Also examined is Hrothgar's relationship with Beowulf and the fact that while he has wisdom, Hrothgar lacks courage. A 5 page paper analyzing the way the author of this anonymous early-medieval poem views the ties of family and kinship. The paper concludes that the poem's author considered valor and nobility to have a genetic component, and felt that a person of noble blood bore an extra measure of responsibility for his people. Bibliography lists 1 source. A 5 page paper comparing Beowulf, the oldest work in English literature, with an African epic, Sundiata.
Bibliography lists four sources.
A 5 page paper comparing these two works in terms of their conceptions of heroism. The paper concludes that both authors share a sense that true heroism has a spiritual component that goes beyond fame and power. Bibliography lists 2 sources. A 5 page paper examining the way the anonymous authors of these two early works deal with the presence of women in their tales. Bibliography lists 3 sources.