LIT 251
Prof. G. Steinberg

Response Paper:  Beowulf, The Dream of the Rood, and Old English riddles

Choose one of the following areas as the focus of your response paper:

1. In the final portion of Beowulf, Beowulf has become king.  Given what we learned about kingship at Hrothgar's court, is Beowulf a good king?  Is he still a hero?
2. How do The Dream of the Rood and Old English riddles compare to Beowulf?  Do they uphold the same values as Beowulf?  Do they challenge the warrior values of Beowulf?  Do they simply reinforce the picture of Anglo-Saxon culture that we got from Beowulf, or do they add something new?

Click here to go to the syllabus.