Role Of Women In Beowulf

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

The epic poem, "Beowulf" is widely acclaimed for the extravagant accounts of heroism of an extraordinary warrior prince, Beowulf. Beowulf is a (near) matchless, tenacious warrior and hero who, for the sake of honor and good will, defeats three monstrous creatures that have disrupted and pillaged nearby settlements. With these acts of male heroism in the central focus, the women in "Beowulf" are often overlooked. To the casual eye it might appear that the women in “Beowulf” are meek and only have minor roles in society due to the shortage in numbers of female characters, but upon closer examination of the poem, it is clear that what the women lack in numbers, they make up for in power and influence. Of the few female characters we meet throughout the text, Wealtheow and Grendel’s mother are two of the strongest and most influential.

The Anglo-Saxon era was known for Vikings, conquests, and many additional things, but it was also known for its heroes. Beowulf, as told in the epic poem Beowulf, is one such hero. The tale of Beowulf was an epic poem told mainly by storytellers through the ages until it was finally written down that he had battled many forces of evils; one such evil being a woman. There are not many women in the tale of Beowulf, only four are named, but they show examples of what was expected of women and provide a glimpse what women were like in the Anglo-Saxon era. The women of Beowulf share similarities, budft still have their differences, on the roles of women in the Anglo-Saxon era.

From the time of Beowulf, to the age of King Arthur, to present day, the image and value of a woman has changed drastically. Now, in the twenty first century, women strive to be just like men. “To be tougher, to learn to fight, [and] to learn to play the game" just as men do. (Shiner). Women are now trying to be less dependent on a man and to dependent on them-selves.

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.

A common theme in the stories we have read is that glory, happiness, and success come in cycles (this theme is commonly represented as "the wheel of fortune"). This theme is present in the Arthurian tales, as well as in Beowulf. Each story tells a tale (or part of a tale) of a rise to glory, and the proceeding fall to disarray. The men always were the kings and warriors, but the women played different roles in the different

Beowulf sums this up when he says ‘When it comes to fighting, I count myself as dangerous any day as Grendel’ (677-679). He doesn’t have to think any further than who can fight better. There is none of the intricacy of the peace-weaving of women. This use of gender roles makes the story easy to understand, and as the first major conflict in the poem, this is important to keep the reader occupied. This is especially relevant to the previously spoken nature of the poem, as it acts to draw the audience into the story, assuring their attention for when the poem becomes more complicated later on. Grendel is a straightforward, masculine villain, which is key to establishing Beowulf’s presence in the poem as a hero, as male triumphs over male in a show of valour and strength.

The film of Beowulf, most of the women are portrayed as a sex object for everyone. It is like the women are only there to do what the men want and when they want it: such as children to keep the family name and allow it to continue for generations in the future. In the poem the goblet was the prize for Beowulf, but in the movie the king was trying to give his own wife as a prize. The women are there to do what is best for their men of the land. No women have a big role in neither the poem or the film, but women are mentioned much more in the film than in the poem at all.

Men and women of the Angelo-Saxon culture are viewed as equals, both partners contribute to the relationship. The men are usually in charge of fighting and other activities involving strength. Women on the other hand are in charge of fertility and being a great partner for their husband (Sarmiento, 2012). The women of the epic poem Beowulf may seem useless to the story. Only taking on the roles of peacemaker, hostess, and monster. However they play a vital role in both keeping the peace, and causing some trouble.

In the poem, women are depicted as insignificant and incapable if they are mentioned at all. The opposite occurs in the movie. For example, when Grendel’s mom attacks Heorot in the poem, the “hag” only manages to take one thane’s life before retreating and later being slaughtered by Beowulf. In the movie, she wreaks havoc on the city and slaughters many. She also easily seduces Beowulf and has control over him for basically the rest of his life. This demonstrates the progress that the emancipation of women has made in society. From being insignificant and almost invisible in the poem to having powerful roles in the movie, women are substantially portrayed as powerful and epoch-making in today’s motion-picture of

During Angle-Saxon times, women played a modest but significant role. From the few women that are mentioned in Beowulf, the position of women in Anglo-Saxon society is visible. The women that appeared in Beowulf include Freawaru, Hildeburh, Hygd, and Modthyrth, however the most important women in the poem are Wealhtheow and Grendel’s mother. Women held considerable power both in physical strength, such as Grendel's mother, and in influence, for example the Danish Queen Wealhtheow.

overcoming obstacles, and creating a bloodbath. However, there are female characters in the sorry that play very minimal roles. Two of the women in the tale are queens, who act as peace weavers. One is a queen of Geatland and the other is a queen of the Danish, Both of these women are glorified and described as nothing short of elegant. Another female character in the story is a literal monster. Grendel's mother plays the role of a villain in the story. She is a very rough creature who is looked at as a disgusting figure, quite the opposite of the queens. Many may disregard the female characters in the epic and say that they play minimal roles. It could be argued that women didn't play an important role in society in the Anglo-Saxon era. I intend to argue that the role of women has changed since the Anglo-Saxon era.

      Are women in this poem active equals of the men? Or are they passive victims of the men? The role of the women in Beowulf is not a stereotyped one of passive homemaker, but rather one having freedom of choice, range of activity, and room for personal growth and development, such as is reflected in Anglo-Saxon England of the time.

          Are women in these poems active equals of the men? Or are they passive victims of the men? The roles of the women in Beowulf and other Anglo-Saxon poems are not always stereotyped ones of passive homemaker and childbearer and peaceweaver, but sometimes ones giving freedom of choice, range of activity, and room for personal growth and development.