equivalence, share many similarities in their actions and inactions.
Neither chose their surroundings, and they are both just looking out for the best interests of their children. Social inequality negates any true identity either of them could ever have.
Wealhtheow was chosen to have a child with Hrothgar to bridge the gap between their two communities. She did not choose him to father her children. It was not her responsibility to restore peace in the conflicting communities. IN the play, she was written as a glamorous princess but her main role in the play is serving drinks,
“So the Helming woman went on her rounds ,
queenly and dignified, decked out in rings,
offering the goblet to all ranks (l.s 620-22)” Helming means in a position of leadership. However, her main role as a princess is serving the kingship their drinks. Her role is that of a servant. Being a princess sounds glamorous and full of wealth and happiness, but we see that her glamour and wealth comes with being a servant to her king just like everyone else.
In direct contrast to a life of royalty, Grendel’s mother was born into exile as a result of a crime a family member had committed long in the past. She was shunned by society long before she was born. She was perceived as evil before she ever did anything evil. With all that decided by society, it was inevitable that she would turn into a gruesome monster. The societal interpretation ruined not only Grendel’s mother’s life but also Grendel’s,
“They are fatherless creatures,
And their whole ancestry is hidden in a past
of demons and ghosts. The dwell apart
among wolves on the hills, on windswept crags
and treacherous keshes, where cold streams
pour down the mountain and disappear
under mist and moorland. (l.s 1355-61)” Society could not see past their unjust interpretations from the beginning which told the fate of Grendel and Grendel’s mother.
The fates of Grendel's mother and Wealhtheow and were decided for them, whether it be a beautiful princess or an ugly, hateful monster. They did not get a say in the people they became.
The maternal instinct, however, carried through in different ways, is a major character trait that both Wealhtheow and Grendel’s
mother possess. Wealhtheow’s ways of looking out for her children are based on a code of civil society. When she passes the beer around, both Wealhtheow and Beowulf know that they have just made a binding contract, and that he must take care of her children.
“Then Wealhtheow pronounced in the presence of the company” (l.1215) Wealhtheow knew that by presenting her idea in front of company the obligation for Beowulf to accept her offer would say that much more of his character.
“To these two boys, and your bounty will be sure.
You have won renown: you are known to all men
Far and near, now and forever.
Your sway is wide as the wind’s home,
As the sea around cliffs. And so, my prince,
I wish you a lifetime’s luck and blessings
To enjoy this treasure. Treat my sons with tender care, be strong and kind
Here each comrade is true to the other,
Loyal to lord, loving in spirit” (l.s 1220-29)
Grendel’s mother however, still looking out for her son, does not abide by any code of civil conduct, and seeks revenge by killing the people responsible for Grendel’s death.
He died in battle,
Paid with his life; and now this powerful
Other arrives, this force for evil
Driven to avenge her kinsman’s death.
Or so it seems to thanes in their grief,
In the anguish every thane endures
At the loss of a ring-giver, now that the hand
That bestowed so richly has been stilled in death. (l.s 1337-44)
Social inequality describes both Wealhtheow and Grendel's mother,
regardless of their social status. Grendel’s mother does
not have a name. She is always referred to as Grendel’s mother. When her son died, her identity died with him.
Wealhtheow literally means Foreign Slave. Slaves' identities use to be given to them by their masters. They did not have an
identity by themselves - it was whatever their master prescribed to
them. Wealhtheow, although a princess, served beer. She has no say inthe future of her children.
Neither Wealhtheow or Grendel’s mother, princess and monster, possess a true identity. They live through the roles society
has given them. Whether it is a role of evil or a role of royalty, it
was not the path they chose to live. The social inequality of the
community branded them with identities they did not choose.
Wealhtheow chose to look after her children by way of the code. She
offered Beowulf a drink in return for his looking after
her children, and he agreed. Beowulf became the king and was the
ultimate hero. When he died, he left his country vulnerable. The true hero left the city confused and unprepared to live without him.
Grendel’s mother did not have a chance to rely on anyone. She had to do everything on her own because she had been exiled.
She chose to deal with her grief by gruesomely murdering anyone even remotely involved in her son’s death by using “her savage talons (1504)”. She did not have a code to live by, and she dealt with her issues the only way she knew
how: Through excessive violence.
Quotes:
Her onslaught was less
only by as much as an amazon warrior’s
strength is less than an armed man’s
when the hefted sword, its hammered edge
and gleaming blade slathered in blood,
razes the sturdy boar-ridge off a helmet. (l.s 1282-87)
So she lunged and clutched and managed to catch him
In her brutal grip (l.s 1501-02)
Her savage talons
Failed to rip the web of his war-shirt ( l.s 1504-05)
So she pounced upon him and pulled out
A board, whetted knife: now she would avenge
Her only child (1545-47)
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