In a time in history when war was endemic and the conquest of lands and enemies seemed a priori, the hero of the time tended to follow suit. not. Beowulf, as a typical example of ancient English literature, takes place in this highly male-dominated world, ruled by violence, honor and misfortune. The role of women in this world also follows a clear pattern: chattel used as marriage currency to connect warring tribes to achieve peace, or Madonnas placed on a pedestal and worshiped from afar. Men tend to occupy both the literature and thought of the Old English world, while women are rarely seen in the role of heroes. Therefore, characters such as Grendel's mother, Thrith, and Welthow in Beowulf fall victim to the prism of misogyny used to view women in ancient English literature, as their strength is seen as negligible, depicted from the perspective of men. . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Grendel's mother is a good example of this misogynistic view. A horrible monster, she descends on Herot in a frenzy of grief and rage, seeking revenge for the death of her son Grendel. “She had brooded over her loss, misery had festered/In her heart, this feminine horror, that of Grendel/Mother?” (ll. 1258-1260). Claire A. Lees, in her essay At a Crossroads: Old English and Feminist Criticism, points out that "when it comes to Anglo-Saxon society [?], the lives of the women we know are linked to those of their family” .(Lees, 155) While men are known for their strength and cunning in war, women are recognized in relation to their family. Perhaps this is why Grendel's mother is not given a proper name and is simply mentioned in relation to her son. Even her motivation for using her strength is that of a grieving mother seeking revenge. She is strong enough to capture men, but her position remains that of a woman. Although she is a monster herself, she is nevertheless considered a woman in the eyes of men, for it is written that "no woman, no matter how fierce, could have come with the strength of a man,/To fight with the power and courage that men fight.” with?" (ll. 1282-4). Imbued with supernatural strength, only then could a woman achieve the strength otherwise reserved for men. However, her strength is only described in comparison with the strength of men. "Like a man but more powerful than any man." (l. 1352) Finally, she is captured and killed, and "Her body fell/To the ground, lifeless?" . 1567-8). Although her strength is admitted, she is still compared to that of men, and despite everything, she is inevitably conquered by a man Thrith is privy to the same misogyny. highlight the positive qualities of Hygd, the wife of Hygd is presented as a positive example of good behavior in women She is kind, attentive to the men around her and faithful to her husband and lord. however, like Grendel's mother, is presented by her unfeminine characteristics: But Thrith was too proud, an imperious princess with a vicious tongue and so fierce and wild that her father's followers averted their eyes as she passed, knowing that if anyone other than their king looked where she walked, her hands would form a noose to fit around their necks. (ll. 1931-7) And what a great sin for a woman, whether beautiful or black, to create fear and destruction, for a woman who should walk on, 1963