Beowulf Movie Comparison

Modern cinema has turned countless amounts of texts and folktales into movies. The diversity of these films encompasses almost every genre, ranging from ancient Roman literature through classics such as Romeo and Juliet, and finally epic narratives such as Beowulf. The Beowulf movie, which is translated differently, contains changes which differ from the original text and as a result, completely changes the storyline of the original myth. In addition, this paper will examine the reasons behind these dissimilarities, and the possible effects on the audience. One of the most important and noticeable difference is that Grendel’s mother is a beautiful siren in the movie while the poem presents her as a stereotypical monster. This leads Beowulf to have intercourse with her. This has a drastic effect on the viewer’s perception of Beowulf because his heroism comes into question. Unlike the poem which shows Beowulf as an uncompromising, valiant warrior with no flaws or human weakness and has super natural strength, the movie presents Beowulf as a physically strong but worldly man. This representation of Beowulf can be seen as an attempt to have the audience feel more relatable …show more content…
There is no doubt that watching movies based on historical literature, provides a quick, interesting, and most of all entertaining view of the story. But, this produces misinformed audiences, because the myth of Beowulf is essentially rewritten. The crucial theme of pursuing the highest warrior virtues of strength and valor is left out, being replaced with weakness to seduction. In the poem, heroism and sheer force brutality is highlighted; the movie shows a world in which violence and romance coexist, giving new meaning to the characters. A monster is not seen as a true monster because she can seduce Beowulf, and she takes up a new role as a character in the