The Nameless Women In Beowulf

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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. And peace weaving is one of the best defined roles of women during the Old English period due to the wars. Although she is never identified, not identifying her as a wife or daughter, but just as a woman can be read as an acknowledgement of her identity. Because; “the system of masculine alliance allows women to signify in a …show more content…

Freawaru is an example of the peace weaver’s influence. These women, though their identity is only associated with the men in their lives, peace, discord or war is dependent on their influence in politics and other matters of the court. The powers they have in this position cannot be overstated. Originally, a peace-weaver is a married woman whose marriage is meant to create a bond between the two families. The war in Beowulf is the result of the prideful ego of the men including Beowulf’s father, and women like Hildeburh are the victims of those wars. Women are the ones who are left to mourn the loss of loved ones’ kill in the wake of the war. Although the central theme of the poem is how Beowulf rescues and restores the kingdom of Hrothgar from Grendel’s reckless destruction, the role of the women that have been labelled silent, weak, and passive cannot be overlooked, if there is to be a whole and rounded analysis of the poem. Women are the ones who were able to stave off feuds and death through

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