Essay Questions

Why is Tariel likened to a panther?

The panther is a combination of both nurturing and brutal; this describes Tariel as well. He is a passionate man who has a wild streak that cannot be tamed. Whereas his counterparts do not have this same kind of wild and potentially brutal streak, Tariel has an anger that can be absolutely devastating. He is described as a man who has killed wild animals and he is a respected and merciless knight. This is the same kind of mercilessness that a panther also possesses.

One of the themes of the poem is female empowerment. What are some of the ways in which the poem states this?

The main example of female empowerment in the poem is the powerful female queen who has inherited the throne from her father. She is beautiful and intelligent; she manages her country and also expertly navigates political and strategic relationships with other countries. She repels invaders and also annexes neighboring nations. She is seen as the reason that the mystical fictional nations in the poem are thriving and experiencing their Golden Age. This is due entirely to the power of the monarch.

The other female characters in the poem are similarly empowered and one of the most significant factors that shows this is their ability to choose their own husbands. Historically and in neighboring nations women were not able to do this and were subjected to arranged marriages. The fact that they are able to choose their life partner for themselves shows that it was just as incumbent upon a man as on a woman to impress and to show why they are a person that the woman would want to marry.