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The Portrayal Of Women In Anglo-Saxon Literature

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Throughout the Anglo-Saxon history, the importance of women has been seen as less than that of men. They have been treated unjustly, inferior, and like property instead of human beings. “Certainly," quoth Athelstane, "women are the least to be trusted of all animals, monks and abbots excepted” (Scott 332). Women did not have a say in matters, especially when it came to the idea of marriage. Their emotions and feelings were ignored because of the economic gain their fathers and new husbands would earn. The little respect they did receive was based upon their religious or social standings, but even then they were taken advantage because of their wealth. In Ivanhoe, there are two main women, Rebecca and Rowena. Rowena is portrayed as the typical woman in the Anglo-Saxon time period …show more content…

Rowena is the illustration of the chivalric ideal of womanhood: she is fair, virtuous, loyal, chaste and gentle. She is proud and a little snobby due to her sheltered upbringing, but she is also considered mild and gentle. However, Rowena still succumbs to the stereotypical ideas of women during this time period. Throughout this book, Rowena is basically like a pawn for men than an actual character in her own sense. For example, her protector, Cedric, wants her to marry Athelstane so that they can birth a strong line of royal Saxon children. Maurice de Bracy wanted to marry her based on the fact that she was wealthy. These relationships are based not on Rowena as a person, but on her social standings. At the end of the book, Cedric finally agrees to let Ivanhoe and Rowena marry. Rowena is Ivanhoe 's love interest because as a knight honoring the code of chivalry, he needs a lady to fight for. Rowena is mainly in this book to fill the stereotypical role of love interest and damsel in distress. As I said

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