Gender Roles In Beowulf

Name Prawarit Musika ID 5731006121 Section 7 ASSIGNMENT 1 Directions: Write a well-organized ESSAY, explaining expectations of masculinity and femininity in the Anglo-Saxon period and the medieval period. Use the evidence from “Beowulf” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” to support your answer. (10 points) The expectations of masculinity in the Anglo-Saxon period are that men should be strong, unemotional, and brave and for the expectation of femininity is that women should be away from battle and protected by men. For the medieval period, the expectation of masculinity is that men were expected to overcome and control women while the expectation of women is to be virgin and subjugated by men.

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

Did you know there is a great controversy with today’s society, putting men over women? It is sparking debates across the world on why men are thought to be stronger and be able to do more activities than women. There is an ongoing debate between men and women on equality. Beowulf and contemporary culture assert their masculinity through physical strength, financial wealth, honor, perseverance, reputation, and intelligence.

Beowulf is an epic tale written over twelve hundred years ago. In the poem, several different female characters are introduced, and each woman possesses detailed and unique characteristics. The women in Beowulf are portrayed as strong individuals, each of whom has a specific role within the poem. Some women are cast as the cup-bearers and gracious hostesses of the mead halls, such as Wealhtheow and Hygd, while others, Grendel's mother, fulfill the role of a monstrous uninvited guest. The woman's role of the time period, author's attitude, and societal expectations for women are evidenced throughout the poem.

Beowulf is believed to have been written somewhere between the years 700-1000 AD. During this period, Anglo-Saxon society provided women with a relative amount of freedom. According to Christine Clark, “Anglo-Saxon women had a high level of self-determination” (Clark 218). During this time, women were allowed to own land and to choose who they married. This is not to say that they were socially and economically equal. Men still retained much control over their female counterparts . Although women did not give up land ownership to their husband’s upon marriage, it became the husband’s role to maintain it and do as he wished with it. The only limitation being transferring permanent ownership to himself (Clark 214). In reality these political and social

Although traditional Anglo-Saxon society emphasizes on patriarchal views, women play significant roles in “Beowulf”, challenging the masculinity presented. This is portrayed through Wealhtheow, Hildeburh and Freawaru, and Grendel’s mother through their hospitality, their peace weaving, and their anger. In contrast to the stereotype of women being submissive and compliant, “Beowulf” brings new light to the idea of women. An example of hospitality is when Wealhtheow, queen to Hrothgar, is a hostess for people in the hall, allowing all the nobles there to drink and have an appropriate celebration for the event.

Did you know there is a great controversy with today’s society, putting men over women? It is sparking debates across the world on why men are thought to be stronger and be able to do more activities than women. For example, there was a recent protest in Washington for women’s rights about pro-life. Beowulf and contemporary culture assert their masculinity through physical strength, financial wealth, and reputation.

Even though gender roles in modern-day society appears to be dissimilar compared to Beowulf's era, the male and female roles during the eighth-teen century resembled Beowulf's age gender roles. During the eighth-teen century, the title "women" brought unequal prohibitions to the woman regardless of their own inalienable rights. Prohibitions limited the women's career fields among the society, limited the women's rights upon the marriage, and forced women to devote for household that circumscribed their involvement and characteristics to the society; moreover, married women considered as the possession of the men. therefore, the men thrived in various fields than the women. The men's contributions to the society were beyond the abilities of the women's roles, however the

Beowulf is a tale filled with battles and heroes going through journeys to save the day. Men were dominate for without them and their strength, the constant state of war would mean nothing. In Beowulf, the role of women is less important than men but they are still vital in keeping the society together. Expectations for women were to be the caregiver not protector and fighter like men, yet they were still important just oversaw different responsibilities. Women were weak and in constant need of a man for protection. They were valued in society as the wife, child-bearer, and in highest respect hostess. In the succeeding paragraph, the value of women and marriage in early English societies is discussed.

As the poems of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight show, women have always had power, yet not as overt a power as wielded by their masculine counterparts. The only dynamic of women’s power that has changed in the later centuries is that the confines and conditions in which women have wielded their power has become more lax, thus yielding to women more freedom in the expression of their power. The structure, imagery, and theme in the excerpts from Beowulf (lines 744-71) and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (lines 2309-30) support the concept of more power in the later centuries, by contrasting the restriction of Wealhtheow and the power she practices in Beowulf with the Lady’s more direct assertion of power in Sir Gawain

Leyerle characterizes Beowulf’s bravery by putting the needs of others above himself only to smile back at death. Beowulf having to already fight something larger than himself, he challenges Grendel to a hand to hand combat: “No weapons, therefore for either this night; unarmed [Grendel] shall face me if he dares” (682-85). Beowulf’s personal valor could only be demonstrated by the willingness to engage in combat. This article can help clarify the reasons why Beowulf should have only act on reason and doubt rather than human tendencies such as pride and

Woman and kids played largely different roles during that era and offered Venture different personal benefits. Woman benefits men by allowing them to reproduce. In addition, they watch the reproduction while the man goes off and works. To be honest, they also were in charge of whipping up a meal, watching the home, and making the sure the house stays immaculate. Kids really did not have a role during that time other than to go to school, but if they were boys they could work

Then in society, men were portrayed as “dominant figures” and women were the “nurturers”. Men not only filled the fatherly role but they also usually earned the “breadwinning”, went to work all day, and financially provided for the wives and

Although men appeared to hold all of the power and freedom in Anglo-Saxon society, the reality is that they too were constrained by the roles expected to their

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.