Women In Beowulf

Grendel’s mother challenges the roles that she is expected to follow as an Anglo-Saxon woman, which makes her an outcast and social pariah. Women were expected to be passive: “…the idea is stressed that a kinswoman or mother must passively accept and not actively avenge the loss of her

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

In a similar manner, Grendel’s mother took to revenge for own

Due to Grendel’s lack of support from his mom, Grendel becomes a really aggressive man or monster towards women. Grendel’s mother was not a mother figure to him when he is younger. When Grendel would get into trouble or for instance get stuck in a tree, his mom would not be there for him to save him (Gardner 18). He would cry and yell for his mother to be there (18). He described himself as heartbroken. Heartbroken as if his mom would not come to his aid. He states, ‘“Please, Mama!’ I sobbed as if heartbroken” (19). Grendel seems to feel sorry for his mom though. He describes her as a “long-suffering hag”, “life-bloated”, “fat”, and “sick at heart” and the list goes on (10). Grendel recounts his

Another part of the text which is evidence to Grendel not being the monster he is made out to be, is the relationship dynamic between Grendel and his mother, and also his mother’s actions after his death. The actions of Grendel’s mother are not those of a monster, but those of any normal woman who has children. After her son was killed (murdered and then part of his body was taken as a trophy), she just wanted to seek revenge. “But now his mother/ had sailed forth on a savage journey,/grief-racked and ravenous, desperate for revenge.” (1276-1278). Grendel’s mother displayed the emotions of complete sadness and despair over her son; it seems more of a human response rather than that belonging to a monster. Considering that the bond of a mother and son is supposed to be the strongest bond of all, her actions after his death are in a way justified. It is easy to see that the character of Grendel is much more than just a monster through his mother’s subsequent actions of taking down Grendel’s arm from hanging in Heorot, and feuding (in her own way she was trying to feud, to obey the code as it was in this time. When she went to Heorot to seek her revenge, she did not

    Throughout the epic Beowulf, the importance of male heroism is far exceeding than that of the significance of women. The idea that women are obedient and docile is a likely thought in medieval Britain, although the women of Beowulf  are different, being known as noble, powerful, and assertive. Throughout the text there are major women that play integral roles in society: Grendel's Mother, and Hildeburh. “These women entertain, bring peace, and contradict societal expectations of the female gender, either directly or indirectly, … and illustrate the major roles for the women in the society: the Peace-weavers, and the Goaders ” (TheDomesticBeast). Although there is little mention of women throughout this epic, their fundamental roles within the society were clearly immense.

In addition, Grendel’s mother plays a big role in the novel and the relationship between Grendel and her seems complicated. In Grendel, Grendel calls his mother mean names such as fat, but Grendel does love his mother. The only reason why he can not show her any affection, she does not speak the same language he does. This explains why she stared into his soul at often times because it was her way of showing him affection. She would also do things like smother him in her and although he did not like it, he took it because he knew this was one of her few ways of showing him she loved him.

Grendel is very faithful to his mother, he trusts her all the time. Whenever he is in a dangerous situation or he feels pain he will scream out “Mama, Mama”(Gardner 173). “A shriek ten times as loud as mine came blaring off the cliff...It was my mother!...She came roaring down like thunder”(Gardner 27). It is not just a call sometimes it will come in handy and she will save him.

An example of the differentiation of Grendel’s mother was Ch.19 “That hag was in haste, wanting to flee with her life when the liegemen spotted her. However, she seized a single clansman firmly as she fled”. This portrayal of Grendel’s mother makes her seem not as powerful as her son, Grendel. However, in the movie, Grendel’s mother is a foe who Beowulf never defeats. The major role change that is played by Grendel’s mother shows how women’s image has changed over the

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.

Therefore, Grendel’s mother redefines the established gender roles when she stands up against powerful men to revenge her son’s

Grendel's Mother, then, appears as the face of vengefulness. This fault is not so common a powerful occurrence as guilt; emerging only when faced with grief and loss and the desire for retribution. Grendel's Mother is described as having “scavenged and gone her

We can also question if the author/storyteller’s intentions were to actually give the females in Beowulf a real sense of what it is to be a woman or is the author referring to them as something of nature, or goddess like, nurturing and a non believer of religion. Also, one can believe that Beowulf represents Christianity and Grendel’s mother represents nature ¬¬, describing where she lives:

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.

What was Grendel's mother's name? What is the reference of the author's name for her?