Beowulf Book Vs Movie

Beowulf has many differences and similarities between the book and the movie. The book and the movie all have about the same characters. The changes come from how the characters are represented in the movie. In the book Hrothgar is a good king, the fight with Grendel, how Grendel’s mother is dealt with, where Beowulf rules as king, and the companions Beowulf first brings with him.

The book and movie have similarities such as, Beowulf ripping off Grendel's arm, Beowulf goes to fight Grendel’s mother, Beowulf becomes a king, Beowulf fights a dragon, and Beowulf makes Wiglaf the king when he dies. First, Beowulf goes to the Danes to help Hrothgar purge the evil from the great hall Herot. In both the book and movie Beowulf says he is going to

fight Grendel without armor or weapons so that the no one could say that he fought on unfair terms. After, everyone celebrates the killing of Grendel Grendel’s mother appears again to get her revenge for the killing of her son. Then Beowulf goes looking for Grendel’s mother in her lair to purge all evil from the land. Eventually Beowulf becomes a king that many people respect. One last time Beowulf says he wants to fight the monster that they face alone but, this time he is losing the battle with the dragon. In the end the dragon is dead and Beowulf makes Wiglaf king before he dies. The book and the movie have many differences that make the movie very different from the book.
The first difference is how Beowulf fought Grendel. In the book everyone was asleep when Grendel came to Herot to kill and eat people. Beowulf first allowed Grendel to start fighting his men first so that he could see how the monster fought. Beowulf then used nothing but his bare hands to fight Grendel. Grendel and Beowulf wrestled throughout Herot until Beowulf eventually tore off Grendel's arm as the killing blow. In the movie Beowulf and his men were awake for when Grendel arrived. Beowulf had told his men to start singing to lure Grendel to them. As Beowulf began to attack Grendel, Grendel started to retreat, but to keep him from running Beowulf wrapped a chain around Grendel’s arm and held it in the door of Herot and beat Grendel’s arm off with the door.
The second difference is the journey to kill Grendel’s mother.

The book starts the journey out by Grendel’s mother killing Hrothgar’s best friend. Beowulf then sets out for revenge to the lair of Grendel’s mother. This becomes a long and dangerous journey down to the bottom of a dark lake that not even the animals would go near. The entire time Beowulf is swimming down to the lair he is being attacked by other monsters. Finally, when Beowulf arrives at the lair he confronts Grendel’s mother. They then engage in a “wrestling match” that Beowulf begins to start losing in. Beowulf starts to think that this will be his last fight until he see’s a sword made by giants. Beowulf then grabs the sword and and kills Grendel’s mother. After this they celebrate and return home to the land of the Geats where Beowulf eventually becomes king. The movie has Grendel’s mother kill Beowulf’s men. Beowulf and Wiglaf set out to kill Grendel’s mother. The journey to the lair is extremely easy. Once Beowulf arrives he does not end up killing Grendel’s mother. Grendel’s mother then offers him to be king if he gives her the golden horn and a new son. Beowulf returns and lies about killing Grendel’s mother. Hrothgar then announces that he makes Beowulf the next king when he dies and then kills himself making Beowulf the

king.