Hollywood In Beowulf

Beowulf, a tale of a hero that is centuries old. From his roots in Geatland, his life embodied his aspiration to obtain glory and be victorious, the way of life in the Nordic Viking world prior to the Norman invasion of England in 1066. He managed to slay a brutal and foul creature, by the name of Grendel. Like many stories, especially ones that are over a millennium old, it has been edited throughout history, and has received completely new twists in the story. Coming straight out of Hollywood is their own version of Beowulf, their own description of his legacy. This begs the question, why did Hollywood alter their story to the extent that they did? The preliminary reason Hollywood would change the story is that it simply needed a face-lift. Provided that fact, we must acknowledge that it would very difficult or even impossible to appeal to 21st-century adults simply based off of scripts from the 11th-century. Hollywood had to add in more modern elements. Some examples of this alteration would be that Grendel’s mom went from a foul, disgusting beast, into a sexy and deceptive “succubus” ( Not really, but close enough. ) of sorts, otherwise known as Angelina Jolie. Alongside this, to add in an element of drama or surprise, it turns out that Beowulf had a son with Grendel’s mother, who becomes a dragon. If this isn’t a
plot-twist, I don’t know what is. Hollywood made the character’s more human and relatable in the movie, that way, the audience can find a sense of affiliation with them. Beowulf is certainly not perfect. He possesses a great deal of pride, one of the seven deadly sins. Hrothgar is unfaithful, continually fornicating with those who are not his queen. This overall adds to the story and plot, giving the character’s motivation for their actions, which makes for a more modern, relatable story. While this somewhat goes hand in hand with changing the story to appeal to a 21st-century audience, Hollywood also removed a lot of religious overtones that were present in the original story.
When Beowulf was first recorded, it was likely written by Christian monks, who either interpreted the story in their own way or simply made edits of their own. This resulted in many nods to Biblical stories, one such nod being that Grendel was descended from Cain. On the other hand, in this day and age, religion is becoming less and less prevalent in everyday life, and for the sake of enjoyment, the religious background of Beowulf had to be
altered. To reiterate, while Beowulf in its film format was quite different from the poem. Nevertheless essentially the same story. However, the changes were necessary in order to improve its reception, because a 21st-century audience would likely be bored by notions of religion, lack of action, and the dynamics behind a story from the Viking Age.