Women In Beowulf

In the poem Beowulf, women were given important roles to play. Women were depicted as being competitors. Often they kept the peace between the male warriors. Some were adversaries that used murderous tactics to solve disagreements. The peacemaker role can be seen in the character, Wealtheow. She is the Queen of the Danes and the wife of King Hrothgar. In lines, 1162 and 1215-30, states, “The song was sung, the song of the gleeman. Afterwards joy arose; bench noise sounded clearly, cup-bearers served wine from wonderful vessels. Then Wealthou came forth to walk under the golden crown to where two good men sat, nephew and uncle; They were still at peace, each one true to the other. Wealtheow spoke, in the presence of the company she said to him: ‘Wear this ring, beloved Beowulf, young man, with good luck, and make use of this mail-shirt (corslet) from the people's treasure, and prosper well, show thou your strength, and be of kind counsel to these boys! I shall remember to reward you for that. Thou brought it about that, far and near, for a long time, all men shall praise you, even so widely as the sea surrounds the shores, home of the …show more content…
Instead of keeping men at peace she evokes chaos. In lines 1263- 1279, states, “Then awoke many fated spirits; Grendel was one of these, the hateful sword-outlaw, who found at Heorot a watching man biding for battle; there with him the troll came at close grips; yet he remembered the great strength, generous gift, which God gave him, and he on the One-Ruler's favour relied, comfort and support; by this he overcame the fiend, subdued the spirit of hell; then wretched he went, deprived of joy, to see his place of death, that foe of mankind. And his mother even now, greedy and gloomy-hearted wished to go forth, a sorrowful journey, to avenge her son's death; she came then to Heorot”(Beowulf