Epic Tradition & Old English
What Old English epic poem tells the story of a hero who battles Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and a dragon?
Beowulf
What is Geoffrey Chaucer’s most famous work, often called the “Father of English Literature”?
The Canterbury Tales
Which English queen gave her name to a flourishing literary period in the 16th century?
Queen Elizabeth I
What is the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearean sonnet?
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
What king started the Restoration period?
Charles II
What literary work centers on Achilles, a powerful Greek warrior whose anger and personal conflict lead to devastating consequences?
The Iliad
In The Canterbury Tales, who travels to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket?
the pilgrims
Elizabethan drama was performed in which famous London theatre?
The Globe Theatre
A Shakespearean sonnet is divided into how many quatrains and couplets?
3 quatrains and 1 couplet
What force was often emphasized by Romantic poets as a source of inspiration and reflection?
Nature
Why is the journey or quest essential in epic traditions, and how does it shape the hero’s growth?
The quest tests the hero through trials, reveals their flaws, and leads to transformation.
What historical event introduced French vocabulary into English and shaped Middle English?
The Norman Conquest of 1066
Which Shakespeare play directly reflects on the legitimacy of monarchy and divine right of kings, influenced by Elizabethan politics?
Macbeth
Shakespeare wrote in which poetic meter that later influenced English poetry and drama?
Iambic pentameter
Which female author of the Romantic era is famous for writing Frankenstein?
Mary Shelley
What is the main theme of Beowulf, reflecting Anglo-Saxon warrior culture?
Heroism, loyalty, and honor
What code of conduct is central to King Arthur’s knights and is tested in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?
Chivalry
How did the Queen's influence shape the themes of Shakespeare’s history plays?
They glorified Tudor lineage and promoted national unity
How does the rhyme scheme of a Petrarchan sonnet differ from a Shakespearean sonnet?
Petrarchan: ABBAABBA CDECDE
How does Shelley’s Frankenstein connect Romanticism with early Gothic elements?
By blending emotional intensity, nature’s sublime power, and horror of human transgression
The language of Old English is most closely related to which group of languages?
Germanic languages
In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, what does the Green Knight’s challenge symbolize about human nature?
The test of courage, honesty, and moral integrity
Humanism, a key Renaissance movement, emphasized what over religious authority?
Reason, individual achievement, and classical learning
Which literary device is often used to make a shift in argument, tone, or perspective in both Petrarchan and Shakespearean sonnets?
the volta
What Romantic theme is reflected in Victor Frankenstein’s obsession with creating life?
The dangers of unchecked ambition and the pursuit of forbidden knowledge