Beowulf, Dante's Inferno, and Thomas More's Utopia Lecture Review

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, characters, and concepts from Beowulf, Dante's Inferno, Thomas More's Utopia, and Shakespeare's King Lear based on lecture notes.

Wyrd

A term in modern English meaning 'Fate'.

Wergild

A payment made to compensate for a family member’s MURDER, reflecting the Anglo-Saxon value of community and the loyalty needed for survival.

Kenning

A metaphorical compound word used in Anglo-Saxon poetry, such as 'Shadow-stalker', or ‘volkswagen’

Good King (Anglo-Saxon)

A ruler who protects and provides for his people, exemplified by Scyld Scefing who built Herot and opened his 'treasure-filled hands' to his subjects.

Unferth

A name meaning 'not' or 'lacking' ('un-') 'peace' or 'protection' ('ferth' or 'frith').

Heroic Boast

A practice exemplified by Beowulf when he describes how he will defeat Grendel in the heat of battle.

Geong

The Old English word translated into modern English as 'Young'.

Divine Number Allegory

The representation of Jesus as perfection in the poem through the structure of $11 + 11 + 11 = 33$.

Inferno Inscription

The warning found at the entrance of hell: 'Abandon all [hope], all you who enter here'.

Three Beasts of Hell

The creatures representing the major divisions of hell: the Leopard, the Lion, and the She-wolf.

Three Women of Divine Grace

Mary, Lucia, and Beatrice, who represent divine grace.

Virgil (Allegory)

A character who signifies 'virtue' and 'human reason' within the poem.

Contrapasso

The law of nature in hell stating that for every sinner’s crime there must be an equal and fitting punishment.

Phlegethon

The ring within the Circle of Violent dedicated to those who were violent against others.

Dark Woods

The area in the Circle of Violent for those who were violent against themselves.

Sandy Plain

The area in the Circle of Violent for those who were violent against God, Nature, or Art.

Harpies

Mythological creatures that torment those in the 'Violent against self' category by eating their leaves.

Malebolge

The seventh circle of hell consisting of ten concentric 'pouches' or pits for the fraudulent.

Simoniacs

Sinners held upside down in Dante's hell whose feet are burned by fire.

Malacoda

A demon whose successful deception of Virgil signifies the naivete of human reason when faced with fraud.

Thieves' Contrapasso

The incessant metamorphoses of the sinners, symbolizing the taking away of their identity as they took from others.

Raphael Hythloday

A character in Utopia described as a philosopher by Peter Giles.

Landgrabbing

The practice Raphael refers to when he remarks that 'sheep have turned to man-eaters'.

Polylerites/Tallstorians

A group that deals with thieves by employing them on public works.

Utopia (Etymology)

A word with two meanings: 'paradise' or 'no where'.

Renaissance Humanism

A focus on human reason and improving society through rational ideas as seen in More’s Utopia.

Amaurot

The capital city of Utopia.

Utopian Work Day

A system where everyone works exactly $6$ hours a day because labor is shared equally and only necessary goods are produced.

Utopian Gold

Material used to make chains for slaves, chamber pots, and children's toys to discourage its valuation.

Illusory Pleasure

The act of taking pride in expensive clothing, jewelry, or wealth.

Oswald

The servant of Goneril in King Lear, referred to by Lear as a 'slave' and 'servant'.

The Fool’s Truth

The idea that truth is 'whipped out' like a dog while corruption and foolishness are kept comfortably by the fire.