Middle Ages Study Guide

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72 Terms

1

Characterization

a description of the distinctive nature or features of someone or something.

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2

Feudalism

A social and economic system that dominated medieval Europe, characterized by the relationship between lords and vassals, where land was exchanged for military service and protection.

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3

indirect characterization

a method of character development in which the personality of a character is revealed through their actions, speech, and interactions with others, rather than through direct statements.

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4

direct characterization

the process by which the author explicitly reveals the traits of a character through description or dialogue.

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5

Romance

a literary genre that focuses on the romantic relationships between characters, often highlighting themes of love, adventure, and chivalry.

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6

Pilgrimage

a journey, often to a sacred place, undertaken for religious reasons or spiritual growth.

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7

Allegory

a narrative in which characters and events symbolize deeper meanings, often conveying moral, social, or political messages.

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8

Frame story

a narrative technique that presents a main story within the context of another story. This allows for multiple perspectives and layers of meaning.

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9

Prologue

an introductory section of a literary work that sets the stage for the main narrative.

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10

Motif

a recurring element that has symbolic significance in a literary work, often contributing to the theme.

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11

Heroic Couplet

a pair of rhymed lines in iambic pentameter, often used in epic poetry to convey a complete thought.

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12

Social Commentary

a literary device used to provide insight or critique societal issues and behaviors, often reflecting the author's views on social and political matters.

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13

The Pilgrims are traveling to Canterbury because?

To visit the tomb of Saint Thomas

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14

The pilgrims agree to tell stories during their journey to?

entertain each other, to pass the time and to compete for the best story

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15

In “Prologue” Chaucer main objective is to?

introduce the characters and set the stage for the tales.

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16

How does Chaucer present all his characters?

Through vivid descriptions and social commentary, highlighting their traits and roles in society. Also in an exaggerating and sarcastic way.

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17

Medieval ideals of chivalry are best represented by which pilgrim?

The Knight, who embodies the values of bravery, honor, and noble conduct.

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18

What is the theme of “The Pardoner’s Tale”?

Revolves around greed and its consequences, illustrating how avarice can lead to moral corruption and destruction.

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19

“The Pardoner’s Tale” is considered and allegory because?

it uses characters and events to convey moral lessons about greed and the dangers of avarice.

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20

In “The Pardoner’s Tale” Death is?

personified as an old man, who represents the inevitability of mortality and serves as a catalyst for the tale's moral lessons.

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21

The pardoner remarks,” I make my living out of —avarice.” Here he explains

his motivation for selling indulgences and exploiting the fears of the faithful.

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22

Which pilgrim is being described, “Her forehead, certainly was fair of spread,/ Almost a span (nine inches) across the brows,”

the Wife of Bath

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23

Which pilgrim is being described, “Christ and his twelve Apostles and their lore / He taught, but followed it himself before.”

The Parson

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24

Which pilgrim is being described, “A lover and cadet, a lad of fire with locks as curly as if they had been pressed.”

the Squire

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25

Which pilgrim is being described, “ To thrash his corn, to dig or to manure/ Or make a ditch; and he would help the poor.”

the Plowman

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26

Which pilgrim is being described, “He’d fix up many a marriage. giving each / Of his young women what he could afford her. / He was a noble pillar to his order.”

The Friar

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27

Which pilgrim is being described, “Had yellow hair falling like rat-tails. I judge he was a gelding or mare…he had in a glass a rubble a of pigs’ bones.”

the Pardoner

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28

Which pilgrim is being described, “But what a pity it seemed to me,/ That he should have an ulcer on his knee./ As for blancmange, he made it with the best.”

the Cook

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29

Which pilgrim is being described, “He would gladly learn and gladly teach… whatever money from his friends he took, he spent on learning or another book.”

The Oxford Cleric

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30

Which pilgrim is being described, ”She had gap-teeth, large hips, and was somewhat dear, “her hose were of the finest scarlet red.”

the Wife of Bath

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31

Which pilgrim is being described, “Hunting a hare or riding at a fence/ Was all his fun, he spared no expanse.”

the squire

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32

Which pilgrim is being described, “His mighty mouth was like a furnace door./ A wrangler and buffoon, he had a store. Of tavern stories, filthy in the main” He also plays the bagpipes.

The miller

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33

Which pilgrim is being described, “This distinguished pilgrim is going to Canterbury to give thanks for his success in battle'; he wears a stained, brown tunic.”

The Knight

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34

The Green Knight come to Camelot during the?

Christmas Feast

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35

What is the main reason Gawain seeks out the Green Knight after their first encounter?

To uphold his honor and fulfill the challenge set by the Green Knight.

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36

What does the Green Knight set out to test?

Sir Gawain's bravery and honor in the face of danger.

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37

Sir Gawain takes the green sash because?

the lady of the castle, who is his host, tells him it is a magical girdle that will protect him from harm, and he believes it will help him survive the upcoming encounter with the Green Knight where he is obligated to receive a blow to his neck

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38

Gawain breaks his promise to his host by?

keeping the green sash a secret from the lord of the castle, which he had promised to share.

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39

When the Green Knight first moves to strike at Gawain, Gawain does what?

Gawain flinches

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40

The Green Knight was actually who?

Bertilak de Hautdesert (the guy gave him shelter), a lord who tested Gawain's character.

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41

In his conflict with the Green Knight, what is the least useful to Gawain?

The green girdle

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42

Gawain’s ails in what ways? What does he not fail at?

His failure to fully uphold the chivalric code

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43

At the end of the poem Gawain is shown to be?

Humiliated and self-aware of his lapse in honor

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44

To Gawain, the sash represents his?

His failure to uphold his chivalric code and his commitment to honesty

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45

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight delays primarily with the subject of a person’s?

Moral character and self-discovery

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46

Why does King Arthur lay siege to Benwick?

To punish Lancelot for treason

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47

Who prompts King Arthur to return to England during the siege of Benwick?

Sir Gawain

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48

What injury does Sir Gawain sustain during the siege of Benwick?

He receives a fatal head wound by Lancelot

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49

Why does Mordred betray King Arthur?

He desires to become king in Arthur’s absence

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50

How does Sir Gawain attempt to prevent a battle between Arthur and Lancelot after being wounded?

By writing a letter asking Lancelot to return

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51

What is Sir Gawain’s final act before his death?

He forgives Lancelot and asks him to help Arthur

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52

What sign appears to King Arthur in his dream on the eve of his final battle with Mordred?

Sir Gawain warning him of his death

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53

What is the significance of the snake in the final battle between Arthur and Mordred?

It accidentally triggers the battle

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54

How does King Arthur morally wound Mordred?

By jabbing a spear

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55

How does King Arthur make Sir Bedivere regarding Excalibur after the battle?

To return it to the Lady of the Lake

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56

Why does Sir Bedivere initially fail to fulfill Arthur’s command to return Excalibur?

He is tempted by the sword’s beauty and power

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57

What happens to King Arthur’s body at the end of the story?

He is taken by women dress in black to Avalon to heal (Afterlife)

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58

What prophecy is made regarding King Arthur at the end of Le Morte d’Arthur?

He will return one day to rule England

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59

What is the name of Sir Ector’s castle where Wart is raised?

Orkney

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60

What is the primary difference between Kay and Wart in these early chapters?

Wart is adopted, while Kay is Sir Ector’s biological son

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61

Who is Merlyn, and how is he introduced in the story?

He is an old magician who lives backwards in time

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62

Which of the following animals does Merlyn first transform Wart into?

A fish

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63

What is the purpose of Wart’s first transformation into an animal?

To teach him about leadership and power

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64

Where does Wart encounter Merlyn?

In a deep forest (near a well)

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65

What peculiar thing does Wart notice about Merlyn’s living quarters?

It contains objects from both past and future

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66

How does Merlyn’s magic differ from typical expectations of magic?

He lives backwards in time, which affects how he preforms magic

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67

How does Merlyn describe the future of Wart in these early chapters?

Wart will go on to rule all of England

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68

What lesson does Wart begin to learn through his early adventures with Merlyn?

The qualities of a good leader

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69

What are some brief plot points in “Twa Corbies”

  • Two crows talking about how to eat/ do with a dead knights body.

  • Wife of dead knight finds a new husband and knows where the knight had died and doesn’t care much.

  • COMMON THEMES: sensational crimes and domestic tragedy

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70

What are some brief plot points in, “Lord Randall”

  • A lord went into a forest to meets his lover, where she poisons him.

  • He is telling his mother that he is dying and about how heart broken he is about it.

  • COMMON THEMES: sensational crimes and domestic tragedy

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71

What are some brief plot points in, “Get Up and Bar the Door”

  • A Wife is doing some chores and begins to argue with her husband to close/bar the front door.

  • They make a deal: the first to speak loses and has to close the door

  • Two men come in and kisses the wife, and then plan to shave the Husband beard.

  • The Husband talks first to yell at the two men

  • The Wife wins!

  • COMMON THEMES: Absurdity of husband/wife relationship

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72

What are some brief plot points in, “Barbara Allen”

  • A young man falls ill and sends a servant to ask Barbara Allen to visit him, believing her love can cure him

  • Upon arrival, Barbara refuses to acknowledge his love, claiming he previously slighted her, leading to his death

  • Upon hearing the news of his passing, Barbara is overcome with remorse and dies of grief herself, mirroring his fate.

  • COMMON THEMES: Fate of lovers — usually tragic

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