Middle Ages Study Guide

Characterization

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

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.

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.

direct characterization

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

Romance

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

Pilgrimage

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

Allegory

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

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.

Prologue

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

Motif

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

Heroic Couplet

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

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.

The Pilgrims are traveling to Canterbury because?

To visit the tomb of Saint Thomas

The pilgrims agree to tell stories during their journey to?

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

In “Prologue” Chaucer main objective is to?

introduce the characters and set the stage for the tales.

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.

Medieval ideals of chivalry are best represented by which pilgrim?

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

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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

the Wife of Bath

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

The Parson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the squire

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

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

The Green Knight come to Camelot during the?

Christmas Feast

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.

What does the Green Knight set out to test?

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

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

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.

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

Gawain flinches

The Green Knight was actually who?

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

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

The green girdle

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

His failure to fully uphold the chivalric code

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

Humiliated and self-aware of his lapse in honor

To Gawain, the sash represents his?

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

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

Moral character and self-discovery

Why does King Arthur lay siege to Benwick?

To punish Lancelot for treason

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

Sir Gawain

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

He receives a fatal head wound by Lancelot

Why does Mordred betray King Arthur?

He desires to become king in Arthur’s absence

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

By writing a letter asking Lancelot to return

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

He forgives Lancelot and asks him to help Arthur

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

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

It accidentally triggers the battle

How does King Arthur morally wound Mordred?

By jabbing a spear

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

To return it to the Lady of the Lake

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

He is tempted by the sword’s beauty and power

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)

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

He will return one day to rule England

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

Orkney

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

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

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

He is an old magician who lives backwards in time

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

A fish

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

To teach him about leadership and power

Where does Wart encounter Merlyn?

In a deep forest (near a well)

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

It contains objects from both past and future

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

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

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

Wart will go on to rule all of England

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

The qualities of a good leader

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

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

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

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