Masculinity In Beowulf

One of the primary aspects of literature during the medieval period was the focus on the male perspective. This is largely due to the fact that men “were considered the breadwinners and the most important people in the family unit” (“Masculinity in Medieval Times”). As such, from the Bible to the stories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, men are the primary focus. The roles of men are particularly emphasized. By extension, masculinity and what that means for separate groups, which include “four distinct categories: heroic, Christian, courtly lover, and intellectual” (Stuber 6) is stressed. This is particularly true for England in the Middle Ages. In much of the literature from Medieval England, such as “Beowulf,” “Federigo’s

Falcon,” and “Morte D’Arthur,” the protagonist goes to great lengths to prove himself and protect his masculinity, which ultimately leads to his downfall, demonstrating that excess is not prudent when attempting to impress others.
Beowulf, the main protagonist of “Beowulf,” is a legendary hero.

Like all heroic males, he was “expected to be physically strong, intelligent and both willing and able to conquer and maintain rule over others” (qtd. in Stuber 9). He succeeds in doing this in his youth, but as he ages, he feels the need to prove that he has maintained his masculinity. When a dragon poses a threat, Beowulf boasts, “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought / In endless battles. I am old, now, / But I will fight again, seek fame still, / If the dragon hiding in his tower dares / To face me,” (“Beowulf” 56-57). Beowulf, wanting to prove that age has not defeated him, decides to face the beast singlehandedly as he had done with Grendel and Grendel’s mother. However, his ambition to show that he is still strong and able to conquer results in his death through the dragon. By going to such great lengths, Beowulf’s attempt to preserve his status as a heroic male was his ultimate

undoing.
Likewise, King Arthur, when his effort to enforce his masculinity brings him face to face with Sir Mordred, meets his own doom.

For Arthur, masculinity was linked to his title. A king is nothing without his title. Furthermore, Arthur’s authority on the battlefield is essential to his masculinity. During the battle, “King Arthur rode throughout the battle of Sir Mordred many times and did fully nobly, as a noble king should do, and at all times he fainted never” (Malory 187). His leadership is expected, and without it, he would hardly be King Arthur. Nevertheless, his undoing is his need to protect his masculinity by proving himself the true king of England. To do this, he challenges Mordred, and though Arthur manages to defeat him, a mortal wound causes his death. Had Arthur been more prudent and less preoccupied with a prompt demonstration of his authority, a more reasonable approach could have been pursued. Even so, the immediate desire to prove himself the master of his title caused Arthur to lose his

life.
Still, loss of life is not invariably the consequence of going to excess. For some, the cost of excess is poverty. This is the case for the titular character of “Federigo’s Falcon” from Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron. Federigo fits into the courtly lover category, in which men were expected to “willingly endure hardships to prove themselves worthy of their ladies” (Stuber 9). As such, his masculinity hinges on his ability to impress Monna Giovanna. He, in an attempt to win her over, “rode at the ring, tilted, gave sumptuous banquets, and distributed a large number of gifts, spending money without any restraint whatsoever” (Boccaccio 160-161). Unfortunately for Federigo, this overspending for the sake Monna Giovanna, who had virtually no interest in him, thrust him into poverty. His excessive spending, which was meant to fulfill his masculine duty as a courtly lover, ultimately provided his ruin by forcing him to live in poverty.
For men, masculinity is seen as an absolute necessity, for if a male is not masculine, he is oftentimes considered flawed and inadequate. This trend has been noted in many works of literature, particularly those of the medieval period. In these works, men, in an effort to protect the masculinity they possessed, went to excessive lengths to prove themselves. Beowulf confronted a dragon by himself to show that he could still uphold his heroic legacy. King Arthur charges into single combat to protect his title, which, in itself, is essentially his masculinity. Federigo squandered his wealth and impoverished himself by trying to impress Monna Giovanna. All of these protagonists went to great lengths to protect their masculinity, and all of these protagonists paid greatly. The excess they put forward was the root of their respective downfalls.