beowulf in Seamus Heaney’s translation are technically the same main characters of John Gardner’s Grendel. These two stories pertain to the same characters, although due to a significant difference it can be difficult to realize they are the same. That key difference is the perspective from which the stories narrated. The different perspectives used impact the stories greatly. Beowulf’s omniscient narrator provides an outsider’s point of view that seems to be aware everything. Then as for John Gardner's story, it is Grendel himself narrating. Experiencing the story from these two different points of view truly affect the narrative. Therefore, due to the different perspectives of Beowulf and Grendel, the same characters that appear in both stories are portrayed and appear drastically different from one to the other.

Anglo-Saxons refers to settlers from the German regions that migrated to Britain during the fall of the Roman Empire. In the story Beowulf, his actions portray him, indeed be an epic hero. Both Christianity and Paganism are both portrayed throughout the epic Beowulf. Beowulf frequently speaks of God throughout the story, while there are also many Pagan elements that are evident throughout the story as well. In addition, "It 's hard to ignore the Christian and Pagan elements in Beowulf. These types of elements are what define the heroic warrior in the epic Beowulf"(Vengeance the Pagan and Christian Inspiration). Throughout the epic Beowulf, while the Anglo-Saxons followed Christianity, they had a hard time letting go of the Pagan beliefs when things got hard.

Religions play various different roles throughout literature, the most common one I think of is Christianity. We will discuss what the role of Religion is in Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney and the role in the movie The 13th Warrior. Christianity, Islam, and Anglo-Saxon Paganism are the various Religions’ that are expressed in both the literature and the movie. Since both works are similar, but written in a different point of view because of different beliefs we will discuss the difference between Beowulf and The 13th warrior throughout the paper. Another thing we will be discussing is how the authors use religion in a unique way in both works to portray their story in their own way. Before we begin our comparison we will begin with some information on Anglo-Saxon Paganism and Islam.

Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight are tales about two brave heros. While both Beowulf and Sir Gawain are heros in their own stories, both men are portrayed differently. In each story, both heroes possess similar traits such as courage, loyalty and honor. A hero may be unchanging to his values when a situation crosses his path. However, when it comes to comparing these two great men, I would consider Sir Gawain the true hero.

Every epic hero possesses certain heroic characteristics. Beowulf, like other epic heroes, possesses the following heroic qualities: epic heroes are superhuman types of beings. They have a noble birth and show great bravery. They display great intelligence and resourcefulness. They have a reverence for G-d and for the values of their society. They are dominant male figures and suffer severe pain, but in the end, they conquer evil (Vivone 9/27/99). In addition to Beowulf’s heroic qualities, he is very strong. Beowulf was said to have “the strength of thirty [men] in his mighty handgrip” (Bloom 11). Early proof of Beowulf’s extraordinary strength is evidenced by his dismemberment of Grendel’s limb, the fight in the cave under water, and the

In the text, we see that Beowulf is not yet a king, but, a king to come. He is not quick to react without thinking. Beowulf ordered his boat, picked out his men. A Saviour hero, thanking God after sailing. In the film, the heathen of gods was good, but Christ Jesus was bad.

The viciously gallant epic Beowulf, Steve Baron’s capricious film Merlin, and Niccolo Machiavelli’s enlightening treatise The Prince all portray the struggle between good and evil, teach morals, and convey what it takes to be a superior king.