Who Is Grendel's Mother

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.

Grendel’s mother challenges the roles that she is expected to follow as an Anglo-Saxon woman, which makes her an outcast and social pariah. Women were expected to be passive: “…the idea is stressed that a kinswoman or mother must passively accept and not actively avenge the loss of her

When Grendel's mother arrives to torment the Danes, seeking vengeance for her son’s death, Beowulf’s fight with Grendel's mother

Within the pages of the well-known epic poem are many extraordinary and warring narratives of the Middle Ages. Beowulf is important because it is one of the most ancient European epics written in the vernacular, or native tongue. The seemingly super natural heroes of this exciting and famous writing have a great impact on the typical roles of their women. As declared through out the many lines of the astonishing poem, the women have many purposes and serve a variety of roles. Wealhtheow, Hygd, Hildeburh, Freawaru, and Grendel’s Mother give examples of the historical roles that are expected of the women of this ancient time. The women in “Beowulf” have the significant roles of hostess, peaceweaver, and mother.

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.

During the 12 chapters of Grendel's demise he meets many different types of character and with Grendel starting out as a young child-like naive mindset, he is easily manipulated by other too think many different ways. By Grendel starting out as a mind that can easily have others come into his life and change the way he sees life starts off a chain of reactions that makes him create beliefs and then even just after he will go against them. If Grendel took initiative as a smart intelligible mind then he would have never had to meet new characters in his life and try and hear what they have to say. Since that is not how he is, he is a person/monster who is in need of a leader. He has a mother but she is never entirely there for her own son.

In the poem Beowulf, the most evident theme is the importance of the Germanic heroic code. The heroic code was what made Beowulf so famous and god-like during his renowned life. The code is displayed in the opening lines of the poem and continued to show up throughout the duration of the poem. Heroism is often painted with a protagonist, which causes some acts of heroism to be overlooked when an antagonist follows the heroic code. Throughout the poem, there are many acts of heroism displayed, but many people overlook the way that Grendel’s mother followed the Germanic heroic code. Grendel’s mother follows the Germanic heroic code by showing courage, strength, and honor as Beowulf does throughout the poem, something that is frowned upon in the Anglo-Saxon culture.

In "Beowulf", Grendel's mother is perhaps one of the most confusing characters. While she is notably smaller and supposedly more frail than her son, it is clear that Grendel's mother is quite possibly the most vicious beast presented in this piece of literature. Grendel's mother could be best described as a "grief-racked and ravenous"(1278) creature when he finds out about her son's death, and her disposition is one that is "desperate for revenge" (1278). Grendel's mother may represent a number of things in the text, and the author chooses to depict her as a limitless being. Grendel's mother possesses many of the traits that the warriors do, and her hunger to avenge her son's death is one resonant of the heroic code. In the heroic code, families

While she can be the secret avenger of our actions, she can also be the thing that tempts us with what we want most only to let it destroy us once we have it. Beowulf was tempted with fame and glory and he gave in. He got what he wanted but at the price of his morality and self-assurance. He gave up these things that he thought he didn’t need in exchange for his largest dreams. It was only afterwards that he discovered that he lost more than he gained. But this fault is not particular to Beowulf alone; it is something we are all afflicted with. There are Grendel’s Mothers in all aspect of life. They tempt us with things we want like money, success, and the favor of others. We trade away the same things that Beowulf did to achieve what we want and more. The price varies but the outcome is always the same: we realize that our priorities were out of order and must deal with the consequences. I am not excluded from this. There have been times when I gave into temptation because I thought the outcome would be better. Times when I traded my honesty to keep the favor of others only to lose their trust in the

The Character That Redefines Gender Roles Translated by Seamus Heaney in 2000, “Beowulf” is an epic poem that utilizes its characters to present the theme of gender roles through the idea of masculinity and feminism. Grendel’s mother is a descendant of Cain and is filled with rage and desire to revenge his son’s defeat. She is one of the monsters in the heroic epic of Beowulf. Unlike her son, she is less powerful and non-problematic and can be described as a woman on a human mission rather than monstrous mission. Her only motive for retreating to violence is to revenge for her son, which defines her role as a mother.

Evidence Quotes from Text: lines 1258-1261 and 1276-1278 Explanation: Grendel’s mother is the only female character that shows the more physical and contradicting social interpretation of women, Unlike the previous women mentioned, she uses force and violence in order to get what she wants. Her entire role in the story says nothing but negative aspects. She is described as “monster woman”, “greedy”, “grim-minded”, and is linked to the decedents of Cain. Quotes from Text: lines 1279-1287 Explanation: Her way of living shows masculinity in her behavior and her in her actions towards the other characters.

Adam Richards World Lit I Mr. Mulry 10/20/2014 Malewulf This essay explores Beowulf, one of the most translated and reproduced epics of all time and the roles of women in Beowulf. While Beowulf himself is the clear legend of this Old English Saxon epic, women inside Beowulf and Old English Saxon society are in a society that places practically zero esteem on them.

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

The Many Roles Of Women Some critics have argued that “women had no place in the masculine, death-centered world of Beowulf. Probably because of the importance of male heroism in this poem, the significance of women is minimized. Although it is true that their appearance is inhibited and brief, they do play fundamental roles in it. This paper will introduce six women and their roles in Beowulf.

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.