The Roles of Women in BeowulfAre the women in this poem active equals of men? Or are they passive victims of men? The role of women in Beowulf is not the stereotypical one of a passive housewife, but rather one of freedom of choice, a range of activities, and space for personal growth and development, as this is reflected in Anglo-Saxon England of the time. refers to Ingeld and his wife and the coming quarrel between Heathobard: in this burning passion his love for the peaceweaver, his wife, will cool (2065-66) This is a rare passage, because the poetry Anglo-Saxon rarely mentions romantic feelings towards women. . In fact, marital status was not even considered important. For example, with the hero himself, the poet never mentions whether he is married or not, as is the case with most of the characters in the poem. Because this is a poem about the heroic deeds of men, with the exception of Hildeburh, the feelings between the man and woman are downplayed and the feelings between the warriors are emphasized. Remember that the poem opens with Scyld Scefing, coming motherless to rule the Danes: that those in his early days who left him adrift as a child, friendless and cold , alone on the waves. (44-46) Scyld's lack of a mother perhaps tells the reader that the heroic, superhuman, violent acts about to occur may not be entirely compatible with women and their feminine qualities as passivity, gentleness, compassion. It is a male-dominated, harsh and harsh narrative that would only do harm...... middle of paper ...... was honored by the nations (-1957)The roles of women in Beowulf are varied and not stereotyped; some are peaceful and at least one is a killer, a warrior. Women of royal blood have considerable freedom of choice, a range of activities and space for personal growth and development.BIBLIOGRAPHYChance, Jane. “Grendel’s Mother and Beowulf’s Wives.” In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. Chickering, Howell D. Beowulf A bilingual edition. New York: Anchor Books, 1977. Overing, Gillian R. “The Women of Beowulf; A context of interpretation. In The Beowulf Reader, edited by Peter S. Baker. New York: Garland Publishing, 2000. Tacitus: The Annals of Imperial Rome, translated by Michael Grant. New York: Penguin, 1996.