Loyalty In Beowulf

First, loyalty is very important to the Anglo-Saxon people. Loyalty is swearing allegiance to a person, place, or thing. There are many examples of loyalty in Beowulf. Beowulf is exceedingly loyal throughout the entire Anglo-Saxon epic. Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king. To elaborate, Beowulf shows loyalty to the Geats and his king, Hygelac, by notifying them of his plans to travel to the land of the Danes and help the Danish King, Hrothgar, defeat Cain’s descendant, Grendel, who has been terrorizing Hrothgar’s mead-hall. Beowulf is loyal and seeks the approval of the Geats and Hygelac before anything else(first and foremost), and Beowulf most likely would not have left the land of the Geats to help the Danes if his people and king did not approve. Also, Beowulf demonstrates loyalty to Hrothgar because of an allegiance between Beowulf’s father and Hrothgar. Beowulf helped the Danes for glory and because of a sense of devotion to Hrothgar who once helped Beowulf’s father, Ecgtheow, after he killed a man. Hrothgar paid the death price for

Throughout their journey and various battles, Beowulf and Wiglaf remained loyal to their lords. While in Denmark, Beowulf remains loyal to his king, Higlac, and the other warriors remain loyal to Beowulf. During his formal boast, Beowulf told his men that “my hands shall fight for me” as “My lord Higlac, might think less of me” (246-270) if he fought with weapons. Beowulf wanted to impress his lord and not disappoint him in battle. He feared that he would bring shame to his lord if he fought with weapons or

Beowulf, the hero of Anglo-Saxon epic, had many adventures, and many companions and fellow-warriors are mentioned throughout his story. Some of them seem noble and courageous, truly living up to the standards of their culture; some seem cowardly. But all have gained immortality in the words, many times transcribed and translated, of the famous epic. However, the women of the time are rarely mentioned in Beowulf. Still, even from those few women who are mentioned and from other documents of the era, it is possible to see the position of women in of Anglo-Saxon society. In many cases, they enjoyed more rights than women in later Medieval cultures.

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 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.

Beowulf, the Old English epic tells the story of one brave hero and his battles against evil monsters. The poem deals with mostly masculine elements like fight descriptions, depictions of armor and long inspiring speeches. However, the women characters in the epic also have important roles and they are far from being superficial, as it may seem at first. There are several female figures in Beowulf; this paper will focus on three of them- queen Wealhtheow of the Danes, queen Hygd of the Geats and Grendel's mother. These characters have many parallels between them but in a way some are the "alter-ego" of the others.

As an epic tale of heroes and monsters, Beowulf gives its readers much excitement and adventure, but Beowulf's importance is more than just literary. It offers many insights into the beliefs and customs of seventh-century Anglo-Saxon culture. Among these insights is the Anglo-Saxon view of women and their role in society. Good Anglo-Saxon women are peaceful and unassertive, greeting guests and serving drinks to the warriors and other men in the meadhall. Wealhtheow, the queen of the Danes, represents a typical subservient Anglo-Saxon woman. As a foil to Wealhtheow, Grendel's mother is a strong and combative monster whom Beowulf must kill. By analyzing these two characters in Beowulf, we can understand the

Grendel’s mother shows that women are a key part of Beowulf because she refuses to conform to the gentle meek women that was admired at the time. Although Grendel’s mother was evil, she was a fiercely passionate

Beowulf’s anonymous author presents femininity as a personification of gentleness, using a meter of poise to define female characters. The good women in Beowulf only have emotions ranging from happy to sad, while worse women have a larger range, experiencing rage and pride. All women in Beowulf fear death, however, and all women contrast with the general roughness and ruggedness of masculinity. Even Grendel’s Mother, a murdering monster herself, is described with more compassion than her son was while he was alive and killing. The author makes it clear that hospitality is a feminine trait that is highly valued in their society. Mercy and modesty are desired feminine traits, as shown in the story of the vain queen. Grace and sensuality are also

Beowulf, the hero of Anglo-Saxon epic, had many adventures, and many companions and fellow-warriors are mentioned throughout his story. Some of them seem noble and courageous, truly living up to the standards of their culture; some seem cowardly. But all have gained immortality in the words, many times transcribed and translated, of the famous epic. However, the women of the time are rarely mentioned in Beowulf. Still, even from those few women who are mentioned and from other documents of the era, it is possible to see the position of women in of Anglo-Saxon society. In many cases, they enjoyed more rights than women in later Medieval cultures.

It is obvious that Beowulf is centered around men through its prowess, valor, and violence. But the women in Beowulf, Wealhtheow, Hygd, Hildeburh, and Grendel’s mother, filled the places that the men in the story couldn’t fill. For example, Queen Wealhtheow fills the role of the peace maker. She uses words of encouragement and gifts to successfully fill her role. The women in Beowulf gave the perspective of the humanity of

In the story of Beowulf, there are several themes that can be extrapolated from the heavy influence of Anglo-Saxon culture. However, one stands out as an important and interesting theme, which is the roles of women during the heavy comitatus bonds of men in the time of war and hate. What may be easily glossed over as subservience and serving as the shadows of the male characters in the time of Beowulf is in actuality an important facet of Anglo Saxon culture. The societal expectations of these women as well shows just how centrally significant their roles are, whether positive or negative. And it is the way these roles are defined according to the Anglo-Saxon culture that shows how varied yet important women are in the social expectations of this past society.

     Beowulf, the Old English epic tells the story of one brave hero and his battles against evil monsters. The poem deals with mostly masculine elements like fight descriptions, depictions of armor and long inspiring speeches. However, the women characters in the epic also have important roles and they are far from being superficial, as it may seem at first. There are several female figures in Beowulf; this paper will focus on three of them- queen Wealhtheow of the Danes, queen Hygd of the Geats and Grendel?s mother. These characters have many parallels between them but in a way some are the ?alter-ego? of the others.

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.

In regard to female autonomy and Beowulf, it cannot be ignored that many of the women portrayed in the poem were acting as expected of them in the time period, or alternatively acting against it. The two main examples of this within Beowulf are the characters of Wealtheow and Grendel’s mother. Both of these women highlight how this society impacts and limits female autonomy, but both women seemingly went down different life paths and here I will examine how this relates to how female autonomy in this world has impacted them. Wealtheow and Grendel’s mother are arguably the two most important female characters in Beowulf, and out of all the women in