Gender Roles In Beowulf

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Gender Roles
In the article, “The Women of Beowulf: Power and Duty in Anglo-Saxon Society”
Robert Harris states, “It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. We should stop defining each other by what we are not, and start defining ourselves by who we are.” Throughout history, men and women have been given certain standards on how they should act and behave on a day to day basis. However, in the epic Beowulf, there are many examples of gender roles exposed through certain jobs, activities and everyday task. Beowulf features numerous gender roles which can date back to the Anglo-Saxon society in the Dark Ages justifying that men and women are dissimilar as well as unequal. To begin with, gender …show more content…

As a peace-weaver, the woman is responsible for joining tribes as well as maintaining solid relations between groups. In the epic, Hildeburh, the Danish princess, is said to be the strongest representation of a peace-weaver. She was married off to the King of Jutes as a gift from the Danes to the Jutes in a desire to bring peace between the countries as well as establish an alliance. Throughout the epic, Hildeburh acts as though she is departed from the male dominated activities and relationships, fulfilling her duty as a peaceweaver by maintaining loyalties with her homeland and also the land of her …show more content…

Gender roles have had a great impact on society during the Dark Ages as well as pieces of literature such as, Beowulf and continue to make a great deal of impact today. Men and women were individually expected to act and behave in a certain manner causing many misfortunes in society while also influencing much of history, concluding that Beowulf features multiple different gender roles, helping to prove that men and women were unequal during the Anglo-Saxon society in the Dark Ages just as they are

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