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An Introduction to Medieval Life and The Canterbury Tales British Literature – Mrs. Fitzgerald

A Brief History of Middle English

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) n The Normans, “north men” were descendants of Vikings n After settling on the coast of France, they adopted French

customs and language

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500 n King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 n Harold Godwinson (Harold II) was chosen to be king n William of Normandy claimed that Edward had left the throne

to him n William invaded and conquered England in 1066 at the Battle

of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry •  70 meter long embroidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo to commemorate the events

leading to the Battle of Hastings and the events that unfolded afterward

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) • William suppressed Anglo-Saxon nobility and took their land • Business and government were conducted in Norman French

(diff. from Parisian French) • About 10,000 French words were introduced

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) q  This mixture of the two languages came to be known as

Middle English. q Unlike Old English, Middle English can be read, with some

difficulty, by modern English-speaking people.

English words derived from French n More than 1/3 of the words in English were influenced by

French n attorney, bailiff, court, crime, evidence, government n abbot, chaplain, clergy, friar, prayer, priest, religion,

sacrament, saint n army, artillery, battle, captain, corporal, marine, navy,

sergeant, soldier n beef, mutton, pork, poultry, veal

Medieval Times

The Feudal System

The Origin of The Black Death • Believed to have originated in the Far East • Was able to spread quickly along major trade routes

A Disease By Any Other Name •  The Black Plague •  The Bubonic Plague •  The Pestilence •  The Great Mortality

So What Was It? • Bacteria-born disease • Carried in the blood of fleas on rats

Symptoms • Bites swell to the size of fists •  Intensely painful • Swelling starts red and turns black •  2-6 days for death

What was the result? •  In England, 30-40% of pop. gone • Not enough field workers •  40% of clergy

The Medieval Church

Key Terms • Penance – remorse for your past conduct; voluntary self-

punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing • Crusade – any of the military expeditions undertaken by

European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; a holy war undertaken with papal sanction

Key Terms, cont. • Mendicant – depending on alms or charity for a living;

practicing begging • Chastity – abstaining from sexual relations; celibacy; morality

with respect to sexual relations

Key Terms, cont. • Sanctify – to set apart for sacred use; to make holy; purify • Holy Grail – according to medieval legend, this was a chalice

used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and later became the object of many chivalrous quests; supposedly possessed miraculous powers Church Hierarchy

• Pope – head of church, Latin for “daddy” • Cardinals – advisors to the Pope; papal candidates • Archbishops – controlled archdiocese • Bishops – controlled “diocese” in larger cities or provinces

made of many parishes • Abbots – in charge of monasteries • Priests - local church or parish

Monasteries • Usually in the countryside; isolated • Vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity • Monks were expected to do manual labor, study, and pray • Governed by the Rules of St. Benedict • Very strict

Monastery •  Inside libraries, monks copied manuscripts • Wrote in beautiful handwriting • Drew elaborate illustrations………… •  Illuminated letters

Scandals in the Church •  Immorality, ignorance of clergy •  Immorality of people – purchasing indulgences • Simony – “sinful practice of giving or obtaining an appointment

to a church office for money”

Medieval Professions

Medieval Society • Society could be broken into three major groups: •  Those who pray (oratores) •  Those who fight (bellatores) •  Those who work (laboratores)

Those Who Pray • Clergy including priests, monks, and friars • Society held special expectations of them. • Clergy were the guardians of society who kept the spiritual

order

Those Who Fight • Knights of the Middle Ages – mounted warriors •  Initially, anyone who could afford it could be a knight • Eventually, knights had to prove their noble ancestry (coats of

arms) • Knighthood rises in status

Those Who Work • Manual labor • Usually peasants, who were the majority of medieval society

The Chivalric Code and Courtly Love

What is Chivalry? o Chivalry was a code of behavior that allowed medieval

knights to put their ability to fight to good use o Chivalry offered knights a positive role in society o There was not one exact code of honor or chivalry

The Code of Chivalry n Live to serve King and Country. n Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. n Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. n Never attack an unarmed foe. n Administer justice. n Protect the innocent. n Exhibit self control. n Show respect to authority. n Respect women. n Exhibit Courage in word and deed. n Defend the weak and innocent. n Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. n Fight with honor. n Avenge the wronged. n Always keep one's word of honor. n Die with honor. n Exhibit manners. n Be polite and attentive.

Courtly Love o Knight finds a lady to whom he devotes all his attention o The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds,

in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. o Ennobled by love and inspired to be more honorable than

ever o Could be a chaste, platonic love or an adulterous love

relationship

Characteristics of Courtly Love o Practiced by noble lords and ladies o Ladies usually received songs, poems, flowers, etc. o Nobles needed only to receive a mere shadow of affection o Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy

Heraldry o Heraldry is a system of signs and symbols o Originated in the Middle Ages as a means of recognizing

warriors on the battlefield. o Each man bore a shield of a unique design.

St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket – Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury • Born in London in 1118 (?) • Was well-educated

St. Thomas Becket, cont. •  In 1141, entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of

Canterbury • He became Theobald’s most trusted clerk • Ordained a deacon in 1154

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II • Henry II became king and chose “Thomas of London” as his

chancellor

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II, cont. • St. Thomas shared the king’s imperial views and love of

splendor • He identified with the king’s interests, however, only to the

limits of what his conscience permitted

Archbishop of Canterbury •  Theobald died in 1161 • Henry II wanted to secure St. Thomas for the position • St. Thomas – “I know your plans for the Church. You will

assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must needs oppose”

• St. Thomas gave in upon the advice of a cardinal who said it would be a service to religion

Archbishop of Canterbury, cont. • He was ordained one day, and was consecrated bishop the

next day • A great change took place in St. Thomas’s life • He fasted, wore hair shirts, held vigils, and was in constant

prayer

The Archbishop and The King A major disagreement over legislation ended their relationship

The Exile and The Return • St. Thomas was in exile for six years • Returned to England in 1170 • Henry II was infuriated when St. Thomas excommunicated the

bishops who supported the king

Murder in the Cathedral •  “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - King Henry II • His outrage inspired four knights to take action •  They arrived on December 29 and searched for the

Archbishop.

Murder in the Cathedral, cont. •  The knights found him at the altar of the Cathedral, drew their

swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull.

The “Holy Blissful Martyr” • His tomb in Canterbury became a famous shrine • St. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173; feast day

December 29 •  The king was forced to do public penance at Becket’s tomb •  The shrine was a place of pilgrimage all through the Middle

Ages until 1538

Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages

Why did people go on pilgrimages? •  In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make

pilgrimages (journeys) to special holy places called shrines. •  Forgiveness of sins • Curing of illnesses •  Travel and socializing

What did people do on pilgrimages? • At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes,

combs etc. that were said to have once belonged to important Christian saints.

•  These were called relics

How did people go on pilgrimages? •  Traveling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a

dangerous activity. • Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against

outlaws. • Wealthy people sometimes preferred to pay others to go on a

pilgrimage for them.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Father of English Poetry •  The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer's The

Canterbury Tales. •  French and Latin had been the preferred language of poetry

since 1066

The Canterbury Tales • Originally written in Middle English, capturing the everyday

speech of people • Vivid and varied portrayals of pilgrims • Only 22 tales completed, 2 fragments; he intended to write

124

Literary Terms

Characterization •  the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a

character • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – tells the audience what the

personality of the character is •  INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – shows things that reveal

the personality of a character

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION S peech T houghts E ffect on other charcters A ctions L ooks

Estate Satire • Writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of

individuals or groups • Relates to estates, or classes • Often humorous, but hopes to lead to the correction of the

flaw

Verbal Irony • Words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual

meaning

Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts expectations

Frame Tale • A larger story, inside which are smaller stories

Physiognomy •  The art of discovering temperament and character from

outward appearance

The Four Humors •  Theory that health depended on the balance of four body

fluids • Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile • Blood (sanguine) – happy, generous • Yellow bile (choleric) – violent, hot tempered • Phlegm (phlegmatic) – dull, unmotivated • Black bile (melancholic) - introspective

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Vocabulary from “The Prologue”

Solicitous (adj) • Showing care or concern • My best friend was sincerely solicitous when she asked me if I

was feeling better after my illness.

Garnished (adj) • Decorated; trimmed • Her rhinestone garnished jacket was positively hideous.

Absolution (n) • Act of freeing someone from sin or of a criminal charge •  The convicted murderer, who had been wrongly accused, was

finally given absolution and was released at the age of 65.

Commission (n) • Authorization; act of giving authority to an individual •  In early colonial times the king of England gave commission to

proprietors to rule over each colony.

Sanguine (adj) • Confident; cheerfu •  The football team was not feeling particularly sanguine after

the star player was injured.

Avouches (v) • Asserts positively; affirms •  I can only avouch a student’s performance if I have had him or

her as a student for at least one year.

Prevarication (n) • Evasion of truth • Kristy’s frequent prevarication caused her mother to question

her true whereabs

Glutton (n) • One who eats a great deal; having capacity to receive or

withstand something •  Jack was a glutton for punishment; no matter how many times

Anne broke his heart, he kept going back to her.

Countenance (n) • A person’s face, especially the expression •  The commander’s countenance belied his true feelings of

anxiety and fear.

Erudite (adj) • Deeply learned; scholarly • Students who go to law school take classes in speech in order

to become verbally erudite.

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9/7/13

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An Introduction to Medieval Life and The Canterbury Tales British Literature – Mrs. Fitzgerald

A Brief History of Middle English

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) n The Normans, “north men” were descendants of Vikings n After settling on the coast of France, they adopted French

customs and language

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500 n King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 n Harold Godwinson (Harold II) was chosen to be king n William of Normandy claimed that Edward had left the throne

to him n William invaded and conquered England in 1066 at the Battle

of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry •  70 meter long embroidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo to commemorate the events

leading to the Battle of Hastings and the events that unfolded afterward

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) • William suppressed Anglo-Saxon nobility and took their land • Business and government were conducted in Norman French

(diff. from Parisian French) • About 10,000 French words were introduced

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) q  This mixture of the two languages came to be known as

Middle English. q Unlike Old English, Middle English can be read, with some

difficulty, by modern English-speaking people.

English words derived from French n More than 1/3 of the words in English were influenced by

French n attorney, bailiff, court, crime, evidence, government n abbot, chaplain, clergy, friar, prayer, priest, religion,

sacrament, saint n army, artillery, battle, captain, corporal, marine, navy,

sergeant, soldier n beef, mutton, pork, poultry, veal

Medieval Times

The Feudal System

The Origin of The Black Death • Believed to have originated in the Far East • Was able to spread quickly along major trade routes

A Disease By Any Other Name •  The Black Plague •  The Bubonic Plague •  The Pestilence •  The Great Mortality

So What Was It? • Bacteria-born disease • Carried in the blood of fleas on rats

Symptoms • Bites swell to the size of fists •  Intensely painful • Swelling starts red and turns black •  2-6 days for death

What was the result? •  In England, 30-40% of pop. gone • Not enough field workers •  40% of clergy

The Medieval Church

Key Terms • Penance – remorse for your past conduct; voluntary self-

punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing • Crusade – any of the military expeditions undertaken by

European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; a holy war undertaken with papal sanction

Key Terms, cont. • Mendicant – depending on alms or charity for a living;

practicing begging • Chastity – abstaining from sexual relations; celibacy; morality

with respect to sexual relations

Key Terms, cont. • Sanctify – to set apart for sacred use; to make holy; purify • Holy Grail – according to medieval legend, this was a chalice

used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and later became the object of many chivalrous quests; supposedly possessed miraculous powers Church Hierarchy

• Pope – head of church, Latin for “daddy” • Cardinals – advisors to the Pope; papal candidates • Archbishops – controlled archdiocese • Bishops – controlled “diocese” in larger cities or provinces

made of many parishes • Abbots – in charge of monasteries • Priests - local church or parish

Monasteries • Usually in the countryside; isolated • Vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity • Monks were expected to do manual labor, study, and pray • Governed by the Rules of St. Benedict • Very strict

Monastery •  Inside libraries, monks copied manuscripts • Wrote in beautiful handwriting • Drew elaborate illustrations………… •  Illuminated letters

Scandals in the Church •  Immorality, ignorance of clergy •  Immorality of people – purchasing indulgences • Simony – “sinful practice of giving or obtaining an appointment

to a church office for money”

Medieval Professions

Medieval Society • Society could be broken into three major groups: •  Those who pray (oratores) •  Those who fight (bellatores) •  Those who work (laboratores)

Those Who Pray • Clergy including priests, monks, and friars • Society held special expectations of them. • Clergy were the guardians of society who kept the spiritual

order

Those Who Fight • Knights of the Middle Ages – mounted warriors •  Initially, anyone who could afford it could be a knight • Eventually, knights had to prove their noble ancestry (coats of

arms) • Knighthood rises in status

Those Who Work • Manual labor • Usually peasants, who were the majority of medieval society

The Chivalric Code and Courtly Love

What is Chivalry? o Chivalry was a code of behavior that allowed medieval

knights to put their ability to fight to good use o Chivalry offered knights a positive role in society o There was not one exact code of honor or chivalry

The Code of Chivalry n Live to serve King and Country. n Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. n Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. n Never attack an unarmed foe. n Administer justice. n Protect the innocent. n Exhibit self control. n Show respect to authority. n Respect women. n Exhibit Courage in word and deed. n Defend the weak and innocent. n Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. n Fight with honor. n Avenge the wronged. n Always keep one's word of honor. n Die with honor. n Exhibit manners. n Be polite and attentive.

Courtly Love o Knight finds a lady to whom he devotes all his attention o The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds,

in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. o Ennobled by love and inspired to be more honorable than

ever o Could be a chaste, platonic love or an adulterous love

relationship

Characteristics of Courtly Love o Practiced by noble lords and ladies o Ladies usually received songs, poems, flowers, etc. o Nobles needed only to receive a mere shadow of affection o Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy

Heraldry o Heraldry is a system of signs and symbols o Originated in the Middle Ages as a means of recognizing

warriors on the battlefield. o Each man bore a shield of a unique design.

St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket – Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury • Born in London in 1118 (?) • Was well-educated

St. Thomas Becket, cont. •  In 1141, entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of

Canterbury • He became Theobald’s most trusted clerk • Ordained a deacon in 1154

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II • Henry II became king and chose “Thomas of London” as his

chancellor

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II, cont. • St. Thomas shared the king’s imperial views and love of

splendor • He identified with the king’s interests, however, only to the

limits of what his conscience permitted

Archbishop of Canterbury •  Theobald died in 1161 • Henry II wanted to secure St. Thomas for the position • St. Thomas – “I know your plans for the Church. You will

assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must needs oppose”

• St. Thomas gave in upon the advice of a cardinal who said it would be a service to religion

Archbishop of Canterbury, cont. • He was ordained one day, and was consecrated bishop the

next day • A great change took place in St. Thomas’s life • He fasted, wore hair shirts, held vigils, and was in constant

prayer

The Archbishop and The King A major disagreement over legislation ended their relationship

The Exile and The Return • St. Thomas was in exile for six years • Returned to England in 1170 • Henry II was infuriated when St. Thomas excommunicated the

bishops who supported the king

Murder in the Cathedral •  “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - King Henry II • His outrage inspired four knights to take action •  They arrived on December 29 and searched for the

Archbishop.

Murder in the Cathedral, cont. •  The knights found him at the altar of the Cathedral, drew their

swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull.

The “Holy Blissful Martyr” • His tomb in Canterbury became a famous shrine • St. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173; feast day

December 29 •  The king was forced to do public penance at Becket’s tomb •  The shrine was a place of pilgrimage all through the Middle

Ages until 1538

Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages

Why did people go on pilgrimages? •  In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make

pilgrimages (journeys) to special holy places called shrines. •  Forgiveness of sins • Curing of illnesses •  Travel and socializing

What did people do on pilgrimages? • At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes,

combs etc. that were said to have once belonged to important Christian saints.

•  These were called relics

How did people go on pilgrimages? •  Traveling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a

dangerous activity. • Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against

outlaws. • Wealthy people sometimes preferred to pay others to go on a

pilgrimage for them.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Father of English Poetry •  The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer's The

Canterbury Tales. •  French and Latin had been the preferred language of poetry

since 1066

The Canterbury Tales • Originally written in Middle English, capturing the everyday

speech of people • Vivid and varied portrayals of pilgrims • Only 22 tales completed, 2 fragments; he intended to write

124

Literary Terms

Characterization •  the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a

character • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – tells the audience what the

personality of the character is •  INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – shows things that reveal

the personality of a character

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION S peech T houghts E ffect on other charcters A ctions L ooks

Estate Satire • Writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of

individuals or groups • Relates to estates, or classes • Often humorous, but hopes to lead to the correction of the

flaw

Verbal Irony • Words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual

meaning

Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts expectations

Frame Tale • A larger story, inside which are smaller stories

Physiognomy •  The art of discovering temperament and character from

outward appearance

The Four Humors •  Theory that health depended on the balance of four body

fluids • Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile • Blood (sanguine) – happy, generous • Yellow bile (choleric) – violent, hot tempered • Phlegm (phlegmatic) – dull, unmotivated • Black bile (melancholic) - introspective

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Vocabulary from “The Prologue”

Solicitous (adj) • Showing care or concern • My best friend was sincerely solicitous when she asked me if I

was feeling better after my illness.

Garnished (adj) • Decorated; trimmed • Her rhinestone garnished jacket was positively hideous.

Absolution (n) • Act of freeing someone from sin or of a criminal charge •  The convicted murderer, who had been wrongly accused, was

finally given absolution and was released at the age of 65.

Commission (n) • Authorization; act of giving authority to an individual •  In early colonial times the king of England gave commission to

proprietors to rule over each colony.

Sanguine (adj) • Confident; cheerfu •  The football team was not feeling particularly sanguine after

the star player was injured.

Avouches (v) • Asserts positively; affirms •  I can only avouch a student’s performance if I have had him or

her as a student for at least one year.

Prevarication (n) • Evasion of truth • Kristy’s frequent prevarication caused her mother to question

her true whereabs

Glutton (n) • One who eats a great deal; having capacity to receive or

withstand something •  Jack was a glutton for punishment; no matter how many times

Anne broke his heart, he kept going back to her.

Countenance (n) • A person’s face, especially the expression •  The commander’s countenance belied his true feelings of

anxiety and fear.

Erudite (adj) • Deeply learned; scholarly • Students who go to law school take classes in speech in order

to become verbally erudite.

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9/7/13

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An Introduction to Medieval Life and The Canterbury Tales British Literature – Mrs. Fitzgerald

A Brief History of Middle English

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) n The Normans, “north men” were descendants of Vikings n After settling on the coast of France, they adopted French

customs and language

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500 n King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 n Harold Godwinson (Harold II) was chosen to be king n William of Normandy claimed that Edward had left the throne

to him n William invaded and conquered England in 1066 at the Battle

of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry •  70 meter long embroidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo to commemorate the events

leading to the Battle of Hastings and the events that unfolded afterward

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) • William suppressed Anglo-Saxon nobility and took their land • Business and government were conducted in Norman French

(diff. from Parisian French) • About 10,000 French words were introduced

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) q  This mixture of the two languages came to be known as

Middle English. q Unlike Old English, Middle English can be read, with some

difficulty, by modern English-speaking people.

English words derived from French n More than 1/3 of the words in English were influenced by

French n attorney, bailiff, court, crime, evidence, government n abbot, chaplain, clergy, friar, prayer, priest, religion,

sacrament, saint n army, artillery, battle, captain, corporal, marine, navy,

sergeant, soldier n beef, mutton, pork, poultry, veal

Medieval Times

The Feudal System

The Origin of The Black Death • Believed to have originated in the Far East • Was able to spread quickly along major trade routes

A Disease By Any Other Name •  The Black Plague •  The Bubonic Plague •  The Pestilence •  The Great Mortality

So What Was It? • Bacteria-born disease • Carried in the blood of fleas on rats

Symptoms • Bites swell to the size of fists •  Intensely painful • Swelling starts red and turns black •  2-6 days for death

What was the result? •  In England, 30-40% of pop. gone • Not enough field workers •  40% of clergy

The Medieval Church

Key Terms • Penance – remorse for your past conduct; voluntary self-

punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing • Crusade – any of the military expeditions undertaken by

European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; a holy war undertaken with papal sanction

Key Terms, cont. • Mendicant – depending on alms or charity for a living;

practicing begging • Chastity – abstaining from sexual relations; celibacy; morality

with respect to sexual relations

Key Terms, cont. • Sanctify – to set apart for sacred use; to make holy; purify • Holy Grail – according to medieval legend, this was a chalice

used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and later became the object of many chivalrous quests; supposedly possessed miraculous powers Church Hierarchy

• Pope – head of church, Latin for “daddy” • Cardinals – advisors to the Pope; papal candidates • Archbishops – controlled archdiocese • Bishops – controlled “diocese” in larger cities or provinces

made of many parishes • Abbots – in charge of monasteries • Priests - local church or parish

Monasteries • Usually in the countryside; isolated • Vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity • Monks were expected to do manual labor, study, and pray • Governed by the Rules of St. Benedict • Very strict

Monastery •  Inside libraries, monks copied manuscripts • Wrote in beautiful handwriting • Drew elaborate illustrations………… •  Illuminated letters

Scandals in the Church •  Immorality, ignorance of clergy •  Immorality of people – purchasing indulgences • Simony – “sinful practice of giving or obtaining an appointment

to a church office for money”

Medieval Professions

Medieval Society • Society could be broken into three major groups: •  Those who pray (oratores) •  Those who fight (bellatores) •  Those who work (laboratores)

Those Who Pray • Clergy including priests, monks, and friars • Society held special expectations of them. • Clergy were the guardians of society who kept the spiritual

order

Those Who Fight • Knights of the Middle Ages – mounted warriors •  Initially, anyone who could afford it could be a knight • Eventually, knights had to prove their noble ancestry (coats of

arms) • Knighthood rises in status

Those Who Work • Manual labor • Usually peasants, who were the majority of medieval society

The Chivalric Code and Courtly Love

What is Chivalry? o Chivalry was a code of behavior that allowed medieval

knights to put their ability to fight to good use o Chivalry offered knights a positive role in society o There was not one exact code of honor or chivalry

The Code of Chivalry n Live to serve King and Country. n Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. n Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. n Never attack an unarmed foe. n Administer justice. n Protect the innocent. n Exhibit self control. n Show respect to authority. n Respect women. n Exhibit Courage in word and deed. n Defend the weak and innocent. n Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. n Fight with honor. n Avenge the wronged. n Always keep one's word of honor. n Die with honor. n Exhibit manners. n Be polite and attentive.

Courtly Love o Knight finds a lady to whom he devotes all his attention o The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds,

in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. o Ennobled by love and inspired to be more honorable than

ever o Could be a chaste, platonic love or an adulterous love

relationship

Characteristics of Courtly Love o Practiced by noble lords and ladies o Ladies usually received songs, poems, flowers, etc. o Nobles needed only to receive a mere shadow of affection o Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy

Heraldry o Heraldry is a system of signs and symbols o Originated in the Middle Ages as a means of recognizing

warriors on the battlefield. o Each man bore a shield of a unique design.

St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket – Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury • Born in London in 1118 (?) • Was well-educated

St. Thomas Becket, cont. •  In 1141, entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of

Canterbury • He became Theobald’s most trusted clerk • Ordained a deacon in 1154

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II • Henry II became king and chose “Thomas of London” as his

chancellor

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II, cont. • St. Thomas shared the king’s imperial views and love of

splendor • He identified with the king’s interests, however, only to the

limits of what his conscience permitted

Archbishop of Canterbury •  Theobald died in 1161 • Henry II wanted to secure St. Thomas for the position • St. Thomas – “I know your plans for the Church. You will

assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must needs oppose”

• St. Thomas gave in upon the advice of a cardinal who said it would be a service to religion

Archbishop of Canterbury, cont. • He was ordained one day, and was consecrated bishop the

next day • A great change took place in St. Thomas’s life • He fasted, wore hair shirts, held vigils, and was in constant

prayer

The Archbishop and The King A major disagreement over legislation ended their relationship

The Exile and The Return • St. Thomas was in exile for six years • Returned to England in 1170 • Henry II was infuriated when St. Thomas excommunicated the

bishops who supported the king

Murder in the Cathedral •  “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - King Henry II • His outrage inspired four knights to take action •  They arrived on December 29 and searched for the

Archbishop.

Murder in the Cathedral, cont. •  The knights found him at the altar of the Cathedral, drew their

swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull.

The “Holy Blissful Martyr” • His tomb in Canterbury became a famous shrine • St. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173; feast day

December 29 •  The king was forced to do public penance at Becket’s tomb •  The shrine was a place of pilgrimage all through the Middle

Ages until 1538

Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages

Why did people go on pilgrimages? •  In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make

pilgrimages (journeys) to special holy places called shrines. •  Forgiveness of sins • Curing of illnesses •  Travel and socializing

What did people do on pilgrimages? • At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes,

combs etc. that were said to have once belonged to important Christian saints.

•  These were called relics

How did people go on pilgrimages? •  Traveling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a

dangerous activity. • Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against

outlaws. • Wealthy people sometimes preferred to pay others to go on a

pilgrimage for them.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Father of English Poetry •  The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer's The

Canterbury Tales. •  French and Latin had been the preferred language of poetry

since 1066

The Canterbury Tales • Originally written in Middle English, capturing the everyday

speech of people • Vivid and varied portrayals of pilgrims • Only 22 tales completed, 2 fragments; he intended to write

124

Literary Terms

Characterization •  the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a

character • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – tells the audience what the

personality of the character is •  INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – shows things that reveal

the personality of a character

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION S peech T houghts E ffect on other charcters A ctions L ooks

Estate Satire • Writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of

individuals or groups • Relates to estates, or classes • Often humorous, but hopes to lead to the correction of the

flaw

Verbal Irony • Words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual

meaning

Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts expectations

Frame Tale • A larger story, inside which are smaller stories

Physiognomy •  The art of discovering temperament and character from

outward appearance

The Four Humors •  Theory that health depended on the balance of four body

fluids • Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile • Blood (sanguine) – happy, generous • Yellow bile (choleric) – violent, hot tempered • Phlegm (phlegmatic) – dull, unmotivated • Black bile (melancholic) - introspective

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Vocabulary from “The Prologue”

Solicitous (adj) • Showing care or concern • My best friend was sincerely solicitous when she asked me if I

was feeling better after my illness.

Garnished (adj) • Decorated; trimmed • Her rhinestone garnished jacket was positively hideous.

Absolution (n) • Act of freeing someone from sin or of a criminal charge •  The convicted murderer, who had been wrongly accused, was

finally given absolution and was released at the age of 65.

Commission (n) • Authorization; act of giving authority to an individual •  In early colonial times the king of England gave commission to

proprietors to rule over each colony.

Sanguine (adj) • Confident; cheerfu •  The football team was not feeling particularly sanguine after

the star player was injured.

Avouches (v) • Asserts positively; affirms •  I can only avouch a student’s performance if I have had him or

her as a student for at least one year.

Prevarication (n) • Evasion of truth • Kristy’s frequent prevarication caused her mother to question

her true whereabs

Glutton (n) • One who eats a great deal; having capacity to receive or

withstand something •  Jack was a glutton for punishment; no matter how many times

Anne broke his heart, he kept going back to her.

Countenance (n) • A person’s face, especially the expression •  The commander’s countenance belied his true feelings of

anxiety and fear.

Erudite (adj) • Deeply learned; scholarly • Students who go to law school take classes in speech in order

to become verbally erudite.

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An Introduction to Medieval Life and The Canterbury Tales British Literature – Mrs. Fitzgerald

A Brief History of Middle English

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) n The Normans, “north men” were descendants of Vikings n After settling on the coast of France, they adopted French

customs and language

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500 n King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 n Harold Godwinson (Harold II) was chosen to be king n William of Normandy claimed that Edward had left the throne

to him n William invaded and conquered England in 1066 at the Battle

of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry •  70 meter long embroidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo to commemorate the events

leading to the Battle of Hastings and the events that unfolded afterward

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) • William suppressed Anglo-Saxon nobility and took their land • Business and government were conducted in Norman French

(diff. from Parisian French) • About 10,000 French words were introduced

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) q  This mixture of the two languages came to be known as

Middle English. q Unlike Old English, Middle English can be read, with some

difficulty, by modern English-speaking people.

English words derived from French n More than 1/3 of the words in English were influenced by

French n attorney, bailiff, court, crime, evidence, government n abbot, chaplain, clergy, friar, prayer, priest, religion,

sacrament, saint n army, artillery, battle, captain, corporal, marine, navy,

sergeant, soldier n beef, mutton, pork, poultry, veal

Medieval Times

The Feudal System

The Origin of The Black Death • Believed to have originated in the Far East • Was able to spread quickly along major trade routes

A Disease By Any Other Name •  The Black Plague •  The Bubonic Plague •  The Pestilence •  The Great Mortality

So What Was It? • Bacteria-born disease • Carried in the blood of fleas on rats

Symptoms • Bites swell to the size of fists •  Intensely painful • Swelling starts red and turns black •  2-6 days for death

What was the result? •  In England, 30-40% of pop. gone • Not enough field workers •  40% of clergy

The Medieval Church

Key Terms • Penance – remorse for your past conduct; voluntary self-

punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing • Crusade – any of the military expeditions undertaken by

European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; a holy war undertaken with papal sanction

Key Terms, cont. • Mendicant – depending on alms or charity for a living;

practicing begging • Chastity – abstaining from sexual relations; celibacy; morality

with respect to sexual relations

Key Terms, cont. • Sanctify – to set apart for sacred use; to make holy; purify • Holy Grail – according to medieval legend, this was a chalice

used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and later became the object of many chivalrous quests; supposedly possessed miraculous powers Church Hierarchy

• Pope – head of church, Latin for “daddy” • Cardinals – advisors to the Pope; papal candidates • Archbishops – controlled archdiocese • Bishops – controlled “diocese” in larger cities or provinces

made of many parishes • Abbots – in charge of monasteries • Priests - local church or parish

Monasteries • Usually in the countryside; isolated • Vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity • Monks were expected to do manual labor, study, and pray • Governed by the Rules of St. Benedict • Very strict

Monastery •  Inside libraries, monks copied manuscripts • Wrote in beautiful handwriting • Drew elaborate illustrations………… •  Illuminated letters

Scandals in the Church •  Immorality, ignorance of clergy •  Immorality of people – purchasing indulgences • Simony – “sinful practice of giving or obtaining an appointment

to a church office for money”

Medieval Professions

Medieval Society • Society could be broken into three major groups: •  Those who pray (oratores) •  Those who fight (bellatores) •  Those who work (laboratores)

Those Who Pray • Clergy including priests, monks, and friars • Society held special expectations of them. • Clergy were the guardians of society who kept the spiritual

order

Those Who Fight • Knights of the Middle Ages – mounted warriors •  Initially, anyone who could afford it could be a knight • Eventually, knights had to prove their noble ancestry (coats of

arms) • Knighthood rises in status

Those Who Work • Manual labor • Usually peasants, who were the majority of medieval society

The Chivalric Code and Courtly Love

What is Chivalry? o Chivalry was a code of behavior that allowed medieval

knights to put their ability to fight to good use o Chivalry offered knights a positive role in society o There was not one exact code of honor or chivalry

The Code of Chivalry n Live to serve King and Country. n Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. n Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. n Never attack an unarmed foe. n Administer justice. n Protect the innocent. n Exhibit self control. n Show respect to authority. n Respect women. n Exhibit Courage in word and deed. n Defend the weak and innocent. n Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. n Fight with honor. n Avenge the wronged. n Always keep one's word of honor. n Die with honor. n Exhibit manners. n Be polite and attentive.

Courtly Love o Knight finds a lady to whom he devotes all his attention o The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds,

in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. o Ennobled by love and inspired to be more honorable than

ever o Could be a chaste, platonic love or an adulterous love

relationship

Characteristics of Courtly Love o Practiced by noble lords and ladies o Ladies usually received songs, poems, flowers, etc. o Nobles needed only to receive a mere shadow of affection o Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy

Heraldry o Heraldry is a system of signs and symbols o Originated in the Middle Ages as a means of recognizing

warriors on the battlefield. o Each man bore a shield of a unique design.

St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket – Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury • Born in London in 1118 (?) • Was well-educated

St. Thomas Becket, cont. •  In 1141, entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of

Canterbury • He became Theobald’s most trusted clerk • Ordained a deacon in 1154

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II • Henry II became king and chose “Thomas of London” as his

chancellor

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II, cont. • St. Thomas shared the king’s imperial views and love of

splendor • He identified with the king’s interests, however, only to the

limits of what his conscience permitted

Archbishop of Canterbury •  Theobald died in 1161 • Henry II wanted to secure St. Thomas for the position • St. Thomas – “I know your plans for the Church. You will

assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must needs oppose”

• St. Thomas gave in upon the advice of a cardinal who said it would be a service to religion

Archbishop of Canterbury, cont. • He was ordained one day, and was consecrated bishop the

next day • A great change took place in St. Thomas’s life • He fasted, wore hair shirts, held vigils, and was in constant

prayer

The Archbishop and The King A major disagreement over legislation ended their relationship

The Exile and The Return • St. Thomas was in exile for six years • Returned to England in 1170 • Henry II was infuriated when St. Thomas excommunicated the

bishops who supported the king

Murder in the Cathedral •  “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - King Henry II • His outrage inspired four knights to take action •  They arrived on December 29 and searched for the

Archbishop.

Murder in the Cathedral, cont. •  The knights found him at the altar of the Cathedral, drew their

swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull.

The “Holy Blissful Martyr” • His tomb in Canterbury became a famous shrine • St. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173; feast day

December 29 •  The king was forced to do public penance at Becket’s tomb •  The shrine was a place of pilgrimage all through the Middle

Ages until 1538

Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages

Why did people go on pilgrimages? •  In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make

pilgrimages (journeys) to special holy places called shrines. •  Forgiveness of sins • Curing of illnesses •  Travel and socializing

What did people do on pilgrimages? • At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes,

combs etc. that were said to have once belonged to important Christian saints.

•  These were called relics

How did people go on pilgrimages? •  Traveling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a

dangerous activity. • Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against

outlaws. • Wealthy people sometimes preferred to pay others to go on a

pilgrimage for them.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Father of English Poetry •  The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer's The

Canterbury Tales. •  French and Latin had been the preferred language of poetry

since 1066

The Canterbury Tales • Originally written in Middle English, capturing the everyday

speech of people • Vivid and varied portrayals of pilgrims • Only 22 tales completed, 2 fragments; he intended to write

124

Literary Terms

Characterization •  the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a

character • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – tells the audience what the

personality of the character is •  INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – shows things that reveal

the personality of a character

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION S peech T houghts E ffect on other charcters A ctions L ooks

Estate Satire • Writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of

individuals or groups • Relates to estates, or classes • Often humorous, but hopes to lead to the correction of the

flaw

Verbal Irony • Words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual

meaning

Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts expectations

Frame Tale • A larger story, inside which are smaller stories

Physiognomy •  The art of discovering temperament and character from

outward appearance

The Four Humors •  Theory that health depended on the balance of four body

fluids • Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile • Blood (sanguine) – happy, generous • Yellow bile (choleric) – violent, hot tempered • Phlegm (phlegmatic) – dull, unmotivated • Black bile (melancholic) - introspective

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Vocabulary from “The Prologue”

Solicitous (adj) • Showing care or concern • My best friend was sincerely solicitous when she asked me if I

was feeling better after my illness.

Garnished (adj) • Decorated; trimmed • Her rhinestone garnished jacket was positively hideous.

Absolution (n) • Act of freeing someone from sin or of a criminal charge •  The convicted murderer, who had been wrongly accused, was

finally given absolution and was released at the age of 65.

Commission (n) • Authorization; act of giving authority to an individual •  In early colonial times the king of England gave commission to

proprietors to rule over each colony.

Sanguine (adj) • Confident; cheerfu •  The football team was not feeling particularly sanguine after

the star player was injured.

Avouches (v) • Asserts positively; affirms •  I can only avouch a student’s performance if I have had him or

her as a student for at least one year.

Prevarication (n) • Evasion of truth • Kristy’s frequent prevarication caused her mother to question

her true whereabs

Glutton (n) • One who eats a great deal; having capacity to receive or

withstand something •  Jack was a glutton for punishment; no matter how many times

Anne broke his heart, he kept going back to her.

Countenance (n) • A person’s face, especially the expression •  The commander’s countenance belied his true feelings of

anxiety and fear.

Erudite (adj) • Deeply learned; scholarly • Students who go to law school take classes in speech in order

to become verbally erudite.

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An Introduction to Medieval Life and The Canterbury Tales British Literature – Mrs. Fitzgerald

A Brief History of Middle English

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) n The Normans, “north men” were descendants of Vikings n After settling on the coast of France, they adopted French

customs and language

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500 n King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 n Harold Godwinson (Harold II) was chosen to be king n William of Normandy claimed that Edward had left the throne

to him n William invaded and conquered England in 1066 at the Battle

of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry •  70 meter long embroidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo to commemorate the events

leading to the Battle of Hastings and the events that unfolded afterward

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) • William suppressed Anglo-Saxon nobility and took their land • Business and government were conducted in Norman French

(diff. from Parisian French) • About 10,000 French words were introduced

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) q  This mixture of the two languages came to be known as

Middle English. q Unlike Old English, Middle English can be read, with some

difficulty, by modern English-speaking people.

English words derived from French n More than 1/3 of the words in English were influenced by

French n attorney, bailiff, court, crime, evidence, government n abbot, chaplain, clergy, friar, prayer, priest, religion,

sacrament, saint n army, artillery, battle, captain, corporal, marine, navy,

sergeant, soldier n beef, mutton, pork, poultry, veal

Medieval Times

The Feudal System

The Origin of The Black Death • Believed to have originated in the Far East • Was able to spread quickly along major trade routes

A Disease By Any Other Name •  The Black Plague •  The Bubonic Plague •  The Pestilence •  The Great Mortality

So What Was It? • Bacteria-born disease • Carried in the blood of fleas on rats

Symptoms • Bites swell to the size of fists •  Intensely painful • Swelling starts red and turns black •  2-6 days for death

What was the result? •  In England, 30-40% of pop. gone • Not enough field workers •  40% of clergy

The Medieval Church

Key Terms • Penance – remorse for your past conduct; voluntary self-

punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing • Crusade – any of the military expeditions undertaken by

European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; a holy war undertaken with papal sanction

Key Terms, cont. • Mendicant – depending on alms or charity for a living;

practicing begging • Chastity – abstaining from sexual relations; celibacy; morality

with respect to sexual relations

Key Terms, cont. • Sanctify – to set apart for sacred use; to make holy; purify • Holy Grail – according to medieval legend, this was a chalice

used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and later became the object of many chivalrous quests; supposedly possessed miraculous powers Church Hierarchy

• Pope – head of church, Latin for “daddy” • Cardinals – advisors to the Pope; papal candidates • Archbishops – controlled archdiocese • Bishops – controlled “diocese” in larger cities or provinces

made of many parishes • Abbots – in charge of monasteries • Priests - local church or parish

Monasteries • Usually in the countryside; isolated • Vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity • Monks were expected to do manual labor, study, and pray • Governed by the Rules of St. Benedict • Very strict

Monastery •  Inside libraries, monks copied manuscripts • Wrote in beautiful handwriting • Drew elaborate illustrations………… •  Illuminated letters

Scandals in the Church •  Immorality, ignorance of clergy •  Immorality of people – purchasing indulgences • Simony – “sinful practice of giving or obtaining an appointment

to a church office for money”

Medieval Professions

Medieval Society • Society could be broken into three major groups: •  Those who pray (oratores) •  Those who fight (bellatores) •  Those who work (laboratores)

Those Who Pray • Clergy including priests, monks, and friars • Society held special expectations of them. • Clergy were the guardians of society who kept the spiritual

order

Those Who Fight • Knights of the Middle Ages – mounted warriors •  Initially, anyone who could afford it could be a knight • Eventually, knights had to prove their noble ancestry (coats of

arms) • Knighthood rises in status

Those Who Work • Manual labor • Usually peasants, who were the majority of medieval society

The Chivalric Code and Courtly Love

What is Chivalry? o Chivalry was a code of behavior that allowed medieval

knights to put their ability to fight to good use o Chivalry offered knights a positive role in society o There was not one exact code of honor or chivalry

The Code of Chivalry n Live to serve King and Country. n Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. n Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. n Never attack an unarmed foe. n Administer justice. n Protect the innocent. n Exhibit self control. n Show respect to authority. n Respect women. n Exhibit Courage in word and deed. n Defend the weak and innocent. n Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. n Fight with honor. n Avenge the wronged. n Always keep one's word of honor. n Die with honor. n Exhibit manners. n Be polite and attentive.

Courtly Love o Knight finds a lady to whom he devotes all his attention o The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds,

in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. o Ennobled by love and inspired to be more honorable than

ever o Could be a chaste, platonic love or an adulterous love

relationship

Characteristics of Courtly Love o Practiced by noble lords and ladies o Ladies usually received songs, poems, flowers, etc. o Nobles needed only to receive a mere shadow of affection o Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy

Heraldry o Heraldry is a system of signs and symbols o Originated in the Middle Ages as a means of recognizing

warriors on the battlefield. o Each man bore a shield of a unique design.

St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket – Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury • Born in London in 1118 (?) • Was well-educated

St. Thomas Becket, cont. •  In 1141, entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of

Canterbury • He became Theobald’s most trusted clerk • Ordained a deacon in 1154

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II • Henry II became king and chose “Thomas of London” as his

chancellor

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II, cont. • St. Thomas shared the king’s imperial views and love of

splendor • He identified with the king’s interests, however, only to the

limits of what his conscience permitted

Archbishop of Canterbury •  Theobald died in 1161 • Henry II wanted to secure St. Thomas for the position • St. Thomas – “I know your plans for the Church. You will

assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must needs oppose”

• St. Thomas gave in upon the advice of a cardinal who said it would be a service to religion

Archbishop of Canterbury, cont. • He was ordained one day, and was consecrated bishop the

next day • A great change took place in St. Thomas’s life • He fasted, wore hair shirts, held vigils, and was in constant

prayer

The Archbishop and The King A major disagreement over legislation ended their relationship

The Exile and The Return • St. Thomas was in exile for six years • Returned to England in 1170 • Henry II was infuriated when St. Thomas excommunicated the

bishops who supported the king

Murder in the Cathedral •  “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - King Henry II • His outrage inspired four knights to take action •  They arrived on December 29 and searched for the

Archbishop.

Murder in the Cathedral, cont. •  The knights found him at the altar of the Cathedral, drew their

swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull.

The “Holy Blissful Martyr” • His tomb in Canterbury became a famous shrine • St. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173; feast day

December 29 •  The king was forced to do public penance at Becket’s tomb •  The shrine was a place of pilgrimage all through the Middle

Ages until 1538

Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages

Why did people go on pilgrimages? •  In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make

pilgrimages (journeys) to special holy places called shrines. •  Forgiveness of sins • Curing of illnesses •  Travel and socializing

What did people do on pilgrimages? • At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes,

combs etc. that were said to have once belonged to important Christian saints.

•  These were called relics

How did people go on pilgrimages? •  Traveling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a

dangerous activity. • Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against

outlaws. • Wealthy people sometimes preferred to pay others to go on a

pilgrimage for them.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Father of English Poetry •  The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer's The

Canterbury Tales. •  French and Latin had been the preferred language of poetry

since 1066

The Canterbury Tales • Originally written in Middle English, capturing the everyday

speech of people • Vivid and varied portrayals of pilgrims • Only 22 tales completed, 2 fragments; he intended to write

124

Literary Terms

Characterization •  the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a

character • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – tells the audience what the

personality of the character is •  INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – shows things that reveal

the personality of a character

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION S peech T houghts E ffect on other charcters A ctions L ooks

Estate Satire • Writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of

individuals or groups • Relates to estates, or classes • Often humorous, but hopes to lead to the correction of the

flaw

Verbal Irony • Words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual

meaning

Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts expectations

Frame Tale • A larger story, inside which are smaller stories

Physiognomy •  The art of discovering temperament and character from

outward appearance

The Four Humors •  Theory that health depended on the balance of four body

fluids • Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile • Blood (sanguine) – happy, generous • Yellow bile (choleric) – violent, hot tempered • Phlegm (phlegmatic) – dull, unmotivated • Black bile (melancholic) - introspective

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Vocabulary from “The Prologue”

Solicitous (adj) • Showing care or concern • My best friend was sincerely solicitous when she asked me if I

was feeling better after my illness.

Garnished (adj) • Decorated; trimmed • Her rhinestone garnished jacket was positively hideous.

Absolution (n) • Act of freeing someone from sin or of a criminal charge •  The convicted murderer, who had been wrongly accused, was

finally given absolution and was released at the age of 65.

Commission (n) • Authorization; act of giving authority to an individual •  In early colonial times the king of England gave commission to

proprietors to rule over each colony.

Sanguine (adj) • Confident; cheerfu •  The football team was not feeling particularly sanguine after

the star player was injured.

Avouches (v) • Asserts positively; affirms •  I can only avouch a student’s performance if I have had him or

her as a student for at least one year.

Prevarication (n) • Evasion of truth • Kristy’s frequent prevarication caused her mother to question

her true whereabs

Glutton (n) • One who eats a great deal; having capacity to receive or

withstand something •  Jack was a glutton for punishment; no matter how many times

Anne broke his heart, he kept going back to her.

Countenance (n) • A person’s face, especially the expression •  The commander’s countenance belied his true feelings of

anxiety and fear.

Erudite (adj) • Deeply learned; scholarly • Students who go to law school take classes in speech in order

to become verbally erudite.

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An Introduction to Medieval Life and The Canterbury Tales British Literature – Mrs. Fitzgerald

A Brief History of Middle English

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) n The Normans, “north men” were descendants of Vikings n After settling on the coast of France, they adopted French

customs and language

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500 n King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 n Harold Godwinson (Harold II) was chosen to be king n William of Normandy claimed that Edward had left the throne

to him n William invaded and conquered England in 1066 at the Battle

of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry •  70 meter long embroidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo to commemorate the events

leading to the Battle of Hastings and the events that unfolded afterward

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) • William suppressed Anglo-Saxon nobility and took their land • Business and government were conducted in Norman French

(diff. from Parisian French) • About 10,000 French words were introduced

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) q  This mixture of the two languages came to be known as

Middle English. q Unlike Old English, Middle English can be read, with some

difficulty, by modern English-speaking people.

English words derived from French n More than 1/3 of the words in English were influenced by

French n attorney, bailiff, court, crime, evidence, government n abbot, chaplain, clergy, friar, prayer, priest, religion,

sacrament, saint n army, artillery, battle, captain, corporal, marine, navy,

sergeant, soldier n beef, mutton, pork, poultry, veal

Medieval Times

The Feudal System

The Origin of The Black Death • Believed to have originated in the Far East • Was able to spread quickly along major trade routes

A Disease By Any Other Name •  The Black Plague •  The Bubonic Plague •  The Pestilence •  The Great Mortality

So What Was It? • Bacteria-born disease • Carried in the blood of fleas on rats

Symptoms • Bites swell to the size of fists •  Intensely painful • Swelling starts red and turns black •  2-6 days for death

What was the result? •  In England, 30-40% of pop. gone • Not enough field workers •  40% of clergy

The Medieval Church

Key Terms • Penance – remorse for your past conduct; voluntary self-

punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing • Crusade – any of the military expeditions undertaken by

European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; a holy war undertaken with papal sanction

Key Terms, cont. • Mendicant – depending on alms or charity for a living;

practicing begging • Chastity – abstaining from sexual relations; celibacy; morality

with respect to sexual relations

Key Terms, cont. • Sanctify – to set apart for sacred use; to make holy; purify • Holy Grail – according to medieval legend, this was a chalice

used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and later became the object of many chivalrous quests; supposedly possessed miraculous powers Church Hierarchy

• Pope – head of church, Latin for “daddy” • Cardinals – advisors to the Pope; papal candidates • Archbishops – controlled archdiocese • Bishops – controlled “diocese” in larger cities or provinces

made of many parishes • Abbots – in charge of monasteries • Priests - local church or parish

Monasteries • Usually in the countryside; isolated • Vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity • Monks were expected to do manual labor, study, and pray • Governed by the Rules of St. Benedict • Very strict

Monastery •  Inside libraries, monks copied manuscripts • Wrote in beautiful handwriting • Drew elaborate illustrations………… •  Illuminated letters

Scandals in the Church •  Immorality, ignorance of clergy •  Immorality of people – purchasing indulgences • Simony – “sinful practice of giving or obtaining an appointment

to a church office for money”

Medieval Professions

Medieval Society • Society could be broken into three major groups: •  Those who pray (oratores) •  Those who fight (bellatores) •  Those who work (laboratores)

Those Who Pray • Clergy including priests, monks, and friars • Society held special expectations of them. • Clergy were the guardians of society who kept the spiritual

order

Those Who Fight • Knights of the Middle Ages – mounted warriors •  Initially, anyone who could afford it could be a knight • Eventually, knights had to prove their noble ancestry (coats of

arms) • Knighthood rises in status

Those Who Work • Manual labor • Usually peasants, who were the majority of medieval society

The Chivalric Code and Courtly Love

What is Chivalry? o Chivalry was a code of behavior that allowed medieval

knights to put their ability to fight to good use o Chivalry offered knights a positive role in society o There was not one exact code of honor or chivalry

The Code of Chivalry n Live to serve King and Country. n Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. n Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. n Never attack an unarmed foe. n Administer justice. n Protect the innocent. n Exhibit self control. n Show respect to authority. n Respect women. n Exhibit Courage in word and deed. n Defend the weak and innocent. n Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. n Fight with honor. n Avenge the wronged. n Always keep one's word of honor. n Die with honor. n Exhibit manners. n Be polite and attentive.

Courtly Love o Knight finds a lady to whom he devotes all his attention o The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds,

in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. o Ennobled by love and inspired to be more honorable than

ever o Could be a chaste, platonic love or an adulterous love

relationship

Characteristics of Courtly Love o Practiced by noble lords and ladies o Ladies usually received songs, poems, flowers, etc. o Nobles needed only to receive a mere shadow of affection o Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy

Heraldry o Heraldry is a system of signs and symbols o Originated in the Middle Ages as a means of recognizing

warriors on the battlefield. o Each man bore a shield of a unique design.

St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket – Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury • Born in London in 1118 (?) • Was well-educated

St. Thomas Becket, cont. •  In 1141, entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of

Canterbury • He became Theobald’s most trusted clerk • Ordained a deacon in 1154

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II • Henry II became king and chose “Thomas of London” as his

chancellor

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II, cont. • St. Thomas shared the king’s imperial views and love of

splendor • He identified with the king’s interests, however, only to the

limits of what his conscience permitted

Archbishop of Canterbury •  Theobald died in 1161 • Henry II wanted to secure St. Thomas for the position • St. Thomas – “I know your plans for the Church. You will

assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must needs oppose”

• St. Thomas gave in upon the advice of a cardinal who said it would be a service to religion

Archbishop of Canterbury, cont. • He was ordained one day, and was consecrated bishop the

next day • A great change took place in St. Thomas’s life • He fasted, wore hair shirts, held vigils, and was in constant

prayer

The Archbishop and The King A major disagreement over legislation ended their relationship

The Exile and The Return • St. Thomas was in exile for six years • Returned to England in 1170 • Henry II was infuriated when St. Thomas excommunicated the

bishops who supported the king

Murder in the Cathedral •  “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - King Henry II • His outrage inspired four knights to take action •  They arrived on December 29 and searched for the

Archbishop.

Murder in the Cathedral, cont. •  The knights found him at the altar of the Cathedral, drew their

swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull.

The “Holy Blissful Martyr” • His tomb in Canterbury became a famous shrine • St. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173; feast day

December 29 •  The king was forced to do public penance at Becket’s tomb •  The shrine was a place of pilgrimage all through the Middle

Ages until 1538

Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages

Why did people go on pilgrimages? •  In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make

pilgrimages (journeys) to special holy places called shrines. •  Forgiveness of sins • Curing of illnesses •  Travel and socializing

What did people do on pilgrimages? • At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes,

combs etc. that were said to have once belonged to important Christian saints.

•  These were called relics

How did people go on pilgrimages? •  Traveling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a

dangerous activity. • Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against

outlaws. • Wealthy people sometimes preferred to pay others to go on a

pilgrimage for them.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Father of English Poetry •  The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer's The

Canterbury Tales. •  French and Latin had been the preferred language of poetry

since 1066

The Canterbury Tales • Originally written in Middle English, capturing the everyday

speech of people • Vivid and varied portrayals of pilgrims • Only 22 tales completed, 2 fragments; he intended to write

124

Literary Terms

Characterization •  the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a

character • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – tells the audience what the

personality of the character is •  INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – shows things that reveal

the personality of a character

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION S peech T houghts E ffect on other charcters A ctions L ooks

Estate Satire • Writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of

individuals or groups • Relates to estates, or classes • Often humorous, but hopes to lead to the correction of the

flaw

Verbal Irony • Words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual

meaning

Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts expectations

Frame Tale • A larger story, inside which are smaller stories

Physiognomy •  The art of discovering temperament and character from

outward appearance

The Four Humors •  Theory that health depended on the balance of four body

fluids • Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile • Blood (sanguine) – happy, generous • Yellow bile (choleric) – violent, hot tempered • Phlegm (phlegmatic) – dull, unmotivated • Black bile (melancholic) - introspective

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Vocabulary from “The Prologue”

Solicitous (adj) • Showing care or concern • My best friend was sincerely solicitous when she asked me if I

was feeling better after my illness.

Garnished (adj) • Decorated; trimmed • Her rhinestone garnished jacket was positively hideous.

Absolution (n) • Act of freeing someone from sin or of a criminal charge •  The convicted murderer, who had been wrongly accused, was

finally given absolution and was released at the age of 65.

Commission (n) • Authorization; act of giving authority to an individual •  In early colonial times the king of England gave commission to

proprietors to rule over each colony.

Sanguine (adj) • Confident; cheerfu •  The football team was not feeling particularly sanguine after

the star player was injured.

Avouches (v) • Asserts positively; affirms •  I can only avouch a student’s performance if I have had him or

her as a student for at least one year.

Prevarication (n) • Evasion of truth • Kristy’s frequent prevarication caused her mother to question

her true whereabs

Glutton (n) • One who eats a great deal; having capacity to receive or

withstand something •  Jack was a glutton for punishment; no matter how many times

Anne broke his heart, he kept going back to her.

Countenance (n) • A person’s face, especially the expression •  The commander’s countenance belied his true feelings of

anxiety and fear.

Erudite (adj) • Deeply learned; scholarly • Students who go to law school take classes in speech in order

to become verbally erudite.

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An Introduction to Medieval Life and The Canterbury Tales British Literature – Mrs. Fitzgerald

A Brief History of Middle English

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) n The Normans, “north men” were descendants of Vikings n After settling on the coast of France, they adopted French

customs and language

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500 n King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 n Harold Godwinson (Harold II) was chosen to be king n William of Normandy claimed that Edward had left the throne

to him n William invaded and conquered England in 1066 at the Battle

of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry •  70 meter long embroidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo to commemorate the events

leading to the Battle of Hastings and the events that unfolded afterward

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) • William suppressed Anglo-Saxon nobility and took their land • Business and government were conducted in Norman French

(diff. from Parisian French) • About 10,000 French words were introduced

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) q  This mixture of the two languages came to be known as

Middle English. q Unlike Old English, Middle English can be read, with some

difficulty, by modern English-speaking people.

English words derived from French n More than 1/3 of the words in English were influenced by

French n attorney, bailiff, court, crime, evidence, government n abbot, chaplain, clergy, friar, prayer, priest, religion,

sacrament, saint n army, artillery, battle, captain, corporal, marine, navy,

sergeant, soldier n beef, mutton, pork, poultry, veal

Medieval Times

The Feudal System

The Origin of The Black Death • Believed to have originated in the Far East • Was able to spread quickly along major trade routes

A Disease By Any Other Name •  The Black Plague •  The Bubonic Plague •  The Pestilence •  The Great Mortality

So What Was It? • Bacteria-born disease • Carried in the blood of fleas on rats

Symptoms • Bites swell to the size of fists •  Intensely painful • Swelling starts red and turns black •  2-6 days for death

What was the result? •  In England, 30-40% of pop. gone • Not enough field workers •  40% of clergy

The Medieval Church

Key Terms • Penance – remorse for your past conduct; voluntary self-

punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing • Crusade – any of the military expeditions undertaken by

European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; a holy war undertaken with papal sanction

Key Terms, cont. • Mendicant – depending on alms or charity for a living;

practicing begging • Chastity – abstaining from sexual relations; celibacy; morality

with respect to sexual relations

Key Terms, cont. • Sanctify – to set apart for sacred use; to make holy; purify • Holy Grail – according to medieval legend, this was a chalice

used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and later became the object of many chivalrous quests; supposedly possessed miraculous powers Church Hierarchy

• Pope – head of church, Latin for “daddy” • Cardinals – advisors to the Pope; papal candidates • Archbishops – controlled archdiocese • Bishops – controlled “diocese” in larger cities or provinces

made of many parishes • Abbots – in charge of monasteries • Priests - local church or parish

Monasteries • Usually in the countryside; isolated • Vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity • Monks were expected to do manual labor, study, and pray • Governed by the Rules of St. Benedict • Very strict

Monastery •  Inside libraries, monks copied manuscripts • Wrote in beautiful handwriting • Drew elaborate illustrations………… •  Illuminated letters

Scandals in the Church •  Immorality, ignorance of clergy •  Immorality of people – purchasing indulgences • Simony – “sinful practice of giving or obtaining an appointment

to a church office for money”

Medieval Professions

Medieval Society • Society could be broken into three major groups: •  Those who pray (oratores) •  Those who fight (bellatores) •  Those who work (laboratores)

Those Who Pray • Clergy including priests, monks, and friars • Society held special expectations of them. • Clergy were the guardians of society who kept the spiritual

order

Those Who Fight • Knights of the Middle Ages – mounted warriors •  Initially, anyone who could afford it could be a knight • Eventually, knights had to prove their noble ancestry (coats of

arms) • Knighthood rises in status

Those Who Work • Manual labor • Usually peasants, who were the majority of medieval society

The Chivalric Code and Courtly Love

What is Chivalry? o Chivalry was a code of behavior that allowed medieval

knights to put their ability to fight to good use o Chivalry offered knights a positive role in society o There was not one exact code of honor or chivalry

The Code of Chivalry n Live to serve King and Country. n Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. n Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. n Never attack an unarmed foe. n Administer justice. n Protect the innocent. n Exhibit self control. n Show respect to authority. n Respect women. n Exhibit Courage in word and deed. n Defend the weak and innocent. n Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. n Fight with honor. n Avenge the wronged. n Always keep one's word of honor. n Die with honor. n Exhibit manners. n Be polite and attentive.

Courtly Love o Knight finds a lady to whom he devotes all his attention o The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds,

in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. o Ennobled by love and inspired to be more honorable than

ever o Could be a chaste, platonic love or an adulterous love

relationship

Characteristics of Courtly Love o Practiced by noble lords and ladies o Ladies usually received songs, poems, flowers, etc. o Nobles needed only to receive a mere shadow of affection o Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy

Heraldry o Heraldry is a system of signs and symbols o Originated in the Middle Ages as a means of recognizing

warriors on the battlefield. o Each man bore a shield of a unique design.

St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket – Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury • Born in London in 1118 (?) • Was well-educated

St. Thomas Becket, cont. •  In 1141, entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of

Canterbury • He became Theobald’s most trusted clerk • Ordained a deacon in 1154

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II • Henry II became king and chose “Thomas of London” as his

chancellor

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II, cont. • St. Thomas shared the king’s imperial views and love of

splendor • He identified with the king’s interests, however, only to the

limits of what his conscience permitted

Archbishop of Canterbury •  Theobald died in 1161 • Henry II wanted to secure St. Thomas for the position • St. Thomas – “I know your plans for the Church. You will

assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must needs oppose”

• St. Thomas gave in upon the advice of a cardinal who said it would be a service to religion

Archbishop of Canterbury, cont. • He was ordained one day, and was consecrated bishop the

next day • A great change took place in St. Thomas’s life • He fasted, wore hair shirts, held vigils, and was in constant

prayer

The Archbishop and The King A major disagreement over legislation ended their relationship

The Exile and The Return • St. Thomas was in exile for six years • Returned to England in 1170 • Henry II was infuriated when St. Thomas excommunicated the

bishops who supported the king

Murder in the Cathedral •  “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - King Henry II • His outrage inspired four knights to take action •  They arrived on December 29 and searched for the

Archbishop.

Murder in the Cathedral, cont. •  The knights found him at the altar of the Cathedral, drew their

swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull.

The “Holy Blissful Martyr” • His tomb in Canterbury became a famous shrine • St. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173; feast day

December 29 •  The king was forced to do public penance at Becket’s tomb •  The shrine was a place of pilgrimage all through the Middle

Ages until 1538

Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages

Why did people go on pilgrimages? •  In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make

pilgrimages (journeys) to special holy places called shrines. •  Forgiveness of sins • Curing of illnesses •  Travel and socializing

What did people do on pilgrimages? • At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes,

combs etc. that were said to have once belonged to important Christian saints.

•  These were called relics

How did people go on pilgrimages? •  Traveling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a

dangerous activity. • Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against

outlaws. • Wealthy people sometimes preferred to pay others to go on a

pilgrimage for them.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Father of English Poetry •  The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer's The

Canterbury Tales. •  French and Latin had been the preferred language of poetry

since 1066

The Canterbury Tales • Originally written in Middle English, capturing the everyday

speech of people • Vivid and varied portrayals of pilgrims • Only 22 tales completed, 2 fragments; he intended to write

124

Literary Terms

Characterization •  the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a

character • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – tells the audience what the

personality of the character is •  INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – shows things that reveal

the personality of a character

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION S peech T houghts E ffect on other charcters A ctions L ooks

Estate Satire • Writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of

individuals or groups • Relates to estates, or classes • Often humorous, but hopes to lead to the correction of the

flaw

Verbal Irony • Words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual

meaning

Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts expectations

Frame Tale • A larger story, inside which are smaller stories

Physiognomy •  The art of discovering temperament and character from

outward appearance

The Four Humors •  Theory that health depended on the balance of four body

fluids • Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile • Blood (sanguine) – happy, generous • Yellow bile (choleric) – violent, hot tempered • Phlegm (phlegmatic) – dull, unmotivated • Black bile (melancholic) - introspective

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Vocabulary from “The Prologue”

Solicitous (adj) • Showing care or concern • My best friend was sincerely solicitous when she asked me if I

was feeling better after my illness.

Garnished (adj) • Decorated; trimmed • Her rhinestone garnished jacket was positively hideous.

Absolution (n) • Act of freeing someone from sin or of a criminal charge •  The convicted murderer, who had been wrongly accused, was

finally given absolution and was released at the age of 65.

Commission (n) • Authorization; act of giving authority to an individual •  In early colonial times the king of England gave commission to

proprietors to rule over each colony.

Sanguine (adj) • Confident; cheerfu •  The football team was not feeling particularly sanguine after

the star player was injured.

Avouches (v) • Asserts positively; affirms •  I can only avouch a student’s performance if I have had him or

her as a student for at least one year.

Prevarication (n) • Evasion of truth • Kristy’s frequent prevarication caused her mother to question

her true whereabs

Glutton (n) • One who eats a great deal; having capacity to receive or

withstand something •  Jack was a glutton for punishment; no matter how many times

Anne broke his heart, he kept going back to her.

Countenance (n) • A person’s face, especially the expression •  The commander’s countenance belied his true feelings of

anxiety and fear.

Erudite (adj) • Deeply learned; scholarly • Students who go to law school take classes in speech in order

to become verbally erudite.

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An Introduction to Medieval Life and The Canterbury Tales British Literature – Mrs. Fitzgerald

A Brief History of Middle English

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) n The Normans, “north men” were descendants of Vikings n After settling on the coast of France, they adopted French

customs and language

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500 n King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 n Harold Godwinson (Harold II) was chosen to be king n William of Normandy claimed that Edward had left the throne

to him n William invaded and conquered England in 1066 at the Battle

of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry •  70 meter long embroidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo to commemorate the events

leading to the Battle of Hastings and the events that unfolded afterward

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) • William suppressed Anglo-Saxon nobility and took their land • Business and government were conducted in Norman French

(diff. from Parisian French) • About 10,000 French words were introduced

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) q  This mixture of the two languages came to be known as

Middle English. q Unlike Old English, Middle English can be read, with some

difficulty, by modern English-speaking people.

English words derived from French n More than 1/3 of the words in English were influenced by

French n attorney, bailiff, court, crime, evidence, government n abbot, chaplain, clergy, friar, prayer, priest, religion,

sacrament, saint n army, artillery, battle, captain, corporal, marine, navy,

sergeant, soldier n beef, mutton, pork, poultry, veal

Medieval Times

The Feudal System

The Origin of The Black Death • Believed to have originated in the Far East • Was able to spread quickly along major trade routes

A Disease By Any Other Name •  The Black Plague •  The Bubonic Plague •  The Pestilence •  The Great Mortality

So What Was It? • Bacteria-born disease • Carried in the blood of fleas on rats

Symptoms • Bites swell to the size of fists •  Intensely painful • Swelling starts red and turns black •  2-6 days for death

What was the result? •  In England, 30-40% of pop. gone • Not enough field workers •  40% of clergy

The Medieval Church

Key Terms • Penance – remorse for your past conduct; voluntary self-

punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing • Crusade – any of the military expeditions undertaken by

European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; a holy war undertaken with papal sanction

Key Terms, cont. • Mendicant – depending on alms or charity for a living;

practicing begging • Chastity – abstaining from sexual relations; celibacy; morality

with respect to sexual relations

Key Terms, cont. • Sanctify – to set apart for sacred use; to make holy; purify • Holy Grail – according to medieval legend, this was a chalice

used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and later became the object of many chivalrous quests; supposedly possessed miraculous powers Church Hierarchy

• Pope – head of church, Latin for “daddy” • Cardinals – advisors to the Pope; papal candidates • Archbishops – controlled archdiocese • Bishops – controlled “diocese” in larger cities or provinces

made of many parishes • Abbots – in charge of monasteries • Priests - local church or parish

Monasteries • Usually in the countryside; isolated • Vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity • Monks were expected to do manual labor, study, and pray • Governed by the Rules of St. Benedict • Very strict

Monastery •  Inside libraries, monks copied manuscripts • Wrote in beautiful handwriting • Drew elaborate illustrations………… •  Illuminated letters

Scandals in the Church •  Immorality, ignorance of clergy •  Immorality of people – purchasing indulgences • Simony – “sinful practice of giving or obtaining an appointment

to a church office for money”

Medieval Professions

Medieval Society • Society could be broken into three major groups: •  Those who pray (oratores) •  Those who fight (bellatores) •  Those who work (laboratores)

Those Who Pray • Clergy including priests, monks, and friars • Society held special expectations of them. • Clergy were the guardians of society who kept the spiritual

order

Those Who Fight • Knights of the Middle Ages – mounted warriors •  Initially, anyone who could afford it could be a knight • Eventually, knights had to prove their noble ancestry (coats of

arms) • Knighthood rises in status

Those Who Work • Manual labor • Usually peasants, who were the majority of medieval society

The Chivalric Code and Courtly Love

What is Chivalry? o Chivalry was a code of behavior that allowed medieval

knights to put their ability to fight to good use o Chivalry offered knights a positive role in society o There was not one exact code of honor or chivalry

The Code of Chivalry n Live to serve King and Country. n Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. n Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. n Never attack an unarmed foe. n Administer justice. n Protect the innocent. n Exhibit self control. n Show respect to authority. n Respect women. n Exhibit Courage in word and deed. n Defend the weak and innocent. n Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. n Fight with honor. n Avenge the wronged. n Always keep one's word of honor. n Die with honor. n Exhibit manners. n Be polite and attentive.

Courtly Love o Knight finds a lady to whom he devotes all his attention o The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds,

in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. o Ennobled by love and inspired to be more honorable than

ever o Could be a chaste, platonic love or an adulterous love

relationship

Characteristics of Courtly Love o Practiced by noble lords and ladies o Ladies usually received songs, poems, flowers, etc. o Nobles needed only to receive a mere shadow of affection o Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy

Heraldry o Heraldry is a system of signs and symbols o Originated in the Middle Ages as a means of recognizing

warriors on the battlefield. o Each man bore a shield of a unique design.

St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket – Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury • Born in London in 1118 (?) • Was well-educated

St. Thomas Becket, cont. •  In 1141, entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of

Canterbury • He became Theobald’s most trusted clerk • Ordained a deacon in 1154

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II • Henry II became king and chose “Thomas of London” as his

chancellor

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II, cont. • St. Thomas shared the king’s imperial views and love of

splendor • He identified with the king’s interests, however, only to the

limits of what his conscience permitted

Archbishop of Canterbury •  Theobald died in 1161 • Henry II wanted to secure St. Thomas for the position • St. Thomas – “I know your plans for the Church. You will

assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must needs oppose”

• St. Thomas gave in upon the advice of a cardinal who said it would be a service to religion

Archbishop of Canterbury, cont. • He was ordained one day, and was consecrated bishop the

next day • A great change took place in St. Thomas’s life • He fasted, wore hair shirts, held vigils, and was in constant

prayer

The Archbishop and The King A major disagreement over legislation ended their relationship

The Exile and The Return • St. Thomas was in exile for six years • Returned to England in 1170 • Henry II was infuriated when St. Thomas excommunicated the

bishops who supported the king

Murder in the Cathedral •  “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - King Henry II • His outrage inspired four knights to take action •  They arrived on December 29 and searched for the

Archbishop.

Murder in the Cathedral, cont. •  The knights found him at the altar of the Cathedral, drew their

swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull.

The “Holy Blissful Martyr” • His tomb in Canterbury became a famous shrine • St. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173; feast day

December 29 •  The king was forced to do public penance at Becket’s tomb •  The shrine was a place of pilgrimage all through the Middle

Ages until 1538

Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages

Why did people go on pilgrimages? •  In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make

pilgrimages (journeys) to special holy places called shrines. •  Forgiveness of sins • Curing of illnesses •  Travel and socializing

What did people do on pilgrimages? • At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes,

combs etc. that were said to have once belonged to important Christian saints.

•  These were called relics

How did people go on pilgrimages? •  Traveling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a

dangerous activity. • Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against

outlaws. • Wealthy people sometimes preferred to pay others to go on a

pilgrimage for them.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Father of English Poetry •  The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer's The

Canterbury Tales. •  French and Latin had been the preferred language of poetry

since 1066

The Canterbury Tales • Originally written in Middle English, capturing the everyday

speech of people • Vivid and varied portrayals of pilgrims • Only 22 tales completed, 2 fragments; he intended to write

124

Literary Terms

Characterization •  the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a

character • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – tells the audience what the

personality of the character is •  INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – shows things that reveal

the personality of a character

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION S peech T houghts E ffect on other charcters A ctions L ooks

Estate Satire • Writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of

individuals or groups • Relates to estates, or classes • Often humorous, but hopes to lead to the correction of the

flaw

Verbal Irony • Words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual

meaning

Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts expectations

Frame Tale • A larger story, inside which are smaller stories

Physiognomy •  The art of discovering temperament and character from

outward appearance

The Four Humors •  Theory that health depended on the balance of four body

fluids • Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile • Blood (sanguine) – happy, generous • Yellow bile (choleric) – violent, hot tempered • Phlegm (phlegmatic) – dull, unmotivated • Black bile (melancholic) - introspective

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Vocabulary from “The Prologue”

Solicitous (adj) • Showing care or concern • My best friend was sincerely solicitous when she asked me if I

was feeling better after my illness.

Garnished (adj) • Decorated; trimmed • Her rhinestone garnished jacket was positively hideous.

Absolution (n) • Act of freeing someone from sin or of a criminal charge •  The convicted murderer, who had been wrongly accused, was

finally given absolution and was released at the age of 65.

Commission (n) • Authorization; act of giving authority to an individual •  In early colonial times the king of England gave commission to

proprietors to rule over each colony.

Sanguine (adj) • Confident; cheerfu •  The football team was not feeling particularly sanguine after

the star player was injured.

Avouches (v) • Asserts positively; affirms •  I can only avouch a student’s performance if I have had him or

her as a student for at least one year.

Prevarication (n) • Evasion of truth • Kristy’s frequent prevarication caused her mother to question

her true whereabs

Glutton (n) • One who eats a great deal; having capacity to receive or

withstand something •  Jack was a glutton for punishment; no matter how many times

Anne broke his heart, he kept going back to her.

Countenance (n) • A person’s face, especially the expression •  The commander’s countenance belied his true feelings of

anxiety and fear.

Erudite (adj) • Deeply learned; scholarly • Students who go to law school take classes in speech in order

to become verbally erudite.

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An Introduction to Medieval Life and The Canterbury Tales British Literature – Mrs. Fitzgerald

A Brief History of Middle English

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) n The Normans, “north men” were descendants of Vikings n After settling on the coast of France, they adopted French

customs and language

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500 n King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 n Harold Godwinson (Harold II) was chosen to be king n William of Normandy claimed that Edward had left the throne

to him n William invaded and conquered England in 1066 at the Battle

of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry •  70 meter long embroidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo to commemorate the events

leading to the Battle of Hastings and the events that unfolded afterward

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) • William suppressed Anglo-Saxon nobility and took their land • Business and government were conducted in Norman French

(diff. from Parisian French) • About 10,000 French words were introduced

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) q  This mixture of the two languages came to be known as

Middle English. q Unlike Old English, Middle English can be read, with some

difficulty, by modern English-speaking people.

English words derived from French n More than 1/3 of the words in English were influenced by

French n attorney, bailiff, court, crime, evidence, government n abbot, chaplain, clergy, friar, prayer, priest, religion,

sacrament, saint n army, artillery, battle, captain, corporal, marine, navy,

sergeant, soldier n beef, mutton, pork, poultry, veal

Medieval Times

The Feudal System

The Origin of The Black Death • Believed to have originated in the Far East • Was able to spread quickly along major trade routes

A Disease By Any Other Name •  The Black Plague •  The Bubonic Plague •  The Pestilence •  The Great Mortality

So What Was It? • Bacteria-born disease • Carried in the blood of fleas on rats

Symptoms • Bites swell to the size of fists •  Intensely painful • Swelling starts red and turns black •  2-6 days for death

What was the result? •  In England, 30-40% of pop. gone • Not enough field workers •  40% of clergy

The Medieval Church

Key Terms • Penance – remorse for your past conduct; voluntary self-

punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing • Crusade – any of the military expeditions undertaken by

European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; a holy war undertaken with papal sanction

Key Terms, cont. • Mendicant – depending on alms or charity for a living;

practicing begging • Chastity – abstaining from sexual relations; celibacy; morality

with respect to sexual relations

Key Terms, cont. • Sanctify – to set apart for sacred use; to make holy; purify • Holy Grail – according to medieval legend, this was a chalice

used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and later became the object of many chivalrous quests; supposedly possessed miraculous powers Church Hierarchy

• Pope – head of church, Latin for “daddy” • Cardinals – advisors to the Pope; papal candidates • Archbishops – controlled archdiocese • Bishops – controlled “diocese” in larger cities or provinces

made of many parishes • Abbots – in charge of monasteries • Priests - local church or parish

Monasteries • Usually in the countryside; isolated • Vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity • Monks were expected to do manual labor, study, and pray • Governed by the Rules of St. Benedict • Very strict

Monastery •  Inside libraries, monks copied manuscripts • Wrote in beautiful handwriting • Drew elaborate illustrations………… •  Illuminated letters

Scandals in the Church •  Immorality, ignorance of clergy •  Immorality of people – purchasing indulgences • Simony – “sinful practice of giving or obtaining an appointment

to a church office for money”

Medieval Professions

Medieval Society • Society could be broken into three major groups: •  Those who pray (oratores) •  Those who fight (bellatores) •  Those who work (laboratores)

Those Who Pray • Clergy including priests, monks, and friars • Society held special expectations of them. • Clergy were the guardians of society who kept the spiritual

order

Those Who Fight • Knights of the Middle Ages – mounted warriors •  Initially, anyone who could afford it could be a knight • Eventually, knights had to prove their noble ancestry (coats of

arms) • Knighthood rises in status

Those Who Work • Manual labor • Usually peasants, who were the majority of medieval society

The Chivalric Code and Courtly Love

What is Chivalry? o Chivalry was a code of behavior that allowed medieval

knights to put their ability to fight to good use o Chivalry offered knights a positive role in society o There was not one exact code of honor or chivalry

The Code of Chivalry n Live to serve King and Country. n Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. n Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. n Never attack an unarmed foe. n Administer justice. n Protect the innocent. n Exhibit self control. n Show respect to authority. n Respect women. n Exhibit Courage in word and deed. n Defend the weak and innocent. n Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. n Fight with honor. n Avenge the wronged. n Always keep one's word of honor. n Die with honor. n Exhibit manners. n Be polite and attentive.

Courtly Love o Knight finds a lady to whom he devotes all his attention o The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds,

in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. o Ennobled by love and inspired to be more honorable than

ever o Could be a chaste, platonic love or an adulterous love

relationship

Characteristics of Courtly Love o Practiced by noble lords and ladies o Ladies usually received songs, poems, flowers, etc. o Nobles needed only to receive a mere shadow of affection o Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy

Heraldry o Heraldry is a system of signs and symbols o Originated in the Middle Ages as a means of recognizing

warriors on the battlefield. o Each man bore a shield of a unique design.

St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket – Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury • Born in London in 1118 (?) • Was well-educated

St. Thomas Becket, cont. •  In 1141, entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of

Canterbury • He became Theobald’s most trusted clerk • Ordained a deacon in 1154

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II • Henry II became king and chose “Thomas of London” as his

chancellor

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II, cont. • St. Thomas shared the king’s imperial views and love of

splendor • He identified with the king’s interests, however, only to the

limits of what his conscience permitted

Archbishop of Canterbury •  Theobald died in 1161 • Henry II wanted to secure St. Thomas for the position • St. Thomas – “I know your plans for the Church. You will

assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must needs oppose”

• St. Thomas gave in upon the advice of a cardinal who said it would be a service to religion

Archbishop of Canterbury, cont. • He was ordained one day, and was consecrated bishop the

next day • A great change took place in St. Thomas’s life • He fasted, wore hair shirts, held vigils, and was in constant

prayer

The Archbishop and The King A major disagreement over legislation ended their relationship

The Exile and The Return • St. Thomas was in exile for six years • Returned to England in 1170 • Henry II was infuriated when St. Thomas excommunicated the

bishops who supported the king

Murder in the Cathedral •  “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - King Henry II • His outrage inspired four knights to take action •  They arrived on December 29 and searched for the

Archbishop.

Murder in the Cathedral, cont. •  The knights found him at the altar of the Cathedral, drew their

swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull.

The “Holy Blissful Martyr” • His tomb in Canterbury became a famous shrine • St. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173; feast day

December 29 •  The king was forced to do public penance at Becket’s tomb •  The shrine was a place of pilgrimage all through the Middle

Ages until 1538

Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages

Why did people go on pilgrimages? •  In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make

pilgrimages (journeys) to special holy places called shrines. •  Forgiveness of sins • Curing of illnesses •  Travel and socializing

What did people do on pilgrimages? • At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes,

combs etc. that were said to have once belonged to important Christian saints.

•  These were called relics

How did people go on pilgrimages? •  Traveling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a

dangerous activity. • Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against

outlaws. • Wealthy people sometimes preferred to pay others to go on a

pilgrimage for them.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Father of English Poetry •  The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer's The

Canterbury Tales. •  French and Latin had been the preferred language of poetry

since 1066

The Canterbury Tales • Originally written in Middle English, capturing the everyday

speech of people • Vivid and varied portrayals of pilgrims • Only 22 tales completed, 2 fragments; he intended to write

124

Literary Terms

Characterization •  the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a

character • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – tells the audience what the

personality of the character is •  INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – shows things that reveal

the personality of a character

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION S peech T houghts E ffect on other charcters A ctions L ooks

Estate Satire • Writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of

individuals or groups • Relates to estates, or classes • Often humorous, but hopes to lead to the correction of the

flaw

Verbal Irony • Words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual

meaning

Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts expectations

Frame Tale • A larger story, inside which are smaller stories

Physiognomy •  The art of discovering temperament and character from

outward appearance

The Four Humors •  Theory that health depended on the balance of four body

fluids • Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile • Blood (sanguine) – happy, generous • Yellow bile (choleric) – violent, hot tempered • Phlegm (phlegmatic) – dull, unmotivated • Black bile (melancholic) - introspective

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Vocabulary from “The Prologue”

Solicitous (adj) • Showing care or concern • My best friend was sincerely solicitous when she asked me if I

was feeling better after my illness.

Garnished (adj) • Decorated; trimmed • Her rhinestone garnished jacket was positively hideous.

Absolution (n) • Act of freeing someone from sin or of a criminal charge •  The convicted murderer, who had been wrongly accused, was

finally given absolution and was released at the age of 65.

Commission (n) • Authorization; act of giving authority to an individual •  In early colonial times the king of England gave commission to

proprietors to rule over each colony.

Sanguine (adj) • Confident; cheerfu •  The football team was not feeling particularly sanguine after

the star player was injured.

Avouches (v) • Asserts positively; affirms •  I can only avouch a student’s performance if I have had him or

her as a student for at least one year.

Prevarication (n) • Evasion of truth • Kristy’s frequent prevarication caused her mother to question

her true whereabs

Glutton (n) • One who eats a great deal; having capacity to receive or

withstand something •  Jack was a glutton for punishment; no matter how many times

Anne broke his heart, he kept going back to her.

Countenance (n) • A person’s face, especially the expression •  The commander’s countenance belied his true feelings of

anxiety and fear.

Erudite (adj) • Deeply learned; scholarly • Students who go to law school take classes in speech in order

to become verbally erudite.

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An Introduction to Medieval Life and The Canterbury Tales British Literature – Mrs. Fitzgerald

A Brief History of Middle English

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) n The Normans, “north men” were descendants of Vikings n After settling on the coast of France, they adopted French

customs and language

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500 n King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 n Harold Godwinson (Harold II) was chosen to be king n William of Normandy claimed that Edward had left the throne

to him n William invaded and conquered England in 1066 at the Battle

of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry •  70 meter long embroidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo to commemorate the events

leading to the Battle of Hastings and the events that unfolded afterward

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) • William suppressed Anglo-Saxon nobility and took their land • Business and government were conducted in Norman French

(diff. from Parisian French) • About 10,000 French words were introduced

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) q  This mixture of the two languages came to be known as

Middle English. q Unlike Old English, Middle English can be read, with some

difficulty, by modern English-speaking people.

English words derived from French n More than 1/3 of the words in English were influenced by

French n attorney, bailiff, court, crime, evidence, government n abbot, chaplain, clergy, friar, prayer, priest, religion,

sacrament, saint n army, artillery, battle, captain, corporal, marine, navy,

sergeant, soldier n beef, mutton, pork, poultry, veal

Medieval Times

The Feudal System

The Origin of The Black Death • Believed to have originated in the Far East • Was able to spread quickly along major trade routes

A Disease By Any Other Name •  The Black Plague •  The Bubonic Plague •  The Pestilence •  The Great Mortality

So What Was It? • Bacteria-born disease • Carried in the blood of fleas on rats

Symptoms • Bites swell to the size of fists •  Intensely painful • Swelling starts red and turns black •  2-6 days for death

What was the result? •  In England, 30-40% of pop. gone • Not enough field workers •  40% of clergy

The Medieval Church

Key Terms • Penance – remorse for your past conduct; voluntary self-

punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing • Crusade – any of the military expeditions undertaken by

European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; a holy war undertaken with papal sanction

Key Terms, cont. • Mendicant – depending on alms or charity for a living;

practicing begging • Chastity – abstaining from sexual relations; celibacy; morality

with respect to sexual relations

Key Terms, cont. • Sanctify – to set apart for sacred use; to make holy; purify • Holy Grail – according to medieval legend, this was a chalice

used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and later became the object of many chivalrous quests; supposedly possessed miraculous powers Church Hierarchy

• Pope – head of church, Latin for “daddy” • Cardinals – advisors to the Pope; papal candidates • Archbishops – controlled archdiocese • Bishops – controlled “diocese” in larger cities or provinces

made of many parishes • Abbots – in charge of monasteries • Priests - local church or parish

Monasteries • Usually in the countryside; isolated • Vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity • Monks were expected to do manual labor, study, and pray • Governed by the Rules of St. Benedict • Very strict

Monastery •  Inside libraries, monks copied manuscripts • Wrote in beautiful handwriting • Drew elaborate illustrations………… •  Illuminated letters

Scandals in the Church •  Immorality, ignorance of clergy •  Immorality of people – purchasing indulgences • Simony – “sinful practice of giving or obtaining an appointment

to a church office for money”

Medieval Professions

Medieval Society • Society could be broken into three major groups: •  Those who pray (oratores) •  Those who fight (bellatores) •  Those who work (laboratores)

Those Who Pray • Clergy including priests, monks, and friars • Society held special expectations of them. • Clergy were the guardians of society who kept the spiritual

order

Those Who Fight • Knights of the Middle Ages – mounted warriors •  Initially, anyone who could afford it could be a knight • Eventually, knights had to prove their noble ancestry (coats of

arms) • Knighthood rises in status

Those Who Work • Manual labor • Usually peasants, who were the majority of medieval society

The Chivalric Code and Courtly Love

What is Chivalry? o Chivalry was a code of behavior that allowed medieval

knights to put their ability to fight to good use o Chivalry offered knights a positive role in society o There was not one exact code of honor or chivalry

The Code of Chivalry n Live to serve King and Country. n Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. n Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. n Never attack an unarmed foe. n Administer justice. n Protect the innocent. n Exhibit self control. n Show respect to authority. n Respect women. n Exhibit Courage in word and deed. n Defend the weak and innocent. n Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. n Fight with honor. n Avenge the wronged. n Always keep one's word of honor. n Die with honor. n Exhibit manners. n Be polite and attentive.

Courtly Love o Knight finds a lady to whom he devotes all his attention o The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds,

in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. o Ennobled by love and inspired to be more honorable than

ever o Could be a chaste, platonic love or an adulterous love

relationship

Characteristics of Courtly Love o Practiced by noble lords and ladies o Ladies usually received songs, poems, flowers, etc. o Nobles needed only to receive a mere shadow of affection o Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy

Heraldry o Heraldry is a system of signs and symbols o Originated in the Middle Ages as a means of recognizing

warriors on the battlefield. o Each man bore a shield of a unique design.

St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket – Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury • Born in London in 1118 (?) • Was well-educated

St. Thomas Becket, cont. •  In 1141, entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of

Canterbury • He became Theobald’s most trusted clerk • Ordained a deacon in 1154

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II • Henry II became king and chose “Thomas of London” as his

chancellor

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II, cont. • St. Thomas shared the king’s imperial views and love of

splendor • He identified with the king’s interests, however, only to the

limits of what his conscience permitted

Archbishop of Canterbury •  Theobald died in 1161 • Henry II wanted to secure St. Thomas for the position • St. Thomas – “I know your plans for the Church. You will

assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must needs oppose”

• St. Thomas gave in upon the advice of a cardinal who said it would be a service to religion

Archbishop of Canterbury, cont. • He was ordained one day, and was consecrated bishop the

next day • A great change took place in St. Thomas’s life • He fasted, wore hair shirts, held vigils, and was in constant

prayer

The Archbishop and The King A major disagreement over legislation ended their relationship

The Exile and The Return • St. Thomas was in exile for six years • Returned to England in 1170 • Henry II was infuriated when St. Thomas excommunicated the

bishops who supported the king

Murder in the Cathedral •  “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - King Henry II • His outrage inspired four knights to take action •  They arrived on December 29 and searched for the

Archbishop.

Murder in the Cathedral, cont. •  The knights found him at the altar of the Cathedral, drew their

swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull.

The “Holy Blissful Martyr” • His tomb in Canterbury became a famous shrine • St. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173; feast day

December 29 •  The king was forced to do public penance at Becket’s tomb •  The shrine was a place of pilgrimage all through the Middle

Ages until 1538

Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages

Why did people go on pilgrimages? •  In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make

pilgrimages (journeys) to special holy places called shrines. •  Forgiveness of sins • Curing of illnesses •  Travel and socializing

What did people do on pilgrimages? • At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes,

combs etc. that were said to have once belonged to important Christian saints.

•  These were called relics

How did people go on pilgrimages? •  Traveling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a

dangerous activity. • Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against

outlaws. • Wealthy people sometimes preferred to pay others to go on a

pilgrimage for them.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Father of English Poetry •  The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer's The

Canterbury Tales. •  French and Latin had been the preferred language of poetry

since 1066

The Canterbury Tales • Originally written in Middle English, capturing the everyday

speech of people • Vivid and varied portrayals of pilgrims • Only 22 tales completed, 2 fragments; he intended to write

124

Literary Terms

Characterization •  the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a

character • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – tells the audience what the

personality of the character is •  INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – shows things that reveal

the personality of a character

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION S peech T houghts E ffect on other charcters A ctions L ooks

Estate Satire • Writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of

individuals or groups • Relates to estates, or classes • Often humorous, but hopes to lead to the correction of the

flaw

Verbal Irony • Words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual

meaning

Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts expectations

Frame Tale • A larger story, inside which are smaller stories

Physiognomy •  The art of discovering temperament and character from

outward appearance

The Four Humors •  Theory that health depended on the balance of four body

fluids • Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile • Blood (sanguine) – happy, generous • Yellow bile (choleric) – violent, hot tempered • Phlegm (phlegmatic) – dull, unmotivated • Black bile (melancholic) - introspective

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Vocabulary from “The Prologue”

Solicitous (adj) • Showing care or concern • My best friend was sincerely solicitous when she asked me if I

was feeling better after my illness.

Garnished (adj) • Decorated; trimmed • Her rhinestone garnished jacket was positively hideous.

Absolution (n) • Act of freeing someone from sin or of a criminal charge •  The convicted murderer, who had been wrongly accused, was

finally given absolution and was released at the age of 65.

Commission (n) • Authorization; act of giving authority to an individual •  In early colonial times the king of England gave commission to

proprietors to rule over each colony.

Sanguine (adj) • Confident; cheerfu •  The football team was not feeling particularly sanguine after

the star player was injured.

Avouches (v) • Asserts positively; affirms •  I can only avouch a student’s performance if I have had him or

her as a student for at least one year.

Prevarication (n) • Evasion of truth • Kristy’s frequent prevarication caused her mother to question

her true whereabs

Glutton (n) • One who eats a great deal; having capacity to receive or

withstand something •  Jack was a glutton for punishment; no matter how many times

Anne broke his heart, he kept going back to her.

Countenance (n) • A person’s face, especially the expression •  The commander’s countenance belied his true feelings of

anxiety and fear.

Erudite (adj) • Deeply learned; scholarly • Students who go to law school take classes in speech in order

to become verbally erudite.

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An Introduction to Medieval Life and The Canterbury Tales British Literature – Mrs. Fitzgerald

A Brief History of Middle English

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) n The Normans, “north men” were descendants of Vikings n After settling on the coast of France, they adopted French

customs and language

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500 n King Edward the Confessor of England died in 1066 n Harold Godwinson (Harold II) was chosen to be king n William of Normandy claimed that Edward had left the throne

to him n William invaded and conquered England in 1066 at the Battle

of Hastings

The Bayeux Tapestry •  70 meter long embroidery • Commissioned by Bishop Odo to commemorate the events

leading to the Battle of Hastings and the events that unfolded afterward

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) • William suppressed Anglo-Saxon nobility and took their land • Business and government were conducted in Norman French

(diff. from Parisian French) • About 10,000 French words were introduced

The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) (cont’d) q  This mixture of the two languages came to be known as

Middle English. q Unlike Old English, Middle English can be read, with some

difficulty, by modern English-speaking people.

English words derived from French n More than 1/3 of the words in English were influenced by

French n attorney, bailiff, court, crime, evidence, government n abbot, chaplain, clergy, friar, prayer, priest, religion,

sacrament, saint n army, artillery, battle, captain, corporal, marine, navy,

sergeant, soldier n beef, mutton, pork, poultry, veal

Medieval Times

The Feudal System

The Origin of The Black Death • Believed to have originated in the Far East • Was able to spread quickly along major trade routes

A Disease By Any Other Name •  The Black Plague •  The Bubonic Plague •  The Pestilence •  The Great Mortality

So What Was It? • Bacteria-born disease • Carried in the blood of fleas on rats

Symptoms • Bites swell to the size of fists •  Intensely painful • Swelling starts red and turns black •  2-6 days for death

What was the result? •  In England, 30-40% of pop. gone • Not enough field workers •  40% of clergy

The Medieval Church

Key Terms • Penance – remorse for your past conduct; voluntary self-

punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing • Crusade – any of the military expeditions undertaken by

European Christians in the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries to recover the Holy Land from the Muslims; a holy war undertaken with papal sanction

Key Terms, cont. • Mendicant – depending on alms or charity for a living;

practicing begging • Chastity – abstaining from sexual relations; celibacy; morality

with respect to sexual relations

Key Terms, cont. • Sanctify – to set apart for sacred use; to make holy; purify • Holy Grail – according to medieval legend, this was a chalice

used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper and later became the object of many chivalrous quests; supposedly possessed miraculous powers Church Hierarchy

• Pope – head of church, Latin for “daddy” • Cardinals – advisors to the Pope; papal candidates • Archbishops – controlled archdiocese • Bishops – controlled “diocese” in larger cities or provinces

made of many parishes • Abbots – in charge of monasteries • Priests - local church or parish

Monasteries • Usually in the countryside; isolated • Vows of poverty, obedience, and chastity • Monks were expected to do manual labor, study, and pray • Governed by the Rules of St. Benedict • Very strict

Monastery •  Inside libraries, monks copied manuscripts • Wrote in beautiful handwriting • Drew elaborate illustrations………… •  Illuminated letters

Scandals in the Church •  Immorality, ignorance of clergy •  Immorality of people – purchasing indulgences • Simony – “sinful practice of giving or obtaining an appointment

to a church office for money”

Medieval Professions

Medieval Society • Society could be broken into three major groups: •  Those who pray (oratores) •  Those who fight (bellatores) •  Those who work (laboratores)

Those Who Pray • Clergy including priests, monks, and friars • Society held special expectations of them. • Clergy were the guardians of society who kept the spiritual

order

Those Who Fight • Knights of the Middle Ages – mounted warriors •  Initially, anyone who could afford it could be a knight • Eventually, knights had to prove their noble ancestry (coats of

arms) • Knighthood rises in status

Those Who Work • Manual labor • Usually peasants, who were the majority of medieval society

The Chivalric Code and Courtly Love

What is Chivalry? o Chivalry was a code of behavior that allowed medieval

knights to put their ability to fight to good use o Chivalry offered knights a positive role in society o There was not one exact code of honor or chivalry

The Code of Chivalry n Live to serve King and Country. n Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor. n Live for freedom, justice and all that is good. n Never attack an unarmed foe. n Administer justice. n Protect the innocent. n Exhibit self control. n Show respect to authority. n Respect women. n Exhibit Courage in word and deed. n Defend the weak and innocent. n Destroy evil in all of its monstrous forms. n Fight with honor. n Avenge the wronged. n Always keep one's word of honor. n Die with honor. n Exhibit manners. n Be polite and attentive.

Courtly Love o Knight finds a lady to whom he devotes all his attention o The knight's love for the lady inspires him to do great deeds,

in order to be worthy of her love or to win her favor. o Ennobled by love and inspired to be more honorable than

ever o Could be a chaste, platonic love or an adulterous love

relationship

Characteristics of Courtly Love o Practiced by noble lords and ladies o Ladies usually received songs, poems, flowers, etc. o Nobles needed only to receive a mere shadow of affection o Courtly lovers were pledged to strict secrecy

Heraldry o Heraldry is a system of signs and symbols o Originated in the Middle Ages as a means of recognizing

warriors on the battlefield. o Each man bore a shield of a unique design.

St. Thomas Becket

St. Thomas Becket – Martyr, Archbishop of Canterbury • Born in London in 1118 (?) • Was well-educated

St. Thomas Becket, cont. •  In 1141, entered the service of Theobald, Archbishop of

Canterbury • He became Theobald’s most trusted clerk • Ordained a deacon in 1154

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II • Henry II became king and chose “Thomas of London” as his

chancellor

St. Thomas Becket and King Henry II, cont. • St. Thomas shared the king’s imperial views and love of

splendor • He identified with the king’s interests, however, only to the

limits of what his conscience permitted

Archbishop of Canterbury •  Theobald died in 1161 • Henry II wanted to secure St. Thomas for the position • St. Thomas – “I know your plans for the Church. You will

assert claims which I, if I were archbishop, must needs oppose”

• St. Thomas gave in upon the advice of a cardinal who said it would be a service to religion

Archbishop of Canterbury, cont. • He was ordained one day, and was consecrated bishop the

next day • A great change took place in St. Thomas’s life • He fasted, wore hair shirts, held vigils, and was in constant

prayer

The Archbishop and The King A major disagreement over legislation ended their relationship

The Exile and The Return • St. Thomas was in exile for six years • Returned to England in 1170 • Henry II was infuriated when St. Thomas excommunicated the

bishops who supported the king

Murder in the Cathedral •  “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - King Henry II • His outrage inspired four knights to take action •  They arrived on December 29 and searched for the

Archbishop.

Murder in the Cathedral, cont. •  The knights found him at the altar of the Cathedral, drew their

swords and began hacking at their victim finally splitting his skull.

The “Holy Blissful Martyr” • His tomb in Canterbury became a famous shrine • St. Thomas Becket was canonized in 1173; feast day

December 29 •  The king was forced to do public penance at Becket’s tomb •  The shrine was a place of pilgrimage all through the Middle

Ages until 1538

Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages

Why did people go on pilgrimages? •  In the Middle Ages the Church encouraged people to make

pilgrimages (journeys) to special holy places called shrines. •  Forgiveness of sins • Curing of illnesses •  Travel and socializing

What did people do on pilgrimages? • At other shrines people went to see the teeth, bones, shoes,

combs etc. that were said to have once belonged to important Christian saints.

•  These were called relics

How did people go on pilgrimages? •  Traveling on long journeys in the Middle Ages was a

dangerous activity. • Pilgrims often went in groups to protect themselves against

outlaws. • Wealthy people sometimes preferred to pay others to go on a

pilgrimage for them.

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Father of English Poetry •  The most famous example of Middle English is Chaucer's The

Canterbury Tales. •  French and Latin had been the preferred language of poetry

since 1066

The Canterbury Tales • Originally written in Middle English, capturing the everyday

speech of people • Vivid and varied portrayals of pilgrims • Only 22 tales completed, 2 fragments; he intended to write

124

Literary Terms

Characterization •  the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a

character • DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – tells the audience what the

personality of the character is •  INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION – shows things that reveal

the personality of a character

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION S peech T houghts E ffect on other charcters A ctions L ooks

Estate Satire • Writing that ridicules or holds up to contempt the faults of

individuals or groups • Relates to estates, or classes • Often humorous, but hopes to lead to the correction of the

flaw

Verbal Irony • Words are used to suggest the opposite of their usual

meaning

Situational Irony • An event occurs that directly contradicts expectations

Frame Tale • A larger story, inside which are smaller stories

Physiognomy •  The art of discovering temperament and character from

outward appearance

The Four Humors •  Theory that health depended on the balance of four body

fluids • Blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and black bile • Blood (sanguine) – happy, generous • Yellow bile (choleric) – violent, hot tempered • Phlegm (phlegmatic) – dull, unmotivated • Black bile (melancholic) - introspective

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Vocabulary from “The Prologue”

Solicitous (adj) • Showing care or concern • My best friend was sincerely solicitous when she asked me if I

was feeling better after my illness.

Garnished (adj) • Decorated; trimmed • Her rhinestone garnished jacket was positively hideous.

Absolution (n) • Act of freeing someone from sin or of a criminal charge •  The convicted murderer, who had been wrongly accused, was

finally given absolution and was released at the age of 65.

Commission (n) • Authorization; act of giving authority to an individual •  In early colonial times the king of England gave commission to

proprietors to rule over each colony.

Sanguine (adj) • Confident; cheerfu •  The football team was not feeling particularly sanguine after

the star player was injured.

Avouches (v) • Asserts positively; affirms •  I can only avouch a student’s performance if I have had him or

her as a student for at least one year.

Prevarication (n) • Evasion of truth • Kristy’s frequent prevarication caused her mother to question

her true whereabs

Glutton (n) • One who eats a great deal; having capacity to receive or

withstand something •  Jack was a glutton for punishment; no matter how many times

Anne broke his heart, he kept going back to her.

Countenance (n) • A person’s face, especially the expression •  The commander’s countenance belied his true feelings of

anxiety and fear.

Erudite (adj) • Deeply learned; scholarly • Students who go to law school take classes in speech in order

to become verbally erudite.

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