Medieval Literature, Chivalry, and Renaissance Themes in Literature

Romance

Comes from romance languages and often dealt with royal courts and chivalric matters.

The Round Table

Symbolized equality—everyone had an equal voice.

Sir Gawain

King Arthur's nephew.

Alliteration

Repetition of the same letter or sound.

Courtesy

Religious respect, especially toward women (e.g., reverence for the Virgin Mary).

The Beheading Game

A game where Gawain must face a beheading challenge.

The Temptation Game

A test of Gawain's virtue and fidelity.

The Exchange Game

A game where Gawain must exchange what he receives for what the lord wins in the hunt.

Wheel of Fate

Symbolizes the rise and fall of fortune and civilization (Arthur's court).

Shield

Displays a golden five-pointed star (pentangle) representing the five knightly virtues.

Logres

An old term for England, emphasizing isolation and civilization's fragility.

Oak, Hazel, Hawthorne

Associated with magic and the supernatural.

The Green Knight

Represents nature, the supernatural, and moral testing.

Sins of Commission

Doing something wrong (e.g., lying).

Sins of Omission

Withholding truth or failing to do the right thing.

Tripartite Soul (Three-Part Soul)

Consists of Concupiscent, Intellectual, and Irascible aspects.

Concupiscent

Desires and pleasures (sensuality).

Intellectual

Reason and cunning.

Irascible

Anger and courage; reacts under pressure.

Key Lessons

Gawain's moral failure lies in deceit, not violence.

Renaissance

Revived interest in human potential and classical learning.

Quem Quaeritis Plays

Medieval plays meant to help illiterate people understand the Bible.

Dr. Faustus

A highly educated scholar who turns to necromancy and sells his soul to the demon Mephistopheles for 24 years of unlimited knowledge and pleasure.

Mephistopheles

The demon to whom Dr. Faustus sells his soul, serving as an embodiment of temptation and distraction.

Hubris

Excessive pride and ambition, exemplified by Faustus who 'flies too close to the sun' like Icarus.

Sin of Commission

The act of making a pact with the devil.

Sin of Omission

The repeated refusal to repent.

Unpardonable Sins

Sins that cannot be forgiven, including despair and idolatry.

Despair

Denying God's mercy.

Idolatry

Praying to Helen of Troy, as in 'Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss.'

Hell as a Mindset

The concept that separation from God results in eternal damnation, with hell having no limits.

Symbolism in Faustus

Includes phrases like 'Swear by my blood' as a blasphemous parody of Christian oaths.

Consummatum est

Faustus's final line meaning 'It is finished,' echoing Christ's words at crucifixion but used blasphemously.

Good Deeds

The only companion that follows the soul after death.

Faustus as a Renaissance Failure

Represents the dark side of Renaissance ambition—knowledge without morality.

Shakespeare's Sonnets

A collection of 14-line poems with themes of beauty, procreation, and the immortality of poetry.

Italian (Petrarchan) Sonnet

A sonnet structure consisting of an 8-line octave followed by a 6-line sestet.

Agape

Spiritual or friendship love.

Eros

Romantic or sexual love.

Dark Lady Sonnets

Sonnets characterized by consuming and lustful love, compared to mother-child affection in intensity.

Recreant

An oathbreaker or coward.

Three Games

The games of beheading, temptation, and exchange in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Tripartite Soul

The three parts of the soul: concupiscent, irascible, and intellectual.

Knightly Ideals

Values such as courtesy, honesty, bravery, and piety.

Domna (Donna)

Latin term for 'lady.'