The Villain In The Epic Of Beowulf
We live in a society that loves to know the reasons for the villain's actions. We want to know at exactly what moment in time this character decided to be “evil.” We want to be able to relate to the villain because we have realized we can no longer relate to the hero. The hero has knowledge unattainable in books, the honor only found in gods, and nobility that is too hard for us “mere mortals” to obtain. Our society has given up on the idea of the hero. We are all sick of being the mad scientist in a superman cape, The scratchy polyester choking our necks like a tightened noose. We want to be able to say it is okay to be bad, as long as you have a good reason for it. This is the thinking in the 2005 movie Beowulf and Grendel (Gunnarson,2005).
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The writers give a thorough backstory and valid reasoning to every decision made by every character while in the old English epic poem the characters are given little to no reasoning as to why they do something other than for monetary incentive.The contrasting character arcs of both Beowulf and Grendel in the poem and movie show just how much our cultural and societal beliefs have evolved over time.
In the epic poem Beowulf is described as follows: "Nor have I ever seen,/ Out of all the men on earth, one greater/ Than has come with you; no commoner carries/ Such weapons, unless his appearance, and his beauty,/ Are both lies"(247-257).
He is the sheer epitome of perfection in every way. From the creatures he has defeated to the honor he has rightfully obtained, no man or beast on earth could possibly stand in the way of the mighty Beowulf. This reigns true throughout the whole poem. At no time does his conscience sway or spirit falter. Until the moment he dies saving the kingdom he so graciously ruled for years on end, he maintains this being of nobility, making this formidable character’s journey through life something we still discuss today. One of the only things people of that time had to bring them together were stories. These rightfully named epics were told across the land so they had to be something memorable. In such a time of despondency these people needed something to hold onto and believe would get them through, and that was Beowulf. Their simplistic thinking of right and wrong made it easy to write a story about someone who is so truly right. Although Beowulf might have been a real man, the feats he achieved were most likely nowhere near as daring. However, it is this daring being that was necessary for that
culture.
Beowulf in Beowulf and Grendel is, however, very different. From the first time we see him in the movie, Beowulf is portrayed as a much more human. He is weak and asks for help, two things never done in the poem. He starts with the same motive as his counterpart in the poem but his thinking soon evolves as new information and additional characters come into play. For example, the addition of the character Selma the witch helps give a different perspective on Grendel and the value of his life, making Beowulf realize the error of his ways. He soon learns that there is more to a person than their outward appearance. This honesty and understanding help his character develop empathy for the beast he must defeat. There is a moment in the movie when Beowulf finally catches Grendel. The troll is trapped and defenseless but rather than attack him, Beowulf watches as he escapes, realizing that there is no reason to kill him. The reason the writers make this choice is for the audience to understand that to not be able to do something does not mean you are a coward but the exact opposite. It is this mentality of learning from our mistakes that makes our society today so incredible.
The character of Grendel in the poem is entirely underdeveloped. The readers can not even be sure of what he really is. He is mainly described as being “among the banished monsters [of] Cain’s clan”(105-106). The description of Grendel lets the reader know he is pure evil. He only brings pain and destruction wherever he goes and there is no reason behind it other than what it was made to do. This simplistic view of a villain makes it easy for the reader to dislike him so much and rejoice when he is finally defeated. It was not out of the ordinary to have such a cliche villain back then because it was one of the first pieces of literary works. There was no need for the shock and awe of a horrific backstory or shocking plot twist; just a valiant warrior defeating a ferocious beast.
The truth in our society today is that nothing is ever completely bad, and no one can be completely evil. Giving Grendel a backstory and a motive in the movie helps us realize that all things crack when there is too much pressure built on to them. Makes us think we would do the same if put in that position. Grendel only kills those that he feels threaten his life, which is why he refuses to fight Beowulf at the beginning of the movie. He wants vengeance for the murder of his father not destruction in the name of evil. The movie shows he can care for others and tell right from wrong in a way. The writers give him a son with Selma to further connect him to the human world, to further connect him to ourselves. In the movie, Grendel is made out to be more of a victim than a villain. This is to give a more layered and entertaining perspective on a classic story. The very reason he is not made into a simple antagonist is because our society demands it. As the years have passed everything in our culture grows and develops, from religion to technology, to these very characters. The need for shock and awe is itself growing. Our societies movies are made to be relatable. We want to be able to believe that somehow we could be such a character. To make the hero like us is not enough, we need to be able to see every aspect of the situation. Beowulf and Beowulf and Grendel are a perfect example of how much our cultures and societal beliefs have evolved over time. Almost everything about these stories is different and fits the needs of a culture of its own time. The characters are what the people of that era want to be or are too afraid to say they might be. Beowulf is strong and unfaltering in the poem but sympathetic and understanding in the movie. In the epic Grendel is nothing but a monstrous demon who reeks havoc and destruction but in the movie, he is someone who has been hurt and only seeks closure and goes as far as being described as “no more a worm than you or I” (movie). Although very little people today are able to relate to Beowulf the epic, it was necessary for that time. What is to say centuries from now our own thoughts and beliefs won’t be deceased. Who knows maybe in the future people will finally be able to stop being the villain in disguise and be the hero they were meant to be.
The writers give a thorough backstory and valid reasoning to every decision made by every character while in the old English epic poem the characters are given little to no reasoning as to why they do something other than for monetary incentive.The contrasting character arcs of both Beowulf and Grendel in the poem and movie show just how much our cultural and societal beliefs have evolved over time.
In the epic poem Beowulf is described as follows: "Nor have I ever seen,/ Out of all the men on earth, one greater/ Than has come with you; no commoner carries/ Such weapons, unless his appearance, and his beauty,/ Are both lies"(247-257).
He is the sheer epitome of perfection in every way. From the creatures he has defeated to the honor he has rightfully obtained, no man or beast on earth could possibly stand in the way of the mighty Beowulf. This reigns true throughout the whole poem. At no time does his conscience sway or spirit falter. Until the moment he dies saving the kingdom he so graciously ruled for years on end, he maintains this being of nobility, making this formidable character’s journey through life something we still discuss today. One of the only things people of that time had to bring them together were stories. These rightfully named epics were told across the land so they had to be something memorable. In such a time of despondency these people needed something to hold onto and believe would get them through, and that was Beowulf. Their simplistic thinking of right and wrong made it easy to write a story about someone who is so truly right. Although Beowulf might have been a real man, the feats he achieved were most likely nowhere near as daring. However, it is this daring being that was necessary for that
culture.
Beowulf in Beowulf and Grendel is, however, very different. From the first time we see him in the movie, Beowulf is portrayed as a much more human. He is weak and asks for help, two things never done in the poem. He starts with the same motive as his counterpart in the poem but his thinking soon evolves as new information and additional characters come into play. For example, the addition of the character Selma the witch helps give a different perspective on Grendel and the value of his life, making Beowulf realize the error of his ways. He soon learns that there is more to a person than their outward appearance. This honesty and understanding help his character develop empathy for the beast he must defeat. There is a moment in the movie when Beowulf finally catches Grendel. The troll is trapped and defenseless but rather than attack him, Beowulf watches as he escapes, realizing that there is no reason to kill him. The reason the writers make this choice is for the audience to understand that to not be able to do something does not mean you are a coward but the exact opposite. It is this mentality of learning from our mistakes that makes our society today so incredible.
The character of Grendel in the poem is entirely underdeveloped. The readers can not even be sure of what he really is. He is mainly described as being “among the banished monsters [of] Cain’s clan”(105-106). The description of Grendel lets the reader know he is pure evil. He only brings pain and destruction wherever he goes and there is no reason behind it other than what it was made to do. This simplistic view of a villain makes it easy for the reader to dislike him so much and rejoice when he is finally defeated. It was not out of the ordinary to have such a cliche villain back then because it was one of the first pieces of literary works. There was no need for the shock and awe of a horrific backstory or shocking plot twist; just a valiant warrior defeating a ferocious beast.
The truth in our society today is that nothing is ever completely bad, and no one can be completely evil. Giving Grendel a backstory and a motive in the movie helps us realize that all things crack when there is too much pressure built on to them. Makes us think we would do the same if put in that position. Grendel only kills those that he feels threaten his life, which is why he refuses to fight Beowulf at the beginning of the movie. He wants vengeance for the murder of his father not destruction in the name of evil. The movie shows he can care for others and tell right from wrong in a way. The writers give him a son with Selma to further connect him to the human world, to further connect him to ourselves. In the movie, Grendel is made out to be more of a victim than a villain. This is to give a more layered and entertaining perspective on a classic story. The very reason he is not made into a simple antagonist is because our society demands it. As the years have passed everything in our culture grows and develops, from religion to technology, to these very characters. The need for shock and awe is itself growing. Our societies movies are made to be relatable. We want to be able to believe that somehow we could be such a character. To make the hero like us is not enough, we need to be able to see every aspect of the situation. Beowulf and Beowulf and Grendel are a perfect example of how much our cultures and societal beliefs have evolved over time. Almost everything about these stories is different and fits the needs of a culture of its own time. The characters are what the people of that era want to be or are too afraid to say they might be. Beowulf is strong and unfaltering in the poem but sympathetic and understanding in the movie. In the epic Grendel is nothing but a monstrous demon who reeks havoc and destruction but in the movie, he is someone who has been hurt and only seeks closure and goes as far as being described as “no more a worm than you or I” (movie). Although very little people today are able to relate to Beowulf the epic, it was necessary for that time. What is to say centuries from now our own thoughts and beliefs won’t be deceased. Who knows maybe in the future people will finally be able to stop being the villain in disguise and be the hero they were meant to be.