Women in the Anglo-Saxon era were treated more like objects and a way for people to reproduce rather than as people. As people in modern society read plays and epics from their time we have realized that the main women in Anglo-Saxon stories were told as people who didn’t really have their own identity. In plays and epics like Beowulf, Macbeth and lastly in Lady Baths story in Canterbury tales they show that women are important characters, even though they aren’t given an identity In the story Beowulf, Grendel’s mom isn’t even human but we see that she is only known as her son’s mom and not given a proper name. Grendel’s mom is a character who is placed in a position where she wants to avenge her son’s death and overpower Beowulf by killing their best soldiers. She is blinded by the pain of the loss of her son and is …show more content…
Lady Macbeth is the wife of Macbeth and is a very persuasive character in the story. Lady Macbeth is a women who is power hungry and willing to do anything for it. We see her power-hungry self when she says “But be the serpent under’t. he is coming must be provided for and you shall put the nights greats business into my dispatch.” (I,iv,59) this section is her painting the picture of Macbeth killing Duncan in his sleep. Lady Macbeth is manipulating him into doing deeds that he isn’t too willing to do but will be persuaded by her into killing the king. We see that she challenges his manhood constantly throughout her plan to kill the king. It is shown when she says “was so hope drunk wherein you dressed yourself? Hath you slept since? And wakes it now, to look so pale and green” (I, viii, 36) She speaks about how he was willing to go through with the killing but when shows signs of regret she shoots at his manhood by calling him a coward to persuade him into killing. Lady Macbeth is a woman who will always get her way and is willing to kill for
“That I may pour my spirits in thine ear And chastise with the valor of my tongue all that impedes thee from the golden round, which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem to have thee crowned withal” (1.5.25). In lady Macbeth’s mind Macbeth doesn’t have the power to kill king Duncan. Lady Macbeth persuades Macbeth to kill king Duncan with her help. “What beast was’t, then, That made you break this enterprise to me? When you durst do it, then you were a man: (1.7.49). Lady Macbeth questions if Macbeth is a man; by convincing him to carry out the murder. If Macbeth did not carry out the plan lady Macbeth would think less of Macbeth as a man. Lady Macbeth persuade Macbeth to do this because she wanted to become queen.
In the poem “Beowulf,” Grendel’s mother, a monstrous creature, is one of the three antagonists Beowulf, the main character, fights against. The battle against Grendel’s mother appears to be the strangest of the three battles. The main reason for its strangeness is that Grendel’s mother is the mother of the monster Grendel, who was killed by Beowulf in the first battle. Another reason for its strangeness is that Grendel’s mother is the only female-type creature. An alternative reason for this strangeness in the battle is due to the fact that Grendel’s mother is not a true monster, aside from her physical form. Through the explanation of kinship, the understanding of the missing words from the original text, and the comparison of Grendel’s mother to other mothers in the poem, specifically Welthow and Hildeburh, it can be established that the intentions of Grendel’s mother are not monstrous even though she has the appearance of a monster.
With any great society, there is a strong and invincible structure supporting it. This structure is made up of various factors and variables that when added up together equal something much grander than ever imagined. No matter how microscopic the part is presumed to be, anything can drastically alter the course of time and the people involved. One example of this is the Anglo-Saxon society that is ever present in the literary work Beowulf. Throughout the epic the strong sense of community and brotherhood are present; yet, one very important aspect of their world is swept under the rug and undermined. This would be, of course, the favorable effect women have in the society and how their roles, although presumed by many as minute and insignificant,
The women in Beowulf are barely discussed and seem to exist solely for the use of the men. They are weak and portray none of the legendary qualities that the men display. Wealhtheow, the Queen of Danes and Hrothgar's wife, is the only female character in the epic that talks. In a speech to her husband, we are able to see that she is a strong woman, who is able to speak her mind. She tells the king that it is good that he adopted Beowulf, but reminds him that he already has two sons. However, her speech is made while she carries the drinking goblet to all of the men in the room, "Wealhtheow came in,/ Hrothgar's queen, observing the courtesies./ Adorned in her gold, she graciously handed the cup first to Hrothgar, their homeland's guardian,/ urging him to drink deep and enjoy it because he was dear to them" (612-618). When she is given the opportunity to talk, she only praises the men and plays a role defined by their society.
Beowulf was written more than twelve hundred years ago. Women characters are presented, and every woman has one-of-a-kind attributes. The women in Beowulf are known to be hard working people, each of whom has a role within the poem. Throughout the epic, distinctive women do things such as serve mead, give speeches, and take care of the mead-hall. This shows how important women were to this culture.
In the novel, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth was the fundamental motivation behind why King Duncan was killed, more than Macbeth. Lady Macbeth had more aspiration and a stronger hunger for power, which made her drive another person to do her messy work for her. For instance, “When you durst do it, then
And as critics claim, the nameless women could be due to the poet’s disregard for women, and this may be true because there are evidences that point to this, for example, Grendel’s mother is unnamed and she is not identified as human much less as a woman or female (Lines 1258-1298). Nevertheless, she is a strong and empathetic female, who will stop at nothing to avenge the death of her son. While the women in the poem are not all dignifying, they are strong and keepers of peace. The woman, known as the Peace weaver, is one of the notable female characters in Beowulf.
Lady Macbeth was overall the biggest bully in the Macbeth play. She exerted control over her husband. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth made a plan to kill King Duncan following The Three Witches prophecy where they foretold he would be king. In Act 1 Scene 7 Macbeth decides not to King Duncan because he was “his kinsman and his subject” and because Duncan “Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been...So clear in his great office”. When Macbeth tells Lady Macbeth that he won’t kill King Duncan, she calls him a coward saying "When you durst do it, then you were a man". By calling him a coward and questioning his manliness she pushed him to murder King Duncan.
Grendel’s mother, although initially threatening Beowulf’s heroic abilities, not only helps him grow as a hero and a warrior, but also makes him wiser and smarter in combat.
Women usually do not play an important role in stories from the Old English period. This was not true in the poem of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Both use women in more than just a minor role. Those roles are marginal nonetheless, but the women still play a big part. Grendel’s Mother in Beowulf shows off the power of a woman by fighting in a major battle with Beowulf himself. She is shown as a supernatural creature that is as powerful as a man. Grendel’s Mother is used as a symbol to promote equality between both sexes.
Despite their minimal role within the poem, women routinely act as voices of reason; in fact, women within Beowulf depict roles that only they can commit to, in order to contribute markedly towards society. One of these such women is the gracious queen Wealhtheow; exhibiting the role of establishing somewhat of a hierarchy within the mead-hall. The order you would drink from the mead cup would depict your social status. Beowulf’s rank is reflected by this as following his trouncing of Grendel as the queen gives, “The cup to him [Beowulf] and he was entreated kindly to honor the feast.” Beowulf was initially the last to receive the honour of the mead cup, however his status rose immediately after slaying Grendel- making him second only to the king. The other major feminine Anglo-Saxon ethos that enhances this poem is delineated by the devilish Mother of Grendel. Portrayal of how the civilization perceived the female warrior was outlined by the fiend. Upon her first encounter with the “heroes” of Dane, they were conflicted regarding the threat as “The force of a woman, her onset in a fight, is less feared by men,” signifying how, despite their intellectual brilliance, women were frowned upon as combatants within the society. Consequently, women were encouraged to take the role of a mother or a voice of reason as these are some of the feminine characteristics the
First of all, what is Lady Macbeth’s role in the story Macbeth? Early in the play she seems to be the stronger and more ruthless of the two, as she urges her husband to kill Duncan and seize the crown. She wants nothing more than power and she will do anything to get it. She pushes her husband to kill Duncan. When it came time for Macbeth to do the deed he panics and does not complete the order. Lady Macbeth then calls
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.
Grendel's Mother: Has no name of her own. She is a monster and gives Beowulf just as difficult fight as her son does.
To perceive these women of Beowulf in the other light, they were dominated by men, and expected to fulfill their roles in society. By not doing so they became exiled from society and not accepted anymore. They were expected to either make peace or act in a royal way, upholding promises made by the men. The women for the most part were passive, obeying and following in men’s shadows. When any dared to become aggressive, independent, they could and sometimes did become a