Burton Raffel and Robert Zemeckis both make specific choices in how they portray Grendel because they need Grendel to serve different purposes in their works. Think about the messages (themes) the author and director are trying to convey through Grendel and his interactions with other characters.
PROMPT: In a well-written paragraph, analyze Raffel's and Zemeckis's representations of Grendel and the monster's function in each version of Beowulf. Use evidence to explain how Grendel is characterized and his role in each text and the authors’ purposes for those portrayals.
Highlight your paragraph below using this color coding: Blue = evidence (characterization); Green = pattern (role); Yellow = author’s purpose
Your paragraph must include the following:
a thesis that makes a claim related to the prompt (Grendel’s roles)
a quote sandwich that uses evidence to explain
how Raffel characterizes Grendel,
his role in the poem,
and the author’s purpose for that characterization
a quote sandwich that uses evidence to explain
how Zemeckis characterizes Grendel,
his role in the film,
and the author’s purpose for that characterization
a brief conclusion that discusses why Raffel and Zemeckis chose to portray Grendel so differently