Does the poet use the female characters in Beowulf to reinforce the limits of female autonomy?
In regard to female autonomy and Beowulf, it cannot be ignored that many of the women portrayed in the poem were acting as expected of them in the time period, or alternatively acting against it. The two main examples of this within Beowulf are the characters of Wealtheow and Grendel’s mother. Both of these women highlight how this society impacts and limits female autonomy, but both women seemingly went down different life paths and here I will examine how this relates to how female autonomy in this world has impacted them. Wealtheow and Grendel’s mother are arguably the two most important female characters in Beowulf, and out of all the women in
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In short, Wealtheow is an ideal queen, and this idea is reinforced through the retelling of the story of Queen Modthryth who, like Grendel’s mother, is shown to be Wealtheows opposite. But regardless of these traits, Wealtheow is inferior to every man in this kingdom due to her status as a woman. “The author reinforces that she [Wealtheow] is a member of the weaker gender by directing Wealtheow to her proper position behind the king.” …show more content…
While I only focused on two women in particular, there are many other instances of women within Beowulf being literally sold off, being pushed to the side and remaining quiet and letting the men of the society rule. The characters of Wealtheow and Grendel’s mother are two sides of a coin, with one living as a queen but not really existing or forging her own values, and the other being shunned for rejecting the patriarchal attitudes and finding her own rules to abide by. But yet, both of these characters provided enough information on the society to highlight the gross inequality that women or female figures at this time felt despite having only minor parts in the life of the hero Beowulf, and to him (and all the other men) neither of these women were more than a small blip on his radar. This subconscious disregard of femininity on both Beowulf’s and the entire society’s part only serves to limit the autonomy of the females who existed alongside them and to highlight my points of how it
As the poems of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight show, women have always had power, yet not as overt a power as wielded by their masculine counterparts. The only dynamic of women’s power that has changed in the later centuries is that the confines and conditions in which women have wielded their power has become more lax, thus yielding to women more freedom in the expression of their power. The structure, imagery, and theme in the excerpts from Beowulf (lines 744-71) and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (lines 2309-30) support the concept of more power in the later centuries, by contrasting the restriction of Wealhtheow and the power she practices in Beowulf with the Lady’s more direct assertion of power in Sir Gawain
Women were looked at to be as picture perfect as a God was seen because they had to be part of the same ideal that their society had placed upon them. During Beowulf’s time women were known for much less than men. Women were not heroes or seen as strong under any circumstance. It simply wasn’t seen possible for a woman to possess a powerful aura. Thrith was an extremely compelling opposition to these standards. Many had their opinions of Thrift, but not as one to regard modelly: “And how great a sin for a woman, Whether fair or black, to create fear And destruction, for a woman, who should walk the ways Of peace, to kill with pretended insults.” (81 Line 1940) However,
Women have had many different roles in the history of European literature but have generally been restricted to the roles assigned to them in a largely patriarchal society. As a result of this society, these roles have often been powerless ones. This calls into question the constitution of a powerful woman in literature: in Beowulf, being a powerful woman means becoming the bond between families and alliances; in Lanval, power comes from assertion and control-- a powerful woman is a woman in charge. The primary difference between the representation of women in Beowulf and Lanval is that the latter transcends overarching patriarchal boundaries, and the former does not; the reason for their respective representations lies in the literary time periods in which the stories were written. From this, one can see that the introduction of romance as a central theme gave way to new representations and roles of women in predominantly heteropatriarchal English literature and gives new meaning to the analysis of stories like these.
In the movie Beowulf, the women are depicted differently than in the poem. The women in Anglo Saxon culture had more power than demonstrated in the movie. For example, the servant in the Mead Hall is clearly objectified. She is wearing a tight dress with her breasts showing, wanting to gain attention from the men. While she is washing the table, she is bending over so her breasts are exposed. All the men are surrounding her and staring. The main reason for the servant being at the Mead Hall is so the workingmen can look at her. The men are only interested in the servant in a sexual way. An example of this is when a working man states, “…No wonder my loins are burning.” He wants his sexual desires to be completed by the servant. He
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.
As an epic tale of heroes and monsters, Beowulf gives its readers much excitement and adventure, but Beowulf's importance is more than just literary. It offers many insights into the beliefs and customs of seventh-century Anglo-Saxon culture. Among these insights is the Anglo-Saxon view of women and their role in society. Good Anglo-Saxon women are peaceful and unassertive, greeting guests and serving drinks to 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
The men have always been the dominant and the woman always held at a lower standard. In Beowulf the only woman are Wealhtheow and Grendel’s Mother, you can tell that woman aren’t seen as important as the men. Wealhtheow is seen as a typical Anglo-Saxon woman being a motivator and cupbearer. “The keeper of the mead came carrying out the carved flasks, and poured that bright sweetness” (227-229). Grendel’s mother is portrayed as a vicious animal which shows a lot of what the creator of Beowulf thinks on woman.
Beowulf and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” are both narratives in which gender acts as an important theme within their individual communities; yet they use different tools to define the roles of men and women within a good community. Or, in other words, both stories paint a vivid picture of the role of women, by suggesting that one gender had more power over the other. However, these two narratives vary in their expression of such views; Beowulf conveys its message through what is missing, while “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” incorporates satire and uses explicit narrative when relaying the experience of a woman that is highly different from that of other women of her time. Furthermore, another difference that is apparent to the reader is that men become the heroes in Beowulf, while “the wife” becomes
Beowulf is known for displaying the importance of male heroism via Beowulf, but what about the significance of the women in the poem? The significance of women in Beowulf is overshadowed by the great heroism of the character Beowulf, but the women each have a reason for participating in the epic. The ideal woman was someone who was a noble, a mistress and loyal. An ideal woman is described in Maxim I: “at mead drinking she must at all times and places approach the protector of princes first, in front of the companions, quickly pass the first cup to her lord’s hand”. The significance of women in Beuwolf is a minor detail in the epic, but proves to be vital to Beuwolf. The epic of "Beowulf" illustrates three major roles for the women in the society: the hostess, the peacemaker, and the monster. Five women in Beowulf play the major roles throughout the epic: Wealhtheow, Freawaru, Thyrth, Grendel's Mother, and Hildeburh. These women entertain, bring peace, and contradict societal expectations of the female gender, either directly or indirectly.
Women from the beginning of time have been determined to make their mark in the world of a "so-called" man 's world. Women believed they deserved the right to express their opinions about family matters as well as business affairs. The women in Beowulf and The Wife of Bath Tale have different issues, however they are for all the same reason: be heard by the power dominating sex. In the eighth century men were thought of as being superior to women. In the fourteenth century women played roles that made them feel superior over males. Both poems illustrate how women were used as symbols by powerful men to support their nobility. The opposing dynamics of the feeble women in Beowulf
Although traditional Anglo-Saxon society emphasizes on patriarchal views, women play significant roles in “Beowulf”, challenging the masculinity presented. This is portrayed through Wealhtheow, Hildeburh and Freawaru, and Grendel’s mother through their hospitality, their peace weaving, and their anger. In contrast to the stereotype of women being submissive and compliant, “Beowulf” brings new light to the idea of women. An example of hospitality is when Wealhtheow, queen to Hrothgar, is a hostess for people in the hall, allowing all the nobles there to drink and have an appropriate celebration for the event.
Beowulf is an Old English poem written somewhere between the eighth century and the tenth century; the culture of Germanic times is depicted through varying concepts of masculinity that not only describes their capability as a warrior, but also their aptitude as a leader. Beowulf shows of a demon named Grendel attacking Heorot, and the king, Hrothgar, calls Beowulf, a warrior, for help with the slaying of Grendel. Characteristics and qualities of leadership are directly linked to the masculinity of the characters within Beowulf. The leaders in the prologue are demonstrated with the aspects of masculinity through their strength and brutality. In Beowulf, a man demonstrates his essential worth through evidence of masculinity as seen in Unferth’s cowardice, Beowulf’s heroism, and Wiglaf’s bravery.
In the epic poem Beowulf majority of the characters are males; with the exception of a few females in the poem. When going back to the
The women in Beowulf, which was written around 70 CE by an anonymous poet, fill many different roles, ranging from peacekeepers to wives and monsters, all of which are evidenced in the Queen Wealtheow, Queen Hygd, Hidleburh, and Grendel’s mother.
Based on the story, "Beowulf" by Heaney, the poet had described three types of the women role in literature are peace weavers, hostess, and monster. First, the female role of the peace weaver in the epic poem literature is meant to describe the woman who has married off to someone and brings a peace to her household and the nation. Queen Wealtheow is a wife of King Hrothgar who was an example of success among the peace-weavers. “She plays an active role in the society through words of encouragement to her people to make them hand out the treasure for her heroes.” (Murphy)