A World Without Women : Why Beowulf Needs Women Characters

Beowulf is an Old English poem written somewhere between the eighth century and the tenth century; the culture of Germanic times is depicted through varying concepts of masculinity that not only describes their capability as a warrior, but also their aptitude as a leader. Beowulf shows of a demon named Grendel attacking Heorot, and the king, Hrothgar, calls Beowulf, a warrior, for help with the slaying of Grendel. Characteristics and qualities of leadership are directly linked to the masculinity of the characters within Beowulf. The leaders in the prologue are demonstrated with the aspects of masculinity through their strength and brutality. In Beowulf, a man demonstrates his essential worth through evidence of masculinity as seen in Unferth’s cowardice, Beowulf’s heroism, and Wiglaf’s bravery.

In the movie Beowulf, the women are depicted differently than in the poem. The women in Anglo Saxon culture had more power than demonstrated in the movie. For example, the servant in the Mead Hall is clearly objectified. She is wearing a tight dress with her breasts showing, wanting to gain attention from the men. While she is washing the table, she is bending over so her breasts are exposed. All the men are surrounding her and staring. The main reason for the servant being at the Mead Hall is so the workingmen can look at her. The men are only interested in the servant in a sexual way. An example of this is when a working man states, “…No wonder my loins are burning.” He wants his sexual desires to be completed by the servant. He

Wealhtheow exists as the main female protagonist in the poem. She does not enter as a character until she is needed to fulfill her role as the cup-bearer for the first feast at Heorot. She is well-respected within the mead hall and in return respects the men of the hall "adorned in her gold, she graciously saluted / the men in the hall, then handed the cup / first to Hrothgar, their homeland's guardian" (ll. 614-616). However, as Wealhtheow continues her rounds of serving, it becomes apparent that Wealhtheow has more power than that of a common cup-bearer. This is evidenced when she is able to speak to the guests of the mead hall, and receives a respectful response from the guest of honor, Beowulf. In addition to the respect that she is given, it becomes apparent that Wealhtheow is well spoken and perhaps well educated: "With measured words she welcomed the Geat / and thanked God for granting her wish that a deliverer she could believe in would arrive / to ease their afflictions" (ll. 625-628). These descriptions of Wealhtheow's presence within the mead-hall show her obedience to her lord, Hrothgar, as well as the respect she has earned from the people fulfilling her role as gracious

In Beowulf, Wealhtheow and Hygd were both queens and hosted functions and events for the kings and the tribesman. Queen Wealhtheow, wife of Hrothgar, was well known as the mistress of Heorot Hall. Her main concern was that her son 's, Hrethric and Hrothmund, became the rightful heirs to the throne in the possibility of the king 's death. Wealhtheow was fearful that Beowulf would attain the throne for himself. Hygd, wife of Hygelac, was wise and intelligent in her role as queen, but was worried about the ability of her heir to rule the kingdom after her husband 's death. Queen Hygd offered Beowulf the crown, but he convinced her to award her son, Heardred, the honor of becoming King

Women have had many different roles in the history of European literature but have generally been restricted to the roles assigned to them in a largely patriarchal society. As a result of this society, these roles have often been powerless ones. This calls into question the constitution of a powerful woman in literature: in Beowulf, being a powerful woman means becoming the bond between families and alliances; in Lanval, power comes from assertion and control-- a powerful woman is a woman in charge. The primary difference between the representation of women in Beowulf and Lanval is that the latter transcends overarching patriarchal boundaries, and the former does not; the reason for their respective representations lies in the literary time periods in which the stories were written. From this, one can see that the introduction of romance as a central theme gave way to new representations and roles of women in predominantly heteropatriarchal English literature and gives new meaning to the analysis of stories like these.

In Beowulf, varying treatment among each gender is common. Therefore, mistresses are not allowed to perform actions that men were permitted and are required to enact based on society’s standards. Females are not retained from doing heroic deeds because of the structure of their body or the estimated weightlifting qualifications. However, the weakest of males are expected to excel through rigorous parts in their life to represent heroic traits they possess within unearthly powers as men of the Gods. Savage animals were not figurative in the passage, but were viewed just as real as a man’s sword. Without these monsters, the men could not have slain enough to be seen as inhumanly or superior compared to the average man. Males were constantly competing against each other in order to have a place among the Gods.

Challenging the masculinity in the poem, Wealhtheow, a well-respected woman has an essential role as a cupbearer for the mead hall. One might object that a woman as a cupbearer seems traditional and follows the traditional Anglo-Saxon views of women, however, the seemingly simple job of cupbearer has many important connotations to it. The importance of cup bearing, being an adviser to the king and there must be a great respect between the two.

Beowulf is a story that has been told over thousands of years. Beowulf is the story of one of the greatest warriors known to man. Even the man who claims to be the best of them all has a weakness and has faced temptations. Beowulf's inability to control his lust for women, power, and pride is what continues the deconstruction of the kingdom. The curse continues to rampage through the village of the Danes due to man’s weakness.

Wealhtheow walks around the hall 'mindful of ceremonial'; greets her guests and offers them a sip from a ornamented cup (Beowulf 43). Wealtheow is dressed in gold, beautiful clothes and rings.

Beowulf is the perfect embodiment of what a hero's role in society should be through using his unique abilities to protect the innocent, just like modern individuals and groups do in today’s society.

Beowulf is known for displaying the importance of male heroism via Beowulf, but what about the significance of the women in the poem? The significance of women in Beowulf is overshadowed by the great heroism of the character Beowulf, but the women each have a reason for participating in the epic. The ideal woman was someone who was a noble, a mistress and loyal. An ideal woman is described in Maxim I: “at mead drinking she must at all times and places approach the protector of princes first, in front of the companions, quickly pass the first cup to her lord’s hand”. The significance of women in Beuwolf is a minor detail in the epic, but proves to be vital to Beuwolf. The epic of "Beowulf" illustrates three major roles for the women in the society: the hostess, the peacemaker, and the monster. Five women in Beowulf play the major roles throughout the epic: Wealhtheow, Freawaru, Thyrth, Grendel's Mother, and Hildeburh. These women entertain, bring peace, and contradict societal expectations of the female gender, either directly or indirectly.

However, as queen, Wealhtheow shows her intelligence and ability to control men, to some degree, despite her limited powers; accordingly, the author expands her role from that of a traditional Anglo-Saxon woman to include gift-giver and guardian of the throne. Following Beowulf's fearless victory over Grendel, Wealhtheow offers a toast to the Geats and gives Beowulf rewards for his heroism. She tells Beowulf, "Have luck with this neck-ring beloved Beowulf / accept these gifts gold-gleaming treasures / and use them well&emdash;may you win always / make known your strength and save for these boys / wise counsel-words&emdash;I'll reward you for that" (ll.1216-20). Wealhtheow cleverly uses this opportunity to safeguard her two children from Hrothulf, their mischievous older cousin. Should the king meet an untimely death, Wealhtheow needs to guarantee that Hrothulf

The women in Beowulf, which was written around 70 CE by an anonymous poet, fill many different roles, ranging from peacekeepers to wives and monsters, all of which are evidenced in the Queen Wealtheow, Queen Hygd, Hidleburh, and Grendel’s mother.

The Anglo-Saxon wife was in charge of the store-rooms of the house; offering the cup may have symbolized the generosity of the royal couple (Page 72). Wealhtheow and Hrothgar's daughter, Freawaru, also shares in the cup-bearing, perhaps as a sign that she is of age to take on the duties of managing the household (she is already engaged to be married to the king of the Heathobards). While presenting Beowulf with the gifts, Wealhtheow takes the opportunity to ask Beowulf to be a "kind counselor" and "kind friend" to her sons. She also speaks to Hrothgar, telling him that she had heard that he was considering "having this hero [Beowulf] as a son" and to "make use of generous rewards... but leave the people and the kingdom to your kinfolk" (Hieatt 47). In other words, she asks him not to take gratitude too far and name Beowulf heir over their own sons. That she is bold enough to make both requests without hesitation or question shows that she was accustomed to authority and had some power of her own. Another indication of the power wielded by queens is the respect accorded to Hygd. She is beautiful, wise and young. Beowulf gives her the necklace that Wealhtheow had given him as well as three horses. That may have been a gesture meant to win her support within the court.

In the epic poem Beowulf majority of the characters are males; with the exception of a few females in the poem. When going back to the