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Female roles in early British literature
What role do women play in beowulf
What role do women play in beowulf
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Recommended: Female roles in early British literature
In the poem, Beowulf, the presence of women is limited to a few passages. Although the main focus revolves around Beowulf, the poet helps readers understand the expectations of women in power. The poem makes it clear that Kings and Queens are supposed to act differently. Their superiority is seen through their words and actions. The presence of Hygd and Modthryt is included to address the proper behavior of women. By using uplifting and hostile diction as well as contrasting the image of Queen Hygd to Queen Modthryt, Beowulf highlights the ideal representation of women in the Anglo-Saxon hierarchy. The differences portrayed in these women advocate the importance of maintaining traditional gender roles in order to conserve a functional society …show more content…
Queen Modthryht’s image is tainted with the negative characteristics associated with her abilities to rule. For instance, when Queen Modthryht is introduced, she is immediately accused of “[perpetrating] terrible wrongs” (1932). The usage of hostile diction suggests that the Queen is guilty of committing heinous acts. These words cause the reader to question her abilities to rule, as well as cause resentment toward her character. While Queen Hygd is perceived as helpful and kind to her people, Queen Modthryth kills anyone who looks at her straight in the eyes, with the exception of her Lord (1933-1936). The gruesome diction that was used to describe the death of men such as, “tortured,” “blood-gush,” and “racked” suggests the cruelty and wickedness behind the immoral Queen (1937, 1939). The negativity behind these words reflects poorly on the Queen and suggests she is cold-hearted and abusive. The poem reminds the reader that, “A Queen should weave-peace, not punish the innocent” (1942). When a Queen fails to be compassionate and peaceful, she is not fulfilling her expected role as a woman. The anger and destructiveness Queen Modthrtht possesses indicate that she is not worthy of being praised. The poem signals that women who do not follow …show more content…
Most characteristics utilized to present Queen Hygd distinguish her as one of a kind. Since, the Queen is said to be generous and fair, it is inferred that she knows how to treat her people. The use of diction is important because it either hints that a Queen is ideal or not. All hostile diction used to describe Queen Modthryt infers that women should not behave in a hateful manner or else they will be criticized. The poet hints that a woman should not possess destructive characteristics because it is her duty to be gentle and attentive. While contrasting Queen Hygd and Queen Modthryt, it is important to note that their marital status helped their image of being compassionate or treacherous. The role of men is emphasized because it hints that a man is necessary to keep a women well-behaved. The poet suggests that women are highly dependent on men because they know how to guide. Only if a woman follows the righteous ways of a man will they be able to positively lead a society. The role of a man is stressed because he will use his dominance and reason to eliminate the bad in women for the good of the
The English attitudes towards gender are reflected in the literacy works of Margery Kempe and Elizabeth I’s letter to Sir Walter Raleigh. Within these two works, the women, especially, challenge the attitudes towards gender roles. First of all, women were expected to be domesticated, meaning all their duties lied within the home and the marriage. The women were responsible for taking care of the children/family and being obedient to their husband.
... seen as unholy and and frightening, while the powers of men are natural and gifts from God himself. The author was quick to show that women's virtues are to be displayed through obedience, beauty, and piousness. The lord's wife in Bisclavret fails to support her husband and is tortured by the king, the wolf, and later by the genetic deformities of her offspring. The seigneur's wife in Yönec accepts the gifts of Muldumarec and is blessed with fleeting happiness and the postmortem adoration of her son's subjects.
When Chaucer’s knight stands judgment for the rape of an innocent girl, it is the queen’s authority that decides his fate: “And yaf him to the queene, al at hir wille, / To chese wheither she wolde him save or spille” (903-904). Using her power to humiliate the knight even further, she metes out the most ironic of punishments: “I graunte thee lif if thou canst tellen me / What thing is it that wommen most desiren” (910-911). With the queen’s decree, a great importance is placed upon the understanding of a woman’s needs—for this knowledge is the only hope in saving a man’s
But even through a gap of almost 1,200 years, we see in We Have Always Lived in the Castle, written in the 1960’s, that the views of women having a say in the community is a minority, and not everyone agrees. Yes, there has been some sort of progress in women’s right, from 800 AD, alike in Beowulf, a person who wants revenge on her son’s death, is considered a hell-bride, but in the mid 1900’s, it would receive a little bit of a less negative reaction. But in both in Beowulf and We Have Always Lived in the Castle men are considered the ruler of them family, well at least until Merricat kills everybody. In my opinion, Merricat’s way of looking the hierarchy of gender, is different of having women in control, that symbolizes that idea that began as a minute topic in the time period of the 1960’s, and has expanded into the situation of women’s role of
“Lanval” was written by a female poet and therefore enlists a somewhat feminist perspective on the idea of patriarchy. In this poem, a beautiful woman asks a knight to keep their love a secret: “I command and beg you, do not let any man know about this. I shall tell you why: you would lose me for good” (144-46), and “He answered that he would do exactly as she commanded” (151-52). Here, the gender roles are swapped and the female figure holds the social power to command instead of the male, clearly subverting patriarchy. In a patriarchal theme, the knight would command the woman and she would obey his command without hesitation. The same idea can be seen when the Queen asks the King to punish Lanval after she claims that he insulted her. She said she would never “get up unless the king gave her satisfaction for the offense against her” (301-10), and the king obeyed her, deciding to hold a trial. If this text were patriarchal, the King would have punished Lanval on his own terms rather than doing it for the Queen. It seems as if the Queen is being treated as an equal ruler to the King by being allowed to hold the political power in this
As the poems of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight show, women have always had power, yet not as overt a power as wielded by their masculine counterparts. The only dynamic of women’s power that has changed in the later centuries is that the confines and conditions in which women have wielded their power has become more lax, thus yielding to women more freedom in the expression of their power. The structure, imagery, and theme in the excerpts from Beowulf (lines 744-71) and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (lines 2309-30) support the concept of more power in the later centuries, by contrasting the restriction of Wealhtheow and the power she practices in Beowulf with the Lady’s more direct assertion of power in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight five centuries later.
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.
Anglo-Saxon women are objects who are gifts to generate a fragile peace. Bloody combat between men attempting to earn fame embodies the Anglo-Saxon era. But does history include women? No, in fact, most women in the epic poem Beowulf are unworthy of even a name. Men trap women as objects; those who rebel become infamous monsters in society’s eyes. Because Anglo-Saxon men view women as objects, they are unable to control any aspect of their lives--no matter if she is royalty or the lowest of all mothers.
In the Middle Ages, the roles of women became less restricted and confined and women became more opinionated and vocal. Sir Gawain and The Green Knight presents Lady Bertilak, the wife of Sir Bertilak, as a woman who seems to possess some supernatural powers who seduces Sir Gawain, and Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath Prologue and Tale, present women who are determined to have power and gain sovereignty over the men in their lives. The female characters are very openly sensual and honest about their wants and desires. It is true that it is Morgan the Fay who is pulling the strings in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; nevertheless the Gawain poet still gives her a role that empowers her. Alison in The Wife if Bath Prologue represents the voice of feminism and paves the way for a discourse in the relationships between husbands and wives and the role of the woman in society.
In Anglo-Saxon culture heroes were determined by their bravery, strength, and glory. In the epic Beowulf, Beowulf is the epitome of an Anglo-Saxon hero because he displays all of these traits. Beowulf exhibits his bravery in the way he fearlessly goes into each of his three battles. He then displays his strength as he defeats each of the monsters. Finally, Beowulf is glorified by his comrades because of his heroic actions. Beowulf is an epic hero because he embodies his people’s ideals of bravery, strength, and glory through his battles.
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.
Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the “Iron Queen”, was a remarkable woman of her time, she ruled with great power and longevity. She was one of the greatest feminist of time. Coming to the throne in 1558, she took the place of her father, Henry VIII. She was given one of the most difficult jobs fit for a man or King, ruling England. At the time women were second class citizens, they could not vote nor own properties and such. Surprising England with her intelligence and fierce rulings, she changed herself to make better decisions. She proved through her rulings, to everyone that females were strong and could rule just as well as a king. She refused to marry, giving a feeling of “I don’t need a man for anything.” The Queen was responsible for giving females a voice in literature and it is shown through Shakespeare’s writings.
Promp: what does beowulf have to say about women? Specifically, what is a women’s proper role in Beowulf? Consider actual Anglo- Saxon queens
Beowulf is an epic tale written over twelve hundred years ago. In the poem, several different female characters are introduced, and each woman possesses detailed and unique characteristics. The women in Beowulf are portrayed as strong individuals, each of whom has a specific role within the poem. Some women are cast as the cup-bearers and gracious hostesses of the mead halls, such as Wealhtheow and Hygd, while others, Grendel's mother, fulfill the role of a monstrous uninvited guest. The woman's role of the time period, author's attitude, and societal expectations for women are evidenced throughout the poem.
Throughout the historical literary periods, many writers underrepresented and undervalued the role of women in society, even more, they did not choose to yield the benefits of the numerous uses of the female character concerning the roles which women could accomplish as plot devices and literary tools. William Shakespeare was one playwright who found several uses for female characters in his works. Despite the fact that in Shakespeare's history play, Richard II, he did not use women in order to implement the facts regarding the historical events. Instead, he focused the use of women roles by making it clear that female characters significantly enriched the literary and theatrical facets of his work. Furthermore in Shakespeare’s history play, King Richard II, many critics have debated the role that women play, especially the queen. One of the arguments is that Shakespeare uses the queen’s role as every women’s role to show domestic life and emotion. Jo McMurtry explains the role of all women in his book, Understanding Shakespeare’s England A Companion for the American Reader, he states, “Women were seen, legally and socially, as wives. Marriage was a permanent state” (5). McMurtry argues that every woman’s role in the Elizabethan society is understood to be a legal permanent state that is socially correct as wives and mothers. Other critics believe that the role of the queen was to soften King Richard II’s personality for the nobles and commoners opinion of him. Shakespeare gives the queen only a few speaking scenes with limited lines in Acts two, four, and five through-out the play. Also, she is mentioned only a few times by several other of the characters of the play and is in multiple scenes wit...