Characters
Mapping key characters on film and in the poem

	Beowulf: strong Geatish warrior who leads his men to Denmark to fight Grendel.
	Grendel: said to be descended from Cain after he murdered his brother Abel and was turned out into the wilderness. Grendel kills and eats men.
	Grendel's mother: lives in a cave with her son; never comes into the light.
	Hrothgar: King of the Danes.
	Wealhtheow: Wife to Hrothgar
	Unferth: Danish warrior whose suspicion and jealousy land him in trouble.
	Wiglaf: warrior loyal to Beowulf

• How would you group these characters?
• What different categories could you order them into?

You may wish to come back to this after watching the film and compare your ideas. Is there any overlap between categories?

Becoming a Hero
Student Task

Take a close look at the image of Beowulf taken from the film. Next to the image you will find quotations about Beowulf from a translation of the poem; you will also find what Beowulf says about himself, taken from the film trailer.

"The greatest warrior of his age, Mighty and noble, strongest of men"

"With thirty men’s strength in the grasp of each hand"

"Beowulf’s deeds were highly praised"

"I am ripper, tearer, slasher; I am the teeth in the darkness and the talons in the night. Mine is strength, and lust, and power: I am Beowulf!"

Think about the quotations from the poem and the image from the film.

• What ideas have you built up so far about Beowulf’s character?
• What qualities make him a ‘hero’? Does he seem to have any flaws?

Add your answers, and any further ideas below

Action Heroes and Villains
Student Task

• What action heroes do you know of, and how do they generally behave?
• Are their violent actions justified?
• From the image and the quotation, how does Beowulf fit into your idea of an  ‘action hero’? 

Heroes are often defined in contrast to the villains they fight. In the film, Beowulf fights the monster Grendel who has been terrorising King Hrothgar and killing his soldiers. The battle between Beowulf and Grendel is a key moment in both poem and film.

Take a close look at these translations from the poem. What impression do they give you of Grendel?

“Unholy creature, greedy and grim, bent on destruction”

“Cold-hearted Grendel, guilty as he was, Gave no care for his terrible deeds”

“Down through the moors, through rolling mists Cursed Grendel stealthily crept”

Look closely at these still images of Beowulf and Grendel taken from the film.

	What do you notice first in both images? What catches your eye? What information do these stills give us about the two characters and the differences between them?
	Can you find any similarities between these two foes, based on the images and the quotations? Which of the two characters do you feel most sympathy with, and why?