Beowulf Gender Roles

Gender role is one of the typical topics that literature has described all time, from 8th century Old English literature like “Beowulf” (translated version by Seamus Heaney) to 18th century modern English literature like” Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen. Both authors are precise and sharp observers of the society’s gender stereotype at their times; and they were able to denounce that practice in their fiction stories by the reconstruction of the whole society with all types of character in their literature works. Both authors do not forthrightly criticize the unfair gender roles practiced in the community; instead, they give characters space and time to develop their own personalities, thoughts, and point of view towards the subject. There …show more content…
By comparing all these examples in both stories, one can interpret the similarities in many aspects of gender role that both authors perceive in their societies. “Pride and Prejudice” bears a resemblance to “Beowulf” in the way both authors use conversations as a tool to create similar male dominated societies and their associated stereotype towards different genders, as well as the way they create different female models exist in the societies to make their stories more realistic.
With attention to the narrative styles that both authors utilize in their works, readers can concede the similarities in the way they use conversations between characters as the main tool to recreate the whole societies. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen uses progressive characterization, in which characters are allowed to express themselves through thoughts, attitudes, and mainly conversations to reveal the differences in man and woman roles in the 18th century. In the same fashion, Beowulf’s author continuously creates lengthy dialogues as a mean of characterization in order to attain the same purpose. As an illustration, in the argument about Mr. Bennet visiting Mr. Bingley …show more content…
Bennet’s words to Mr. Bennet illustrate that a woman is not allowed to do certain things without permission of her husband. She said “Impossibile, Mr. Bennet, impossible, when I am not acquainted with him myself,...” and “ …I knew I should persuade you at last.” (Pg9) Here, according to Mrs. Bennet, it is impossible for her to introduce herself to Mr. Bingley unless Mr. Bennet meets him first; and secondly, she expresses her happiness when she successfully convinced her husband to go for the visiting trip. This depicts that men are superior in the society and they have more power in the family. Another equally important example found in Pride and Prejudice is when Mr. Darcy refuses to dance with Elizabeth at the ball, he speaks “She is tolerable but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men.”(Pg13) This again makes it visible to the audience that men are at higher position and they can choose their women. Mr. Darcy consciously