but doesn't appear to have any relation whatsoever to Beowulf, the "monster-slaying hero of the title" (55).
But it doesn't seem to matter in the grand scheme of this epicness.
Anyways..
And I know that it may seem a little far fetched, but I draw a slight parallel to the (Disney version) story of Sleeping beauty...allow me to explain: The king and queen have a lovely daughter, Aurora (aka Briar Rose) and so they celebrate the birth of their daughter. Similarly, the Danes are greatly successful and celebrate their power by building a grand mead-house. In Sleeping Beauty, a witch comes along and she's evil of course, so she curses Aurora (sleeping for 100 years when she pricks her finger at age 15). And obviously the bad guy in Beowulfs story is Grendel the "fiend from hell" (line 101)...he comes along and eats 30 guys which is kind of horrible. Both the curse on Aurora and Grendels relentless killing continue on and on until along comes the knight in shining amour!! Which is where Prince Phillip and Beowulf come along to save the distressed princess/Danes. So, basically, I'm comparing and old English epic poem to a cutesy princes
s tale. But either way, Beowulf is essentially prince charming.
Yes, thank you for being confused by the double Beowulf usage as well. I understand that, in reality, different cultures have a variety of common names that family's share, but couldn't the original author of the poem just pick something different? Half the fun in creating characters is naming them! I wasted about five minutes trying to figure out if the double Beowulf actually held significance.
ReplyDeleteALSO, your comparison to Sleeping Beauty blew me out of the water. I'd never think of it like that! It does seem like a plot structure stretch that survives off of a confirmation bias, but it also makes legitimate sense because - well, how many different plot structures even exist between all of the Fairy Tales and British texts Dr. MB has us read - honestly. But I'm not complaining about that...I just wish Beowulf made my heart melt a little like the usual Prince Charming; although, it's nice to read a story that doesn't have anything to do with young lovers or anything like that. Finally!
-Amanda ^_^
At first I was confused about the double Beowulf but I think after a little while I just decided to ignore it since they didn't tell us much about the other Beowulf. I also loved your comparison to Sleeping Beauty. I never would have thought to compare them and now that you did it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteBlog 5 Sleeping Beauty
ReplyDeleteI know this is big trouble. The thing is this is big trouble, as I don’t know enough about Sleeping Beauty. I’m thinking back to when I was just a small little boy. It’s not Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It’s not Aladdin. No, it is not the mermaid movie. It’s definitely not Beauty and the Beast. Sleeping Beauty does not ring a bell. I mean all I can I think of is Shrek with its little parody with a sleeping Ogre or maybe a charming sleeping princess that gets rejected by a prince or knight in shining armor. However, the title is self-explanatory. There is an evil witch who is the evildoer much like the creatures that need to be conquered in Beowulf. There is a prince charming who comes to the rescue like Beowulf. There is someone that needs saving like the princes who are the whole country and civilization that need saving. Both the prince and Beowulf come to the rescue. I really should sit down and watch Sleeping Beauty. Maybe, I’ll find my old VHS. The way I see it, there is an evil witch who puts a princess to sleep who is rescued from her slumber by a prince and they live happily ever after. If my recollection is correct, Sleeping Beauty is an old Germanic, Norse, or Anglo-Saxon story that has been passed down from the time of kings and queens. Please don’t quote me on that. It has a very English speaking plot line and character creation. For some reason, I think it is a very American story that has grown with all its advertising and playing on TV’s and in theatre. In some way, Americans are carrying on the tradition from the old world to the new world. I totally see the similarity considering it is cut from the same wood. The movie is cut from the same stump. The movie is cut from the same tree. I should probably find the old story while I’m at it so I can figure out if this story is just a bedtime story that was circulating around for hundreds of years or if it was just an original tale from the tycoons in Hollywood.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your lack-of-excitement prior to reading. I'd never read the story before but all of my preconceptions were essentially "long poem hard to read". But after jumping into the story, be it a little rushed due to my late entrance to the class, I've found it to be far more interesting than I gave it credit for! I also really appreciate your link to Sleeping Beauty. I can see what you're saying, and it's an interesting take on an old story.
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