The Worth of Religion: Beowulf the Epic vs. Beowulf and Grendel
“They swim only out of fear.” “But still, they swim.” Beowulf (Heaney. 2000) is a classic epic where the protagonist Beowulf, a great warrior, embarks on heroic adventures and kings reward him plentifully with gold and praise. However, in the recent Canadian movie adaptation -Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson. 2005)- the director alters the epic, in particular Beowulf’s views concerning religion and fate. This movie takes the classic Beowulf, which frequently mentions God and fate, and makes the character less dependent on the influence of a deity. The movie makes the protagonist agnostic and skeptical towards God, showing how modernity has influenced our cultures through time, …show more content…
Many times throughout the movie, Beowulf makes it clear that he does not need to rely on the “Christian God”. In one scene, the Christian monk addresses Beowulf and tells him a biblical tale about Clovis the Frank and how he won with the aid of God’s hand, suggesting that the Danes had no luck in capturing and killing Grendel because they do not want or wish to believe in God. Beowulf quickly and crudely remarks that Clovis is dead and how that event had taken place over 10 years ago. He also states that they do not have to experience the danger of trolls because none exist. In another scene, Hrothgar and Beowulf sit by a river watching the Christian monk perform a baptism on Unferth. Hrothgar comments that, through conversion to Christianity, Unferth’s heart has “stiffened” and made him stronger. He basically tells Beowulf that if these baptisms and conversions to the Christian faith, strengthen people emotionally and spiritually, then what harm has been done? To this, Beowulf retorts: “They swim only out of fear” suggesting that these people only go on and fight out of fear. Hrothgar then replies “but still, they swim” meaning that even if fear drives them, they still get the job done. Beowulf, in this modern adaptation, doubts God's power. He clarifies that he does not need the assistance of God and that what he achieves has more to …show more content…
The classic epic shows us the importance placed on thanking God for his assistance. To the Nordic people living during this time , God was embraced as their savior and their protector, especially in times of danger. All credit was bestowed to God. In the epic, Beowulf openly thanks God and owed his victory and life to him. Beowulf showed humility to God, especially in his time of need. In contrast, the Beowulf from the movie lacks the humility shown in the epic. Instead, he attributes all his victories to himself. Nowadays, people attribute any accomplishments to themselves and they have also become more individualistic. Although people still believe in God, may often not credit or acknowledge that assistance of God when overcoming obstacles in their lives. On the contrary, people take credit for their own victories, although when things go awry may question God’s intentions during times of great struggle and tribulation. The re-adaptation portrays Beowulf in similar fashion--self-centered and
“They swim only out of fear.” “But still, they swim.” Beowulf (Heaney. 2000) is a classic epic where the protagonist Beowulf, a great warrior, embarks on heroic adventures and kings reward him plentifully with gold and praise. However, in the recent Canadian movie adaptation -Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson. 2005)- the director alters the epic, in particular Beowulf’s views concerning religion and fate. This movie takes the classic Beowulf, which frequently mentions God and fate, and makes the character less dependent on the influence of a deity. The movie makes the protagonist agnostic and skeptical towards God, showing how modernity has influenced our cultures through time, …show more content…
Many times throughout the movie, Beowulf makes it clear that he does not need to rely on the “Christian God”. In one scene, the Christian monk addresses Beowulf and tells him a biblical tale about Clovis the Frank and how he won with the aid of God’s hand, suggesting that the Danes had no luck in capturing and killing Grendel because they do not want or wish to believe in God. Beowulf quickly and crudely remarks that Clovis is dead and how that event had taken place over 10 years ago. He also states that they do not have to experience the danger of trolls because none exist. In another scene, Hrothgar and Beowulf sit by a river watching the Christian monk perform a baptism on Unferth. Hrothgar comments that, through conversion to Christianity, Unferth’s heart has “stiffened” and made him stronger. He basically tells Beowulf that if these baptisms and conversions to the Christian faith, strengthen people emotionally and spiritually, then what harm has been done? To this, Beowulf retorts: “They swim only out of fear” suggesting that these people only go on and fight out of fear. Hrothgar then replies “but still, they swim” meaning that even if fear drives them, they still get the job done. Beowulf, in this modern adaptation, doubts God's power. He clarifies that he does not need the assistance of God and that what he achieves has more to …show more content…
The classic epic shows us the importance placed on thanking God for his assistance. To the Nordic people living during this time , God was embraced as their savior and their protector, especially in times of danger. All credit was bestowed to God. In the epic, Beowulf openly thanks God and owed his victory and life to him. Beowulf showed humility to God, especially in his time of need. In contrast, the Beowulf from the movie lacks the humility shown in the epic. Instead, he attributes all his victories to himself. Nowadays, people attribute any accomplishments to themselves and they have also become more individualistic. Although people still believe in God, may often not credit or acknowledge that assistance of God when overcoming obstacles in their lives. On the contrary, people take credit for their own victories, although when things go awry may question God’s intentions during times of great struggle and tribulation. The re-adaptation portrays Beowulf in similar fashion--self-centered and