Germanic Roles In Beowulf

The “Monstrous ogress” was “savage in her grief,” and her actions become even more beastly than her sons (Beowulf 1258-76). Women in this Germanic Warrior society were meek, so the actions of Grendel’s mother greatly contrast with the typical behavior of a woman in this time period. Grendel’s mother’s gruesome actions are beastly in nature, but her emotions of outrage and grief for the murder of her son are human. Once again, Beowulf’s victory of the savage monster shows the overall theme of good winning against evil.

She then tries to avenge his death by brutally killing many men of Herot. She, like her son, causes much distress for the kingdom. On lines 441-445, citizens of the kingdom as of Beowulf’s help. The quote says, “Our only help, Again, lies with you. Grendel’s mother Is hidden in her terrible home, in a place You’ve not seen. Seek it of you dare! Save us.” (pg. 52) Beowulf is very aggravated by what Grendel’s mother is doing therefore, he travels to kill her too. A mighty and dangerous battle between Beowulf causes great confliction for the epic hero. During the time, it had seemed that Grendel’s mother was about to win victory over Beowulf. That is until Beowulf used his mighty sword, killing Grendel’s mother. The fact that Beowulf is willing enough to kill Grendel’s mother shows how determined he is to be classified as a

UThe Anglo-Saxons were a tribe of people who lived in Great Britain during the 5th century. They were warriors who had traveled all the way from northern Germany and southern Scandinavia. The Anglo-Saxon people are very well known today despite not having been around for the several, several centuries. Their people led to the spread of Christianity through eastern Europe and the establishment of seven major kingdoms. They are also well known for the code of Honor, as the Anglo-Saxons had many values that their soldiers must live by. In Beowulf, an English epic poem that tells of the tell of the incredible warrior Beowulf, Anglo-Saxons values of the time period are displayed. Loyalty, bravery, and honesty are three of the most important values

Beowulf reflects the traits that conformed to their masculine norms . While sorrowful Hrothgar laments the deaths caused by Grendel’s mother, Beowulf urges him to “not grieve” and to “avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning” (1384-5). However, earlier the epic alluded to a story about a princess named Hildeburh who after losing her husband, child, and brother, was “waylaid by grief” (1081). There is a definite contrast between how men and women are expected to confront loss- according to the patriarchal values, men avenge and women weep. Therefore, Beowulf is even more of an ideal masculine hero because he adheres the the Anglo-Saxon gender roles. He outright rejects feminine traits ergo, his character propagates ideals to the audience. In addition, the ability to sacrifice one’s life is tied directly to masculinity. When Grendel’s mother is seeking revenge for her son and needs to be killed, Unferth does not portray manly will. Thus, he is described as “not man enough/ to face the turmoil of a fight… and to risk his life”(1468-70). Through contrasting Beowulf’s readiness to kill Grendel’s mom and Unferth’s lack thereof, manliness is even more yearned for. The society can then use Beowulf’s standards and spurn Unferth’s behavior, forming a guide for individuals to

First of all, despite the fact that men are highly emphasized in Beowulf, women are highly absent in the story. Even within the first couple of sentences, the style and wording create an atmosphere in which

The Anglo - Saxon Culture valued war, loyalty, honor, and riches. The American values are not the same as the Anglo - Saxon values. The Modern day values focus more on religion and equality.

Her actions do seem cruel and evil, but she is also a grieving mother that wants to avenge her son. After Grendel’s death, “Grendel’s fierce mother” begins to exhibit human-like characteristics such as her caring and protective nature for her child. This can be shown when she carried “off the claw that Beowulf tore from her child” to demonstrates her anger and grief for her son’s death. While she is characterised to be a “she-wolf,” she is also a “mighty mother” that just wants to protect her child. Her whole purpose of killing Hrothgar’s friend and wreaking in Heorot is was to avenge Grendel’s death. After Grendel’s death, she channeled all that hatred and grief towards the people that harmed her child. Her love for her child lead her to commit these acts. Even though her actions are considered evil, it is natural to feel some sort of pity and sympathy for Grendel’s mother after her loss. Unlike Grendel, Grendel’s mother doesn't kill or destroy randomly. It is clear that she only wanted to take revenge for her son and targeted those that harmed him. Due to this, her situation is more relatable and it is easier to feel pity for her even though she did kill

In the novel Grendel, John Gardner creates morally ambiguous characters. One of those characters is Grendel's mother. The audience sees her as this beautiful creature with a cunning attitude in the beginning. However, as the story proceeds we see this unexpected side to her character, which makes her equivocal. This is due to the fact that we, the audience, are reading the novel from the point of view of Grendel, so we see this new perspective of the characters. This means all the character roles are switched around since the story is told from a morally ambiguous character himself. So with that, we must decide what role this woman plays, “good” or “bad”, because she is the one who raised Grendel into what he is.

Beowulf is an archetypal character within a legendary piece of text. He embodies the conglomerate of many Anglo Saxon values expressed throughout his heroic journey. Contrived by the mighty Northern Anglo Saxons, Beowulf is the manifestation of the Anglo Saxon ideals. This work of art helps us identify and analyze Beowulf’s ideals in a way that lets us deduce the values of the Anglo Saxon society. Examination of this poem lets us familiarize ourselves about a society obsessed with religion, vengeance and war-lust beings. They idolized the warrior code, an abundance of warrior like traits that portrayed you as noble as can be, a fundamental aspect of life for the Anglo Saxons. So let us leap into the fabric of time and take a peek into the Anglo Saxon civilization.

In Beowulf, women are portrayed in two ways, confined and unconfined. The women that adhere to the roles of wives, mothers, and

Analyzing their personalities individually (Peacemakers, Hostesses and The "Monster"), have all demonstrated different tasks to the society of Beowulf and the plot. Readers have discovered that the stereotypical views of women are present. However, the women show a great deal of independence, strength and violence. Their stereotypical characteristics start to disappear once you analyze and realize their importance to men. The male dominance is present to an extent, but without females being accounted for, tasks and responsibilities would not be completed; men depend on the women in the society of Beowulf. Even though the tale is stereotypically male based, having peacemakers, hostesses and a violent female prolongs the story line and proves that as much as women are seen as unimportant, they are absolutely crucial to the tale of

Marriage interestingly is an institution that society upholds, perhaps it refers to the human origins of Cain and therefore to the humanity of Grendel’s mother. A bride also has feminine qualities such as maternal instincts, which indicates the monster’s role as a mother. The poet does not mention the monster’s name, instead only refers to her as “Grendel’s mother” to emphasize her maternal role (Heaney 69). Grendel’s mother displays her motherly instincts when she reflects on the death of her son Grendel, “Grendel’s mother…brooded on her wrongs” done to her by society (Heaney 69). As a grieving mother, her emotions indicate a humanlike quality of having attachment to one’s family. The kenning focuses on her duty in this world – as a mother to Grendel. The kenning also acts as device to highlight the humanlike qualities indirectly, and acts as a way for readers to empathize with the monster’s

In the poem Beowulf, there is a contrast between good and evil. This distinction is presented through the monsters Grendel and his mother, in parallel to the hero Beowulf. The themes of evil and monstrosity are therefore used in the story, as a way to create the notion of Grendel and his mother as monsters. Beowulf therefore appears as a character representing good. Although Beowulf shows traits of abnormal power, like Grendel and his mother, his motifs are interpreted differently.

Beowulf is an excellent piece with a lot for the readers to desire and relate to while reading. This analysis explores different escapades while examining the role of women in the literature. One thing to point out is that female characters have always received very thin attention in different pieces of literature, something that has always made many people think that their role is meager. Every piece of literature has an important message to pass across to its intended audiences. Indeed, this study seeks to demystify the male-centric mindset to promote the visibility of women in the contemporary interpretation of literary works demonstrating that women play a greater role in the literature despite the proximity given to male protagonist.

While the position of this paper is not that Beowulf is an immaculate hero unworthy of reproach, a complete inversion which places the focal point of the epic on the humanity of the monsters is an unwarranted and ethnocentric imposition of modern values onto literature that proceeded from a time and place where those values had no