The problem of women being inferior to men as started since the beginning of time. Therefore, this brings up the question of: "Why are so many queens mentioned in Beowulf?" I think it is to give a lighthearted feeling to contrast the feeling of the doom and gloom of war. The women are polar opposites compared to the men in the epic. The men are shown to be mighty, powerful leaders who are supposed to fight for their country, while the women (queens) are shown to be strong in their mental nature. One section of lines I found very interesting were lines 1934-1940. This section says, "If any retainer ever made bold to look her in the face, if an eye not her lord's stared at her directly during daylight, the outcome was sealed: he was kept bound in hand-tightened shackles, racked, tortured until doom was pronounced--death by the sword, slash of the blade, blood-gush and death qualms in an evil display." This is intriguing since it is different from Greek culture, because the women were supposed to "sit still and look pretty." The beginning of The Iliad begins with Briseis being fought over by Achilles and Agamemnon, and Homer gave her no dialogue to support herself (since women were not allowed to speak for themselves). In contrast, the passage above in Beowulf shows that women were viewed for their intellect, and it is about the women rising above the men and being the rulers of their kingdom. Also, it says the men who looked at the queen would endure physical punishment; that is crazy to me! It reminds me of Alice and Wonderland since the queen says, "Off with your head!" All I kept thinking writing this was this: "The women in Beowulf are strong independent women that don't need no man." I feel like the queens in Beowulf really represent feminist thought, and I think this epic shows what society is striving for today-- equality for women. So like Dr. Guy says in class, "There is nothing new under the sun."
I commented on Hailey Morgan and Rachel Gregson's blogs.
I definitely feel as though the Queen could've taken Grendel's mother one-on-one. If she can kill you with a single look, then why not set-up a little staring contest?
ReplyDeleteOn a more serious note, her role in the novel is so beautifully written! As is typical, the Queen is both a wife and a mother. Her mental stability and calming nature are strong emotional supports for her husband and her sons. The Queen's role, however, does not simply end there!
The way in which she is described and set-up in the novel is very powerful! She is not some weak damsel, but a fierce force to be reckoned with! I feel like, had anything happened to the King, the Queen could have very easily stepped in!
I do agree this is quite a change, moving from the Iliad to Beowulf. Everything about the two cultures is very different, especially the treatment of women. While they are still inferior to men in Beowulf, they are at least included in the social community alongside men. On the other hand, ancient Greek husbands would not even allow their wives to be in the same room of a eating with friends.
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