Epic of Beowulf

While the heroic epic poem Beowulf features a significant amount of female characters (Grendel’s mother, Wealhtheow, etc.), it is obvious that the men and their affairs are the focus of the story. Stacy S. Klein points out that “the poem’s powerfully masculinist disposition is apparent in its largely male cast of characters and in the relatively minimal attention given to the women who do appear” (87). As part of the heroic culture present in the poem, it is commonplace for “women [to be] married off to men of rival tribes in order to insure observance of peace treaties” (Fee, 285). At first glance it seems that the women of Beowulf are there simply to serve the men as servants or bargaining chips. Is this the case? Or do the women of Beowulf hold more influence than we think? In this essay – using two of the poem’s most important female characters as examples – I argue that, in terms of word choice and the language of the poem itself, the women of Beowulf are portrayed as bed mates or wives first, and people second. However, when it comes to the poem’s plot, the women do hold a significant amount of influence.

The first major female character to whom we are introduced is Wealhtheow, described as “Hrothgar’s queen... Adorned in her gold” (Beowulf, lines 613 – 614). A few lines later she is referred to as “Wealhtheow / [Hrothgar’s] queen and bedmate” (664 – 665). Neither time is Wealhtheow referred to as simply Wealhtheow or even as queen of Danes, but as a companion to Hrothgar. Hrothgar, on the other hand, is consistently referred to as simply “Hrothgar” or as “Halfdane’s son” (191). This is evidence of the strong patriarchal values of the heroic culture found within the poem.

That is not to say, however, that Wealhtheow is...

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...roblem (Tyson, 86). By showing restraint and only taking one life, Grendel’s mother demonstrates that she does not fit the stereotypical construct of the hysterical, grieving mother, and that she is entirely capable of being logical and rational.

As you can see, the poem’s language demonstrates a sexist, patriarchal portrayal of its female characters, while the events or plot of the poem show these same characters in a much more powerful and influential light. Why is this? What I consider most likely, is that the poet tried to portray the women as powerful and (somewhat) equal to the men, yet was limited by the conventions of language that existed in their time period. Women were considered inferior to the men, and the language would have reflected such things. Unfortunately, due to Beowulf’s anonymous authorship, we may never know the true answer to this question.