Beowulf, the Great Wars, their allegories, and influence in J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings

Abstract

The thesis will explore how J.R.R Tolkien’s experiences of war, and interest in medieval literature, specifically from “Beowulf” impacted characters and places in his work “The Lord of the Rings”. The aim of this thesis is to understand how an author’s own experiences of the world ends up showing through their writing. This is done through explaining the significance on two key characters, and how they become a reflection of soldiers in World War 1. Another perspective is how the placement of a key location can cause issues when a country feels as though they are portrayed through “The Lord of the Rings” as the place of great evil. Then showing how Tolkien’s interest in Beowulf also affected the portrayal of soldiers and the significance of this.