Women In Beowulf

Grendel’s mother is portrayed in a negative and objectified image. First, she has a sexual appeal. Grendel’s mom wears no clothes; her skin is gold, which covers her body. She is half woman and half monster. She has a promiscuous look that draws in attention from the opposite sex. In addition, she has a sexual attitude. Right when Beowulf enters the

The Danes are enemies with the Frisians. However, Hildeburh failed to bring peace among the men and lost her brother, son, and husband in a battle. The fact that the husband and brother are burned on the pyre together signifies shared loss and mourning, “how could she [Hildeburh] not lament her fate when morning came and the light broke on her murdered dears” (63). Hrothgar hosts a banquet for Beowulf, and he presents his men with rewards and gold for the Geatish warrior that Grendel killed. The Danes and Finns break out into battle after the gifts are distributed and Hildeburh loses her brother and son.

Within the patriarchal society of early western cultures, women were often forced to submit to their male counterparts in all matters. Despite this, women were not completely powerless in society and often had many clever and subversive means of fulfilling their wishes. Though not as prominent or outwardly recognizable as a man’s display of power, women in early western culture were certainly able to persuade men to do their bidding. By looking at three period texts, examples of this manipulation can be seen. Within “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale,” Lanval, and Beowulf there is evidence of women’s roles in society as well as their methods of harnessing power.

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.

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.

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.

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.

They publicly establish the status of men who are in the presence of the king also known as the passing of the cup. The passing of the cup confirms the rank of an individual, such as Beowulf who is an outsider henceforth receiving the cup last at the first feast, however after defeating Grendel he receives the cup second showing his ascension through the ranks. A hostess also becomes the voice of reason and has much political power, for example when hygd’s husband dies she does not believe her son to be a capable ruler so she offers the throne to Beowulf. This shows she has power second only to the

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

Beowulf and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” are both narratives in which gender acts as an important theme within their individual communities; yet they use different tools to define the roles of men and women within a good community. Or, in other words, both stories paint a vivid picture of the role of women, by suggesting that one gender had more power over the other. However, these two narratives vary in their expression of such views; Beowulf conveys its message through what is missing, while “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” incorporates satire and uses explicit narrative when relaying the experience of a woman that is highly different from that of other women of her time. Furthermore, another difference that is apparent to the reader is that men become the heroes in Beowulf, while “the wife” becomes

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.

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

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.

In the book Beowulf, the women played significant roles at this period of time. It was actually a time when women were well respected. Some women were even referred to as a noble lady, like Wealtheow. So, why were the roles of the women in the story of Beowulf important? What did they do and how did they do it? Finally, did they offer an alternate prospective to the poetic story? Yes, all the women in the story of Beowulf, like Wealtheow, Hygd, Hildeburh, and Grendal’s mother had roles that offered an alternate prospective of the story.

Wealhtheow is very honorable, having the respect of their guests and is able to address them directly. She speaks eloquently and scholar-esque as she addresses the hall and it is noted by the acknowledgment from Beowulf. As the cupbearer, she must designate the hierarchy, and at first, she passes on the cup to Beowulf last, as he is a newcomer to the hall. Beowulf is then asked a favor from the court, to defeat Grendel, who has been terrorizing them. After Beowulf agrees to the terms and defeats Grendel in a laborious fight, the queen says, “‘Enjoy this drink, my most generous lord;/ raise up your goblet, entertain the Geats/ duly and gently, discourse with them,/ be open-handed, happy and fond.’”( Lines 1168-1171). This quote shows her own hospitality, offering gifts and dignity to a great soldier and praising him by putting him on a pedestal. The offering of the gifts show that they’re praising the great works of Beowulf the Geat, but Wealhtheow is also speaking with confidence, protecting her own assets from being taken over by praising Beowulf, taking the offer to take Hrothgar’s nephew under his wing, while still being generous enough to bestow a beautiful