Heroism and Masculinity in Beowulf

While reading the first 1000 lines of Beowulf, I noticed many similarities between Beowulf and characters in Greek mythology. Between the cockiness, the overt displays of masculinity, and the women and booze, Beowulf doesn’t strike me as much different than your modern day frat boy, or overly intoxicated Greek hero. Opening the second portion of the reading, the swimming competition that was instigated out of “sheer vanity” shows a man risking his life in order to prove his strength and masculinity in a way that seems incredibly far fetched. I mean, theres absolutely no way any mortal man could swim for seven nights, just as one man would never be able to fight Grendel with his bare hands.


In addition, the portrayal of women as homemakers with a dash of “damsel in distress” is something I’ve found to be similar to Greek mythology as well. When the author mentions the “Helming woman” who, “with measured words…welcomed the Geat and thanked God for granting her wish that a deliverer she could believe in would arrive to ease their afflictions,” paints Beowulf in an almost godly way, giving him similar status of Jesus or a savior. Following the fight with Grendel, it is said that nowhere on “earth was there anyone better to raise a shield or rule a kingdom.” In Greek mythology, heres are often painted as almost godly in nature, but with one fatal flaw that ultimately leads to their destruction or their success. To the reader, it isn’t necessarily clear whether or not Beowulf does possess a “fatal flaw.” I suppose only time will tell if any of Beowulf’s qualities will prove to be a disadvantage to him. :)

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 9, 2017 at 1:48 PM

    I really like the comparison to Greek mythology, it makes me think of how Zeus is considered so great because of his immense displays of strength, similar to Beowulf. I also think the other side of the cocky masculinity is the fear/ embarrassment of not having strength, or idiotic courage.

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  2. Chelsea MannSeptember 10, 2017 at 10:17 PM

    I think the comparison that was made to the modern day "frat boy" is very interesting and allows us to think about gender roles in today's society. The fact that we can still relate men in this time period to the men in the novel shows that the stereotypical man has not changed, therefore neither has the stereotype of what the ideal woman should be. Even today we see men and women addressed the same way they are in the novel. It makes me wonder if these stereotypes will ever completely go away.

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