Culture And Values : The Epic Of Beowulf And Beowulf

Beowulf has delighted and intrigued a wide array of people for centuries. The timeless nature is visible in modern-day extensions of this epic, through heroics and battles of good versus malevolent forces. Beowulf continues to appeal to sophisticated audiences because it tells the story of a great hero prevailing over evil, a timeless theme valued by society and portrayed by his counterparts in modern media, although these new heroes display more complex qualities.

In the poem “Beowulf” the protagonist encounters three enemies of large proportions: Grendel the serpent, Grendel’s Mother, and a Dragon. All these creatures pose a large and terrifying threat that need a special protagonist to fight what the land’s strongest warriors could not accomplish. Before monks wrote this fabled tale in the form of a poem, Beowulf captured the attention of its listeners and teach them lessons about their cultural society and how to act in the society all in an oral fashion. Each battle has many similar environmental, physical, Moral, and cultural elements, but also differ in what elements were better represented from battle to battle.

The historical document of Beowulf, which also shows the importance of literature, reveals the important cultural values of the warrior society. The epic poem, set in Sweden during the 6th Century, tells the story of a warrior named Beowulf. Scops, or storytellers, keepers of an oral tradition, told stories of heroes and culture from their times. They performed and told the tale of a great thane, finally writing it down sometime around the 8th Century; the only surviving epic poem from this time. As a great piece of literature, this poem follows the life of Beowulf from that of a young and loyal thane who becomes a great respected king and dies proudly, as a warrior. The warrior culture at this time reflects the values of the society of

Beowulf and Grendel are two different stories, and characters, who look at the same situation in polarized ways. Each character has their own story that is written from different time periods: the Anglo-Saxon time period and America in the 1970’s. Both of these time periods have different attributes that make them special; the Anglo-Saxon time period consists of the literary movement of the epic poem and America in the 1970’s consists of the literary movement known as postmodernism. Beowulf is shaped by the Anglo-Saxon time period through its use of the heroic code and religious influences and Grendel is shaped by the American 1970’s time period through its use of metafiction and an unreliable narrator.

Beowulf is a classical epic poem which describes Beowulf’s heroic deeds and his acts towards bringing justice and peace to the Scandinavian society by eradicating Grendel. The original manuscript (700-1000A.D.) and the modern film (2005) reveals significant differences between the characters’ traits and descriptions, an important quotation, descriptions of places, motives, a character’s presence and events that have taken place. Thus, this modern adaptation, Beowulf and Grendel, of an ancient text, Beowulf, is significantly flawed as any modern adaptation of an ancient text will be.

Beowulf was a book composed during the Anglo-Saxon period of the world. It is a fictional about an epic hero know as Beowulf who kills mighty creatures and saves kingdoms from opposing armies and demons. This hero was from part of a tribe of a tribe known as the Gaets. In this story he comes to the aid of the Danes and their king Hrothgar. He battles multiple creatures for the Danish king and his helpless people during his time in the kingdom. He was seen as a hero their and feared throughout the surrounding kingdoms. In this essay i will compare and contrast the Beowulf movie and the book. I will discuss the differences in the setting, theme, and characters between the two. I will also discuss the differences of the fights he had with the

Before the story of Beowulf was written down, the tale was spoken through the oral traditions characteristic of Anglo-Saxon Literature. This oral ritual was mindful not only of the particular event and time in which it was recited, but also of the receptive nature of its audience. Moreover, these stories contained repetitions of key elements and themes as a way to stress their significance. Ultimately, however, all the stories told through the oral tradition usually mirrored the principles and ideals of the Anglo-Saxon culture at the time they were told. This tradition remains ever-present within the modern text of the medieval poem of Beowulf. Two notable tales of character in the poem gain deeper nuance when placed in Beowulf’s

Since it was first discovered and translated, Beowulf has represented one of the finest examples of heroic poetry. As a tale reflecting the noble deeds of a hero, it uniquely expresses the cultural values of the Anglo-Saxons from whom it originated since heroes often do reflect the best of what their culture deems worthwhile. However, modern adaptations of this work express a different set of cultural values; values unique to modern society. When comparing the translated poem, Beowulf, to the 2005 motion picture, Beowulf and Grendel, it is obvious to see that our morals and ideas are reflected on this ancient poem. The movie, Beowulf and Grendel, and the epic, Beowulf, are prime examples of the radical cultural differences that have evolved over time.

Every culture has its own set of values, beliefs, and customs. These values, beliefs and customs create each unique culture, and these cultural constructions are directly and indirectly acquired throughout the lifetime of the culture. A major part of culture is literature; the literature of the time reflects upon daily life and society during the time that the story was composed. Beowulf, an epic poem, is one of the most important and only works of Anglo-Saxon literature. Much like a fable, the epic poem of Beowulf had lessons that taught the people within this society how to behave. This essay will outline how the importance of Christianity and the Germanic Heroic Code in Beowulf are revealed throughout the epic poem as important aspects of the Anglo-Saxon culture as a whole.

The epic Beowulf has many parallels to fairy tales. Examples of this include the promotion good deeds, Beowulf being an archetype for a hero and the contrast of Grendel being an archetype of a villain.Even in the vary beginning of the story Beowulf is described as “the strongest of men” and as a “warrior”, both are ways the Anglo-Saxons would describe heroes in their time. Beowulf has all the likeable and charming qualities of a hero, in the epic everyone he meets finds him courageous and likeable. Just as heroes in fairy tales represent what a society holds high, Beowulf represents the quality’s that the Anglo-Saxons held high; such as strength and courage. In contrast to Beowulf being a great hero, Grendel is described as a terrible villain.

Michael Payne Ms. Hart English IV P.1 September 19, 2014 Beowulf, written in the year 1060, and the more modern film of “Beowulf”, produced in 2007, is an attempt to do justice to the Beowulf Poet’s masterpiece. They both have key similarities and differences, which influence the reader/viewer. In Beowulf, the poet uses imagery to characterize Beowulf as a hero in order to show conflict in his battles, which shows his archetypal characteristics. It also gives us a look into the Anglo Saxon culture, which is well known for their loyalty, courage and bravery.

When looking at Beowulf and Grendel, one perceives them in different ways when reading different versions of the story of Beowulf. Each character goes through the same or similar actions they had gone through in other versions but they are either shown as a hero or a villain depending on the writer’s opinions, beliefs, and lifestyle. The Beowulf poem displays a more compelling argument for Beowulf by eloquently wording his actions and words, diligently staying on topic, and constantly showing Beowulf under the same lime light throughout the poem.

After reading the classic Anglo-Saxon tale, Beowulf, readers find themselves engrossed in the character of Grendel. This interest led to John Gardner’s creation of Grendel, a novel that tells Grendel’s side of the story and gives readers a deeper understanding of the character’s personality and morals. While the two stories use the same characters, they are still extremely different. Beowulf’s predictable narrative and basic language make the story very easy to comprehend, while Grendel is filled with complex phrasing and intricate characters that require intense analyzation to decipher. The analyzation required to truly understand Grendel displays the varying audiences the stories were written for.

Beowulf and Grendel are two well written pieces of literature that feature a monster-like figure and his struggle to overcome his urge to kill. Based on the passages read, the poem and book feature the same basic plot line. However, the stories’ reflection of the main character show both similarities and differences due to Beowulf’s third person point of view compared to Grendel’s first person point of view. Ultimately, the change of perspective between the two stories does not not impact the outer appearance of Grendel, but rather the inner personality. The two excerpts introduce us to the main character Grendel, who is displayed as a monster on the outside.

In my reading of Beowulf and Grendel, I come to find that they are both very intriguing books that had me on the edge of my seat the whole time anticipating to see what would happen next. The tone set an overall general mood throughout the two narratives, as well as the different settings. Throughout the two books some major things stuck out to me, one being the concept of Good vs. Evil, and the other being the exertion to truly find one’s self. In municipals of ways Beowulf is nothing but a long poetic composition center upon a hero who which in this case was Beowulf who in the tale achieved a great deal of accomplishments. It is about the many obstacles that a self-oriented, arrogant, monumental warrior, and the demons/dragons of hell itself.