Women In Beowulf

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Taking Back The Power The unconventional role of women in the heroic society of Beowulf, reveals their underlying motive to cause destruction as chaos ensues throughout the epic poem. Typically in a warrior culture of a medieval society, women occupy the subservient and docile role, as the men immerse themselves in battles and bloodshed to attempt to protect the society around them. Men pursue glory for their accomplishments in battle, and are most often rewarded with some form of power. The women bestow gifts and tend to them to satisfy the men’s needs of any kind. They never turn away these simplistic jobs, as it is an honor for they to get to do anything at all. Their willingness reflects their goal to please the men, including those who …show more content…
The death of her son leads her to exploit herself in the most harmful way possible. She terrorizes Heorot, forcing Beowulf to come after her in her death lake she calls a home. She continues to“ brood on her loss, misery had brewed in her heart, that female horror, Grendel's mother, living in the murky cold lake” (1251-1253). Her motive is brought to the surface when she desires revenge for her dead son’s display of his body parts by Beowulf. She is truly the worst monster of all when she does everything in her power to kill Beowulf with her brutality. She resides in the “cold lake”, as her home, resembling the deeply bitter heart she holds to everyone else, except her son, Grendel. The dark and murky lake she calls home makes it almost impossible for any human to come into contact down there, until Beowulf. She only has love for her son, Grendel. But, because he is deceased, she must avenge her rage on those who did harm to him. Everything else to her is just an object that can be destroyed by her rath. Her aggressive nature leads her to become feared by all, as she is described by the poet as a “horror”, because of her overbearing motherly instincts that lead her interior monster qualities to boil to the surface. She can no longer be a mother, so instead, flips her switch and her goal is to destroy everything, illustrating her impulse to cause
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