Women_in_Beowulf

Małgorzata Szynkaruk The representation of women in the poem, ‘’Beowulf’’ and ‘’Beowulf’’ – Novel by C. R. Kiernan Women in the poem ‘’Beowulf’’ represent the image of homemakers. Most of the poem is dominated by male characters and women appear there infrequently. They hardly ask any questions and mainly perform their duties such as serving the guests in the mead hall. The poem introduces two main female characters, Wealthow and Grendel’s mother. The former is Hrothgar’s wife, the queen of the Danes. While the later is an unnamed female monster. Wealthow is a typical representation of the traditional Anglo-Saxon woman. She is the one who conscientiously attend the guests in the mead hall constantly refilling their cups. ‘’Wealthow, Hrothgar’s queen, stepped forth, mindful of etiquette; decked with gold, she greeted the men in the hall, and then the noble women gave the goblet first to the guardian of the East Danes’ homeland;[…]Then, the lady of the Helmings went about everywhere among both tried warriors and youths, passed round the precious cup…’’(605 – 613) Either she walks among the guests performing her duties or faithfully follows her husband. This indicates she is presented as a member of weaker gender. She is a peacemaker, praised by author, a typical loving mother. But she is a clever and intelligent woman too. After Beowulf’s victory over the monster, she passes the goblet to Beowulf and skillfully addressing her husband the queen raises the issue of her sons’ future in front of the assembled people in the hall, making sure that Hrethric and Hrothmund are unthreatened as the only heirs to the throne: ‘’I know my gracious Hrothulf – that he will treat these youths honorably if you, friend of the Scyldings, should leave the world before him; I imagine that he will repay our offspring well, if he remembers all the favors we both bestowed on him for his pleasure and his honour while he was still a child.’’ (1175 – 79) Grendel’s mother, a monster is a loving mother too. When she lost her son, her only aim is to seek for justice and get her revenge on those who killed her child. This indicates close relationship between a mother and a child – motherly love, characteristic typical of humans. Thus, the female monster is given some human qualities in the poem. ‘’And his mother, still ravenous and gloomy at heart, purposed to go on a sorry journey to avenge the death of her son.’’(1267 – 68) Although Grendel’s mother is a female character, ‘’she-monster’’, she possesses great strength, she is hostile – she attacks anyone who visits her cave. She is described as evil, monstrous woman, associated with the descendents of Cain. Another Female character in the poem is Hygd who is similar to Wealthow. She is the wife of king Hygelac of Geatland. When Beowulf returns to his country after defeating Grendel and his mother, he is greeted by the two characters. Hygd, like queen Wealthow, is beautiful, wise and attentive to her people and duties. She constantly refills warriors’ cups with mead. She shows her great wisdom by offering the throne to Beowulf when her husband dies in the raid in Frisia against the Franks. She is aware of the fact that Beowulf would be a better king for their country than her own son, Heardred, whom she considers too inexperienced a candidate to the throne. Hygd is an opposite character to Thryth – ‘’imperious queen’’ who punishes innocent people who look at her in the way she perceiver it offensive. However, she is a woman capable of changing. Thus when she gets married, she becomes a different woman: ‘’there she subsequently occupied the throne well, famous for virtue, while living made good use of the life destined for her…(1943 – 45) The poem introduces also two more female characters: Hildeburh and Freawaru. The former is introduced in the song sung by a scop in the mead hall; she is Finn’s wife and a typical peacemaker. Unfortunately, the peace is not kept and she lost her father, brother and husband in battle. The latter is the daughter of Hrothgar and Wealthow. She was given as a wife to Ingeld to end a feud between the Danes and Headobards but the attempt failed. The image of women presented in the novel by Caitlin R. Kiernan significantly differs from the one from the poem. Due to the fact that the book is based on the movie and aimed to attract members of modern society, women are presented from a different point of view. Kiernan places considerable emphasis on female sexuality – in the novel they are perceived as objects of male desire and the source of sin. Both king Hrothgar and Beowulf have their mistresses. Yrsa is one of the many female characters who represent a promiscuous woman. She tempts Hondshew at the very beginning of the novel as soon as the warriors arrive at the kingdom of Hrothgar: ‘’…she bites through the skin of the fruit, purplish nectar runs down her chin and disappears between her ample breasts.’’ Although the man is married he is greatly interested in that woman seeking only his pleasures. When Yrsa ‘’with a pinkie finger, wipes a smear of nectar from her left breast and slowly licks it from her finger’’ she is reprimanded by Wiglaf for tempting a man who ‘’ has not seen woman flesh for many trying days and nights.” The women do their everyday duties. However, even while cleaning the hall they are stared at by the warriors and described with language rich in sexual connotations: ‘’Yrsa’s breasts strain the fabric of her dress when she bends over the table she’s cleaning.’’ Queen Wealthow is described as an incredibly beautiful woman. She constantly attracts Beowulf’s attention. Staring at her ‘’violet eyes’’ he cannot focus on anything else. He sees ‘’sunlight in her honey hair’’. She is attentive to her guests and involved in the matters connected with their kingdom. But she does not have any children. She is attracted by Beowulf too. Even before the death of Hrothgar they kiss. The queen plays a harp. She plays a very important role here. It is her who hands the golden horn to Beowulf. She is an independent woman. As a Beowulf’s wife she takes on Christianity despite the fact that her husband does not share her faith or believes. Wealthow is a woman full of dignity, compassion and pity. She helps other people when the golden demon attacks them. She even saves Ursula’s life – the life of her husband’s mistress, a young girl who could be his own granddaughter. Both of them, Wealthow and Ursula, are extremely beautiful. They are women who make love with the king. Grendel’s mother has ‘’wide, brilliant eyes’’ and magic voice that ‘’soothes Grendel.’’ She is a different character in the novel than in the poem. First of all, she, a female monster, has a son with Hrothgar – the human character. Later on she gives birth to the golden man – son of Beowulf. Both of the men were attracted by her unbelievable beauty. She deceives and attracts men very skillfully. Even at the end of the novel she talks to Wiglaf trying to attract his attention. She is a thoughtful mother and warns her son against people. After Grendel is killed, the merewife mourns him in the cave and later on takes revenge on the Danes. In the past she was worshipped by the people but now she lives in her cave. She is strong and powerful. Thus no one ever managed to destroy her. There is also another female character - Sigga, ‘’a slender woman of indeterminate age, neither particularly old nor particularly young, dressed in a nappy patchwork of fur and a long leather skirt that appears to have been stained and smeared with every sort of filth imaginable.’’ Unferth calls her a witch and kills when she professes the unavoidable carnage and destruction for the Danes.