Discrepancies In Beowulf

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The Discrepancies between characters in Modern-day movie and the Old English epic Beowulf
Several differences exist in the Modern day movie Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson) and the Old English Epic Beowulf (Heaney). These differences can largely be attributed to the discrepancies in cultural values that exist between the medieval mind and that of the modern man. One of the main differences between them involves the characters’ personalities and attitudes. We can see this characteristic, particularly in Beowulf himself, mainly because in the epic his perspective reflects his limited understanding regarding the relationship between evil and good. Likewise, in the movie Beowulf and Grendel, the viewer sees a Beowulf who learns to possess an outlook on life that suggests a more complex …show more content…

In the epic, he does not develop any of these characteristics. Everything he does is to try to achieve his immortality. In the movie, he feels attracted towards the witch and later this feeling makes him fall in love with her. A contradictory statement evolves from this specifically characteristic mainly for two reasons. One is the fact of being attracted to the witch. In the Anglo-Saxon period, a witch would be seen as a descendant of Cain and, therefore, would be defined as an outcast due to the dishonor that runs in her blood. Another clue we get that he has feelings is when he encounters Grendel’s son. In his encounter, he first tries to kill him but then he feel remorse after the action he has done (killing his father) and by the fearful look in the child's face. He decides to let the child live. This causes concern due to the fact that he is the son of Grendel, the demon and, therefore, the he carries a wicked spirit with

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