Women In Beowulf

Beowulf is an Old English poem written somewhere between the eighth century and the tenth century; the culture of Germanic times is depicted through varying concepts of masculinity that not only describes their capability as a warrior, but also their aptitude as a leader. Beowulf shows of a demon named Grendel attacking Heorot, and the king, Hrothgar, calls Beowulf, a warrior, for help with the slaying of Grendel. Characteristics and qualities of leadership are directly linked to the masculinity of the characters within Beowulf. The leaders in the prologue are demonstrated with the aspects of masculinity through their strength and brutality. In Beowulf, a man demonstrates his essential worth through evidence of masculinity as seen in Unferth’s cowardice, Beowulf’s heroism, and Wiglaf’s bravery.

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

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.

In Beowulf, Wealhtheow and Hygd were both queens and hosted functions and events for the kings and the tribesman. Queen Wealhtheow, wife of Hrothgar, was well known as the mistress of Heorot Hall. Her main concern was that her son 's, Hrethric and Hrothmund, became the rightful heirs to the throne in the possibility of the king 's death. Wealhtheow was fearful that Beowulf would attain the throne for himself. Hygd, wife of Hygelac, was wise and intelligent in her role as queen, but was worried about the ability of her heir to rule the kingdom after her husband 's death. Queen Hygd offered Beowulf the crown, but he convinced her to award her son, Heardred, the honor of becoming King

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.

In Beowulf, varying treatment among each gender is common. Therefore, mistresses are not allowed to perform actions that men were permitted and are required to enact based on society’s standards. Females are not retained from doing heroic deeds because of the structure of their body or the estimated weightlifting qualifications. However, the weakest of males are expected to excel through rigorous parts in their life to represent heroic traits they possess within unearthly powers as men of the Gods. Savage animals were not figurative in the passage, but were viewed just as real as a man’s sword. Without these monsters, the men could not have slain enough to be seen as inhumanly or superior compared to the average man. Males were constantly competing against each other in order to have a place among the Gods.

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.

Thus, a second hint leading readers to assume that it was a male-dominated society comes into play when talking about identities. In the story of Beowulf, everyone is identified by being the son, daughter, or the wife of a particular man. Even the only officially introduced woman is referred to as “Grendel’s mother.” Thus, she has no name, or at least she is not identified by it. The reader again realizes that value of women is set in relation to men. A similar kind of identification is exemplified in the title of “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”: referred to as a “wife”. Even before starting to read the story, one is introduced to Alisoun as the wife of a man. And until very late on in the story, one does not learn her name. Additionally, the queen, who seems to wield the most power in the tale, lacks her name and identified as being the “queen” of a man. All of these examples show that the image of a woman as a “mother,” “wife” or a “queen” was more important than her individuality as a person during medieval

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

Throughout the novel Beowulf, women can be looked at as unimportant, but from Campbell’s excerpt one can see how the role of women in Beowulf is as essential as the role of men. Throughout the course of Beowulf, many men take part in acts of protection, bravery, and sacrifice, but what many do not notice is the roles women have taking part in those same actions. Although women’s acts of protection, bravery, and sacrifice in this novel seem to be minor and not as celebrated as the men’s acts, they are still critical to the wellbeing and overall success of the character’s lives. According to Campbell, “A woman’s what it’s all about; the giving of birth and the giving of nourishment. She’s identical with the earth goddess in her powers, and

The epic poem Beowulf shows a society much different from others in literary history, and it is very period of its time. A great deal of this novel is spent setting a background and introducing the values and peculiarities of Anglo-Saxon culture to the reader. In particularly, the ideals of masculinity are frequently and obviously portrayed throughout the story and mainly through the character of Beowulf. The poet who wrote Beowulf communicates the masculine values of Anglo-Saxon men through the loyal and prideful motives of Beowulf.

The women in Beowulf, The Wife of Bath, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight all hold very important roles within these works. At first glance when reading these works the women do not appear to be significant characters, or even worth stopping to give a second thought to. “The medieval landscape, as viewed through the eyes of scholars, was hardly populated by women. Particularly, young unmarried women or "maidens" have been paid little attention” . (Phillips)

The major women that appear in Beowulf are: Wealhtheow, Hildeburh, Freawaru, Thyrth and Grendel’s mother. Wealhtheow and Hygd are the only two female characters whom are royalty. Wealtheow and Hygd are seen as hostesses; rather she is the instrument that reaffirms social customs and publicly establishes the status of the men who are in the presence of the king

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 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.