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Epic Essay: Representation Of Women In Beowulf

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Johana Carrillo Period 8 September 18, 2017 Representation of Women in Beowulf In the epic of Beowulf, it tells about the great victories Beowulf makes by fighting terrifying creatures that no one else has the bravery or strength to defeat. The story contains great character revelations, however lacks representation of women. In the whole epic only two women are mentioned: Wealhtheow, the queen of Danes, and Grendel’s mother, though mentioned both lacked great importance in the epic. Due to the Anglo-Saxon society having a big emphasis in fighting and with women not being allowed to fight, this leads to their role as second class citizens that are only there to bear and raise children. It is evident that women are seen as less in the Anglo-Saxon …show more content…

However like Harris mentions in his article “the traditional view of the women in Beowulf as weak, extraneous characters used only to pass mead and worry about their children is patently false.” This epic oversimplifies the women’s roles in a household especially when they were from a noble title, since many of them had to take care of all household matters, especially when the men were gone to war, or even were peacemakers (Yewdaev). This is mostly due to the lack of presentation women have in this epic. On another hand, by lacking the mention of women they are showing that women aren’t seen as any where equal to men. It is arguable to say that at the same time the women are still being represented as having a big part in society, since it they found it necessary to give small parts to two …show more content…

“The Women of Beowulf: Power and Duty in Anglo-Saxon Society.” The Women of Beowulf: Power and Duty in Anglo-Saxon Society | English Department - University of Maryland, The Paper Shell Review, 2014, www.english.umd.edu/psr/6049. Accessed 18 Sept.

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