The Battle of the Eastern Field

A Commentary

Abstract

Yates comments on Tolkien’s poem of The Battle of Eastern Field, a parody of Macaulay’s The Battle of Lake Regillus. By blending styles of Macaulay and switching to his own language, Tolkien successfully mimics patterns found in the original poem. Loosely following and writing the opposite of Macaulay’s story allows the reader to notice the humor in using traditional language.