The Battle of Maldon: A Medieval Screenplay: History and Heroism in the Cinematic Adaptation of an Old English Poem

The Battle of Maldon: A Medieval Screenplay

History and Heroism in the Cinematic Adaptation of an Old English Poem

The Battle of Maldon is an artistic representation of a historical event whose style lends itself to being adapted into a screenplay. This project examines how the poem presents a recent event in an epic heroic style, mixing history with legend, and how the heroism of the men in the poem is celebrated. These explorations lead to the creation of a screenplay which imitates the ways that the poet combines fact and fiction and situates the screenplay within the larger realm of medieval film.

Author Keywords: Anglo-Saxon history, Byrhtnoth, film, heroism, Maldon, The Battle of Maldon