Beowulf as a Lifelong Hero Essay

Beowulf

The Old English poem Beowulf follows Beowulf from heroic youth to heroic old age. He saves a neighboring people from a monster, Grendel, eventually becomes the king of his own people, and dies defending them from a Dragon. While these are just some of the main focuses this will tell out the details and differences between Beowulf the story, and Beowulf the movie.

Hrothgar gives Beowulf and his companions the duty of guarding Heorot that night. The young man decides to face Grendel without weapons since Grendel does not use them. He tells those around him that the outcome of the fight is in the hands of God. The Danes leave the hall, Beowulf and his companions lie down and try to sleep for the night. When darkness falls, Grendel comes stalking across the empty halls of Heorot. Determined to kill, he has no idea what is waiting for him in the hall. He bursts open Heorot's heavy iron sealed doors with the touch of his hand, he grabs one of the sleeping Geats, eats him, then swallows him like nothing, and then grabs Beowulf. Beowulf wrestles with Grendel, scared by Beowulfs strength and tries to get away, but cannot. They struggle, Beowulf refusing to break his grip rips off his arm.

Now in this point of the story is where the two split. The movie changes when Beowulf goes to confront Grendels mother. In the story Grendels mother is a blood thirsty demon like witch that kills men. But in the movie she is an attractive woman who seduces men. Also in the movie Grendels mother sleeps with the king of the Danes. The movie shows Hrothgar giving the crown to Beowulf which in the story Beowulf was the king of his own people. Now that he is king, all of Hrothgars problems go to him. In the movie Grendels mother slept with Hrothgar in which is how Grendel was made. Then when she sleeps with Beowulf, the Dragon came to play.

While Beowulf has been king for 50 years now, his last battle comes close. In the movie a peasant find the cup that was used in the battle of Grendels mother. Now all of the bad things that Beowulf thought that he got rid of have returned. At that moment there is a terrorizing dragon that is burning the village to the ground. Now he knows that this will be his last battle. As Beowulf and Wiglaf follow the Dragon to the top of the mountain Beowulf tells Wiglaf to become king if dont return. So Beowulf goes in the cave and the Dragon burst open the rock wall and flys down to the village. Now the two stories merge back, Beowulf faces the dragon and is badly hurt and Wiglaf came to help and stabbed the Dragon. Beowulf badly hurt and of his age he passes the crown and all of his treasure to Wiglaf his closes friend and warrior.

Both of the stories are based on the same legend, but both follow different or made up story lines. Based on the comparing the two they are very good. No one really knows the exact story because no one was there. It could have just been a warrior that just fought another enemy called Grendel. But the story of Beowulf has been dated back between the 8th and early 11th century found on a manuscript written back in the Anglo-Saxton period. Beowulf is considered an epic poem in that the main character is a hero who travels great distances to prove his strength at impossible odds against supernatural demons and beasts.