Masculinity In Beowulf

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Beowulf is a tale that focuses greatly on masculinity; it’s written from a male’s point of view, is dominated by a strong male cast, and is bursting with violence. On the surface it appears that women play little to no role in this classic tale, however, by diving deeper you find that the women who appeared throughout the epic contributed greatly to the narrative. They were not just women, but instead they were hostesses, mothers, and even warriors. Welthow, Queen of the Geats, is the first female character introduced to the story in line 345. Here she raises a golden cup to Hrothgar, King of the Geats, followed by his warriors, then the famous Beowulf. Upon first reading this section you can gather that she is being a well-mannered hostess, however upon further examination you can come to the conclusion that this act is more than her being sociable. This seemingly unimportant act, typically performed by noble women, establishes a hierarchy within the hall. By giving the cup first to Hrothgar it is shown that he is the most powerful figure. The cup follows in pecking order: second servings go to the warriors who fight for the king to protect the people of the kingdom, then follows Beowulf, who receives the cup last because he is not a part of the people. With Beowulf being such a strong…show more content…
Because of her attack, and the threat of more in the future, Beowulf and a band of warriors went off in search of her. Fueled by rage she fought Beowulf, until he came across a magical sword which he used to decapitate her and Grendel. Despite being female, Grendel’s Mother managed to take on possibly that world’s greatest monster slayer, though ultimately she was no match. In today’s society women have the ability to thoroughly provide and care for their children, just as Grendel’s Mother sought to care for her son. However, unlike a monster, we aren’t able to drag down and kill

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