are several female figures in Beowulf; this paper will focus on three of them- queen Wealhtheow of the Danes, queen Hygd of the Geats and Grendel?s mother. These characters have many parallels between them but in a way some are the ?alter-ego? of the others. Wealhtheow is the perfect hostess and devoted queen and wife. Her first appearance in the poem demonstrates her official duties as the queen: ?Wealhtheow came in, Hrotgar?s queen, observing the courtesies. Adorned in her gold, she graciously
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. Wealhtheow is Hrothgar's queen and the mother of his two sons. Wealhtheow portrays the role of a traditional Anglo-Saxon woman at the time. When Wealhtheow is first introduced to the audience, she immediately falls
The various adaptations of the Beowulf legend provide a form of courageousness. The following are sources concerning the Beowulf myth: Grendel, a novel by John Gardner, and Beowulf and Grendel, a film directed by Sturla Gunnarson. These pieces contain acts of genuine bravery, but they also depict instances where lack of courage is shown. The prevalence of bravery juxtaposed with cowardice within the novel and the film suggests that acts of heroism are situational and dependent upon one’s exhibited
Throughout the novel Grendel by John Gardner, the monster Grendel has many different encounters that change his view on the world. Whether it was through nihilism, existentialism, or idealism Grendel was influenced in many ways by all of them. The monster Grendel starts out as an existentialist, but morphs into a nihilist after he talks to the most nihilistic character in the book, the dragon. Influenced through nihilism, existentialism, and idealism Grendel is reshaped and sculpted into a new thing
contrasting the restriction of Wealhtheow and the power she practices in Beowulf with the Lady’s more direct assertion of power in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight five centuries later. The confines of structure, in which the poems are written, parallel the confines of society that these two women inhabit. Beowulf presents a more restricted society for women; the actual passage itself is set up to reinforce the ideology that women’s power alone is ineffective. Before Wealhtheow begins her speech, the
things such as serve mead, give speeches, and take care of the mead-hall. This shows how important women were to this culture. Queen Wealhtheow is a mother of two children. She shows the part of a regular Anglo-Saxon woman at the time. When Wealhtheow was aware of the crowd, she quickly falls into her part as a tranquil greeter and a mixed drink server. Wealhtheow then continues through the mead hall "offering corridor bliss to old and to youthful
Grendel Queen Wealhtheow and Queen Hygd served as excellent role models for the courts in which they served. They exemplified the mannerisms and etiquette of the noble people. Queen Wealhtheow showed excellent poise from the very beginning of both texts. She was admirable as she passed the mead bowl around Heorot. The offering of the bowl was symbolic, being that the bowl was first given to Hrothgar and then passed to Beowulf, as if she presented him with her trust. Beowulf gave Wealhtheow his guarantee
Hrothgar, since he has been chosen to destroy to the monster Grendel. However, an unusual break with patriarchal tradition finds Wealhtheow, the wife of King Hrothgar, passing the mead cup to Beowulf as part of this indoctrination. In this ceremony, the tradition of the king passing the mead cup has been disavowed due to the power of the Wealhtheow in the royal court: “Wealhtheow came in,/ Hrothgar’s queen, observing the courtesies./ Adorned in gold, she
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
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 treatment and mistreatment of women in Anglo-Saxon society. The author of Beowulf generally supports the traditional Anglo-Saxon views of women by praising Wealhtheow, condemning Grendel's mother, and showing
roles these six women presented in Beowulf have, can be compared to real Anglo-Saxon women who held together nations, bring heirs and future generations into the world, all qualities that are necessary for the Anglo-Saxons to continue to strive. Wealhtheow and Hygd play the role of cup-bearer along with the political stance of queen allowing them to have equality among men. Freawaru and Hildeburh are what Anglo-Saxons consider peace-weavers which mend together nations if handled the right way. Then
and serve a variety of roles. Wealhtheow, Hygd, Hildeburh, Freawaru, and Grendel’s Mother give examples of the historical roles that are expected of the women of this ancient time. The women in “Beowulf” have the significant roles of hostess, peaceweaver, and mother. 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
similar to a society culture that places little to no meaning on them. Even though females characters don't show up as much they have been shown to have hidden parts like Wealhtheow, Hygd, Hildeburh, Freawaru, and Modthryth. Wealhtheow and Hygd are two queens married to Hrothgar and Hygelac. They are married to a king, Wealhtheow being Hrothgar’s wife and Hygd being Hygelac’s. They help to host celebrations and parties in the hall, making sure everybody is happy and having a good time. In Anglo-Saxon
ideals of Germanic warriors and kings, Grendel’s mother is an inverted ideal woman. In a society where a woman’s role is to serve her husband by being a gracious and hospitable hostess that establishes peace between men, exemplified by the figures of Wealhtheow and Hygd, Grendel’s mother defies such gender roles. Grendel’s mother is an unmarried outcast who embodies inhospitality, tempestuousness, and
A Woman’s Duty To the Anglo-Saxons, the most important figure was the ring-giver followed by his band of warriors. In a society in which war was relatively constant and life could be short, the ability to fight was highly prized. Anglo-Saxon women could not fight nor were they expected to. As a result of being left out of the warrior class, women were automatically relegated to the less important roles in society. Despite being second-class citizens, Anglo-Saxon women were able to attain dignity
were consistently at the mercy of their lords or husbands. The sense of isolation and desperation felt by these women is captured in the “The Wife’s Lament” as the speaker describes her inability to control her own situation. The female characters Wealhtheow, Hildeburh, and Freawaru in Beowulf also display the limited role of women as peace-weavers. The only female character with some power in Beowulf is Grendel’s mother, who retaliates for the death of her son. The speaker of “The Wife’s Lament”
side. A deficiency of a virtue, courage for instance, is cowardice, while an excess of courage can lead to rashness (Aristotle). This view forms the basis for my argument that the characters in Beowulf are subjected to a sliding scale of virtue. Wealhtheow, Grendel, and Beowulf provide valuable insight into how the virtues of modesty, steadfastness, and fortitude are perceived by the audience inside and outside the story, as
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
action between Beowulf and three monsters to save Heorot. We see the heroism and the male comitatus of this warrior and king. However, the women in this epic are highly overlooked. Three noteworthy women assume essential parts all through the epic: Wealhtheow, Hildeurh, and Grendel’s mother. These women fascinate, bring peace, and renounce societal desires of the female sexual role, either straightforwardly, or in a roundabout way. The epic of “Beowulf” represents three notable parts for the ladies in
falsifies the tone of the poem. Gould said, “Generally, scholars and translators of Beowulf have been reluctant to translate the word druncen with its modern English equivalent, 'drunken'.Druncen is used five times in Beowulf, once in line 1231, where Wealhtheow uses it to refer to Hrothgar's dryhtguman, once in line 2179, where it refers to Beowulf's heorogeneatas, and three times in the phrase beore/wine druncen, in lines 480, 531, and 1467: twice this expression refers to Hunferth, and once to Hrothgar's