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Women In Beowulf

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The Roles of Women in Beowulf Throughout the history of literature, female characters are often side characters that do not get much recognition from readers. It is a known fact that women are underestimated in Beowulf . When we look at the poem, more it is emphasized the bravery of Beowulf and how to struggle with Grendel. In my opinion, as well as male characters, women characters should be in the forefront in Beowulf. When we examine the roles of women in poetry by a closer, we can see that the women play in central roles in Anglo-Saxon society. The women that appear in Beowulf are: Wealhtheow, Hygd, Hilderburh, Freawaru, Thyrth and Grendel’s mother. There are two queens among them, Wealhtheow and …show more content…

This act of gift giving established reciprocity, an important mutual exchange between the giver and the receiver, and play an essential part in dynastic succession. At the end of the speech, her final words reflect self-assurance and confidence, and illustrate her power over people and her right to command them: “ the noble men, having drunk, will do as I ask “ (1230-31) Finally, we find the monster-like women in the poem namely Grendel’s mother. Grendel’s mother is monstrous in that she is all the opposite to peacewaver and hostesses: Grendel’s mother can be considered violent and cruel because she rather make use of weapons and her physical strength rather than using words or marriage to influence other people , just like Wealtheow . Grendel’s mother is another example of powerful woman. She’s independent, as she lives her house alone and protects it herself. She confront’s Beowulf on her own to take revenge for Grendel’s death. On the contrary, the poet is generally enthusiastic about Beowulf’s feats, but he often surrounds the events he narrates with a sense of dom. Male characters are dominant.Women only appear as a figure. However, when we look at their roles in poem, it is clear that women are important and they should be

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Grendel had being killing and terrorizing Hrothgar’s people. The news of Grendel had travel to the land of the Geats and Beowulf had come to provide assistance to Hrothgar. One day after Beowulf and Grendel’s fight, where Beowulf tears off the demons’ arm, the monster’s mother came to vengeance her son’s death. She was also defeated and killed by Beowulf, for which he received many gifts and praise by Hrothgar and his wife Wealhtheow.

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In the article, Beowulf’s Androgynous Heroism, The author tells us that Beowulf is one of the “most memorable in his capacity as the masculine warrior and king.” (Robert Morrey, Beowulf’s Androgynous Heroism, University of Illinois Press) Even though he had no feminine companion beside him, he still fulfilled his roles, as he should have. Beowulf was authentically strong and unquestionably capable of standing up, even when nobody else could. He was able to stand up and arrest control when need be. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, he was struggling to be the best he could be until Enkidu died, his best friend.

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Some people's life stories can show us the hardships that one can go through in history or the future for the upcoming generation to share their story. One of the books that i've read was ‘Night’. The author is the main character of the story, Elie Wiesel, who went through a german concentration camp that was meant for people to work till they drop, literally. The second book is ‘Boys in The Boat’, by Daniel James Brown. In this book a boy named Joe Rantz as the main character, this story talks about how he and his team won gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

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Everyone has a perspective on good and evil; the battle line between good and even runs through the heart. “Beowulf” illuminates characters that come from dark and deep backgrounds that construct their dauntless actions. In the heroic tale “Beowulf,” the author’s tones strongly demonstrates themes of loyalty, honor, and courage. Raffel’s tones remotely displays the act of loyalty within multiple characters. “Hail to these who will rise to God, drop off their dead bodies” (101).

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In Beowulf, the most prominent theme is the duty. A duty to be fulfilled by the person that is assigned to. It gives characters in the poem unique identity because of their devotion to duty. This means the warrior must fulfill his obligations to protect the people of the land and risk his life for their king. It also applies to women, in Beowulf, a woman's duty is to entertain the men as well as to serve a symbol of peace.

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Antonio Martinez Dr. Rajan English 2111: World Literature 1 Various female characters in Beowulf receive a lot of attention for their dynamic characteristics and their rounded personalities. Hygelac’s only daughter seems to be the only female character in Beowulf that has not been studied in recent years. Alaric Hall, the only person I’ve seen to write about her, wrote an article describing Hygelac’s only daughter and what she represents to the story. Hygelac is the king of the Geats and is Beowulf’s lord. Hygelac has three children, two males and only one female.

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Role of Women in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight While identifying the heroic components of male characters in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is easily achieved, the place of women within these two contexts portrays significant variations. The difference in time seems to have influenced the manifestation of the female role, with the latter text making these characters more central to the plot than manifested in Beowulf. Despite the apparent differences, it is sufficient to note that the role of women remains consistently inferior to that of men in both texts with their positions being defined subject to the capacities and desires of men. Beowulf seems to portray women as marginalized creatures.

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579 Words | 3 Pages

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Beowulf is an excellent piece with a lot for the readers to desire and relate to while reading. This analysis explores different escapades while examining the role of women in the literature. One thing to point out is that female characters have always received very thin attention in different pieces of literature, something that has always made many people think that their role is meager. Every piece of literature has an important message to pass across to its intended audiences. Indeed, this study seeks to demystify the male-centric mindset to promote the visibility of women in the contemporary interpretation of literary works demonstrating that women play a greater role in the literature despite the proximity given to male protagonist.

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