Beowulf Assignment: Digressions Beowulf was written between the eighth and tenth centuries by the Anglo-Saxon’s. Throughout the long poem, many digressions were used across the text. Beowulf, after he returned home from Heorot and greeted his King and Queen, the author wrote of a Queen by the name of Queen Modryth. The author created a digression while writing of Queen Modryth to present the correct etiquette of a Queen, establish a parallel with Queen Hygd and provide a better understanding of how digressions are used. The author of Beowulf presented a great example of a queen when Queen Hygd was introduced. She was very thoughtful in the way that she thought of the needs of others before those of herself, and also how she cared for the Geats along with their kingdom. For example, after King Hygelac …show more content…
After the author spoke of Queen Hygd in the poem, Queen Modryth was introduced to create a parallel between the two queens. Queen Modryth was no pleasant queen, she killed and tortured innocent people, “in hand-tightened shackles, racked, tortured until doom was pronounced - death by sword, slash of blade, blood-gush, and death-qualms in an evil display” (Beowulf, line 1937-1940). She was horrid; if one person was to even look her in the eye, they would practically be sentenced to death. Queen Modryth changed her ways once she became married to King Offa. She became known for her good deeds and also the way she lived her life (Beowulf, line 1953). The parallel between the queens are made to compare how different they are in their actions and ways. The author of Beowulf stated reasoning for including Queen Modryth’s history in the poem, “ Queen Modryth’s vices is abruptly introduced as a foil to Queen Hygd’s virtues” (Beowulf, note .5 - page 83). The authors intentions in offering the parallel was to really bring out the excellent qualities in Queen
Frank, Roberta. “The Beowulf Poet’s Sense of History.” In Beowulf – Modern Critical Interpretations, edited by Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
The confines of structure, in which the poems are written, parallel the confines of society that these two women inhabit. Beowulf presents a more restricted society for women; the actual passage itself is set up to reinforce the ideology that women’s power alone is ineffective. Before Wealhtheow begins her speech, the poet introduces her, “Then Wealhtheow pronounced in the presence of the company” (Beowulf l 1215). This device is used not only to introduce her to the reader, but also to reinforce her presence as the Queen. Instead of just inviting her to speak, it ironically undermines her authority and magnifies the need of intervention on someone else’s part. This frames Wealhtheow’s power as ineffective, because she needs someone else to command attention for her to speak, and is not able to command that attention on her own. Even after the end of her speech, the poet feels the need to follow up with a few lines of his own by saying, “...
Around the tenth century, women were not well respected. They often took a back seat in society and were even looked on as less than men. This is also true in the literature of that time period where women are never the main characters or heroes. However, in the epic poem “Beowulf”, of an unknown source from around the tenth century, women play a major role. They may not be the center of attention, but they are very important nonetheless. The women of “Beowulf” host the men, attempt to keep peace, and defy social expectations of the tenth century of what it means to be a woman. They play the vital roles of hostess, peace weaver, and contradiction to the standard women.
Since he comes back a mightier warrior, his reputation is quick to spread when his people are in a time of crisis. Beowulf’s king Hygelac, who was another motive for his journey to Denmark, dies in a battle and his son in a feud. This left the people in need of a king. This point in the poem is where we see the biggest change of all. All of his battles he went through that deemed himself worthy of the fame he craved, led the people to believe in him so much that he became the king of the Geats.
In Beowulf, the role of women is greatly different then that of old Greek literature and epic. Women in Beowulf are presented as peace-makers and they are respected, compared to the Greek view that women are on the same level as spoils of war and livestock; something you own and show as a trophy. Hygd is one of the generous, gracious, and wise woman portrayed in Beowulf. But even the wild, cruel, and ruthless women can be civilized and grow to be good, such as Modthrytho. Once she got married, she changed and became virtuous and kind.
Wright, David. “The Digressions in Beowulf.” In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.
After exploring for some time, Beowulf in many ways is much more complex than it looks on the surface. Of course it 's classic theme of the clash between the forces of good and evil will always be prevalent, there are other types of symbolism in the epic poem that was either not explored or was not as evident. This is especially true in the setting of the story such as the mead hall, Heorot, where it is much more than a place to drink . Even Beowulf himself is a much more complex person than the readers might think since they might not completely be aware of the reasons why he is the embodiment of a hero.Even seemingly minor characters such as the Dragon can represent one of the biggest flaws within human beings. With the assistance of Harold Bloom’s book, “Rebirth and Renewal”, and literary websites such as Cliffnotes and Sparknotes, readers should be more enlightened on what the epic poem tries to represent.
The women in Beowulf are barely discussed and seem to exist solely for the use of the men. They are weak and portray none of the legendary qualities that the men display. Wealhtheow, the Queen of Danes and Hrothgar's wife, is the only female character in the epic that talks. In a speech to her husband, we are able to see that she is a strong woman, who is able to speak her mind. She tells the king that it is good that he adopted Beowulf, but reminds him that he already has two sons. However, her speech is made while she carries the drinking goblet to all of the men in the room, "Wealhtheow came in,/ Hrothgar's queen, observing the courtesies./ Adorned in her gold, she graciously handed the cup first to Hrothgar, their homeland's guardian,/ urging him to drink deep and enjoy it because he was dear to them" (612-618). When she is given the opportunity to talk, she only praises the men and plays a role defined by their society.
The poem starts with a prologue telling us about the rise of the Danish nation and the family tree of Danish nobility, from Sheaf Sheafson to Hrohtgar, who built a great mead-hall called Heorot. The hall and its inhabitants are terrorized by a monster named Grendel for twelve whole years. Hearing of Hrothgar’s hardships, Beowulf, Hygelac's thane, decides to aid the Danes. He is „the mightiest man on earth, highborn and powerful“ (lines 197, 198) and „there was no one else like him alive“ (line 196), so it is natural that he is the one coming to help. He is young and ambitious, so he also comes seeking glory – he is not motivated only by philanthropy.
Promp: what does beowulf have to say about women? Specifically, what is a women’s proper role in Beowulf? Consider actual Anglo- Saxon queens
It is often misread that women in Beowulf are presented as compliant to men, displaying them as the weaker gender of the human species. In the world of Beowulf, women serve as peace-weavers, cup-bearers, gift-givers and even monsters, all of which at first glance appear as inferior roles. Many examiners of Beowulf, who have touched on the role of women, have criticized on the words of Gillian R. Overing who believes they are "marginal, excluded figures." Although the women in Beowulf aren't as prominent as men are, they are not "excluded" from the picture as a whole. In fact, the roles these six women presented in Beowulf have, can be compared to real Anglo-Saxon women who held together nations, bring heirs and future generations into the world, all qualities that are necessary for the Anglo-Saxons to continue to strive. Wealhtheow and Hygd play the role of cup-bearer along with the political stance of queen allowing them to have equality among men. Freawaru and Hildeburh are what Anglo-Saxons consider peace-weavers which mend together nations if handled the right way. Then there are Grendel's mother and Modthryth who are described as monsters due to their aggressiveness as women, which is sought to be an unnatural trait that only males should hold. Lastly we have the few unnamed women that play roles similar or equal to the ones mentioned above but with little coverage or knowledge from the author for them to have no name. This essay will go further into the world of women in Beowulf and how their roles play in not only the poem, but also in Anglo-Saxon culture using Seamus Heaney’s translation.
Beowulf was written more than twelve hundred years ago. Women characters are presented, and every woman has one-of-a-kind attributes. The women in Beowulf are known to be hard working people, each of whom has a role within the poem. Throughout the epic, distinctive women do things such as serve mead, give speeches, and take care of the mead-hall. This shows how important women were to this culture.
The Queen being strong, smart and noble, Shakespeare would create characters like this, for example Juliet from Romeo and Jul...
...y protect their tribe or community, women maintained peace and order in the absence of the men. In reading Beowulf, the portrayal of women could be as servants to the men. In reality, this was just the custom of the culture, and as seen throughout the piece women are addressed with respect and praise on many occasions. Women that received isolation and opposition were those that stood on their own without men to do the “dirty work” of violence. With regards to this, one can assume that women of this time period were seen to hold purity, delicacy, and compassion. In serving men and remaining home, men protected women from the inhumanity in war and loss of beauty in grace. This could all be seen rather than women having the mere role of insignificant slaves. In the Old English tale of Beowulf, the customary position of women in society is in respectfully serving men.
Men high in power, such as the king, represent their fortune and power through the adornment of women. The lady with arguably the most lavish description in Beowulf is Wealhtheow, who is described as “regal and arrayed with gold” (Beowulf 641). In another description, the other defining trait about her was “her gold crown” (Beowulf 1162). Repeatedly, the gold is used to exemplify the beauty of Wealhtheow; however, it is not really her own gold. Instead, it comes from the king, the provider of gold for everyone in the community. Making all her appearances aside the king, she is a representation of the king’s riches and the abundance of his wealth; anyone visiting the mead-hall would be under impression that King Hrothgar is a wealthy man with a well off community. Similarly, Beowulf’s importance as a leader comes into perspective with the lady mourning at his funeral. As Beowulf’s funeral pyre burned, “A Geat woman too sang out in grief; / …of her worst fears, a wild litany / of nightmare and lament: her nation invaded, / enemies on the rampage, bodies in piles, / slavery and abasement” (Beowulf 3150-3155). As the messenger delivering the message of Beowulf death relayed, surrounding tribes were now liable to attack the Geats. By crying about her fears of the war and raids, the Geat woman highlights the importance that Beowulf had for the community: he was Geats’ sole protector and the