What forms of warfare were prevalent during the Middle Ages? How did they contrast with the military practices of the Roman Empire?

Investigate the evolution of knighthood and the chivalric code. This encompasses the rise of jousting and tournaments, advancements in armor, and the customs of courtly love. Provide examples of how the Nibelungenlied poet addresses these themes.

Examine the emergence of feudalism as a sociopolitical framework in the Middle Ages. How is feudalism depicted in the Nibelungenlied?

What roles do women play in the personal, social, cultural, and political contexts of the Nibelungenlied? Compare their roles to those of women in the late twentieth century.

Contrast the characters of Brunhild and Kriemhild. Are they more similar or different?

The epic's narrator explicitly states multiple times (for instance, at the end of Chapter 14) that the bloodshed in the second part of the Nibelungenlied stems from the pettiness of the two queens. Compare and contrast the causes of conflict between the Burgundians and Huns in the Nibelungenlied with those between the Greeks and Trojans in the Iliad, between the Malinke and Sossa kingdoms in Sundiata, or between any two modern nations that have gone to war. Is the justification for warfare in the Nibelungenlied any more or less valid than in your other example? Are some wars initiated for justifiable reasons and others for unjustifiable ones?

What are the attributes of a "hero" by twentieth-century standards? Compare this to the concept of heroism in the Nibelungenlied. Then, evaluate the "heroic" roles of Hagen and Rudiger. Are they both considered heroes? How do they align with modern heroism? Use textual evidence to support your analysis.

What are the traits and characteristics of an effective leader? Based on those traits, is Gunther a competent leader? How does he measure up to Etzel of Hungary? Use evidence from the text to support your comparison.