Essential Question #3

Wealtheow is used as the prime example of the expected composure for women of the time period of Beowulf. Wealtheow is a hostess, serving everyone in the mead hall. As shown in the footnote, her name means "foreign slave". Wealtheow was dependendent on other, especially men. As seen in lines 618 through 620; "[Wealtheow] thanked God that her wish was granted that she might depend on some warrior for help against such attacks". Delving deeper into that one line, notice Wealtheow takes comfort in the fact that she can depend on someone. From this we can notice that women of this period have been brainwashed into believing their own worthlessness. She does not resent the fact that she can do nothing; she only revels in that there is someone who has come to her rescue from which she cannot escape herself. The subservient queen uncharacteristically interacts with commoners. Or perhaps, because she lacks a Y-chromosome, this would not be uncharacteristic. The manliest of commoners would be on the same level as Queen Wealtheow simply because of the substitution of estrogen for testoterone in her genetic recipe. On the lighter side of this period of male chauvinism, Wealtheow is able to act as the bond of the community; offering the mead cup to all, she links the young and old, poor and wealthy, women and man.