Orfeo Study guides, Class notes & Summaries

Sir Orfeo is a Medieval Romance - in this seminar, we discussed the plot, key themes, similar texts that were also medieval and shared ideas about how we could interpret the otherworld or the 'fairy' world with suggested reading to do with Wade, Cooper and Byrne. We also looked at the parallels that exist between this medieval text and the classic texts such as Ovid and Virgil.

In this 2 hour seminar, we looked at what we had learnt so far - there is an in-depth evaluation of Beowulf, Orfeo, medieval romance, notes on heroic literature, King Arthur and the Morte dArthur stories, how these stories interconnect. We also looked at the Kings of England and what this has to do with issues of sovereignty and kingship.

An in-depth discussion on the Loathly Lady tradition and trope found in medieval romances and examples on the Wife of Bath, Sir Gawain, The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle and Sir Orfeo. We also look at what the Loathly lady is and whay she represents.