English Final

Part One: Beowulf/Anglo Saxon Era

1. What were the oral traditions associated with Beowulf and the Anglo Saxon Era? 

• The Scopes told grand stories in the mead halls and exaggerated them to great lengths, this made the stories spread like wildfires and solidify in history. 

2. Why does Beowulf sail with his chosen companions to Hrothgar’s kingdom?

• To help Hrothgar defeat the monster (Grendel) attacking his people 

3. Who/What is hrunting?

• Beowulf’s sword that he gives to Unferth

4. What are the elements of epic poetry?

• Long and lengthy, many monologues and speeches from heroes, supernatural elements

5.  According to legend, where did Grendel originate from?

• Cain

6. How does Beowulf die

• He gets bitten by the dragon and dies because of the poison in its teeth. 

7. In what language was Beowulf originally written?

• Old English

8. What is the name of the hall built by King Hrothgar?

• Herot

9. How does Grendel die?

• Beowulf rips his arm off and he bleeds to death

10. How does Grendel’s mother die?

• Beowulf chops her head off

11. What are some possible themes of Beowulf?

• Good vs Evil

• Fate

• Establishing identity

• Heroism

12. Old English was formed by combining which two languages?

• Latin and German

13. Describe the Anglo-Saxon culture. 

• They are serious about honor, respect, and loyalty. They believed in wyrd which means “fate”

14. Explain how Beowulf represents Anglo-Saxon culture.

• Beowulf shows many Anglo-Saxon values such as strength and honor. Fighting Grendel without weapons showed both. The poem also shows the increasing role of Christianity in the Anglo-Saxon culture

Part Two: Grendel

1. How, in Grendel’s eyes, does Beowulf manage to beat him?

• Mere chance, it was an accident

2. Throughout the novel, Gardner communicates the idea that man is/are:

• Dumb pattern makers

3. What was the dragon’s advice in Grendel?

• Find your gold and sit on it

4. How does the dragon's charm affect Grendel? 

• Grendel can’t be harmed by blades/swords

5. The old peasant man who teaches Hrothgar's nephew about government, states that all Governments are? 

• Essentially evil

6. What kind of literary imagery most upsets Grendel? 

• He hates spring

• Anything to do with religion

7. What literary devices are used in Beowulf?

• Kenning

• Hyperbole

• Alliteration

• Caesura 

• Zodiac signs 

• Seasons

8. Define existentialism. 

• Existentialists believe that our lives have meaning, but no being created us

• Existentialists believe that our lives have no pre-existing meaning, but that we have an individual responsibility to create meaning and direction through our actions and choices.

9. Define Platonism.

• Our lives have a pre-existing meaning to follow good and join good in the afterlife.

• Follow the rules of a belief system, religion

10. Define Nihilism. 

• Life has no meaning order or structure, there are no rules to follow.

Part Three: Shakespeare/Othello/Elizabethan Era

1. What was Iago's complaint in Scene 1?

• Cassio got the job that Iago wanted.

2. What was Roderigo's complaint at the beginning of the story? 

• Roderigo is in love with Desdemona, but she ran away and got married to Othello

3. How did Iago cause Cassio to be argumentative? 

• Iago gets Cassio drunk and asks Roderigo to pick a fight with Cassio

4. What was the result of Iago's crafty explanation of Cassio's fight with Roderigo? 

• He got Cassio fired from his job

5. Why did Iago want Cassio to ask Desdemona for help in restoring Othello's faith in Cassio?

• So that it would look like Desdemona and Cassio were having an affair.

6. What thing did Emilia find and give to Iago? 

• Desdemona’s handkerchief that Othello had given her.

7. What did Iago do after the battle between Rodrigo and Cassio? 

• Iago stabs Cassio in the leg and kills Roderigo

8. How was Desdemona faithful to Othello to the end? 

• She didn't tell Emilia that Othello was the one who smothered her. 

9. What are the characteristics of tragedies, comedies, and histories?

• Tragedies: 

  • Usually focused on the fall of man with excessive wealth

  • The bigger they are, the harder they fall

  • Tragedy is caused by the protagonist

  • Most of the main characters die

• Comedies: 

  • Not necessarily historically accurate

  • Provides social commentary

  • Focus on English monarchs

• Histories:

  • Theme of love

  • Complex plots

  • Mistaken identities

  • Use of puns

  • Stock characters

  • Happy endings

10. What were the two main religions during the Elizabethan Era?

• Catholic and Protestant 

11. Elizabethan Literature was written to…

• Entertain the masses

12. What were some characteristics of the Elizabethan Era? 

• Most famous for theatre

• Age of exploration and adventure

• Romanticism

• humanism

13. How does Othello represent the values of the Elizabethan Era?

• "Othello" exemplifies Elizabethan drama through its exploration of the human condition, blending tragedy and comedy, and presenting universal themes of betrayal and self-doubt.

14. Know the drama of the British Monarchs during the Renaissance.

• Henry the VIII had six wives that caused lots of drama

  • Catherine of Aragon was Catholic and Anne Boleyn was the cause of the Church of England

• Queen Mary (“Bloody Mary”) nicknamed due to her persecution and slaughter of Protestants, English religion : Catholic

• Queen Elizabeth was devoutly Protestant, had Mary executed, and was under constant threat from Catholics, English religion : Protestant

• King James took over as he was Elizabeth's cousin and she bore no children during her reign. James reinstated the Church of England and solidified it.

15. What is humanism?

• Study centered around human interests and values

16. What is hamartia? 

• a fatal mistake that a character makes that brings about their downfall

Part Four: Paradise Lost/Neoclassical Era

1. What were the three phases of the Neoclassical Era?

• Restoration Period (1660-1700)

• Augustan Period (1700-1750)

• Age of Johnson (1750-1790)

2. What are the characteristics of the Neoclassical Era?

• Brought stability to writing

• upheld structure

• characterized by order, accuracy, and structure

• Concerned with human nature and supremacy of reason

• Conservatism flourished

3. How does Paradise Lost represent the values of the Neoclassical Era?

4. According to the text, what is the purpose of Paradise Lost? 

• To “justify the ways of God to men”

5. Why was the Restoration Era named so? 

• Because of the restoration of the British Monarchy

6. What are epic conventions that are utilized in Paradise Lost?

• Invocation to the Muse: Milton begins by invoking the Holy Spirit for inspiration.

• In Medias Res: The poem starts in the middle of events, with Satan in Hell.

• Epic Similes: Milton uses extended similes for vivid descriptions.

• Grand Language: Elevated and formal language throughout the poem.

• Epic Battles: Notable battles, especially the war in Heaven.

• Journey to the Underworld: Satan's journey through Chaos to Earth.

• Supernatural Beings: Features God, Satan, angels, and demons.

• Heroic Figures: Satan as an anti-hero and Adam as a tragic hero.

• Moral Themes: Explores free will, obedience, and redemption.  (From ai)

7. In Book 1, what had already happened? 

• The Great War in Heaven

8. In book 1, we learn of Satan’s plan, what does Satan plan to do? 

• To become a better ruler/king than God.

9. What did God do to ensure that Adam and Eve had fair warning of Satan and his plan?

• He sends the angel Raphael to tell Adam of all the things that have happened before he was created. 

10. How is Eve manipulated into eating the fruit? 

• Satan lies to her in the form of a serpent saying that he is able to speak from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge.

11. What is God’s response to Adam and Eve’s disobedience? 

• He curses both the serpent and man.

• Serpent: Crawl on their belly

• Man: Childbirth will be painful and the ground is cursed for them.