Beowulf Characters

Directed by Robert Zemeckis, Beowulf is a 2007 action film based on the Old English epic poem, Beowulf. The film was created using a motion capture process, similar to the technique Zemeckis used in his 2004 film The Polar Express.

• Ray Winstone as Beowulf
• Crispin Glover as Grendel
• Angelina Jolie as Grendel's Mother
• Anthony Hopkins as King Hrothgar
• John Malkovich as Unferth
• Brendan Gleeson as Wiglaf
• Robin Wright Penn as Queen Wealtheow

The film tells the story the legendary hero Beowulf. In Medieval Denmark King Hrothgar and his people are being terrorized by the horrific Grendel. Beowulf and his brave band of soldiers respond to a call to slay the monster. A mighty warrior, Beowulf quickly dispatches Grendel, but in doing so he enrages Grendel's mother. Setting out to kill to Grendel's mother as well he soon finds his resolve tested by great temptation. His choice ultimately brings about a new curse, one he must regret, until the day finally comes when he is given a chance for redemption.

• • Spark Notes: "The protagonist of the epic, Beowulf is a Geatish hero who fights the monster Grendel, Grendel's mother, and a fire-breathing dragon. Beowulf's boasts and encounters reveal him to be the strongest, ablest warrior around. In his youth, he personifies all of the best values of the heroic culture. In his old age, he proves a wise and effective ruler."
• Wikipedia: Beowulf the Hero
• IMDb: Ray Winstone as Beowulf in the 2007 Movie version

• • Spark Notes:"The king of the Danes. Hrothgar enjoys military success and prosperity until Grendel terrorizes his realm. A wise and aged ruler, Hrothgar represents a different kind of leadership from that exhibited by the youthful warrior Beowulf. He is a father figure to Beowulf and a model for the kind of king that Beowulf becomes."
• Wikipedia: Hrothgar
• IMDb: Anthony Hopkins as King Hrothgar in the 2007 Movie version

• • Spark Notes: "A Danish warrior who is jealous of Beowulf, Unferth is unable or unwilling to fight Grendel, thus proving himself inferior to Beowulf."
• Wikipedia: Unferth
• IMDb: John Malkovich as Unferth in the 2007 Movie version

• • Spark Notes: "Hrothgar's wife, the gracious Queen of the Danes."
• Wikipedia: Wealthow
• IMDb: Robin Wright Penn as Wealthow in the 2007 Movie version

• • Spark Notes: "A young kinsman and retainer of Beowulf who helps him in the fight against the dragon while all of the other warriors run away. Wiglaf adheres to the heroic code better than Beowulf's other retainers, thereby proving himself a suitable successor to Beowulf."
• Wikipedia: Wiglaf
• IMDb: Brendan Gleeson as Wiglaf in the 2007 Movie version

• • Spark Notes: "A demon descended from Cain, Grendel preys on Hrothgar's warriors in the king's mead-hall, Heorot. Because his ruthless and miserable existence is part of the retribution exacted by God for Cain's murder of Abel, Grendel fits solidly within the ethos of vengeance that governs the world of the poem."
• Wikipedia: Grendel
• IMDb: Crispin Glover as Grendal in the 2007 Movie version

• • Spark Notes: "An unnamed swamp-hag, Grendel's mother seems to possess fewer human qualities than Grendel, although her terrorization of Heorot is explained by her desire for vengeance-a human motivation."
• Wikipedia: Grendel's Mother
• IMDb: Angelina Jolie as Grendel's Mother in the 2007 Movie version