Women in Beowulf

A detailed Summary of Women in Beowulf


In the poem Beowulf the women play the role of peace-keepers at any cost. Among these women I will look closely at Wealhtheow, Grendel's mother and Hygd. Through all the women in Beowulf one can see a female perspective of honor, loyalty and social welfare.

Wealhtheow is the picturesque queen. One sees this when she meets the nobles after Beowulf has defeated Grendel. The narrator explains how she is, ". . . mindful of customs, gold-adorned . . . the noble woman offered the cup . . ." (Norton 35). This imagery perfectly describes a queen. Wealhtheow is a role model of courtly behaviors and duties. She makes offerings to Beowulf and tells him to, ". . . Wear this ring . . . with good luck, and make use of this mail shirt from the people's treasure, . . ." (Norton 43) The queen is giving him gifts as tokens of appreciation and loyalty for what he has done for the Danes. She is a strong and positive figure in all the confusion and battle.

Wealhtheow does have a private conversation with her husband. She


is inquiring about what he has said and replies, ". . . you would have the warrior for your son. . . . leave to your kinsmen folk and kingdom when you go forth to look on the Ruler's decree. . . ." (Norton 42). Wealhtheow is implying that she does not want Beowulf to have the thrown. This is not her being negative. She is being loyal to the family because the thrown should rightly be given to one of her sons. The queen thought she was doing what was good for her sons, but if she would have let Beowulf take the thrown the Danes would have been safe from the ploys of Hrothulf. Then Freawaru would not have ended up like Hildeburh. Freawaru's father Hrothgar implies, ". . . Such is no queenly custom for a woman to practice, though she is peerless,--that one who weaves peace. . ." (Norton 52). He is forcing her to marry to end a feud that ends in bloodshed and that is exactly what happened to Hildeburh.

When one looks at Grendel's mother we see, as the narrator puts it, ". . . mother, women, monster-wife . . ." (Norton 43) who seeks to, ". . . avenge her sons death. . . . " (Nort

Some common words found in the essay are:
Wealhtheow Grendel's, Hildeburh Freawaru's, Swedes Hygelac, Hygd Wealhtheow, Hrothgar Beowulf, Women Beowulf, norton, Wealhtheow Hygd, grendel's mother, norton 43, norton 43, Lunsford ENG, Barbara Cook, wealhtheow grendel's mother, referred , mother hygd, avenge, replies , beowulf thrown, grendel's mother hygd, narrator , avenging son,

Approximate Word count = 730
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • Women in Beowulf and Lanval Property of the King: Life of Medieval Women in Beowulf and Lanval History has been recorded throughout time in stories, books, poems and other literary works. ... 1209 words
  • Beowulf ... Anglo Saxon society. The lack of women in Beowulf stands out as another clue into the Anglo Saxon culture. With the exception of ... 378 words
  • Geat vs. Greek: Paternal Injunction in Beowulf and The Iliad ... the Greek army. There are both similarities and striking differences in Beowulf and Iliad on the role of women. In Beowulf, the ... 986 words
  • Beowulf ... Throughout Beowulf, it is illustrated that women were thought to be virtually valueless that AngloSaxons believed in paganism, and that there was great ... 967 words
  • AngloSaxon Culture and Beowulf ... It is argued that perhaps women were mostly left out of the story because the ... The warriors in Beowulf did have wives and families but it is suggested that this ... 710 words

Professional Essays

  • Beowulf ... This analysis will explore the status of women in Beowulf, particularly the goal of marriage and the portrayal of women in society. ... 1301 words
  • Women in Sir Gawain ampamp the Green Knight ampamp Beowulf This study will provide a comparative analysis of the women in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Beowulf, using Joseph Campbellamp39s description of the role of ... 1708 words
  • Chaucher ampamp Beowulf ... This character could not stand more in contrast to the women of Beowulf, who are expected to be virgins, remain loyal to their men equally amid victory or ... 1017 words
  • QUEENS EMMA of England AND WEALTHEOW of ampquotBeowulfampquot ... in Beowulf, the AngloSaxon Christian heroic poem based on a pagan Norse legend of events in about the fifth century AD. Both queens were powerful women who ... 1372 words
  • Medieval Societies ... to roles for women and the nature of happiness, these works reflect the values and conditions of tenth century AngloSaxon England Beowulf and twelfth ... 2116 words
  • Medieval Societies ... to roles for women and the nature of happiness, these works reflect the values and conditions of tenth century AngloSaxon England Beowulf and twelfth ... 2116 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.