Author Archives: nrhelms

Directing, Gaming, Shakespearing.

Beowulf Vs. Green Knight and all the Media in Between

When looking into the classical model of a Hero or a Hero’s Journey, many people think of most of media and many classical poems and folk stories. Most English or classical poem enthusiasts would immediately cite Beowulf as a prime example of a Hero’s Journey. However I am here to make the opposite case usingContinue reading “Beowulf Vs. Green Knight and all the Media in Between”

Heorot Project

For my project, I’ve created Heorot from Beowulf in Minecraft, and I’ve written a bit about hospitality in Beowulf to go along with it, as follows: Hospitality, as we see it in Beowulf, seems to largely involve parties. Naturally, there’s a reason for this. Hrothgar, the king, gives wealth to his subjects and honor toContinue reading “Heorot Project”

Project 1: Grendel, The Green Knight & Predator vs. Toxic Masculinity

Just as every hero’s motivation is to protect his people, every monster’s is to uncover and exploit his central weakness.  This conflict is the foundation upon which every hero-vs.-villain plot is constructed, but thematic content is wholly determined by the villain.  In order for a villain to function, the villain must pinpoint the hero’s flaw. Continue reading “Project 1: Grendel, The Green Knight & Predator vs. Toxic Masculinity”

Project 1: Beowulf-Grendel, Eve and Garden of Eden

Jordan Smith Grendel from Beowulf is alleged to have a direct bloodline to Cain, whose bloodline is eternally punished by God for the murder of Cain’s brother, Abel. In the bible, it is stated that “Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, ‘with theContinue reading “Project 1: Beowulf-Grendel, Eve and Garden of Eden”

Gawain and the Scavenger

Project description: Screenplay for an alternative scene from David Lowery’s 2021 film The Green Knight. EXT. BATTLEFIELD – CONTINUOUS …out onto a BATTLEFIELD. There are hundreds of corpses scattered on the field. Mouldering bones in rusting armor. The mud they lay in is still a ruddy crimson. There are vultures picking at what skeletons stillContinue reading “Gawain and the Scavenger”

Beowulf and Grendel… in Dungeons and Dragons!

For my project, I decided to do something similar to what a few others have done and connect our curriculum to the game Dungeons and Dragons. What I ended up doing was making both Beowulf and Grendel from Beowulf character sheets. I assigned them each a class and a race based on my knowledge ofContinue reading “Beowulf and Grendel… in Dungeons and Dragons!”