Cultural Differences In Beowulf

After watching the movie Beowulf and Grendel and reading the epic Beowulf, there were many cultural differences in the two pieces of work which made them different in their own ways. Although both works were made to simply entertain readers with the story about Beowulf, the two pieces of work portrayed it in a way that would differ because of the cultural differences. When comparing the works together, you notice that the characters in the movie--characters which include Grendel, the son of Ecgtheow, Beowulf, and King Hrothgar-- are mostly the same as their character in the epic with some differences because of the differences in the cultures.
When reading the epic Beowulf, you initially learn that Grendel is brutally attacking the Danes’ mead …show more content…
When he was a boy, the Danes chased himself and his father to a cliff; which is where the Danes kill Grendel’s father and leave young Grendel to fend for himself. After the years went by, Grendel matured, and had one thing set in his mind and that was to avenge his father, by killing the Danes that killed his father. After the attacks from Grendel, the great and powerful Beowulf appears to help kill Grendel. When the Danes find Grendel’s hideout, Aeschere destroys the skull of Grendel’s father, which Grendel is not fond of. Grendel then tracks the smell of Aeschere and makes sure to kill him on his last attack on the Danes. Once he kills Aeschere, he tries to leave but gets his arm caught on a chain. With no way to depart, he lacerates his arm and scurries off into the ocean, which is where his mother finds him and takes his dead corpse. When Beowulf finds Grendel dead, he notices that Grendel has a son whom he tells that he should be proud of his father.
Grendel attacks the Danes’ mead hall on both the epic Beowulf, and the movie Beowulf and Grendel and when attacking, he gets stuck and has no choice but to cut off his arm which is how he dies. The only difference from this is that he loses his life in distinct places. Also on the movie Beowulf and Grendel, Grendel is found by his mother who is not pleased about her son being dead, therefore she avenges her son by attacking the mead hall just like her son