ipl-logo

The Return Of The King Gender Roles

503 Words3 Pages

Kyler Judd
Mrs. Miller
English 12
22 february 2023
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the final book of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy. The book has many different lenses throught but the one lens that sticks out the most id the feminist lens. This paper will analyze the book using feminist lenses and its portrayal of gender roles, female representation, and the relationship between power and gender.
The portrayal of gender roles in The Return of the King is complex. The book is set in a world where men dominate the political and social ladder. The main characters are male, and female characters are just seen as to supporting roles for the men. For example, Aragorn, is the rightful king of Gondor, the main female characters, Eowyn and …show more content…

Eowyn, disguises herself as a man to fight in the Battle of Pelennor Fields, which defies gender expectations. She also rejects Aragorn, showing that she doesn't need a big strong man. Additionally, Galadriel's power and wisdom challenge the notion that women are weak or lacking in leadership abilities.
The representation of female characters in The Return of the King are not very upfront, but they are definitely there.. The female characters are few and far between, but they are showed as strong and capable. Eowyn is a skilled fighter, and Galadriel is a wise and powerful queen. However, the limited number of female characters reinforces the idea that men are the primary actors in the world of this book.
The relationship between power and gender in The Return of the King is also worth noting. The book shows power as primarily masculine. The characters who have power, such as Aragorn, Gandalf, and the leaders of the various armies, are all male. This strengthens the idea that power is a masculine trait, and that women are not meant to lead. However, the book also challenges this notion through the character of Galadriel, who possesses great power and is respected by the male

Show More
Related

  • Powerful Women In The Odyssey

    727 Words  | 3 Pages

    As stated before, although women are often portrayed as the weaker gender, they are as powerful because they use men’s weaknesses and almost always win. For example, Calypso detains Odysseus in Ogygia for seven years, and Odysseus had been willingly seduced. “Though he fought shy of her / he lay with her each night, for she compelled him / ‘Can I be less desirable than she is?’ / ‘Can mortals compare with goddesses in grace and form?’” (Homer 734). Calypso is very manipulative as she tries to convince Odysseus to stay with her while comparing herself to Penelope; because she is so powerful, she causes danger and interventions.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In The Thousand And One Nights

    642 Words  | 3 Pages

    Question Two Gender roles differ and change profoundly through time, societies, and stories. Visions of virtues and actions of respect towards women change as different situations progress throughout time. The attitude varies little with change for men from the appearance of one with strength and courage to one of sophistication and manners, but still of courage and strength; while the vision of women can turn from one of innocence and submission to one of pride and dominance. The role of the female sex compares and contrasts in the stories of The Hebrew Bible, Homer, and The Thousand and One Nights. From the multiple stories of The Hebrew Bible, the Creation specifies the role of women.

    Read More

  • Corruption Of Women In Beowulf Essay

    949 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Beowulf women are seen a force of destruction: 8the action or process of killing or being killed, the cause of someone's ruin. 4They are mainly characterized as a monster avenging her son. In doing this she manages to destroy not only a kingdom but the king himself (lines 1321-1344). Leaving him brooding over a friend’s death not to mention the many innocent people she killed when she attacked his throne room. Even Beowulf-the

    Read More

  • Comparing Women In Macbeth And The Odyssey

    1562 Words  | 7 Pages

    The Odyssey and Macbeth are classic tales of adventure and war endured by the men of their respective eras. Both pieces of literature show the lives of not only the men with the namesakes to their respective stories, but the lives of the women in those stories as well. During those times, women did not have much political or societal influence, besides being child-bearing homemakers. However, the authors of these respective works showed ways of how women can be perceived as more masculine, or how men can be more feminine. Characters could even appear as androgynous and not identify with either gender.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Femininity In Beowulf

    1473 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the poem of Beowulf, the depiction of femininity is largely relegated to small, inconsequential roles. In this poem women are not given much literary real-estate, and if there is mention of a female figure, it is dependent on and often in congruency to the actions or the mention of a male figure. I argue that in Beowulf, femininity is seen as the antithesis of masculinity. And as such, a feminine character must rely on being tied to a male character, or if there is a stand-alone female character, their actions are measured against the social concept of masculinity. This leads to a further argument of: womanhood, and therein femininity, can only be expressed when it is juxtaposed against the occurrence of masculinity or a male figure.

    Read More

  • Epic Essay: Representation Of Women In Beowulf

    739 Words  | 3 Pages

    However like Harris mentions in his article “the traditional view of the women in Beowulf as weak, extraneous characters used only to pass mead and worry about their children is patently false.” This epic oversimplifies the women’s roles in a household especially when they were from a noble title, since many of them had to take care of all household matters, especially when the men were gone to war, or even were peacemakers (Yewdaev). This is mostly due to the lack of presentation women have in this epic. On another hand, by lacking the mention of women they are showing that women aren’t seen as any where equal to men. It is arguable to say that at the same time the women are still being represented as having a big part in society, since it they found it necessary to give small parts to two

    Read More

  • Women In Beowulf And The Wife Of Bath's Tale

    1333 Words  | 6 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Gender In Fairy Tales

    1687 Words  | 7 Pages

    2. The Female Role in Fairy Tales Being female is not always easy, but comparing today’s situation to ancient times, women are a requirement due to their strong abilities and positions. What were unbelievable decades ago, is the reality now. Women have full power and control to themselves, they decide which job to choose, whether to strive for a career or to be a housewife, they are chief executive officer’s, entrepreneurs, marry and divorce or even do not get married at all. Historically, issues of the female gender have been criticized for decades, women had always been fighting for their rights and freedom.

    Read More

  • Male Heroism In Beowulf

    568 Words  | 3 Pages

    She alone challenges the stereotype of a reflexive female when she takes on Beowulf and his men at Heorot Hall.

    Read More

  • Women's Roles In Beowulf

    1235 Words  | 5 Pages

    On the other hand, women are depicted in roles that are often cynical, like Lady Macbeth, who is ambitious in ways that allow her to entice grim acts. These acts are shown in Beowulf when women take vengeance and are capable of cruel demeanors. Between Beowulf and Beowulf and Grendel, women have been depicted by many roles overruled by men The women of the Anglo-Saxons were relegated to the subordinate jobs, like marrying men to amend enemy feuds. This act was supposed to bear the troubles between the enemy tribes, hoping to gain peace.

    Read More

  • Comparing Women In Macbeth And Homer's The Odyssey

    2082 Words  | 9 Pages

    Women have always been portrayed as the weaker sex compared to men. It has been demonstrated in history itself and throughout literary works. Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Homer’s The Odyssey, however, portray women to be more powerful than men, even when their society thought otherwise and underestimated them because of their gender. Lady Macbeth, The Three Witches, Queen Arête and Penelope demonstrate the astute, charming, and ambitious side of women that was overlooked by men when it came to having power and making decisions.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Sometimes The King Is A Woman By Amy Sherald

    1342 Words  | 6 Pages

    The title of the painting, "Sometimes the King is a Woman," is a provocative statement that challenges traditional gender roles and expectations. The painting challenges the notion that only men can hold positions of power and authority, and suggests that women can be just as powerful and deserving of respect. Overall, "Sometimes the King is a Woman" is a powerful and thought-provoking painting that challenges viewers to reconsider their assumptions about gender, power, and

    Read More

  • Sundiata Women Essay

    862 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women are depicted as “trophy” to men and nothing more. Throughout the epic a sense of bravado and machoism is played out, giving off a man’s world feeling which women and little or no real reason to be wanted. To understand the epic and the roles in which women played, one may not have to look further than how the book has been put together. First and foremost, the book is being told through the eyes of a man (good luck ladies).

    Read More

  • Roles Of Women In Beowulf Essay

    823 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women in Beowulf, played three major roles, the hostess, peacemaker, and monster, giving modern society an insight of Anglo-Saxon culture. To begin, the hostess, portrayed by the Queen of Danes, symbolizes hospitality and social activity. The monarch’s character is portrayed as everything a queen should be and an “embodiment of hospitality and good taste” seen through the banquets she hosts in Herot. An

    Read More

  • Woman At Point Zero Stereotypes

    1155 Words  | 5 Pages

    They say that history is written by the winners and well, most of the winners throughout history have been men. Due to this there is tale after tale of great male heroes braving impossible challenges, discovering new worlds, and just about any notable feat one could think of. Nawal El Saadawi’s Woman at Point Zero challenges every stereotype of heroic men and damsels in distress all while incorporating real life accounts of women in Egypt. Possibly one of strongest methods of breaking these stereotypes is they way men are represented. Women at Point Zero portrays men as a harmful, deceitful, breed through the eyes of the leading character Firdaus; this is done in order to shed light on the patriarchy and empower women.

    Read More

More about The Return Of The King Gender Roles

Open Document