H Brit Lit Middy
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Dracula is a Gothic horror novel about a vampire who tries to spread his curse from Transylvania to England. Stoker tells the story of the fight against the vampire Dracula in an epistolary format (story is told through written communication). The story comprises various letters, telegrams, journal entries, and newspaper articles written by the main characters.
Summary of the plot:
Setting: Dracula is set during an unnamed year in the last decade of the 19th century.
Travel to Transylvania: Jonathan Harker, a young lawyer, travels to Transylvania to conduct a real estate deal with Count Dracula, a Transylvanian nobleman. The townspeople try to convince Harker not to go to Dracula’s castle. Eventually, the old woman says if you must go take this crucifix and always wear it as it will protect you.
Arrival and time at Dracula’s castle: from the time he arrives things are odd and not what they seem. Dracula is gracious and charming, but also unsettling. Jonathan never sees him eat, he has pointed ears and teeth, and he always ends their conversations just before sunrise.
Discovering Dracula's true nature: Jonathan eventually learns that he is trapped in the castle, which is also inhabited by three female vampires who attempt to seduce him and drink his blood before Dracula stops them. Harker eventually discovers that Dracula is a vampire and escapes the castle.
Dracula moves to England: Dracula travels to London on a ship called the Demeter, which is carrying fifty boxes of soil that Dracula will use for his coffins as he hunts new victims in England. Dracula goes onto target Harker's friends and associates, including Lucy Westenra, a lady friend of Harker's. Lucy begins sleepwalking at night and grows pale and weak; there are small puncture wounds on her throat one morning. Mina and Lucy’s fiancée, Arthur Holmwood, are worried but cannot help her. When Dr. Seward hears of her case, he summons his mentor, Abraham Van Helsing. Van Helsing deduces that a vampire is preying on Lucy, but does not tell anyone until he is sure. By then it is too late. Lucy dies of blood loss after several transfusions spread across several days. After Lucy’s death, Van Helsing takes Holmwood, Dr. Seward, and Harker to Lucy’s tomb. Holmwood pounds a stake through her heart after seeing her, revived, carrying an abducted child.
Dracula and Mina: After Lucy’s is killed, Dracula turns his attention to Mina. He forces her to drink his blood to control her and threatens to kill Jonathan. This links Mina to Dracula.
Hunt down Dracula: The men locate the boxes of earth Dracula uses for shelter and cover them with communion wafers. Dracula transports himself and the final box back to the Carpathians on a ship called the Czarina Catherine. The men find him by using Mina as a sort of tracking device. Her link with Dracula gives them clues to his location. Ultimately, they find Dracula before sunset and kill him. To kill a vampire, one must stuff mouth with garlic, wooden stake through heart and decapitate them.
Happy ending: Jonathan and Mina have a baby, and the other friends find happiness.
Symbols & Motifs
Blood
Blood is the essence of life in Dracula. For vampires, it is the food that allows them to live forever. For mortals, blood is the substance that keeps their hearts beating, and which makes them prey for Dracula.
Wolves
Wolves appear throughout the novel, beginning with Jonathan’s journey to Castle Dracula. Wolves symbolize the predatory nature of the vampires. Dracula is able to command the wolves and can also become a wolf. Every appearance of a wolf is threatening, because wolves are always a danger. They are driven by appetite and are fearless fighters.
The Host and the Crucifix
Van Helsing brings communion wafers—known as The Host—from Amsterdam. The wafers act as barriers to evil, particularly the heathen evil of the vampires. The communion wafers represent the body of Jesus Christ. The presence of Christ—with the wafers serving as his proxy—allows Van Helsing to seal off Lucy’s tomb, prevent Dracula from entering his castle, and creating a ring around Mina that the wolves cannot pass. The crucifix also symbolizes the triumph of Christianity as the ultimate sign of Christian authority. Each time the cross appears, it repels a vampire.
The Three Female Vampires
The three women in the castle symbolize aggressive female sexuality. During their initial meeting with Jonathan, he is both titillated and appalled. His interactions with Mina have no sexual tension, and his attraction to her is described only in terms of her goodness and innocence.
The Stake
The stake is the weapon that Arthur kills Lucy with. A stake has only one purpose: to penetrate. The stake is also a reminder of the consequences of giving in to temptation. Throughout the novel, Stoker reiterates that vampires can only prey on willing victims. Lucy allows Dracula to seduce her.
Literary elements
Themes:
Christianity as Salvation – The most effective deterrents to evil in Dracula are the crucifix and the Host, or communion wafer. Dracula makes a convenient substitute for the Christian Satan. He is seductive, charming, hedonistic, and his pointed ears and sharp teeth give him the look of a predator. He preys on women and transforms them into dangerously sexual beings. Dracula uses pleasure as a temptation and a weapon. Dracula may have eternal life, but it is only terrestrial life on earth. His immortality has no bearing on salvation or an afterlife.
Good and Evil: Dracula demonstrates the theme of good versus evil through the character of Count Dracula who has attained knowledge to use it for his own good by causing the death of humanity.
The Old World versus the Modern - One of Jonathan’s first impressions of Castle Dracula is how old it is. The “old centuries” unsettle him. He describes the castle as having power that cannot be killed by the onset of the modern era.
The Danger of Female Sexuality - Women who are sexually aggressive or who give in to seduction are punished and destroyed in Dracula. For example, Jonathan’s encounter with the three vampire women. When they caress and kiss him, they represent lust. Lucy and Mina are underdeveloped characters, as was common in Victorian era literature. At the beginning of the novel, Lucy and Mina are both young, innocent women, although we start to see aspect of Lucy that lean towards “evil” - letters betray a more flirtatious temperament, Lucy is beset with suitors. She accepts Arthur’s marriage proposal, but it is Dracula who seduces and possesses her, and as soon as this happens, Stoker begins describing Lucy’s beauty as voluptuous, and any woman described as voluptuous in the novel dies by the end.
Foreshadowing:
“There is a reason why all things are as they are.” (Chapter 2) Dracula tells Jonathan not to try the locked doors in the castle, but his statement foreshadows his ability to plan meticulously.
Several signs foreshadow Jonathan Harker’s imprisonment in Dracula’s castle and the revelation that Dracula is indeed a vampire. The people whom Harker encounters on his trip to the castle repeatedly hint that something is wrong. A landlord and his wife cross themselves and look frightened when he tries to speak about Dracula, and later the landlady bids him to take a crucifix. Dracula “sleeps” during the day, Harker never sees him eat. Etc.
Personification:
“Soon we were hemmed in with trees, which in places arched right over the roadway till we passed as through a tunnel; and again, great frowning rocks guarded us boldly on either side.” – rocks can’t frown
Anglo-Saxon Literature
Beowulf
Grendel Attacks the Danes
The Danes celebrate with a feast at Heorot’s premier mead-hall. The monster Grendel, a descendant of Cain and therefore an outcast from society, hears the singing from his home in the swamp. These sounds of community and merriment fill him with anger. Grendel has no tribe or people, and hates any reminder that others have these necessities. That night, Grendel visits Heorot as the Danes are sleeping. He seizes thirty warriors and carries them to his den to kill and eat them. The next night Grendel repeats his raid. This continues for twelve years. Grendel turns Heorot, the heart of Danish society, into a slaughterhouse.
The Coming of Beowulf
Beowulf hears about Grendel and his actions; he decides to help out Hrothgar. Beowulf and fourteen others set sail for Hirot. Upon arrival he tells the watchman who he is and that he is there to kill Grendel. After that the guard tells Beowulf that he will keep his ships safe until they return, he guides Beowulf and his men from the coast to the mead-hall.
Beowulf comes before Hrothgar, whom he greets solemnly. Beowulf recounts some of his past glories and offers to fight Grendel unarmed. Hrothgar accepts Beowulf’s offer to fight Grendel, though he warns him that many heroes have died in the mead-hall trying to battle the monster. He invites the Geats to sit and enjoy a feast in Heorot with the Danish warriors. Beowulf tells Hrothgar that should he die in battle that his armor is to be returned to his cousin, Higlac.
The Battle with Grendel
Why does Beowulf allow the slaughter of one of the Geats before taking action? He didn’t want to spook Grendel into running away or being in full fight mode. They were trying to catch Grendel by surprise so that they had the upper hand.
Beowulf and Grendel the battle of good and evil - Beowulf represents good and Grendel represents evil. Evil may be strong but good can always defeat it.
Beowulf’s men can’t harm Grendel because Grendel has rendered their swords useless.
Beowulf defeats Grendel with his bare hands. He said that because Grendel fights with his claws he would defeat him with his hands.
Beowulf proves his victory over Grendel by pulling off Grendel’s shoulder, claw, and arm. He does this to show his victory. This is an example of irony because this is the same way Grendel killed the Danes by “ripping” them apart.
Following the battle with Beowulf, Grendel crawled away into the water to die. In this water is where all the monsters supposedly live. This body of water represents hell.
The Battle with Gendel’s Mother
In this passage Beowulf goes underwater and fights with Grendel's mother in a cave. During his descent to her lair, Beowulf is attacked by Grendel's mother and dragged to her cave. He tries to hit her with his sword, but he does not succeed in piercing her skin (as his sword is rendered useless – cursed by Grendel’s mom). In rage and frustration Beowulf attacks her with his bare hands. He manages to knock down Grendel's mother, however, she is swift and manages to fight back but because of his armor/mailsuit and helmet she can’t wound him. With her dagger she desperately tries to kill Beowulf, but his armor protects him from her attacks. Beowulf then spots a large sword made by giants on the wall of the cave and throws Grendel's mother off him and grabs the sword.
The sword Beowulf finds is amazing. It has a very ornamented handle called a hilt and the blade is bigger than the average sword. Beowulf strikes Grendel's mother with the sword slicing her in two and splitting her collarbones. After the attack, a light illuminates the cave, "just as from the sky heaven's candle shines clear." (Norton 47) Beowulf notices Grendel's body and he instantaneously cuts off the monster's head to present it to Hrothgar.
The blade of Beowulf's new sword then begins to melt because the blood is too hot and poisonous for it. Beowulf notices all the great treasures in the cave but he does not take any of them. He swims to shore with Grendel's head in one hand and holding the hilt with the other. He is then received by his fellow warriors who are waiting in hope to see Beowulf again. Four warriors carry Grendel's head to Heorot where the victory will be celebrated. The head is carried around as a trophy for all to view in the great mead hall and is eventually presented to Hrothgar’s queen.
The Battle with the Dragon
Fifty years in the future. Hygelac falls in battle, and Beowulf takes over as King of the Geats. He, like Hrothgar, is a generous and respected ruler, and grows old and wise in his post. However, a monster disrupts his peaceful reign. This time, it’s a dragon, awakened when a foolish man found his way into its barrow and stole a bejeweled cup from the dragon. The enraged dragon came after the slave in revenge, and chaos ensues. Beowulf plans his attack on the dragon. Beowulf refuses to take an army with him, meaning to fight alone like in old times. He remembers his victories over Grendel and Grendel’s mother. Beowulf takes 11 of his men and the slave who found the goblet to find the dragon—making them an unlucky 13 in number. Beowulf has premonitions of his death and wishes his men good luck.
In battle, Beowulf swings at the dragon with his sword, but hardly makes a dent, and the dragon’s flames melt the blade. Terrified, all of Beowulf’s soldiers except a man named Wiglaf retreat. Seeing Beowulf struggling without a sword and tormented by the heat of his armor, Wiglaf recalls all of Beowulf’s many kindnesses to him, and draws his own sword. He shouts to his fleeing companions, reminding them that Beowulf picked them out specifically to be his fighters and shaming them for their cowardice now. Then he runs to Beowulf’s aid. The two of them stand firm behind Beowulf’s iron shield, but now Beowulf’s sword snaps for good. The dragon swoops in and bites Beowulf in the throat, and Beowulf begins to bleed out. Wiglaf goes onto stabs the dragon in the belly. Beowulf delivers the deathblow, stabbing the dragon in the flank with the knife he carries on his belt. Beowulf finds that the dragon’s bite has not only wounded, but also poisoned him. Beowulf tells Wiglaf to build a barrow on the coast so that sailors will see it and remember him as they steer their ships home. He gives Wiglaf his golden collar and his armor, telling him to use them well.
The Funeral Fire
The Geats build Beowulf a magnificent pyre as promised, and set his body alight (similar to a Viking funeral). After the funeral, the Geats build Beowulf’s barrow. Inside it, they bury his ashes and the remnants of the treasure-hoard. Beowulf’s warriors ride in circles around his tomb, lamenting his death and singing of his great feats.
Kennings
Kennings in Beowulf
Figurative language is any language that is not literal. We use figurative language all of the time in daily life. For example, if I say to you, "I am burning up," you probably know that I am overheated and do not think that I have burst into flames. So "I am burning up" is figurative, not literal.
A metaphor is a direct comparison between two things that are otherwise not comparable.
Example: My love is a rose.
A symbol is a metaphor that has come to have a specific meaning across a culture. For instance, if I say "My love is a rose," and I asked you what color it is, you would probably say "Red." This is because the red rose has come to symbolize love in our culture.
A kenning is a type of poetic metaphor that is a major feature of Old English poetry. They are special and considered artful in Anglo-Saxon poetry. Kennings are picturesque metaphoric compounds in Old English that stand for a simple noun. You might think of them almost as riddles, which Anglo-Saxon people loved.
Examples:
Ring-hoard: The dragon's treasure
Battle-fire: The dragon's flaming breath
Helmet bearers: Warriors
Stone-cliffs: Rocks, wall, cliffs of stone
Earth-hall: Burial mound
Ring-giver: King
Sky-candle or God's beacon: The sun
Beowulf v. Grendel
To express the evilness of Grendel, while emphasizing the death and fear caused by Grendel.
“captain of evil” (lines 749)
“corpse-maker” (lines 286)
“shadow-stalker” (lines 704)
“terror-monger” (lines 765)
God-cursed: This kenning contrasts Grendel with Beowulf, who was granted honor by God. It also foreshadows Grendel's lineage as a descendant of Cain, who was cursed by God for being the first murderer.
The Almighty's enemy: This is a kenning used in place of Grendel's name.
Sin-stained demon: This is another kenning used in place of Grendel's name
Beowulf v. Grendel’s Mother
Geats proud prince – this kenning represents Beowulf
Medieval / Middle Ages Era Literature Notes
What happened to Henry II in December 1154?
Henry and his queen Eleanor of Aquitaine were crowned in Westminster Abbey on Sunday 19th December 1154 by Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Describe the Hundred Years’ War.
Hundred Years’ War, intermittent struggle between England and France in the 14th–15th century over a series of disputes, including the question of the legitimate succession to the French crown. The struggle involved several generations of English and French claimants to the crown and occupied a period of more than 100 years.
Describe the War of the Roses.
Wars of the Roses, (1455–85), in English history, the series of dynastic civil wars whose violence and civil strife preceded the strong government of the Tudors. Fought between the houses of Lancaster and York for the English throne, the wars were named many years afterward from the supposed badges of the contending parties: the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster.
How did the Normans change the Anglo-Saxon society?
William introduced the feudal system to England
William put a stop to all trade with Scandinavian countries, and trade with Normandy increased.
Describe the emerging middle-class during the Medieval Age.
The middle class included everyone who was a merchant, a doctor, a university graduate, or in the middle management of the Church. These were the people who really saved Europe from the Middle Ages, and their size and importance grew as the period went on.
How is Medieval poetry different than Anglo-Saxon poetry?
Old English poetry was passed down orally before it was written
Anglo-Saxon poetry contains a thematic “heroic code” which blends with and sometimes contradicts Christian ideals.
Middle English lyrics: They were generally love poems although some were about social satire or the celebration of earth and humanity; they were very passionate and not about God. The lyrics do not tell a long story (not an epic, odyssey, ballad) but rather about a single thought or image. They have some sort of rhyme scheme. This is more conversational
Le Morte d’Arthur – Sir Thomas Mallory published 1485
A type of Middle Ages Prose
Conflict –
Internal Conflicts:
Sir Lancelot's love for Queen Guinevere: Lancelot's passionate love for Guinevere creates a constant internal struggle as he tries to balance his loyalty to Arthur as king with his love for the queen, leading to guilt and self-doubt.
Arthur’s struggle: Arthur's internal conflict is that he wants peace with his greatest knight, Sir Launcelot, but that his favorite nephew, Sir Gawain, another great knight, urges him to make war. Gawain and Launcelot are both knights of the Round Table.
External Conflicts:
The treachery of Sir Mordred: Mordred's plot to usurp Arthur's throne, creating a constant threat and conflict within the kingdom.
The rivalry between knights: The conflicts between different knights, such as Lancelot and Gawain, stemming from pride, jealousy, or competing ambitions.
Summary: The Siege of Benwick
At Gawain's insistence, Arthur attacks Launcelot's land, leaving England and Guinevere in Mordred's safekeeping. Gawain fights nobly, but Launcelot will not come against him because of their former love/respect for one another. Finally, when Gawain calls Launcelot a traitor, shaming him before his people, Launcelot is forced to defend his honor. Launcelot beats Gawain but refuses to kill him.
Gawain is carried back to Arthur's tents and lies there three weeks to let his wounds heal. As soon as he can sit on a horse, he challenges Launcelot again, and again Launcelot is forced to fight. He again hacks Gawain almost to death but stops at the last moment, leaving his former friend howling and whining in impotent rage. Then comes news of Mordred's treason.
Summary: The Day of Destiny
Mordred makes himself King of England and incestuously claims Guinevere as his wife. Guinevere escapes to the Tower of London. The Bishop of Canterbury reproaches Mordred for his usurpation and would-be incest, and when Mordred tries to kill him, he flees and becomes a hermit. Mordred wins many Englishmen to his side, then meets Arthur at Dover but is forced to retreat from him.
In this battle Gawain is mortally wounded. As he dies he admits to Arthur that if it were not for his insane pride in insisting on unjust revenge, Launcelot would be here now to save the kingdom; then he writes Launcelot, begging him to come help Arthur and also to pray at his tomb. Then, bleeding from the wound he got originally from Launcelot, Gawain eventually dies.
Before his death, Gawain and several ladies warn Arthur against fighting in the morning because they say he will die.
Following Gawain’s death Arthur is left with two knights, Sir Lucan and Sir Bedivere. Against Sir Lucan's advice, Arthur fights Mordred and kills him, spearing him through the stomach. In a last-ditch final blow, Modred strikes Arthur on his helmet piercing it and wounding him in the head (the wound will eventually lead to Arthur’s death).
Arthur is dying and cannot be moved to safety. And so, he sends Bedivere to throw Excalibur into the lake nearby, then returns and tell what he has seen. Bedivere hides the sword under a tree, thinking it too precious to throw away, then returns and says he has obeyed. "What did you see?" Arthur asks. Bedivere says he saw only waves and winds. Arthur sends him two more times, and on the third try, Bedivere does as he has been commanded. A hand catches the sword and brandishes it three times.
Then at Arthur's command, Bedivere carries the king to the waterside, where a barge awaits.
“Get up and Bar the Door” – Middle Ages poem
Written late 1700s. The poem is a medieval Scots ballad about a battle of wills between a husband and wife.
This anonymous British ballad is a humorous tale that depicts a cunning wife who outsmarts her husband.
The poem begins with a description of a cold winter night around Martinmas (the Mass of St. Martin Nov. 11), setting the stage for events that unfold. A wife is busy with chores and cooking while her husband is lounging. When a gust of wind opens the door to their home, the conflict arises. The husband asks his wife to bar the door, but she refuses, claiming to be busy with her hussyfskap (a term for housework/busy with chores). They make a pact that the first to speak must bar the door.
Two men (robbers) arrive at midnight and begin to eat the puddings (sausages) the wife has made. Despite their attempts to provoke the couple into speaking, neither the husband nor wife utter a word. Finally, one suggests they kiss the wife, using a knife to shave the husband's beard. One of the men points out that there's no water available, and the other says you can use the pudding (sausage) broth. This prompts the husband to speak out in anger, ultimately breaking the pact and becoming responsible for barring the door.
Theme
The theme is Pride. The husband and wife are extremely stubborn throughout the ballad. They both have a ton of self-pride and dignity. Neither of them wants to get up to lock the door because they feel what they are doing is more important than the other. No matter what happens, they refused to back down and lose their sense of pride to go lock the door.
Repetition within in the poem
The husband and wife both repeatedly ask the other to “get up and bar the door,” emphasizing how stubborn they both are
“Bonny Barbara Allan”
This is a tragic folk ballad about two lovers, Sir John and Bonny Barbara Allan. In the beginning, Sir John “courted/dated” Barbara Allan. Barbara witnessed him flirting with other girls and gave up on him. She was mad at him and refused to ever kiss him, even on his death bed. After he died, Barbara felt very guilty and felt that she was the reason why he died. We can infer she died by suicide from a broken hear.
Geoffrey Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales – written between 1387 and 1400
Written as a frame narrative, a tale in which a larger story contains, or frames, many other stories. In frame narratives, the frame story functions primarily to create a reason for someone to tell the other stories; the frame story doesn't usually have much plot of its own.
The Prologue Summary
The narrator opens the General Prologue with a description of the return of spring. He describes the April rains, the burgeoning flowers and leaves, and the chirping birds. Around this time of year, the narrator says, people begin to feel the desire to go on a pilgrimage. Many devout English pilgrims set off to visit shrines in distant holy lands, but even more choose to travel to Canterbury to visit the relics of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, where they thank the martyr for having helped them when they were in need.
The narrator tells us that as he prepared to go on such a pilgrimage, staying at a tavern in Southwark called the Tabard Inn, a great company of twenty-nine travelers entered. The travelers were a diverse group who, like the narrator, were on their way to Canterbury. They happily agreed to let him join them. That night, the group slept at the Tabard and woke up early the next morning to set off on their journey. Before continuing the tale, the narrator declares his intent to list and describe each of the members of the group.
Summary: The Wife of Bath’s Tale (example of a social satire of the time)
In the days of King Arthur, Britain was full of fairies and elves. Now, those creatures are gone and their spots have been taken by the friars and others who aren’t the best of people, and cause a lot of dishonor to women. In Arthur’s court, however, a young, lusty knight comes across a beautiful young maiden one day. Overcome by lust and his sense of his own power, he rapes her. The court is scandalized by the crime and decrees that the knight should be put to death and beheaded.
However, Arthur’s queen and other ladies of the court intercede on his behalf and ask the king to give him one chance to save his own life. Arthur, reluctantly but yet wisely obedient to his wife, grants the request. The queen presents the knight with three options for “punishment.” The first is to answer the question, “what women want/desire?”. If the knight answers wrong, he dies. The second option is to return within one year and one day with an answer to the question, is he can discover what women want most in the world and report his findings back to the court, he will keep his life. Third option - If he cannot find the answer to the queen’s question, or if his answer is wrong, he will lose his head.
The knight sets forth, posing the question to every woman he meets. To the knight’s dismay, nearly every one of them answers differently. Some claim that women love money best, some honor, some jolliness, some looks, some sex, some remarriage, some flattery, and some say that women most want to be free to do as they wish. Finally, the knight meets a woman, and she says that women most want to be free and considered discreet and secretive. The two do argue that it’s probably unrealistic since no woman can keep a secret.
As proof, she retells the story of Midas. Midas had two donkey ears growing under his hair, which he concealed from everybody except his wife, whom he begged not to disclose his secret. She swore she would not, but the secret burned so much inside her that she ran down to a marsh and whispered her husband’s secret to the water and in turn it proved that a woman couldn’t keep anything to herself.
When his day of judgment draws near, the knight sorrowfully heads for home. As he rides near a forest, he sees a large group of women dancing and decides to approach them to ask his question. But as he approaches, the group vanishes, and all he can see is an ugly old woman. The woman asks if she can be of help, and the knight explains his predicament and promises to reward her if she can help him. “Take my hand and promise me,” the old woman replied, “that if I tell you the answer tonight, you’ll do whatever I ask of you when I need it it’s in your power.” “Yes, I swear,” promised the knight. The woman then says…“then don’t worry any more about being executed,” she said, “Because I swear on my own life that the queen will agree with my answer!...”
The knight and the old woman travel together to the court, where, in front of a large audience, the knight tells the queen the answer with which the old woman supplied him: what women most desire is to be in charge of their husbands and lovers. “My lady, generally speaking, women want to have power over their husbands and boyfriends and to have the final say in all matters. Even if you kill me, I know that this is what you women want most. I am at your mercy. Do with me what you will.”
The women agree resoundingly that this is the answer, and the queen spares the knight’s life. The old hag comes forth and publicly asks the knight to marry her. The knight cries out in horror. He begs her to take his material possessions rather than his body, but she refuses, saying he promised, and in the end, he is forced to consent.
The two are married in a small, private wedding and go to bed together the same night. Throughout the entire ordeal, the knight remains miserable. While in bed, the loathsome hag asks the knight why he is so sad. He replies that he could hardly bear the shame of having such an ugly, lowborn wife. She does not take offense at the insult, but calmly says to him…“As for the belief that ancient titles and land and heredity make people noble – well that’s just stupid. The noblest men on earth are the ones who are virtuous both inside and outside the home and who work hard and do good deeds. Christ wants our virtue to come from our faith, not from old family riches. Eaven though our ancestors can give us a family lineage, they can’t pass along virtue, which is the strength of a true nobleman.”
There have been sons of noble fathers, she argues, who were shameful and villainous, though they shared the same blood. Her family may be poor, but real poverty lies in covetousness, and real riches lie in having little and wanting nothing. She goes onto criticize, saying “…but aren’t you knights always saying that old people should be respected and honored for their wisdom? I’m sure I can find those kinds of saying in lots of other books too.”
She offers the knight a choice: either he can have her be ugly but loyal and good, or he can have her young and beautiful but possibly unfaithful. The knight ponders in silence. Finally, he replies that he would rather trust her judgment, and he asks her to choose whatever she thinks best. Because the knight’s answer gave the woman what she most desired, the authority to choose for herself, she becomes both beautiful and good. The two have a long, happy marriage, and the woman becomes completely obedient to her husband.
The Wife of Bath concludes with a plea that Jesus Christ let women marry husbands who are humble and young and good in bed. And let them be fortunate enough to outlive their husbands. Also to shorten the lives of the husbands who won’t take direction from their wives, and that may God send a plague on all those old, abusive, cheapskate husbands out there!
Summary of The Pardoner’s Tale
Personalities of the three rioters - They were gluttonous, reckless, young, foolish, partiers
Death is blamed for taking away the friend of the rioters
The rioters vow to find and kill “Death” before nightfall.
Irony / personification - the line, “We will kill this traitor Death” - Death has been personified as an actual person and it’s ironic because you can’t “kill” death because it’s not a thing, and ironically death is being dead so the irony is that you can’t kill something that’s already dead
The Old Man greets the rioters politely but the rioters meet the old man angrily and drunkenly are are very “snarky” and the get aggressive with him. Despite this he tells them (again irony) where they can find “this man” death under the tree.
The Old Man represents / is symbolic of life and death (deeper could be God as well as impending judgement (he’s old and will die soon)
Waiting underneath of the tree for the three rioters is Literally – gold, and figuratively – death, and the men forget all about death when they find the gold.
The men think that people will say that they stole it and as a result they believe they need to move the gold at night. They also don’t have anything to carry it in.
The youngest rioter returns to the village to get some food while the men wait out being able to move the gold.
the two older rioters plan to stab the youngest when he returns to the oak tree in an effort to split the gold two ways instead of three.
The youngest rioter has his own plan to keep all the gold. He buys Rat poison, planning to poison the two older rioters, taking the gold for himself.
These two examples are dramatic irony because the audience knows both sets of men are planning to kill the others and then it all turns on everyone and they all die.
The three rioters finally find Death because it claimed their lives.
English Renaissance
Characterized by poetry, sonnet, metaphysical poetry (elaborate metaphors called conceits), and dramatic tragedies, comedies and histories. Content includes a focus on human life on earth as opposed to religion, human potential and the complexities of love--‐including unrequited, constant, timeless and courtly love. Authors include William Shakespeare, Thomas Wyatt, Ben Johnson, John Donne, and Christopher Marlowe.
The English Renaissance, an era of cultural revival and poetic evolution starting in the late 15th century and spilling into the revolutionary years of the 17th century. At the start of the sixteenth century in England, the Renaissance was underway. Exactly when the Renaissance began in England depends on who you listen to, and there is no consensus among historians and scholars. Some put the beginning of the English Renaissance in 1485 (we learned this is when Middle Ages ended), with the rise of the Tudor dynasty, while others put it around 1520, during Henry VIII’s reign. What is certain is that the second half of the 16th century, during Elizabeth I’s reign was the height of the English Renaissance.
This was a complex, influential period running until the revolutionary years and had a profound effect on English literature and national life. The era’s influence—its enduring traditions, and inspiring experiments still reverberate today, which is why some recent critics and literary historians have begun to call this the “Early Modern” period. The era seethed with incessant political tensions and as well as religious rifts between Catholics and Protestants. The English Renaissance drastically shaped what being English meant, at home and abroad. As literacy increased and printing accelerated, the English language rose to a place of international prestige, and a distinctly English literature began to be braided from diverse cultural strands.