Humility In Beowulf

Society has evolved culturally since the 6th century. The simplistic and barbaric lifestyle of the Middle Ages, as portrayed in the epic poem Beowulf (Heaney, 2000), contrasts with the complex and civilized lifestyle of a modern day society, as depicted in the movie Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarsson, 2005). The flat characters of the epic poem exhibit little to no knowledge of the concepts of humility as well as compassion, whereas the characters of the film utilize these concepts to give each of the main characters a sense of depth as well as realistic personas that allow the audience to connect with them on a much deeper level. Boasting, as vastly shown in the epic poem, was not an uncommon method of introduction in the Middle Ages. In the world of Beowulf, the concept of boasting does not carry the negative connotations that it normally does today. In a warrior society, such as that of Beowulf, manly valor was so highly prized in the world full of

Humility is utilized throughout the film, especially through Beowulf's character, to evoke him as humble and human-like. From the start, Beowulf is portrayed as a strong warrior to the Geats and the Danes, but to the audience this great Geat warrior is introduced as a mere human with minor imperfections. His fellow warriors tell of his accomplishments and, at times, made up stories of him and his adventures to the Danes, however, are quickly downplayed by Beowulf himself. Unlike the poem, the Beowulf of the film expresses little to no boastful actions. He recognizes his strengths as for his weaknesses as well. As the protagonist, he feels no need to gloat, giving him a more humble approach that contradicts the boastful approach of the poem. This modern interpretation of Beowulf allows us to view him as imperfect and utilizes humility to give his character an opportunity to develop, as seen throughout the