The Seafarer And The Wife's Lament

In the Anglo-Saxon era, exile was an essential aspect to the type of literature that was written. The word exile, in the age of the Anglo-Saxon, was an extremely feared word because it meant being barred from one’s village, which in many cases meant death. If one was barred from a village, they could not join another village or get back into their homeland because other kingdoms would not let strangers in due to their history. The exiled were stuck out in the wilderness alone with only their thoughts and the harsh climate. Not only was the word “exile” feared, it also helped the ruling king gain more power because of the constant fear of being banished from their loved ones. “The Seafarer,” “The Wanderer,” and “The Wife’s Lament” are three well-known Anglo-Saxon poems that incorporate the fear of exile, not only provoked by

In “The Wife’s Lament” her husband had left their kingdom for a distant land because of exile or voluntarily but he left her behind alone. After an undetermined period of time her husband does not come back, so she seeks out protection from her husband's kinsman. This is a tragic event in the poem because in the Anglo-Saxon era women had no rights and had to do everything the men ordered them to do. Women were housewives that cleaned the house, taught the children, and cooked supper. Therefore, when the kinsman was heckled one day, he threw the wife out and she had to live “under the oak tree through these earth halls” (ln. 36). This is when she experiences the worst part of exile that anyone can undergo. The exile that no one wants to experience and everyone fears. The feeling of complete helplessness and loneliness because all one has to keep them company are the sorrows of their past, and the wishes of their future that will never come