'Comparison Between Beowulf the Epic and Beowulf the Film Essay\r'

'Contrast and Similarities among Beowulf and â€Å"Beowulf”\r\nBeowulf, an epos written tear down in the year 1060 by the Beowulf Poet, is the epitome of what consecutive writing is, defining the standard of the epic itself. The much modern film of â€Å"Beowulf”, produced in 2007, is an attempt to do justice to the Beowulf Poet’s masterpiece. The poem and film pass water several(prenominal) key similarities and differences which influence the reader/viewer. all important(predicate) similarities among the 2 include the heroic characteristics of Beowulf and the rift of Grendel’s arm; however, the movie does have or so drastic differences from the schoolbook edition such(prenominal) as Beowulf’s seduction by Grendel’s mother, and how the harvest of this lousiness is his son the potassium hydrogen tartrate, while in the school textbook edition this puppet is regarded as a rogue monster.\r\nSimilarities between the text and t he movie are ceremonious to stay true up to the theme of Beowulf, a theme in which a hero conquers great odds and draws what the epitome of gentleman can achieve; this theme is essential to the maturement of all true epic. The most prominent comparison between the two is the characteristics granted to Beowulf, the key peculiarity being arrogance. Arrogance is an important trait of any epic hero, in the film this arrogance is ushered in Beowulf’s recital of swimming in the ocean during which he states he slew several sea monsters, however in the background his adjacent can be seen stating that the original number was much smaller than Beowulf has stated. This arrogance is mirrored in the text when Beowulf is proclaimed as â€Å"…the wetest of the Geats †greater and stronger than anyone anywhere in this world” (Beowulf Poet 110-111), while in truth it is marvellous that he was the greatest warrior of the time, making this a real boastful statemen t.\r\nThis arrogance is again mirrored when Beowulf refuses to date Grendel with any weapons or armor, in the film he simply strips before sleeping and in the text he states that â€Å"…My Lord Higlac might think little of me if I let my sword go where my feet were timid to, if I hid behind some broad hydrated lime shield: my hands alone shall represent for me, try for life against the monster.” (Beowulf Poet 169-174). This arrogance is persevered in the film to base the characteristics of a hero. At the time heroes were people who had such a boastful attitude, thus the film writers do sure to impart this narcissism onto the viewer to show Beowulf’s strength of attitude. The film establishes a entropy similarity to the text by illustrating Beowulf’s agitate with Grendel. Beowulf is let oned grappling around with Grendel and eventually removing his arm, claiming it as a sign of â€Å"The Victory, for the proof, hanging high from the rafters wher e Beowulf had hung it, was the monster’s Arm, claw and shoulder and all” (Beowulf Poet 356-358). This â€Å"prize” is an important object that is established in both the text and the film to display both the epic essay between Beowulf and once more show how strong Beowulf truly was, further establishing him as an epic hero.\r\nDuring the rail of the film, there are some artistic liberties interpreted which agitate the plot from that of the text; these changes were do to display a more unified tale between that of the younger Beowulf and the older Beowulf. These differences begin immediately following the demise of Grendel, coming to head when Beowulf confronts Grendel’s mother. In the text, Beowulf is seen to shin with Grendel’s mother until â€Å"Her body pilot to the floor, lifeless, the sword was wet with her blood” (Beowulf 523-524). This is a drastic difference from the film, where Grendel’s Mother is shown seducing Beowulf promising him a long life and a successful reign if he gives her a son along with the sumptuous horn he received for killing Grendel. This change was made to make a smooth novelty between the two parts of the epic, the first concerning Grendel, the stake concerning the cream of tartar. It is at the end that the second change, and the product of the transition, is shown. This product is the dragon, who is shown to be the son of Beowulf and Grendel’s Mother. This further differs from the text where Beowulf fights a â€Å"dragon hiding in his bulk large” (Beowulf 610) that has been terrorizing the country side, not his own offspring. These changes are made to make a connection between the two parts of the epic tale of Beowulf. In the text, the tales of the dragon and Grendel are completely unrelated thus whitethorn be viewed with some confusion by the reader. However, when the dragon is shown to be Beowulf’s son who comes back for revenge, the death of Beowu lf is that much more conclusive showing him housecoat up the mistakes of his life and fully concluding his tale.\r\nThe differences and similarities between Beowulf and â€Å"Beowulf” are precisely placed in severalize to retain what makes Beowulf an epic tale, while the differences help to establish a smoother transition and backstory between Beowulf and his fight with the dragon. Similarities between the two include Beowulf’s epic characteristics and his fight with Grendel; while the key differences are Beowulf’s failure to slay Grendel’s Mother and his fight with his own son, the dragon. In the end, the stories effectively conclude the tale of Beowulf and demonstrate how effective both similarities and differences can be at changing ones viewpoint.\r\n'