Nameless Women Close reading post 3

Throughout the story of Beowulf, misogynistic tendencies have overpowered the feminine voices and characters. In this poem, women are viewed by their spouses, children, or simply by their belongings and are hardly ever mentioned by name.

            In this poem, the men are often addressed by either their names or by the names of their father. Such as on line 1550, when Beowulf is introduced as, “The son of Ecgtheow.” As we discussed in class this is not only demeaning in a way to Beowulf but also ironic. This is because he is only someone of importance because of his mother’s connections, while, on the other hand, his father was viewed as a horrible criminal. Yet, this he is always tied back to his father.  

            It is pitiful that a woman’s name cannot stand on its own and have significant meaning. Grendel, the beast the Beowulf defeated without using armor, overshadows his mother. We do not know her true name because she is always referred to as, “Grendel’s mother.” Nonetheless, Beowulf seemed to have a harder time defeated the mother dragon which proves she is not to be messed with and she should have been given enough respect to be named.

            At the end of this section of reading, a new and unique woman was introduced (by name). Great Queen Modthryth, was a little hot-headed to say the least. She would kill any man that gave her a look she did not approve of. It was exciting to see the author of Beowulf create a new and sassy woman, until the end of her story results in marriage because, “Even a queen outstanding in beauty must not overstep like that.” (1940-1941).

            It is interesting to watch how the creator of Beowulf plays with the character descriptions in this piece. One of the most prevalent being the distinction between the male and female characters; however, some female characters are somewhat blurring the distinct line between the stereotypical gender roles during this time period.