Beowulf & Sir Gawain Flashcards
Ambiguous
Open to have several possible meanings
Hiatus
A gap or a missing part
Callous
To be insensitive and indifferent
Candid
To be honest or frank
Acquiesce
To assent or submit
Sir Gawain
-What is the moral?
The moral is to always be truthful
Sir Gawain
-What is his quest?
His quest is to find the Green Knight
Sir Gawain
-Who is the hero?
Sir Gawain
Sir Gawain
-What is the plot?
A Knight of King Arthur’s court goes on a quest to finish a knightly challenge
Sir Gawain
-Who are the main characters
- The Lord/ The Green Knight
- The Lady
- Sir Gawain
Sir Gawain
-What is the setting?
Medieval Times
Feudalism
A system of government and land ownership in a feudal system, a nobleman received a piece of land in return for serving a Lord or King.
-exchange of services for Lord
Chivalry
A code of conduct demanding knights be brave warriors and Christians who would be heroic
Alliteration
A series of words in a sentence that all have similar constant sounds and were used a a memory technique
King Arthur
He was a leader in Medieval Romances who lead the defense of Britain
History
Beowulf (6)
~800-600b.c.: Celts, Britons, and Gaels (invaded & settled Britain and Ireland) Gaelic
~55b.c.-407ad: Romans (invade & rule) (Christianity) Latin
~449ad: Germanic tribes invade (Anglo-Saxons) Germanic
~800ad: Vikings invaded (Norse & Danes) Germanic *6th century missionaries to England
~1066ad: Normans conquer Saxons a the Battle of Hastings (William of Normandy) French
~11th Century: Beowulf written down
Medieval Romance
4 Elements
- Hero
- Quest
- Supernatural
- Moral
- used to teach a code of chivalry
Sir Gawain
- When?
- Where was it written?
- By whom?
- 1340’s-1400’s (in Middle English)
- England
- Unknown; part of a group of Arthurian legends
Beowulf
- When?
- Where was it written?
- By whom?
- Composed in the 6th-8th century. Written down in the 11th century
- England
- By monks
Beowulf
~What are the four characteristics of an epic; examples form the text
1. Larger-than-life hero ~Beowulf fights Grendel with only his hands 2. Good vs. Evil ~The fight between Grendel and Beowulf 3. Cultural Values ~Armor and Swords based upon Beowulf naming a prized sword 4. Solemn Tone ~The many formal speeches made
Why is Beowulf so important to British Literature?
Beowulf is the earliest of British Literature we have found and it shows Anglo-Saxon cultural values
- What is the belief system of the Anglo-Saxons?
2. How do we see this in their literature?
- Anglo-Saxons had a polytheistic belief system that was in the midst of converting to Christianity
- The literature is infused with Christianity by monks. This can be seen through the literature of Beowulf when pagan gods such a Wyrd are mentioned as well as the Christian God they pray to.
What is an epic?
a long, narrative poem
What cultural values does Beowulf represent?
They admire and value their possessions. “The name of the hilted sword was Hrunting, and it was one of the greatest among the olden treasures;” P. 73
Treasure values the fact that they conquered. “Within the mound they put the rings and all the jewels, all the adornments which the brave- hearted men had taken from the hoard.” P. 139
