"The Heart of the Matter"
This theme in Beowulf reflects the warrior culture’s focus on bravery and reputation.
What is heroism?
This creature terrorizes Heorot in Beowulf, earning its reputation as a monster.
Who is Grendel?
This quote is evidence of which heroic trait that Beowulf possesses: "has no fear, nor will he leave the hall, but waits for Grendel with the strength of his hands alone."
What is bravery?
This character’s inner conflict between ambition and guilt drives the plot of Macbeth.
Who is Macbeth?
Beowulf uses this repetition of consonant sounds, common in Anglo-Saxon poetry.
What is alliteration?
Chaucer explores this vice as a central theme in the General Prologue by highlighting the corruption of some clergy.
What is greed?
Some view Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew as this, given her initial defiance of societal norms.
What is a shrew?
Chaucer uses this line to highlight what trait of the Pardoner: "For in his trunk he had a pillowcase / Which he asserted was Our Lady's veil."
What is dishonesty or corruption?
This fiery character in The Taming of the Shrew defies traditional gender roles at the beginning of the play.
Who is Katherina?
Chaucer employs this technique by contrasting the Parson’s virtue with the Pardoner’s corruption.
What is juxtaposition?
In Macbeth, this theme is explored through Macbeth’s unchecked ambition and its disastrous consequences.
What is the corrupting nature of power?
The witches in Macbeth are seen as monsters because they manipulate Macbeth into doing this.
What is murder?
Lady Macbeth’s plea to “unsex me here” provides evidence of her rejection of these traditional roles.
What are gender roles?
Beowulf's courage, strength, and loyalty are revealed through his actions of fighting Grendel and Grendel's mother, as well as his willingness to face the dragon in his old age, demonstrating what type of characterization?
What is indirect characterization?
Shakespeare uses this literary device when Lady Macbeth envisions blood on her hands that cannot be washed away.
What is symbolism?
The Taming of the Shrew examines this societal expectation as it relates to marriage and gender roles.
What is conformity?
The Pardoner’s actions in The Canterbury Tales paint him as a “monster” driven by this vice.
What is greed?
"This quote demonstrates Petruchio's determination to 'tame' Katherina, contributing to which of the plays themes: 'I will be master of what is mine own: / She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house?'”
What is control or sovereignty?
The Knight is described as being 'a most distinguished man,' chivalrous, truthful, honorable, and generous, reflecting the ideal of a medieval knight. What kind of characterization is this?
What is direct characterization?
Petruchio’s exaggerations in The Taming of the Shrew are an example of this device.
What is hyperbole?
Edward Taylor’s “Upon a Spider Catching a Fly” uses this spiritual theme to portray humanity’s struggle against sin.
What is salvation?
In Taylor’s poem, this creature is portrayed as a monster ensnaring humans in sin.
What is a spider?
Taylor’s metaphor of the spider’s web as a snare for sin supports this overarching moral lesson.
What is the danger of temptation?
In Edward Taylor's "Upon a Spider Catching a Fly," this character is portrayed as weak and vulnerable, easily ensnared by the spider's web, symbolizing the spiritually unprepared or those who succumb to temptation.
Who is the fly?
Taylor’s use of extended metaphor to compare the spider to Satan is an example of this literary technique.
What is a conceit?