British Literature Medieval Test – Flashcards

narrative poem, usually brief, that is meant to be sung

writer is unknown, aka popular/traditional ballad

4 line stanzas

a verse or phrase that is repeated at intervals throughout a song or poem, usually after the chorus or stanza

-King of Scotland needs to fetch daughter of King of Norway from over sea and needs good sailor to go get her -bad time of year for sailing -King asks Sir Patrick through a letter and he agrees -laughs when reading the letter b/c thinks its a joke played on him by fate -in Norway, he is accused of abusing the king's hospitality by Norwegians and departs, even though there is a bad storm -ship sinks and everyone drowns

-"the tear blinded his eye"-; irony from fate -"my merrymen"-; irony "O our Scots nobles were right/loath to wet their cork-heeled shoes"-; irony b/c they're going to drown -ladies waiting for him to return-> irony -"the new moon with the old moon in her arm"-> foreshadows disaster at sea -ABCB rhyme scheme, 2nd and 4th lines rhyming -folk ballad -quatrains -told with action and dialogue -very little description -8 syllables in 1st and 3rd lines -6 syllables in 2nd and 4th lines -Scots being at his feet at the end-> irony -color of king's wine to blood is compared, foreshadows a tragic outcome to the story -theme: mortality, people are born and must die

-wife and husband make a pact that whoever speaks first will be the one to have to close and bar the door -both refuse to speak, even when 2 male strangers enter their home and eat inappropriate amount -strangers assume the couple can't speak and that they're stupid and helpless -decide one of them should shave the husband with scalding water and the other should kiss the wife -then husband speaks up to defend him and his wife

-quatrains -folk ballad -themes: humor, stubbornness -humorous look of domestic life and an insight of marital life in Medieval times -refrains of different versions of the line "Get up and Bar the Door" -ABCB, 2nd and 4th lines rhyme, 1st and 3rd lines have 8 syllables and 2nd and 4th lines have 6 syllables -insight of gender roles in Medieval period -females were given the responsibility of taking care of the house while the males sat around and watched

-two crows that see a freshly murdered knight under and tree and talk about how they're going to eat him -knight's hound, hawk and lady have left him as now he is nothing to them but a past -depicts a materialistic yet cruel, rude and harsh world that forgets those who aren't widely recognized, just one entity

-Scottish folk ballad -AABB rhyme scheming, 1st and 2nd lines rhyme while 3rd and 4th lines rhyme -quatrains -human beings endure 2 deaths: death of the body and death of one's dignity when one does not have enough care and protection from the "scavengers" that walk among us

-man named John falls in love with a woman named Barbara Allan on November 11th -John grows sick and dies -Barbara recognizes that he loved her -determines she is in love too -heard his death bells and concludes she'll die for him tomorrow

-ABCB style, 2nd and 4th lines rhyme -refrain=repeats Barbara Allan at end of stanza -en medias res-> narrative begins at middle of poem -told from multiple perspectives -folk ballad -quatrains -indentation of 2nd and 4th lines -includes dialogue and is punctuated

-pretends to be upset that he killed hawk and horse, but actually murdered father -goes on sea voyage for penance -leaves everything behind -gives wife and kids nothing -mother left with curse of hell because she gave bad advice

-refrains of "Edward, Edward" and "Mither, Mither" -1st and 3rd lines end with same word -single dramatic episode -told impersonally using only dialogue -meant to be sung

-man wants to marry a woman -she is already married and has 2 children -man claims that he ha 8 boats and 24 men that work for him -go out to sea-sail 3 leagues (travel for 3 hours) -she notices his injured foot at sea and realizes that he lied about his power and wealth -she sees hills in the distance (symbolize Heaven) -she notices a snowy mountain -he says it's a mountain of hell, where both of them will go -breaks ship apart, sinks both of them

-deals with ideas of heaven vs. hell -love complicates matters -sea is a dangerous place -quatrains -ABCB, 2nd and 4th lines rhyme -folk ballad -uses phrases that begin with "o" often -utilizes quotes-written as a converse -man is possibly a devil of demon (clove/foot, represents a claw) -see heaven and hell can break a ship with his hands

-story begins at start New Year's Eve feast at King Arthur's Court in Camelot -everyone is enjoying the feast when suddenly a Green Knight comes into the castle -he challenges King Arthur's knights and asks if they want to play a game in which someone will behead him if in a year he will behead them -Green Knight questions of the loyalty of the knights when no one responds to the challenge -but, Sir Gawain rises to the occasion and takes on the challenge -Gawain beheads the Green Knight -head speaks, retelling the terms of Gawain's promise -axe is hung above main dais like in Beowulf -following November, Sir Gawain sets out to fulfill his promise to Green Knight -after he prays to Saint Mary for shelter, he comes upon a wondrous castle on Christmas Eve where he's greeted warmly by the lord and the lady -Gawain asks about the Green Chapel and lord says its nearby and promises to provide him with a guide to lead him there on New Year's Day -lord and Gawain agree to exchange whatever they receive during the next 3 days -Gawain keeps pledge for the next 2 days but on the 3rd day, he doesn't give the lord the magic green girdle that lady gives him b/c she promises that the girdle will protect him from any harm -Gawain sets out for Green Chapel -guide urges him not to proceed but Gawain feels it would be dishonest not to fulfill pledge (ironic b/c he was dishonest to the lord) -is determined the accept his fate but wears magic green girdle that lady gives him -when he gets to the chapel, the Green Knight reveals himself as the lord -lord gives him 3 blows for the 3 kisses he received from the lady (Temptation Game) and for keeping the girdle -but doesn't behead him -lord invites Gawain over for a feast the next year

-anonymous -medieval romance-;based on feudal ideal of chivalry and imbued with adventure, love and supernatural; glamorous portrayal of castle life (festivals, feasts, knights in armor, courtly love); feature knights, kings, and damsels in distress -4 cantos (sections) CANTO 1 -alliterative verse: using lines of poetry to repeat consonant sounds -uses chivalric code (how men of war would treat enemy, woman, the weak) -poet emphasizes that we are not brute animals -feast in the beginning is similar to birth of Christ in terms of salvation of the world and rebirth -celebrating old Pagan holiday where sun goes down, Sun return-; return of light/birth of light -create rejoin in court of King Arthur -colors of Christmas (green and red) are symbolic in the poem-; symbolize rebirth -new life, youth= theme -fragility of human condition=end of canto -Gawain=sparrow who flies in Space of Sun -head represents realm of thought/intellect, makes us human, more associated with chivalry -body represents longing for physical world, power of animal -neck represents passageway between 2 realms -chopping off head and neck represents severing of 2 realms, cutting off humanness CANTO 2 -full cycle of year is part of imagery of sun hero Gawain represents -one season succeeded to the next-; microcosm (small world) -allegory of person's life-> seasons of life -Gawain experienced 1 year rotation -quest begins on All Hallow's Day-;feast of all souls -whole quest takes on religious dimension-; finds holiness in midst of death -armor of Green Knight is gold and red, colors of sun hero -Gawain is sharing destructive nature like Green Knight b/c wears fur -creatures of flight symbolize Gawain is part of realm of sky -pentangle is a symbol that is on the shield that Gawain carries -5 pointed star, 5 symbolizes number of human body parts that make up a "perfect" man, an image of man inside pentangle to show what perfect human being was, 5 virtues -endless knot of star represents eternity b/c knot never ends -endless image of start that won't fail represents Gawain in perfect form, an unbroken, virtuous man -while on the quest, Gawain is being attacked with all kinds of creatures (dragons, wolves, bulls, bears, boars) -each one of the animals represented a different type of evil -arrives at castle in midst of forest is great field, encircled with trees and with castle in middle of it -forest symbolizes chaos (naturally little control to growth in forest) -birth of Christ and arrival of Gawain at castle are connected -castle is like a shining beacon-> sun imagery -almost like castle was destined for Gawain to find -castle is white and looks like it was cut out of paper -lord welcomes him -lord brings Gawain into a room that is gold and red, as if it were his own bedroom -hero comes to castle's home which is home of father -lady of castle is beautiful, young, like snow -lady's assistant is old, bleary eyed, black eyebrows -both represent stages in life of women -represent 2 aspects of the moon-> moon changes from full moon to black moon -lord suggests that Gawain stays in bed and king will go out hunting and whatever he catches he'll give to Gawain and whatever Gawain gets he'll give to the king -irony=Gawain is a young knight and should be the one going out to risk himself -contrary to what a knight should be -by agreeing to the game, Gawain isn't being entirely chivalrous -humans get more from their lord than they can give back -Canto 2 ends with Gawain in safe place (castle) but in dangerous position where he is close to losing his chivalric position but also losing his life at hands of lord CANTO 3 -shows crisis going on is castle -lady of castle is tempting Gawain -puts him to the test to see if he's a noble knight -testing his courtesy and chastity CANTO 4 -revelation:realizes he must go on with the mission -lord is in charge of chapel, he was testing him -lord forgives him -girdle=temptation/beware of temptation -green=envy,jealousy -brings back gift of self-awareness (he's not perfect, is tempted)

-everything was green -green stones suggest royalty -birds and flies embroidered on clothing; birds = positive, flies = negative -axe in one hand, holly bush in another (Christmas) -no shoes= connection to earth is direct -character of contradiction -element of sun in him b/c color gold -green=nature -does not always look out for human life -represents death and fact that we can't escape it

SIMILARITIES -Green Knight represents spirit of forest and doesn't always look out for human life, is similar to Beowulf, Grendel its drawn to Herot because of its lively nature -Gawain accepts Green Knight's challenge so King Arthur is not embarrassed is similar to how Wiglaf was moved to fight with Beowulf DIFFERENCES -atmosphere was extremely sorrowful when knights and Gawain find out he has to pass into death -when Beowulf dies, nobody was mourning

-huge, red beard -fiery face -loud -strong stance -loved by people

1. pride-> arrogance, vanity 2. envy-> desire for others' traits, status, abilities, situation 3. gluttony-; lack of temperance (balance), hoarder 4. lust-; inordinate craving for pleasures of body, someone puts physical self over spiritual self 5. anger-; wrath (ungrounded and uncontrol) 6. greed-; avarice or covetousness; desire for material wealth or gain 7. sloth-; laziness, lack of responsibility (PEGLAGS)

*opposite of sins 1. humility-;humbleness 2. kindness 3. abstinence 4. chastity-;abstinence 5. patience 6. liberality-;being open to new ideas 7. diligence (HACKLDP)

*physiognomy *believed certain physical appearances meant something *determined by fluids in body *said to control temperament/personality *humour should be in good balance 1. blood-;sanguine/melancholy (this is what happens when blood is low)-;courageous 2. yellow bile-; choleric (angry)-; ambitious 3. black bile-; melancholic-; despondent, analytical 4. phlegm-; phlegmatic-; calm, patient

teaches Christian moral

about the lives of saints

about faith, mystery of faith, why we know God made earth in 7 days

about life of Christ ex. story about resurrection

b/c crowds got bigger, plays were moved outside on these

a fictional character based on a common literary or social stereotype, all plays make use of stock characters meaning it became less serious and religious

meant to instruct, more direct

-begins with messenger preparing the way for God, who after an opening meditation commands Death to seek out Everyman and warn him that God sits in judgment of Everyman's soul -Everyman says that he's unready to make such a reckoning and is horrified to realize who Death is -Everyman asks Death if he can have any company to go on journey from life to death -Death tells him yes, if anyone was brave enough to go along with him -Fellowship enters and offers to help but then abandons him after hearing about the journey -Kindred and Cousin do the same -Everyman turned to "Goods and riches" to help him, but Goods tells him love of Goods is opposite to love of God, so he leaves -he turns to Good Deeds but she's too weak to accompany -Knowledge accompanies him to Confession, who instructs him to show penance -

-didactic literature -morality play -ends in a prayer -7 deadly sins/vices b/c God says that he doesn't like the way people are living and lists how they're living with the 7 deadly sins (Pride, Avarice, Gluttony, etc)

-satirical-> comedy chart -taking macrocosm (big world) and making it a microcosm (small world) -uses pilgrimage as a device to frame the story

-mock-heroic style -fabliaux->makes fun of human nature -ends in prayer -theme: don't trust flattery -comedy chart -bestiary-;animals behave like human beings

-gentle -delicate -can't touch anything (might make a mess) -sophisticated -has 3 dogs -dainty -could be known as Madame Eglantyne -wordly -has fine manners -noble-like

-"Greed is the root of all evil" -moral: love of money causes corruption and death

-exemplum-> based on proverb -anecdote -mysterious and sinister mood -purpose: establish the truth of a moral

-sang -had yellow hair-;rattails which implies moral corruption -church official -no beard-;not manly -makes more money in one day than parson makes in a month -hypocrite-;practices greed but preaches greed -takes peoples' money in exchange for penance for one's sins

-1st 18 lines -sets the mood -describing spring

-list of characters

-chaucer speaks directly to audience -disclaimers: 1. Chaucer is bold and offending, but says not to get offended by what he says because he just repeats what he heard 2. Those who don't obey or don't follow the rules will pay for the trip

-shows infinite variety of human nature -panoramic view of Medieval society b/c shows different classes and different people