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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How many Burgundian squires die as the Hunnish warriors try to kill Dancwart?

2. Who ferries the Burgundians across the swollen river?

3. How does Hagen explain his men's dress to Etzel?

4. Who escapes from Hagen and the other men that engage the ferryman's overlord?

5. Where does Gernot ask to be allowed to fight?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Why does Gunther allow Dietrich to leave the hall after the battle has begun? Is the bond between men who owe each other favors stronger than the bond between men who would fight to the death for each other?

Essay Topic 2

Gunther and Siegfried share similarities and differences in their feelings for their new brides, the way they acquired these brides, and the experiences they have on the wedding night. Write an essay that compares and contrasts their early experiences and relationships with their new brides up to and including the wedding night. What do these differences contribute to the plot, tone, and mood of the poem?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the importance of the envoys that are sent back and forth between Gunther's house and Siegfried's and then Kriemhild's. Why are messengers important in these societies, and why is a delay in response unforgivable? How are the instances where messengers arrive with messages different throughout the Nibelungenlied?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 298 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample