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Gender role in literature
Gender role in literature
Gender role in literature
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Women usually do not play an important role in stories from the Old English period. This was not true in the poem of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Both use women in more than just a minor role. Those roles are marginal nonetheless, but the women still play a big part. Grendel’s Mother in Beowulf shows off the power of a woman by fighting in a major battle with Beowulf himself. She is shown as a supernatural creature that is as powerful as a man. Grendel’s Mother is used as a symbol to promote equality between both sexes.
The character of Grendel’s Mother is shown in a negative way. Grendel’s Mother does only serve as marginal character to fulfill the value of vengeance that is so important during the Anglo-Saxon era, but her role is extremely valuable. She comes up in the story after her son Grendel was slayed by Beowulf. She is out for revenge and instead of getting it on the person who killed her son she attacks Heorot. Grendel’s Mother reacts in a way that any Mother would react if her son was murdered. However, I believe that she should have gone after only the murderer and not an innocent man from Hrogthar’s kingdom. Grendel’s Mother follows
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She is shown as a demon who is capable of terrorizing anyone at any time. Her power is shown through the battle that Beowulf has with her. Grendel’s Mother is a supernatural being because first of all she cannot be killed with a normal sword. Second of all she can match Beowulf blow for blow. This type of power is very uncommon especially for a woman in this time period. Third of all, the sword used to kill Grendel’s Mother melts due to her blood. The sword “melted as ice does.” The main reason a supernatural creature like Grendel’s Mother is used is because Beowulf is not a normal mortal man. Beowulf possesses power that is supernatural and the author of this poem had to create supernatural creatures in order for Beowulf to have
This illustrates an inner problem of a suppressed evil side to society. Beowulf and other men that battled Grendel had trouble defeating him with weapons. They all had to tussle with Grendel and everyone except for Beowulf failed at this challenge. Symbolically meaning that that evil side to society will always be there no matter how much people try to fight it. Grendel also plays the role of envy. Imagine him being an outcast with no joy in his life hearing the mead-hall at night and all the laughter, he must have felt envious and longed to be a part of that world. Another symbolic role is revenge. Upon learning that Beowulf has hurt her only child Grendel’s mother becomes angered and seeks revenge. Her and Beowulf battle it out and the mother loses the battle. Relating this back to Cain, Grendel’s mother wants to kill Beowulf and get revenge and just like Cain, she faced her punishment, for her it was
In the poem “Beowulf,” Grendel’s mother, a monstrous creature, is one of the three antagonists Beowulf, the main character, fights against. The battle against Grendel’s mother appears to be the strangest of the three battles. The main reason for its strangeness is that Grendel’s mother is the mother of the monster Grendel, who was killed by Beowulf in the first battle. Another reason for its strangeness is that Grendel’s mother is the only female-type creature. An alternative reason for this strangeness in the battle is due to the fact that Grendel’s mother is not a true monster, aside from her physical form. Through the explanation of kinship, the understanding of the missing words from the original text, and the comparison of Grendel’s mother to other mothers in the poem, specifically Welthow and Hildeburh, it can be established that the intentions of Grendel’s mother are not monstrous even though she has the appearance of a monster.
In the section of the poem dealing with Grendel's Mother's attack, we see the warriors settling down to sleep in Heorot after the huge celebration of Beowulf's victory over Grendel. They seem unaware of the fact that Grendel has kin who may come to avenge his death. Grendel's mother appears on the scene, snatches a man away and hurries back to the mere. When it is discovered a man is dead, sorrow is renewed. There is no more joy at Heorot, now that the she-monster has sought "payment" for the death of her son. Yet since she and her son are monsters, the thanes feel little sympat...
Grendel’s mother was both bigger and stronger than Grendel. She sought out Danish blood for the revenge of her fallen son. She killed Hrothgar's closest friend along with many other soldiers. After her first attack Beowulf knew he had to defeat this savage killer or she would continue to return for more blood. He tracked where she had traveled through the woods. He found her lake where her evil lair lay in the depths of the boiling hot water. “Again lies with you; Grendel's mother; Is hidden in her terrible home, in a place; You’ve not seen yet. Seek it if you dare! Save us,” (56). Beowulf plunged into the depths of the uncharted waters aware of the fate that could possibly be before him. He challenged the sea witch even though his measly sword had no effect on her enchanted skin. His sword shattered and all odds were against him but even then he did not fear dying. He continued to fight the beast even when his ending was closer than ever. Beowulf scoped her lair in search of a possible weapon. To his surprise he found a magical sword made by giants. This was the only weapon powerful enough pierce her impenetrable skin. Beowulf spent hours under the water fighting the monster. The Danes lost hope and thought he had been defeated. Beowulf surfaced from the water showing that he has not meet his fate in this
...atiently waits because she knows that the same person who slew her son would be coming after her as well. Beowulf’s pursuit of the mother is nothing more than another way to build his reputation because if he had slain Grendel and it got him such recognition, slaying both ogre’s would raise his reputation tremendously thus bringing him even closer to his name being secured on the cover of the history book. Him going after Grendel’s mother has nothing or very little to do with the fact that she is a woman, it however has everything to do with the fame he would get and the respect that would be associated with his name.
Most readers know of the tale of the hero Beowulf, who successfully slayed Grendel and took the monster’s arm home as a trophy for celebration. However, many readers’ knowledge of the tale ends there. The character of Grendel’s mother is rarely mentioned and often glossed over. However, her character provides substantial information into the author’s struggle between Christian and Pagan beliefs and showcases the conflict in delivering these messages accurately. How is Grendel’s mother portrayed as a character, and how much does morality motivate her actions? Why did the author of Beowulf choose to include another monster, and what makes conquering her different from conquering her son?
Throughout both of these stories, we are told many tales about heroic men. Beowulf and Gawain encounter many obstacles, however, they prevail in the end. Weather women play an important role in the stories or not, they exist solely for the use of the men. If all of the women were removed from Beowulf, the plot would not be affected. Even though the women in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight play important roles, they were used as sexual objects. In both stories, women are being degraded, while men remain the heroes.
From the cantos to the movie we can already tell that Grendel’s mother has a different motivation and as well as where the fight is taken place at. We can tell as soon as we see Grendel’s mother for the first time in the film her intention was to have a child with Beowulf and not to fight, she is more calm and reserved than vicious as we read in the
And as critics claim, the nameless women could be due to the poet’s disregard for women, and this may be true because there are evidences that point to this, for example, Grendel’s mother is unnamed and she is not identified as human much less as a woman or female (Lines 1258-1298). Nevertheless, she is a strong and empathetic female, who will stop at nothing to avenge the death of her son. While the women in the poem are not all dignifying, they are strong and keepers of peace. The woman, known as the Peace weaver, is one of the notable female characters in Beowulf.
Another instance that Beowulf proves himself to have monstrous qualities is through the shoes of Grendel’s Mother according to Monster Theory. When Grendel’s Mother came to Heorot to avenge her son’s death she crossed territory that was not in her domain. In response, Beowulf killed her. In Thesis V: The Monster Polices the Borders of the Possible, Beowulf was a symbol of limitations of how Grendel’s Mother could act while grieving for the loss of her son.
However just because she is a descendent of cain doesn't necessarily means she has evil within her own heart. Grendel and Grendel's mother are both still people which means that they weren't born with evil hearts. So Grendel's mother may have never been evil even tho she should not have condoned to the evil tasks her son committed. But it was her son and she and her son where the only ones who lived together, because they are both descendants of cain they were cast out of society. She couldn't really do anything about Grendel's acts if or if not she agreed with them because she is his mother and mothers no matter what kind of creature, monster, animal, or person mothers instinctively love and take care of their own. This is also why i think that Grendels mothers act of seeking vengeance for her son getting killed is not a monstrous act. Grendel's mother deeply loved and cared for Grendel just as any mother and was just as sad and hurt when her son was killed as any mother would be say for instance if their son got beat up at school, or was murdered in gang related violence. So i do not believe that Grendel's mother is a true monster. But there's still debate that the dragon is the true monster of Beowulf. However my disclaimer for this is that the dragon unlike Grendel and Grendel's mother is not a person it is a dragon one of the many mythical creatures that we hear of in stories such as this. But the thing that most people forget about mythical creatures like this is that they are animals they do not have feelings the same as people. So the dragon hoarding and protecting its treasure is simply instinct that is apart of his nature. Just as if you tried taking an alligator's eggs and it sees it you may no longer have an arm left. So even tho a dragon is way bigger and more dangerous than an alligator its animal instincts can not be overlooked as evil
Grendel's Mother: The of the man/monster Grendel she comes to Heorot seeking vengeance for the death of her son, and is killed by Beowulf.
...t. She had snatched their trophy, Grendel’s bloody hand” (lines 1303-1304). It is extremely apparent that Grendel’s Mother is an awfully hideous creature, but her reaction to her son’s brutal death brings out the nature of a true mother. She plays her role as mother very well.
Grendel's mother, unknown to the Danes or Geats, is plotting to avenge the death of her son. After the celebrations are over in Heorot and everybody is asleep, Grendel's mother appears out of her dwelling place, the swamp.
The journey to her layer in the movie was not as difficult and enduring as the poem made it out to be. There was no fight with Grendel’s mom, because she was able to get Beowulf to hook up with her. In the movie she wasn’t so much of a sea monster because she flew to the hall and killed many people, which never happened in the poem. In the movie Grendel’s mom is unscathed and not killed and lives on past Beowulf. Furthermore she gave Beowulf one thing he never had in the poem, a son.