Based on the brief scene in which Wealhtheow was presented to the audience, one can infer that Anglo-Saxon women did not have a significant role in society. As the queen of Hrothgar, Wealhtheow in theory is the most powerful woman of the Danes, but there was nothing noteworthy about her character. She was portrayed as a common woman rather than a queen. Any slave woman could have done what she did and not look out of place. Her actions seemed habitual and dull. There was not really any depth to her character. From the portrayal of Wealhtheow no one can fully know what was the role of an Anglo-Saxon women, but one can infer that her voice could be easily ignored amongs the men. They are not involved with much of society’s problem. It seems that they were there to fill up space and not do much.

As children we were taught that heroes were people with superhuman powers. They were the men and women who had the ability to fly, turn invisible, and run into a burning building and come out without a scratch. Yet, as time goes on the belief that heroes have superhuman powers simply fades away but their courage and dedication to the well being of others is shown by men and women every day. Heroes in today’s society are men and women who dedicate their lives for good. When talking of heroes, one has to mention the hundreds of firefighters who on 9-11 lost their lives to save someone else's. Not many people have the kind of courage these people had. A hero, though, is not just the person who runs into the building but also someone who scarifies his or her life for the betterment of society. Some of the best examples of this are school teachers. They are overworked and underpaid. They take on the burden of teaching the future generation but do not get much reward for it. The social obligation of a hero is to be at service of other, just like comic book superheroes are. It is not they abilities that make them heroes, but the responsibilities they take on.

Macbeth

Throughout history the role of women has changed drastically. Unlike their male counterparts, women were considered to be second class citizens until somewhat recently. A woman during who lived 1600s would be much different than a woman who lived during in 2000s. The average woman of the 1600s could not survive a day in the shoes of the modern women. Women today are not only expected to be mothers, wives, and caretakers, but also have to work and provide an income for their families. Most women are no longer the puppets of their husbands. They are ambitious and ruthless when they need to be, just like Lady Macbeth. In Shakespeare’s play the Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare's portrayal of Lady Macbeth is that of a revolutionary women. This is because she does not fit the description of a women from that time. Lady Macbeth takes charge of her husband’s future because without her Macbeth would not have done what would have been necessary to become king. She works for what she wants, and would stop at nothing to achieve her goal. She urges her husband to kill Duncan so he is able to become king. She did what was the best interest of her family, similar to what many women in present time are forced to do. Though not as extreme as ordering one's death, certain mothers and wives in the current economic crisis have similarly tough decisions to make so that they can reap the benefits of their work.