UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE

College of Teacher Education

Sibalom, Antique

COMPILATION OF MOVIE ANALYSIS:

BEOWULF

FIRST KNIGHT

HELEN OF TROY

ODYSSEY

By:

Nicole S. Jordan

1
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

Table of Contents
Page

a. Analysis of Beowulf ………………………………………………………… 3

b. Analysis of First Knight ………………………………………………..…... 7

c. Analysis of Helen of Troy ………………………………………………….. 9

d. Analysis of Odyssey ….…………………………………………………….. 11

2
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

ANALYSIS OF BEOWULF:

AS A REFLECTION OF THE NATIONAL LIFE OF A PEOPLE

Nicole S. Jordan

Christianity is a central theme in Beowulf. Beowulf upholds the Christian virtues of

the 5th or 6th century, at a time when much of Scandinavia still worshipped pagan gods.

This makes the poem somewhat anachronistic in that it imposes Christian values on

characters who would not have possessed them. Although Beowulf may act selflessly,

governed by a code of ethics and an intuitive understanding of other people, a part of him

nevertheless has no real idea of why he acts the way he does, and this is perhaps the

tragic flaw in his character. Certainly, fame, glory and wealth are also among his

motivations, as well as practical considerations such as a desire to pay his father’s debt

and be with the queen. The entire film had props, setting and even from the character’s

actions and dialogue which showed the representation of Christianity and blaspheme. The

seven deadly sins were shown in the film as soon as it started. There are many battles

between righteous characters and immoral characters. The righteous always conquer the

immoral, just as depicted in the Christian Bible. For example, Beowulf battles both Grendel

and Grendel's Mother, descendants of Cain from the Bible whom killed over jealousy.

Beowulf is perceived as righteous while Grendel and his mother are perceived immoral. With

greater analysis it is clear that three characters, Beowulf, Grendel and Grendel's Mother are

3
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

immoral. In fact, all three of these characters embody one of the Seven Deadly Sins, which is

also a Christian belief. Grendel embodies envy.

Grendel’s Mother embodies wrath and the epic hero Beowulf embodies greed as well

as pride. While immoral characters, Grendel’s Mother and Beowulf deserve the sympathy of

others, Grendel does not. Grendel exemplifies envy therefore; he is discontent with the

happiness of others. The infusion of Biblical ideas helps form Grendel's character. The first

few minutes of the film Beowulf, a roasted pig was showed, wherein the bible, it states that

eating pork is not only unclean, it is treated as disgusting and horrific. The book of Isaiah

associates it with death, idolatry, and sin (65:4; 66:3). Whatever the problem, it appears, in

some way, to violate important cultural principles. God specifically forbade the Israelites to

eat pork in Leviticus 11:7. There were scenes which showed lust and it was a

representation of prostitution. Women were sexually used even in public. Hrothgar also

sought the queen’s bed. The Danish king Hrothgar is perhaps the most human character in

the poem, and the person with whom it may be easiest for us to identify. He appears wise,

but also lacking the courage expected of a great warrior-king, and age has clearly robbed

him of the power to act decisively. Sloths for the men who passed out drunk at the party.

Unferth was the representation of envy; he envied men who had more glory than himself.

There was gluttony in the party and Grendel also represents this sin. He eats 30 warriors a

night. Pride was everything Beowulf does. These are the seven deadly sins which were told

and shown in Beowulf and characters who represented these sins died tragically.

The Heorot or the headquarters of the Danish king Hrothgar. The great timbered

hall is elaborately described, for only here can human beings be, within limits, civilized. In

4
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

the film, it was an unnamed great hall where they party and act sins. A great open hall

with smaller divisions, Heorot is adorned with gold. Its approach is by a stone-paved road.

It has benches and tables at which the retainers of Hrothgar sit. At night it is lit by torches,

and its light reaches out to the surrounding wild. It is only within the king’s hall that court

poets can tell and retell the heroic and dreadful tales of the northern peoples, for these

tales demand a proper setting for their force and meaning. The stories give the values of

the culture, both positively and negatively. They teach about the importance of loyalty and

about the consequences of both loyalty and betrayal.

Here the people, or rather the nobles, carry on all the activities of human life; it is

where they eat and drink and where many sleeps. But it is nevertheless also close to the

wild, not only in being made of wood, but in its name, for Heorot means “Hart,” or male

deer—a noble animal but still animal. In being wood, like others mentioned in the poem, it

can be and will be burned, with great slaughter. The humans who live here can and will

be terrible to one another. Moreover, Heorot’s bright lights and noises offend Grendel, a

monstrous descendant of Cain who is condemned to wander alone in the wastelands.

Grendel visits Hrothgar’s hall regularly and carries off warriors to devour. The hall showed

great importance to the meaning of the entire epic poem and representation of

Christianity. The hall was a place of sins and it was the destination of all monsters such

as Grendel. Heorot, the magnificent hall of Hrothgar, eventually will be destroyed by fire

and the Geats subjugated by the Swedes when Beowulf, himself, is killed in his own

battle with a dragon.

5
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

Wiglaf, one of Beowulf's kinsmen and thanes, is the only warrior brave enough to

help the hero in his fight against the dragon. Wiglaf conforms perfectly to the heroic code in

that he is willing to die attempting to defeat the opponent and, more importantly, to save his

lord. Killing Grendel's mother is synonymous with sleeping with her, which, though it brings

up some interesting parallels, doesn't really happen in the poem, either. But then,

everyone sleeps with her in the movie. Wiglaf is a representation of the idea that men, no

matter how faithful and loyal, is still fazed by temptations and will do sin. Any man is a

sinner saved by grace and it is in the nature of man to be sinful.

6
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST KNIGHT

Nicole S. Jordan

In the film, The First Knight, emphasizes the act of heroism throughout the movie.

The characters that can be considered as the heroes are Sir Lancelot and King Arthur.

The antagonist is known as Malagaint, a man that becomes too greedy. He was once a

knight just like Sir Lancelot, part of the Knights of the Round Table. The problem was that

he got too selfish and wanted to rule all the lands to himself blinded by power. The First

Knight was basically Malagaint versus Arthur and Camelot.

The first hero that was noticeable right away was Lancelot, lover of Queen

Guinevere, which can be recognized as the main character. The name Lancelot is also

believed to mean as a servant or God-like. He was an incredible swordsman and fighter.

Throughout the film, he displayed magnificent fighting skills, also intelligence. He stated

that he is a man on his own, that he wants to rule himself. He has this mentality that

everyone is against him, probably because of what happened to him in his childhood.

When he was young, his family was murdered in a horrible fire. They were locked in a

church that was burning to the ground. This one incident gives him the motivation to be

such a fighter and make him as fearless as he is.

Examples of the feats of heroism and courage were shown in the entire movie

which became the main idea of the film, First Knight. The first is in the beginning of the

7
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

movie, where the princess of lioness is on her way to Camelot and is ambushed by

Malagaint. She manages to run, but gets trapped. It’s a three-on-one situation, but then

comes Lancelot, and he saves the day. He takes her under his wing and then sets her

free. Lancelot does display his weakness though, which is women. This woman brings

about his downfall. The story is yet another retelling of the love triangle of Camelot. It

centers on Guinevere, Lady of Leonesse, whose lands are under attack from the evil. She

determines to marry King Arthur, whose Camelot is legend, for two reasons: Because she

can love him, and because he can protect Leonesse. But as events are unfolding, she

meets the young and footloose Lancelot, who saves her from a savage attack in the

woods, and goes right on saving her, while falling in love with her, throughout the movie.

The choices are handled less properly in "First Knight." Guinevere decides to leave ways

with Lancelot and gives him a farewell kiss, which Arthur happens to see. And he

responds horribly, sending them both to a public trial for treason, which starts off weak

and only gets worse when Malagant enters and cries (I'm really making this up) "Nobody

move - or Arthur dies!"

It's a fascinating triangle romance. Guinevere has an adoration with her mind for

Arthur and her whole heart for Lancelot. The two men look up to one another. If she

chooses Arthur, she also protects everyone for whom she is responsible. If she chooses

Lancelot, love triumphs over all.

8
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

ANALYSIS OF THE HELEN OF TROY

Nicole S. Jordan

One of the main characters in Helen of Troy is Achilles, the demigod warrior, a

highly skilled and the strongest champion of Greece which also showed his soft side –

care, affection for his woman and brotherly love for his cousin, Petraclus. The movie

didn’t put emphasis on Achilles but the love between Paris and Helen; nothing matters

and nothing else is important as long as they are together. The film focuses on Helen’s

life, on how she lost her friends, became mature, and how she came to marry Menelaus,

the brother of Agamemnon, how she fell in love with Paris, and how she expected Paris’s

destiny, that in the end, she will lose Paris and would end up following Menelaus,

according to what Cassandra foretold.

This movie was intended to show that love can destroy a castle. Like in the movie,

Cassandra tries to prevent the fall of Troy but still it happens because of Paris love Helen

so much, he took her from the Achaeans. And because of this the fate of Troy has been

fulfilled. This movie also intended to open the eyes of the viewers how tragic was war is.

Both parties in the movie loss many soldiers, friends and families. Like the death of Paris

in the side of Troy and how the daughter of Agamemnon was sacrificed in order to make

the waves to favor the Achaeans. There was nothing proven after the war but only

loss in both parties. Helen of Troy may be fictional in some ways but there are historical

evidences found by archaeologists that proves somewhat that the war similarly to the

9
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

Trojan War, occurred. The people who were concerned about the occurences in Trojan

War and how a great and powerful city was destroyed because of one woman, and to

those who are studying the Iliad so they can fully understand the message of Homer to

the readers of Iliad.

Each character has their strengths and weaknesses. Agamemnon was too proud

for his own good and is also an aggressive king. His pride brought his men to downfall

and they were defeated by the Trojans which was an apparent weakness of him. His

strength was that he was respected and dared not to disobey by his men. Paris, however,

is a coward and an unskilled fighter even if he was favored by the gods. Helen is a beauty

which every man in the kingdom could not resist to ignore and made them feel like she

should be protected. Her weakness only showed when she met Paris. The Greeks had

their gods and goddesses which we hear from their mythologies. This shows the

traditions, customs and beliefs of Greece in the Helen of Troy. Achilles dearly loved his

cousin, so, when he died, he burst out of rage and decided to fight again against the

Trojans. Unfortunately, he was then killed by the cowardly prince Paris. The film was

more likely fantasy and far from reality because of the demigods and mythological beliefs

but God was also mentioned in the film, when the people prayed and called for him. The

film focuses on the reality of war.

10
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

ANALYSIS OF ODYSSEY:

FOR ANALYSIS OF ITS DIFFERENT ELEMENTS

Nicole S. Jordan

The Odyssey by Homer is one of the two major ancient Greek epic poems. It also

employs most of the literary and poetic devices associated with epics: catalogs,

digressions, long speeches, journeys or quests, various trials or tests of the hero, similes,

metaphors, and divine intervention. In the Odyssey by Homer, the main idea is that our

lives have certain and multiple obstacles that we need to face where we choose our own

paths; to either survive or not. Odysseus has been at war for ten years and now he has

spent ten years trying to get home. The journey has been long and full of trials,

tribulations and obstacles. The hero is long-suffering Odysseus, king of Ithaca and

surrounding islands and hero of the Trojan War. He has been gone for 20 years from his

homeland, his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus. Odysseus embodies many of

the virtues of ancient Greek civilization and in some ways defines them. He is not,

however, without his flaws, which sometimes get him into trouble. While it includes

recollections of earlier times, most of the action in The Odyssey takes place in the ten

years following the Trojan War. Historically, was there ever such a war we recognize until

today as the Trojan War? Homer wrote in The Odyssey about the iconic Trojan Horse as

a truce gift which turned out to be a trap. Analysts argue that there probably was a war

like the Trojan but that it was much different from Homer's depiction in story of The

11
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

Iliad or the recollections of the characters in The Odyssey. Archaeological evidence

indicates that the war may have taken place around 1220 BC and that the city Homer

calls Troy was destroyed by fire.

The mood and tone of the film were recognized based on the shifting of the music

background whether it is an intense fight scene or a sorrow. Greece is known as a

country in southeastern Europe with thousands of islands throughout the Aegean and

Ionian seas. The entire film setting was based on multiple islands with different obstacles

and characters faced by Odysseus and his men. Every island is a different challenge.

There was Calypso, the nymph who trapped Odysseus and his men in the island of

Ogygia for seven years. Odysseus and his men initially stop on an island dominated by

one-eyed giants, the Cyclopes. The Cyclops were giant one-eyed monsters; a wild race

of lawless creatures who possess neither social manners nor fear of the Gods. Cyclopes

means round eye. A Cyclops named Polyphemus traps them in his cave intending to eat

them, but Odysseus gets him drunk on wine, causing him to pass out. Then, he sharpens

a tree branch into a stake and blinds the Cyclops, allowing them to escape by hiding

under sheep skins when he removes the heavy stone door. Polyphemus screams for

help, but Odysseus had tricked him into stating that his name was "Nobody", so the

Cyclops is shouting that nobody has tricked him, arousing no suspicion. Odysseus and

his men escape, but Odysseus brashly taunts the Cyclops who asks his father Poseidon

to avenge him. This makes Odysseus' journey home harder. The Cyclops, because he

has only one eye, represents people who see through only one perspective.

12
 UNIVERSITY OF ANTIQUE
College of Teacher Education
Sibalom, Antique

Odysseus travels to an island where Aeolus provides him with a bag of wind to

help him home, instructing him to open it when he gets close to Ithaca. As the winds were

generally considered horse-shaped, Aeolus is also known as Hippotades, meaning

'horse-reiner. ' In The Odyssey, Aeolus attempted to help Odysseus home by giving him

power over the winds. Aeolus strictly reminded Odysseus to never open the bag unless

needed, however, this served as another obstacle for them. One of his men, because of

curiosity and greed, opens it prematurely blowing them off course. Next, they stop at the

island of Circe, a beautiful witch, who turns his men into animals and blackmails him into

sleeping with her. She represents the temptation of lust bound to attract men who are

sinners. Odysseus is told of Circe's magic by Hermes (Freddy Douglas), who helps him

avoid being transformed as well. Circe tells him to go to the Underworld next, and only

then does Odysseus realize that he has actually been tricked by Circe, who put a spell on

him so he stayed on the island for five years instead of five days. Odysseus digs his ship

out of the sand and tide and sails to the Underworld. The Odyssey mirrors both the

historical events of Greece with all their beliefs and traditions associating with mythology.

13