Beowulf essay
We read the text Beowulf in class
and then we watched the film afterwards. The purpose of this essay is to
compare and contrast the similarities and differences from both the film and
the text. There were many differences that stood out to me. The main three were
how dishonest Beowulf was in the film, how much Beowulf and the king Hrothgar
were so much alike in a major way, and lastly I noticed how the details about
the dragon and the reason why he came were different. A lot of people like the
text better. I however show more interest in the film because it has more
details. I like to be able to visualize the story I am reading, and while
reading the text that didn’t happen for me.
The first major difference I noticed
was how dishonest Beowulf was in the film. In the text he was an honest, bold,
hero that always told the truth and everyone looked up to him. He went to Denmark
to defeat Grendel and succeeded in both the text and the film. However in the
film he did not rip his arm off with his bare hands as he said he did, he
really used the door for help. Also in the text Beowulf beheaded Grendel’s
mother. He attempted to kill her in the film but instead he allowed her to
seduce him. She offered him help from the gods for life if he gave her a son,
and of course he did exactly what she asked of him. When he got back he told
everyone that he had killed her just as he did her son Grendel. His pride was
stopping him from telling the truth in the film, this was his tragic flaw. I
think the director added this in the film to show how easy it is to give in to
temptation no matter who you are. I think this scene was a very good way to
show that.
In the text Beowulf sailed back to Sweden
and was crowned king because of his victorious battles. I noticed was how
similar Beowulf and king Hrothgar were in the film and the text, because they
were both kings. However in the film Hrothgar made Beowulf king because he had
no choice, he had also made the deadly deal with Grendel’s mother many years
ago and now his time was up. It was almost like a terrible endless cycle in the
film. The director made it so that Beowulf was the exact same person that the
king was when he was young. The both of them made a terrible mistake to become
king and ended up paying for it in the long run. They both realized that being
king that way wasn’t the way it should’ve been. Hrothgar passed his demons to
Beowulf. Grendel was the kings son and the dragon was Beowulf’s son. This was
their karma they created their own monsters. These details help support the
theme of not giving into temptation.
The one thing that stayed the same
throughout the whole film and text was Wiglaf’s loyalty to Beowulf. In the text
he was right there when he fought Grendel and also when he went to fight
Grendel’s mother. Wiglaf was waiting at the end of the cave for Beowulf to come
out; he never lost faith in his friend. He also helped Beowulf fight the dragon
in both as well. He was a true friend. I like that they kept it the same
because it’s good for everyone to have a good loyal friend that sticks with you
through thick and thin, that’s exactly what Wiglaf was.
All three of the details that I
listed were the major differences that stood out to me the most. They are also
the ones that support my reasons for liking the film more than the text. I
believe the director did an amazing job carrying out his themes of loyalty and
temptation throughout the whole film within the scenes.
