Compare And Contrast Beowulf

The epic poem, Beowulf, is very popular among the literature community. With the popularity of the poem so high, it should not be shocking that it was adapted into a film. At first, many people would think that the film would be overwhelming similar to the poem, but however this is not the case. Throughout the film, people can see the plethora of mistakes that does not coincide with the poem. While the original Beowulf is more straightforward and provide the readers with a traditional heroic tale, the film provide the viewer with a film that contradict the whole traditional heroic tale. The viewer are forced to think hard about whether or not the characters are truly who they claim to be. For instance, one of the most substantial differences between the film and the poem is the role of Grendel. Even though Grendel was correctly portrayed as an evil figure that caused harm to the people of Denmark. There was one major differences between the book and the film. In the book, Grendel did not have a father figure, but in the film, his father figure was the king of Denmark, Hrothgar. The familial connection between Grendel and Hrothgar was an add on in the film that does not …show more content…
Beowulf in the literature is more “humble” because he had done many great thing for the people he assists. Though, Beowulf in the film starts in the same way, it is shown that there is more to him than what meets the eye. In the film, Beowulf did have ambition to become king the right way but his first meeting with Grendel’s mother finally exposed his selfishness. This contradicts with the poem’s Beowulf who only became king because he had to and was only looking to pass the torch to someone else. Beowulf in the poem and film are similar and different in many ways. Each reason contradict each other and make the book and film