The Epic poem of Beowulf centers around the masculine figures of Anglo-Saxon society. The men play the main roles in this poem. This poem is also persuaded by male themes. This leaves little room for the women to stand in the spotlight. There is a stereotype in the poem that the women are frail and much weaker than the men. This stereotype is something that we notice even in today’s society. However, as readers we must examine the roles that these women play. As sophisticated women of the Anglo-Saxon time in the epic poem of Beowulf, the women have three major roles to fulfill: servant, peace weaver, and a mother.
One can be a servant in different ways. Many women of this time were servants to their families and husbands. The biggest role that women like Queen Wealhtheow play is servants in the mead-hall. Wealhtheow is Hrothgar’s Queen. Wealhtheow is a woman of her time, “In this aspect at least she is the
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The author describes Hygd as, “Although Hygd, his queen, / was young, a few short years at court, / her mind was thoughtful and her manners sure” (Lines 1926-1928). Hygd is a young and beautiful wife who not only served her husband, but she also served her kingdom. The author shows a worthy example of what takes place in the mead-hall, “After Hygelac had offered greetings, / to his loyal thane in a lofty speech, / he and his kinsman, that hale survivor, / sat face to face. Haereth’s daughter moved about with the mead-jug in her hand, / taking care of the company, filling the cups, / that warriors held out” (1977-1983). One of the bigger roles that Queen Hygd plays is a server in the mead-hall, “I heard the company call her Freawaru / as she made her rounds, presenting men / with the gem-studded bowl, young bride-to-be / to the gracious Ingeld, in her gold-trimmed attire (2022-2025). Serving everyone in the mead-hall is a important task that is often overlooked by the
In the length of the poem, Beowulf goes from abandoned child to gallant warrior to King. This transformation, expressed in the tone and content of the poem, shows the importance of the relationship between lord and thane and expresses the ultimate value of that connection. From the difference in battle scenes to Beowulf’s speeches, it is clear that he has gone from a somewhat self-loving hero to a selfless king. Within this change he also goes from serving a lord to becoming a lord, and in that way the poem shows us the importance of both sides of the relationship.
The author creates Wealhtheow to embody the role of a traditional Anglo-Saxon woman, and he presents this role as the only appropriate one for Wealhtheow to fulfill. She serves as a peacekeeper in the ever-tumultuous Heorot meadhall. When the author first introduces Wealhtheow to his audience, she immediately falls into her role as peaceful greeter and cocktail waitress. The author writes, "Then Wealhtheow came forth / folk-queen of the Danes daughter of Helmingas / and Hrothgar's bedmate. She hailed all of them / spo...
...ight. The centuries that have elapsed between the two poems indicate that the power of women has increased in direct proportion to the later centuries. Though both these women have power, and each one of them practices it in her own right in accordance to the time period that each inhabits, the perception of their power is nowhere near that of their husbands. Where does that leave these women in their own societies? Though it may seem that both Wealhtheow and the Lady are in their husbands shadow, both considerably contribute to the control of the society in which they are part of the ruling class.
“A peace-weaver was a woman who would be married to a person from an enemy tribe in the hopes of ending a feud” (Yewdaev). The role of women in Anglo-Saxon culture was simple: to settle arguments through arranged marriage. However, Grendel’s mother did not follow similar principles. Instead of arriving at the mead hall ready to make amends and to settle Grendel’s dispute, she returns bloodthirsty and yearning for revenge. Another part that women in the Anglo-Saxon period undertook was that of a cupbearer. “So the Helming woman went on her rounds, / queenly and dignified, decked out in rings, / offering the goblet to all ranks, / treating the household” (Heaney 620-623). Cupbearers served the purpose of passing around cups of mead around to the men until they were all drunk and merry. Grendel’s mother’s independence and lack of subordination to men in the culture epitomizes the contrast she faces with other women in the era. Her attack is surprisingly more impactful than all of Grendel’s together, even though she only delivers a single fatality. Rather than taking out a random drunk guard, she goes straight for Hrothgar’s favorite advisor. “To Hrothgar, this man was the most beloved/ of the friends he trusted between the two seas” (1296-1297). Evidently, coincidence or not, her attack on his advisor was immensely powerful, and contradicts the passive,
As stated by Ulrich, Bathsheba was remembered in English and American sermons as “a virtuous housewife, a godly woman whose industrious labors gave mythical significance to the ordinary tasks assigned to her sex.” In the Proverbs, she is described as one who is willing to serve her family (Ulrich 14). Moreover, just with Ulrich’s initial description of this biblical woman in which she compares women of the 1650s-1750s to, readers are able to get a general understanding that a woman’s role in economic life was vital to the success of her
Within the poem, the central function of these women is to assume the role of hostess by offering the mead cup to their husbands as well as his guests in the mead hall. Through this seemingly frivolous action, the women become an extension of their husbands’ power. The offering of the mead cup through his wife is a display of the King’s hospitality, generosity, and graciousness. By offering the communal mead cup to every single person to the entire body of the King’s people and to foreign guests, as Wealhtheow does when Beowulf joins the Danes (Beowulf 43:620-640, 84:1191-1214), a sense of equality is created and peace is formed within the community as well as foreign tribes. Through their marriage, Wealhtheow and Hygd represent the ideal, moral Germanic woman who is loyal to their husbands, hospitable, well-tempered, gracious, and bearers of peace. Grendel’s mother, on the other hand, is the polar opposite of these
There are three prominent monsters in the Beowulf text, Grendel, his mother, and the dragon. While the dragon proves to be the most fatale of foes for Beowulf, Grendel and his mother do not simply pose physical threats to the Germanic society; their roles in Beowulf are manifold. They challenge the perceptions of heroism, a sense of unrivalled perfection and superiority. Moreover, they allow the reader to reconsider the gender constructs upheld within the text; one cannot help but feel that the threat that these monsters present is directed towards the prevalent flaws in Beowulf’s world. Moreover, what makes these monsters is not their physical appearance; it is what they embody. Both Grendel and his mother have humanlike qualities yet their monstrous appearance arises from what their features and mannerisms represent. The challenge they pose to societal paradigms makes them far more terrifying to our heroes than any scaled flesh or clawing hand. These monsters provide the ‘most authoritative general criticism […] of the structure and conduct of the poem’. Their presence provides contrast and criticism of the brave society (Heaney 103).
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.
Promp: what does beowulf have to say about women? Specifically, what is a women’s proper role in Beowulf? Consider actual Anglo- Saxon queens
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.
This poetic depiction of Wealhtheow’s influence in Hrothgar’s court allows her great freedoms, which were typically allowed only for the king: [She] then handed the cup/ first to Hrothgar, their homeland guardian,/urging him to drink deep and enjoy it/…[And] so the Helming woman went on her rounds offering the goblet to all ranks” (Heaney 43). In this instance, the moral leadership of Wealhtheow defines the feminist heroine, which have given a special right to overlook the patriarchal traditions of Hrothgar’s court. Wealhtheow is very similar to Elinor because of her special standing as a woman of honor and dignity that gives her great powers to stand outside of patriarchal traditions that often entrap and subjugate other women. Beowulf provides this instance of poetic tradition that sets the foundation for greater equality between men and women due to the intelligent heroism of Elinor, Wealhtheow, and also, the figure of Mother Mary as an example of the morally righteous Anglo-Saxon
Numerous women have the essential task of playing hostess to the battle seeking men. Wealhtheow is the queen and wife to Hrothgar, so she is considered to be a noblewoman. In the Mead Hall, Wealhtheow enters with the surveillance of her guests. The Queen elegantly acquaints herself with the strong men in the Heorot hall. Being influentially well dressed, and bejeweled in her gold, she conforms to her given duty of distributing the cup,
Woman in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” compared to the women in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight shows a progress or a power shift between men and women. When the knight sees the old lady and asks her for her help, she’s the only one who has that power to help save him. Now in terms of power, the old lady and the Wife differ in how they show their power. For example, The Wife in the prologue, she talks about her having five husbands and is looking for the sixth one and how her husband who “shal be bothe my dettour and my thral / And have his tribulacion withal / Upon his flesh whil that I am his wif.” (shall be both my debtor and my slave / And bear his tribulation to the grave / Upon his flesh, as long as I’m his wife) (The Wife of Bath’s Prologue 161-163) and even how she “have the
Beowulf, written between the 8th and 10th centuries, is an epic poem set in southern Sweden. The poem illustrates the Anglo-Saxon’s strong belief in the heroic code. The loyalty between the warrior and his king bound the culture together. The warrior was the ultimate hero who represented strength and courage. Beowulf, the hero in the poem, illustrates the Germanic principles of the heroic code. Through the battles and character interactions, Beowulf converges loyalty, strength, courage and forgiveness into the hero archetype.
Women in different societies around the world, during the Middle Ages, experienced different hardships and roles. These hardships and roles helped shape how they were viewed in their society. Some women were treated better and more equal than others. In Rome, Medieval England, and Viking society, women’s legal status, education, marriage and family roles were considered diverse, but also similar. In certain nation’s women have more or less power than women in other nations, but none equal to the power that women have in America today.