The Lord Of The Rings And The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

1399 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literature theory for beowulf

J.R.R. Tolkien was able to successfully capture the essence of Anglo-Saxon literature throughout The Lord of The Rings Trilogy. Though he wrote these books decades later, Tolkien used his knowledge and interest of Anglo-Saxon times to create this mythical, dark, and adventurous tale. Tolkien showed many themes of which were often seen in books written during the Anglo-Saxon time period (450 A.D. – 1066 A.D.) He drew much of his inspiration from the epic poem Beowulf, which is seen all throughout The Lord of The Rings. This book is known as the greatest prime example of literature from that time period. He used similar Anglo-Saxon themes such as Good versus Evil, Christianity versus Paganism, and lastly, the idea of courage and loyalty. Tolkien, fascinated by Anglo-Saxon literature, used similar context, themes, and ideas to create a parallel between Beowulf and The Lord of The Rings.
Tolkien was very interested in the nature of the Anglo-Saxon time period. He was fascinated by the old, dark mythologies of that time. He specialized in Old and Middle English, and taught classes such as Heroic verse, History of English, and Anglo-Saxon Language as a Professor at various colleges. He even uses Old and Middle English as the main dialect seen in all of his books. His love and interest for these topics, languages, and the Anglo-Saxon time period are shown greatly throughout The Lord of The Rings Trilogy.
Beowulf, being Tolkien’s biggest inspiration in The Lord of The Rings, is the prime example of Anglo-Saxon Literature. Written anonymously, it is the oldest surviving epic poem in history. The Anglo-Saxon time period thrived on the heroic codes of Honor, Strength, and Bravery. The warrior, Beowulf himself, exemplified this heroic code...

... middle of paper ...

... and his own Lord of The Rings Trilogy. The theme of good versus evil is found in both Beowulf and The Lord of The Rings and main characters are used to represent good and evil, showing how much power good or evil can have. The second theme, Christianity versus Paganism, contrast in both books, and show sides of Anglo-Saxon religions and of possible allegories that lye beneath the surface of the story. Lastly, bravery and loyalty are shown in characters of the books, and shine through, showing values of Anglo-Saxon Literature.
Tolkien created this mythical series based on his love and knowledge of Anglo-Saxon literature. There were many inspirations he brought from Beowulf into his books. Through these Anglo-Saxon inspired themes, he brought out the best elements in all of his characters and his own plots and themes throughout the whole Lord of The Rings series.

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast Epic Of Gilgamesh And Beowulf

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beowulf is among the earliest surviving works of literature. It was written in Old English and dates back sometime before the tenth century A.D. The poem is set in Scandinavia, and tells the story of the heroic warrior, Beowulf. Beowulf was the perfect hero. He fought for his people and defeated evil with his ability to bring on justice. Three of Beowulf’s traits that serve as evidence of this were his remarkable physical strength, his ability to put the well-being of others before his own well-being, and his courage.

    Read More

  • The 13th Warrior And Beowulf Comparison

    383 Words  | 1 Pages

    After reading the epic poem Beowulf and watching the movie The 13th Warrior, I find that the differences greatly outnumber the similarities. However, the theme of good versus evil reflects the values of the Anglo-Saxon people in both the poem and the movie. Numerous differences exist in the poem and the movie including the characters, the bloody battles, and the deaths of the heroes.

    Read More

  • Response To Beowulf

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Tolkien’s lecture, “Beowulf: The monsters and the Critics,” he argues that Beowulf has been over analyzed for its historical content, and it is not being studied as a piece of art as it should be. He discusses what he perceives the poet of Beowulf intended to do, and why he wrote the poem the way he did. Tolkien’s main proposition, “it was plainly only in the consideration of Beowulf as a poem, with an inherent poetic significance, that any view or conviction can be reached or steadily held” (Tolkien). He evaluates why the author centers the monsters throughout the entire poem, why the poem has a non-harmonic structure, why and how the author fusses together Christianity and Paganism, and how the author uses time to make his fictional poem seem real. He also discusses the overall theme of Beowulf and other assumptions of the text. To support his viewpoints, Tolkien uses quotations and examples from the poem, quotations from other critics, and compares Beowulf to other works of art. Tolkien discusses several statements in interpreting Beowulf as a poem.

    Read More

  • Comparing Good and Evil in Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings

    2386 Words  | 5 Pages

    Imagine yourself in a pre-industrial world full of mystery and magic. Imagine a world full of monsters, demons, and danger, as well as a world full of friends, fairies, good wizards, and adventure. In doing so you have just taken your first step onto a vast world created by author and scholar John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien became fascinated by language at an early age during his schooling, in particularly, the languages of Northern Europe, both ancient and modern. This affinity for language did not only lead to his profession, but also his private hobby, the invention of languages. His broad knowledge eventually led to the development of his opinions about Myth and the importance of stories. All these various perspectives: language, the heroic tradition, and Myth, as well as deeply-held beliefs in Catholic Christianity work together in all of his works. The main elements of Tolkien’s works are Good versus Evil, characters of Christian and anti-Christian origin, and the power of imagination.

    Read More

  • Christian Allusions In Beowulf

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beowulf, an epic poem, written by unknown and translated by Seamus Heaney, is an artifact of the Anglo-Saxon era because it is a piece of literature that was documented once. During the time it was written, writing was not common. The poem reveals a lot of the Anglo-Saxon practices and beliefs, but it also is compared to Christianity because was written down by a christian monk.

    Read More

  • Culture And Culture In Beowulf

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    The literature of the past can reveal a lot about the lives, culture, traditions, and history of the people who wrote it. Through a story, poem, or any other form of writing, lifestyles, people, and society can be described in great detail. Beowulf is a great example of this. Beowulf is one of the most important works in Anglo Saxon literature, being one of the few surviving works in Old English. It tells the story of a warrior named Beowulf, who travels to Denmark to help the Danes defeat a monster named Grendel. He then goes on to defeat Grendel’s mother and returns home to rule over his people as a great king for many years, until he is forced to fight a dragon attacking his land, dying in the process.Throughout the poem, elements and culture

    Read More

  • Christian Values In Beowulf

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the Anglo-Saxon times, the values and beliefs of the Germanic people were considerably different from the beliefs and values of the modern age, which were reflected in the oldest surviving Old English piece of literature, Beowulf. Beowulf is an epic poem written anonymously during the Anglo-Saxon period in England spanning from the fifth century to the eleventh century. The epic poem takes place in sixth-century Scandinavia. “Recited originally in Old English, Beowulf is based on legends and chronicles of the various Northern Europeans who migrated to England.”(Literature: The British Tradition 18). During the fifth through the eleventh centuries“... the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons included loyalty, valour, selfishness, and a sense of

    Read More

  • The Influences Of Tolkien In T

    488 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Influences of Tolkien The influences of Tolkien are many and great, but of them all, three stand out most: his great love of nature that sprung from his experiences as a youth in the English Countryside, his acute sensitivity and desire to master language, and his involvement in trench warfare in the Great War. Tolkien himself vehemently denied that the war affected his story at all. The real war does not resemble the legendary war, its process or conclusion. If I had been inspired or directed in the development of the legend, then certainly the ring would have been seized and used against Sauron.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Pride In Beowulf

    1337 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the first literary work studied by our class was “Beowulf,” the longest and greatest surviving Anglo-Saxon poem. The poem is packed full of Christian and Pagan elements that are constantly fighting for the dominant position. In order to understand these thematic elements portrayed throughout “Beowulf,” we must first discover

    Read More

  • lord of the rings, fellowship of the ring

    681 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story starts with the 33rd birthday-party for Frodo Baggans, and the 111th birthday party for Bilbo Baggans, Hobbits who live in a mythical land called the Shire. Frodo’s best friend is his gardner Sam. Frodo owns a magic Ring which makes him invisible when he wears it, a gift from his cousin Bilbo who stole it from Gollum years ago.

    Read More

  • Fellowship Of The Ring Archetypes

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Fellowship of the Ring is a novel with many unique cultures, languages, and mythical beings that were either created by author J.R.R. Tolkien or influenced from classical mythology. Tolkien was inspired to write the novel due to his desire for it to serve as a poetic legend that he felt England lacked. Tolkien expresses despair over the loss of culture and language throughout the novel by allowing the elves to represent culture, disappearing from the Middle Earth, like it was from his world. Additionally, Tolkien ponders the struggle between good and evil due to his religious beliefs in Catholicism, he uses archetypes to represent each side such as the light, representing good, and the dark representing the evil. Influences from Tolkien’s

    Read More

  • Beowulf and The Lord of the Rings

    1629 Words  | 4 Pages

    Both Beowulf and The Lord of the Rings are influenced by their own cultural time period. Beowulf is influenced by the Anglo-Saxon/Germanic period. During this time period, physical brute was expected among all men. However, The Lord of the Rings is influenced by a different cultural time period during the Medieval Ages. During this time period, chivalry, wisdom, and an ability to mentally defeat inner conflict and doubts were admired. These differences illustrate the diverse admirations of the people of each cultural background. Both of these tales contain traits within their context and characters that reflect their individual cult...

    Read More

  • Beowulf and Grendel: The Hall Heorot Is Attacked By Grendel

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    Beowulf is one of the greatest surviving epic poems. It was composed by Germanic people more than twelve hundred years ago. Although it is written in Old English, it deals with the Scandinavian forebears of the Anglo-Saxons, the Danes and the Geats. This epic poem concerns itself with Christianity, internal and external evils, and the warriors defeating monsters.

    Read More

  • How Did The Hobbit Influence The World

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    Who is Tolkien? Was he just some author back then who had a creative imagination? Or was he a very talented man who was in the first world war? Many have read the Lord of the Rings before, and as well as the Hobbit. Many also thought of them as just fantasy books, but there are hidden secrets within the story, characters, and the ring as well. In a way, no one would ever think of the books as being based off of huge events in history of the modern age they were in. More or less, they probably thought it was from nothing, and was put into the fantasy genre, of course, which back then, was not very popular to adults. But the stories have very deep roots.

    Read More

  • Christianity & Paganism in Beowulf

    474 Words  | 1 Pages

    Beowulf was written in the time when the society was in the process of converting from Paganism to Christianity. In this epic poem, these two religions come through the actions of its characters. The acceptance of feuds and the courage of war are just a few examples of the Pagan tradition, while the Christian mortalities refrain from the two.

    Read More

More about The Lord Of The Rings And The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy

Open Document