Beowulf

In Beowulf, the women we see presented are basically the wives and mothers of men. However, like Grendel's mother, they are not always weak or ineffectual. Further, women often serve an important role or status in society, particularly in the sense that their marriages are arranged for political purposes. This analysis will explore the status of women in Beowulf, particularly the goal of marriage and the portrayal of women in society. Comparisons will be made with the status of women in Roman society.

The uses of marriage in the society of Beowulf are similar to the uses and nature of marriage in Roman society. Both Roman and medieval pagan society were ones that were based on warfare and battle. As such, marriages were often arranged to consolidate power or to bring about peace between warring factions. We see this is definitely the case in Beowulf. For example, Feawaru, Hrothgar's daughter, was married to Ingeld in an attempt to end the blood feud between the Danes and the Heathobards. Roman marriages were also arranged to form alliances and consolidate power. Augustus, first Emperor of Rome, forced his wife Livia to divorce her first husband and marry him because he needed her wealth and influence to consolidate his own power, "Hrothgar is to marry his daughter, Freawaru, to Ingeld the Heathobard in what Beowulf grimly foresees will be a vain effort to heal the tribal feud" (Alexander 34).

Yet, male dominance and power ruled both Ro

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rst crime was the killing of one's kin. If someone should murder one's kin, it became a duty to exact revenge via the taking of another life or through the payment of wergild. Thus, the men at Heorot should expect some act of revenge for Grendel's murder but they do not and his mother's attack takes them by surprise as a result. In Roman society, the Romans believed much like the Danes that the home, hearth and motherhood were the foundation of society, even though society was male dominated. Honoring and protecting the mother figure were important in both societies. We see this in Beowulf when the Swedish king Ongentheow rescues his wife from Haethcyn and he kills Haethcyn. We also see homage paid to Hygd, Hygelac's queen, the mother of Heardred. Beowulf presents Hgyd with the necklace that was given to him by Wealhtheow. In Roman society, Nero was basically put to death by the Senate to a large degree because of his killing of his mother, Agrippina the Younger. As the killing of kin represented the worst crime in medieval Danish society, so the killing of one's mother was the ultimate unforgivable sin in Roman society. However, women traditionally represented a refuge for the male warrior, as Hrothgar and his men must

Category: Literature - B