Essential Question # 3

Wealtheow, in Beowulf, is portrayed as a very humble, kind-hearted woman who was, "adorned with gold." In the poem the purpose that Wealtheow fulfills is that of a hostess. When introduced into the novel she is described to be dressed in wealth and greeting the many men in the hall, offering drinks to all as praise for their presence. She can be seen as a goddess who knows no evil and is a representation of nurturing love and care. In the poem Wealtheow is a servant to some extent, offering drinks to all the men in Heorot, and taking care of her king as a mother would care for her child. She sets the stage for what Anglo-Saxon women might have been like, humble, kind, loyal, beautiful, and obligated to serve to some extent. Wealtheow's introduction into the poem is brief but resembles what women of that time period might have been like.

Essential Question #2

The social obligations of a hero are nothing. A hero is no different than you and I, not one singular person amongst billions, but someone who lives life like the vast majority of us do, like humans. A hero doesn't have super strength, the ability to fly, or x-ray vision, nor does a hero have to land an airplane in the Hudson river, saving many. A hero is no one out of the ordinary, but the very person you see when you look in the mirror every morning when you wake up. We are all heroes to somebody, whether it be our younger siblings or an entire nation. We are not obligated to do anything but be ourselves and wait for the very day when someone says, "you are my hero".

Essential Question #1 Part B

Lady Macbeth's role in Shakespeare’s Macbeth is purely progressive and nothing more. Her role as a determined woman who lusts after power and position simply adds to the climactic plot of Macbeth and demonstrates that Shakespeare has portrayed her as a woman of ahead of her time. The mere fact that Lady Macbeth plays an immoral character who sought after the few things that many people desire even until this day is irrelevant, as she was able to hold her own against the men of the time and coerce Macbeth into obeying her every whim. Characters such as Iago in Shakespeare’s Othello also play similar roles as a villain in the story, but at the same time they were sharp and cunning. The villainy is irrelevant in comparison to the ingenuity Lady Macbeth exhibits. To answer the question as to whether or not Shakespeare was progressive or misogynistic in his portrayal of Lady Macbeth, he was progressive, for Lady Macbeth’s clever and mischievous nature is what made this tragedy all the more epic.