The Importance Of English Language In Beowulf

Improved Essays
The English language is eternally changing. Ever since the origination many centuries ago, new words and slangs are formed regularly. This would make one assume that texts of the past shortly become irrelevant, as their language and societal ideas are outdated. In most cases, this thought process holds true. Beowulf, written by an unknown Anglo-Saxon poet, however, is a particular work of literature that breaks the commonplace mold of previous texts. Beowulf, the protagonist of the epic poem, is portrayed as the strongest fighter in the world, considering his supernatural power. Although of Beowulf’s unimaginable strength, he still appears as a human being, not as a foreign form of life. Through countless years, this epic poems continues to …show more content…
By hardly changing the plot, besides summarizing and removal of few parts, the Burton Raffel Textbook writing of the tale still makes the read authentic, just easier for the 21st century person. The dialect is entirely simplified, as little alliteration and few kennings are found in the entirety of the textbook. The vocabulary is infinitely easier then the original, completely simplifying the read. A key reason to the shortening of words in the textbook, is the fact that it had to fit inside only a few pages, while still keeping true to the real meaning of Beowulf. One instance of this was the summarization of Grendel’s fight scene verse Beowulf, as the textbook describes, “That shepherd of evil, guardian of crime, knew at once that nowhere on earth had he met a man whose hands were harder,” (Burton Raffel 273). Most importantly, the Burton Raffel version of the tale has a purpose, as it’s intended for a High School audience. Another text similar to the textbook is written by a man named Seamus Heaney, who grew up in a conflicted Northern Ireland area. As for his interpretations, it’s as close to the original as possible. The plot leaves nothing out, and is true to the Anglo-Saxon culture. This text is significantly more formal then the books previously discussed, and attempts to actually make an epic poem, as all alliterations, kennings and personifications are …show more content…
It’s unrealistic to the think that teenagers accustomed to reading behind a screen or viewing words on television would enjoy reading a tale that’s hard to understand due to the dialect. The only way to keep a story forever broadcasted is to update and refine it. In the case of the 2007 film Beowulf directed by Robert Zemeckis, this idea was the same. The idea behind the movie was that it had to be entertaining to the modern day people. A movie alone wouldn’t keep the audience interested in a film most already know the outcome to, so a significant change was needed. The use of new technology, making the characters seem animated, yet still realistic, was a reason to go see the film in and of itself. Action was already the main focus point of the tale Beowulf to begin with, so the producers decided to include sexual innuendos/nudity, as well as crude humor and romance. The plot was changed almost as much as Grendel, even though that was not the intended idea, and many parts of the movie were completely made up. Yet all of this catered towards a younger, more modern audience of today’s world. The film manages to morph an old tale into a clever 21st century movie, while still keeping some main ideas. Whether historic book gurus enjoyed the strange interpretation of the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    These facts intrigue the reader because they show how surprising it is that we are even able to read Beowulf…

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The poem Beowulf is the telling of a great, brave, and fearless leader. Some would even say he is arrogant and thinks too highly of himself. Even though the book is different from the movie, Beowulf does live up to his name. You will see other people in this essay who may not like Beowulf for his titles; however, other people will forever live in his glory days. You will see many differences between the book and the movie.…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “I’ve learned a lot about good and evil and they are not always what they appear to be” (Doren 1).Often in life, the line between good and evil can be easily blurred and the difference between man and monster can be uncertain. Anonymously written, the epic poem of Beowulf expresses many examples of drawing parallels between man and beast, more specifically between heroes and villains. Although it is not unanimously agreed upon by scholars, Beowulf is believed to have been written in eighth century A.D in Britain (Acocella 1). Beowulf was thought to be read as a ballad or as entertainment for guests. Because it is an epic poem, Beowulf is full of heroes, villains, battles, and mystical beings.…

    • 1329 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Gilbert K. Chesterson once said, “A good novel tells us the truth about its hero—the good and the bad.” In other words, a good book does not hide its hero's flaws. It shows the complete picture both the positive and the negative. Beowulf: A New Telling by Robert Nye is a story about the Land of the Danes, ruled by Hrothgar, that is being haunted by the evil monster Grendel. Beowulf a young man and, nephew of the king of the Geats, sets off on a journey to save Hrothgar and his kingdom.…

    • 1209 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Duality In Beowulf

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In the movie, the progression of the static Beowulf that simply sets out to kill an ugly creature to a Beowulf that seeks truth and reason makes him more relatable to modern society due to his new-found thought processes that involve not judging a book by its…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beowulf is considered the oldest epic poem in the English language, and the earliest piece of indigenous European literature. In the 19th century, Beowulf was written in Old English, the language of the Saxons. This epic did not have a title originally, but began to be referred to by the name of the Scandinavian hero, Beowulf, with heroic sources and virtues as the primary focus. Both the hero and the story are fiction even though historical elements run through the poem (Snell 1). There have been no records found of the known author of Beowulf so much information is not given.…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the epic poem and movie Beowulf there are a lot of differences and similarities between the two. Can you spot some of the differences that happened in the movie and the book? Well here is some of the things that I spotted out during the movie that didn’t happened in the book. First, the battle between Beowulf and Grendel in the movie they were awake and partying during his attack; however, in the book they were sleep. Second, the battle against Grendel’s mother didn’t happened in the movie, but in the book they actually fought, and he killed her.…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Tragic Flaws Of Beowulf

    • 1539 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Old English epic poem “Beowulf,” written by an unknown Anglo-Saxon poet, narratres the valiant journey of a young Geatish hero named Beowulf who travels to the land of the Danes to save them from the lurid demon, Grendel. Though Beowulf’s character epitomizes the Anglo-Saxon epic hero, Beowulf also possesses three major flaws that distract modern readers from his ultimate heroism. Beowulf’s first flaw, conceitedness, is apparent in the boasts he makes upon his arrival at Herot. Though it is obvious that the Geat is a talented and mighty warrior, his actions, not his continual gloats, should illuminate his skills and brilliance. Additionally, Beowulf’s energetic and competitive nature stimulates his need for action, often causing unpleasant situations.…

    • 1539 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    "Beowulf" is a classic, lyrical poem that has been passed down from generation to generation. Although historians agree that sections of the story are absent, and parts of the story have most likely been modified, the main idea and plot of the story remain significant. After reading and processing the enticing poem, one can easily identify it as a traditional Anglo-Saxon epic poem. "Beowulf" includes many details and examples for which it can be classified as an epic poem. Whether it is the characters, the climax, the plot, or simply the writing style, the poem "Beowulf" contains many traditional epic qualities.…

    • 1163 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Beowulf” is one of the oldest and most legendary tales of strength and valor. It only makes sense that this story would eventually be adapted by Hollywood into a film. Despite the story being as engaging as it already is, the most recent film adaption strays far from the epic poem. These changes affect the characters, themes, and plot. Though both the poem and the film are good on their own, the film’s meaning does not stay true to the original story it pays homage to.…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Historical Context In the epic story of Beowulf it reflex to an Old Norse Culture. It was written between 8th century and 11th century in England and it is one of the most important poems in old English literature. The Reflection from the epic story to Old Norse Culture, all men must be fearless, strong, full body armor, and kill enemies and monsters in traditional battle. The Character Beowulf is a perfect example to meet all the expectations in Old Norse culture.…

    • 1754 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the film for example, King Hrothgar commits suicide, there is no evidence in the text supporting this. The film implies that Beowulf takes interest in the queen, while in the text there is no evidence of any romantic interest among them. This line from the film shows Beowulf’s interest, “Me It's not me he wants, my queen” (Memorable Quotes for Beowulf (2007))? The film states that Beowulf not only had an affair with Grendel’s Mother but also had a child with her. In the movie Beowulf marries the queen after Hrothgar’s death and eventually cheats on her similar to how Hrothgar did.…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why Beowulf Is Important

    • 217 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Despite his efforts, Yeager provides insufficient reasons as to why Beowulf is important. For a document to be read and studied by thousands of people, it has to contain a lot of value, something that Beowulf does not seem to have. As pointed out, it is surprising that the document still exists; however, that still does not deem it important. If the means of writing the oral tradition into a story is unknown, how can one trust that the story contains an accurate representation of the time period it describes? The material that everyone believes to be from humans of the time could be all made up by the scribes that preserved the text.…

    • 217 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Takeo Makin Ms. Kline Brit lit per. 5 2 Mar, 2017 Beowulf Essay Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon epic poem about, a Germanic warrior named Beowulf, he sailed across the sea to the land of the Danes to fight against the monster Grendel. The story about Beowulf is one of the oldest poems, first told by the scops in 400 A.D. and finally transferred to paper in 1100 A.D. it has changed alot over the years from books and big screen movies. Although Beowulf the epic and Beowulf the movie share many similarities, the different portrayals of Beowulf the character, religion, and gender roles in both the poem and movie expose the values of the societies in which they are told.…

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    What Makes an Epic Hero? The story Beowulf is England’s earliest masterpiece originated from the Anglo-Saxon poem. Beowulf is considered as the longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. Through Beowulf we can understand what the Anglo-Saxons valued.…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays

Related Topics