Gender Roles In Beowulf

””(Yinger, 2008). Reading through Dante’s second book, one cannot help but to see parallels between the author’s idea of purgatory and this idea of legalism. Dante revealed his sentiments concerning how souls in purgatory worked to purge themselves of their sinful nature not through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, but through demonstrating themselves worthy by completing contrasting action.

In the article, Beowulf’s Androgynous Heroism, The author tells us that Beowulf is one of the “most memorable in his capacity as the masculine warrior and king.” (Robert Morrey, Beowulf’s Androgynous Heroism, University of Illinois Press) Even though he had no feminine companion beside him, he still fulfilled his roles, as he should have. Beowulf was authentically strong and unquestionably capable of standing up, even when nobody else could. He was able to stand up and arrest control when need be. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, he was struggling to be the best he could be until Enkidu died, his best friend.

Beowulf is a poem that based in the 10th and 11th century that revolved around the idea of good vs evil. The poem is named after Beowulf who is a supernatural hero that slays any evil that crosses his path but is a real sweetheart when it comes to other people or the king. Beowulf is to be considered an epic poem because the hero in the story creates acts of being courageous and even superhuman in some cases, reflecting timeless values such as courage and honor, and the poem reflects unforgettable values with honor and courage. Typically in an epic poem, one will see a character or “the hero” who has outstanding courage and commit superhuman deeds and show values to other people in that era. “Then he drew himself up beside his shield./The fabled warrior in his warshirt and helmet/trusted in his own strength entirely/

Dante was an Italian poet who depicted his fictional journey through heaven and hell. The first epic poem of the three, Inferno, depicted Dante’s experiences going through Hell. Purgatorio begins with Dante and Virgil, his guide, emerging from Hell at the foot of Mount Purgatory, where souls purge themselves of sin. The epic follows Dante and Virgil as they travel through the seven terraces of Purgatory and see souls cleanse themselves of their vices. The bottom of the mountain, Ante-Purgatorio, contains the excommunicates – those who delayed repentance and are now awaiting their time to begin purging their vices in Purgatory.

Masculine Ideals in Anglo-Saxon Society The concept of a hero is prevalent through all generations because it presents a template for ethics and behavior. Beowulf is a pivotal epic told by poets throughout early european society and mirrors the manly nature of their ideal hero. The patriarchal values of the Anglo-Saxons are displayed through the epic Beowulf. The characters’ loyalty to their leaders as well as their conventional sense of masculinity indicate that the values of a society determine the values of an individual.

Throughout Old English Literature, women were seen as evil. Like in Beowulf where the woman with the most power was a monstrous sea creature who destroyed things. Or in Lanval and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight where women were dishonest and corrupted men, or like in The Wife of Bath where women manipulated men to get what they wanted; owned them in a way. In old English texts women are seen as an evil force; a force of destruction, corruption and cunning.

Fighter of dragons and other magical creatures alike, the story of Beowulf is often, at times, considered to not be an epic by some people. However, there are those who believe that the story is in fact an epic. A story including Prelude and forty-one chapters, the story does follow all of the characteristics of an epic. Beowulf focuses mainly on the exploits of a hero, takes place in a vast setting, and contains superhuman feats including strength and military prowess. Most epics have focused on the exploits of a hero or, a demi-god.

Gender Roles: Interpreting The Opposite Sex In today’s society men and women are often expected to perform different tasks, and occupy different roles based on their sex. Within different cultures, the view of how women and men should act and interact varies with political and religious influences, as well as personal influences. Geoffrey Chaucer suggests that people’s ability to understand the opposite sex is divided because of the stereotypes set in society for the opposite genders. Women are more likely to work as secretaries, and men are likely expected to work as managers and executives in the working field.

Beowulf is an excellent piece with a lot for the readers to desire and relate to while reading. This analysis explores different escapades while examining the role of women in the literature. One thing to point out is that female characters have always received very thin attention in different pieces of literature, something that has always made many people think that their role is meager. Every piece of literature has an important message to pass across to its intended audiences. Indeed, this study seeks to demystify the male-centric mindset to promote the visibility of women in the contemporary interpretation of literary works demonstrating that women play a greater role in the literature despite the proximity given to male protagonist.

Alliteration, Imagery, and Kenning in Beowulf In the Anglo-Saxon poem “Beowulf”, the author’s used multiple different literary devices, three in particularly stuck out throughout the entire story, being alliteration, kenning, and imagery; the literary devices were used to connect the story, and help the reader understand the life of Beowulf, and emphasize the parts that were not clear throughout the story. The author uses literary devices throughout the story of “Beowulf” to emphasize on Beowulf’s heroism, and to connect Beowulf to the epic poem. The use of alliteration is used to create a voice that only the readers will understand from reading throughout the story, an example following the idea of alliteration would be “Whichever one death fells must deem it a just judgement by God” (lines 400-441). Alliteration is to be described as a repetition of similar consonant sounds.

Moreover, while fighting Grendel’s mother, Beowulf was sent into the marsh alone to dual with her. He was nearly killed in the process, but was able to overcome Grendel’s mother’s power. In his final battle, Beowulf was abandoned in the fight with the dragon. All but one of his men abandoned him during the fight with the dragon. In this fight, the outcast was unable to win alone.

The middle poem, Purgatorio or Purgatory, expresses human nature, coming back up from falling down, and getting over our human weaknesses, people look at this poem now to understand how to get stronger and to never give up. One of Dante’s other poems, De Vulgari Eloquentia or in English Ordinary Speech, proved influential after the poem eventually united the territories of Italy. In the end, Dante Alighieri proved influential to modern day society even after 696 years after his

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is a male dominated novel. There are few women roles in the novel which are underdeveloped with characters that minimally progress the plot. In other cases, the women are relegated to character groups such as the Ent-wives and Orcs, thereby obfuscating their individuality. The lack of a strong female presence in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is reflective of traditional gender roles in British society which creates an imbalance in the novel. The gender imbalance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is seen in minor character groups.

Most readers often question the concept of queer theory and ask themselves, “Did the author/poet purposely add these homoerotic quotes or did it just happen?” In a close reading of some Anglo-Saxon readings, there is plenty of evidence to support the case of there being queer theory works implemented and how it relates to the overall plot of the story. The poem of Beowulf contains a lot of hidden imagery, symbolism, and other underlying messages throughout and the hidden theme or theory that is most prevalent throughout the poem is the queer theory, or that Beowulf is actually a homosexual. There are multiple situations and circumstances that would give the reader this impression within the text and the use of different literary devices give the poet, who is unknown, the ability to express them. In the poem, the poet utilizes phallic symbols, coding, and heteronormative roles in society to show the possibility that Beowulf was queer in a time where heteronormative roles were what was the social norm in society.

Dante’s conception of purgatory does not make sense when placed in line with Christianity. The Christian faith today is based on the life and teachings of Jesus from the study of the word of God, also known as the Bible. The Bible does not specifically state that purgatory exists. God’s word, through numerous scriptures, only states that Heaven and Hell are the two places that exist after death.