Beowulf and Women Essay Example

left with no option but to adopt a fierce stance to earn respect from men during a period when women were often subjected to rape, violence, or used for land exchange. Just like any mother would, she caters to her son's needs and believes herself to be an exemplary mother to her son, certainly because she wasn't aware of any alternative parenting approach.

Grendel's mother is portrayed as a monstrous figure, primarily due to her failure to fulfill the conventional roles and expectations of women in old English times - roles exemplified by characters like Wealtheow, Hygd, and Hildeburh. Consequently, her character is often interpreted as a cruel monster lacking any moral compass. The description of her attack on Heorot implies her aggression was less severe than that enacted by males, indicating that women could potentially be warriors as it hints that men generally deem female combatants' strength as less formidable. However, the poem does not mention any female human warrior, suggesting that such instances were uncommon. (Nayland) The poem Beowulf portrays its female characters as integral figures within not only the narrative itself but also within society depicted in the poem.

The poem Beowulf features six main female characters: Wealhtheow, Hygd, Freawaru, Hildeburh, Grendel’s mother, and Thryth. These characters are often presented in pairs throughout the poem. This aspect is extensively analyzed by Dorothy Carr Porter in her study - The Social Centrality of Women in Beowulf: A new Context. She starts her discussion by noting that Wealhtheow and Hygd are both queens who, in their roles as hostesses, hold sway in the hall, typically considered a masculine domain. Their influence doesn't always match their husbands'

desires.

This suggests that despite their royal status, these women serve like servants, meeting the demands of Anglo-Saxon society. Porter then shifts focus to Hildeburh and Freawaru, illustrating them as unsuccessful peaceweavers. It's stated that Hildeburh failed in the poem's past, while Freawaru failed in the future. According to Porter, "Peaceweaver" is a contemporary scholarly term referring to a woman who marries into another group aiming to establish peace amongst them.

These women, in their roles as peaceweavers, possess the power to wield influence in both groups as stated by Porter, which is indicative of the practice of marrying women into rival families to terminate conflicts – a prevalent feature of Anglo-Saxon society. Furthermore, Porter discusses the figures of Grendel’s mother and Thryth – both emblematic of female monsters, subdued eventually via death and matrimony, sequentially. These monstrous female figures act as contrasting examples to both the hostesses and peaceweavers.

The presented information conclusively portrays the anticipated roles of women during the Anglo-Saxon era. The depiction of these women is intentionally harmonious, inviting both similarities and differences in comparison. According to Porter's analysis, women who serve as hospitable representatives and peacemakers, even while considering their self-benefits, occupy a vital position in the poem. Simultaneously, those women characterized as monsters, the aggressive entertainers, and conflict instigators, are intriguing in their roles, and also function as contrasting illustrations to other female characters.

Despite the fact that they are all identified by their relationships with men, such as being their sons, fathers, or brothers, no women in Beowulf are side-lined or dismissed (Porter). As per the medieval Christian society, abnormalities at birth were termed as 'monsters', which were often viewed as sinister

symbols from God, occasionally indicating upcoming calamities. In this context, the beasts that Beowulf continually combats throughout the poem play an integral role in shaping the narrative of the poem. They seem to embody a perceived menacing or foreign existence within society, which needs to be eradicated purely for social preservation.

Without exception, all monsters are perceived as outsiders. The three creatures that Beowulf kills each carry symbolic and metaphorical significances. For instance, since Grendel descends from the biblical character Cain, known for killing his own sibling, he is frequently interpreted as a representative of the malice found in Scandinavian society, characterized by violent pillaging and murders. (Sparknotes)