Medieval study guide Flashcards
enjoys good food and drink; throws lavish parties
Franklin
carries small dogs; fat; wears jewelry
Nun
wears multi-colored coat; buys items and sells at MUCH higher price
Merchant
Runs a brothel; been married 5 times
Wife of bath
official beggar for the church; would often flirt with girls and give them little gifts;
Friar
kind, generous and caring to those of his “flock”
Parson
a young character who enjoys dancing and playing the flute
Squire
bullish and mean; heavy drinker; knocks down doors with this head; cheats his customers
Miller
spends all his/her money on books, and all his/her time teaching and philosophizing
Cleric
very skilled but has festering sore on his/her body
Cook
four elements of Romantic Literature
Adventure involving a knight on a quest
Begins at a noble court
Mysterious setting
Fantasy and magic are present (could be dragons and/or monsters
five characteristics of a Romantic Hero
Defends the helpless
Absolute loyalty to his kin (family)
Never breaks an oath (promise)
Chivalrous
Extremely generous
The Pardoner, from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, shares many unique qualities with the Shaper in John Gardner’s Grendel. Compare and contrast these two characters and the roles they play within their own work of literature
Compare: They know how to win over the crowds with their abilities to persuade them in a good way. In the “Pardoner Tales,” the Pardoner fools the people into purchasing fake relics in hopes of saving their souls. In “Grendel,” the Shaper uses stories to promote heroism and love by giving meaning to their lives. They believe they are good at their jobs and lie to the people. This can be shown when they both are constantly deceiving people and have not stopped.
Contrast: The Shaper uses his words and stories to manipulate people in believing his words. This can be shown when the Danes are given inspiration from the shaper to have a meaning to stay in this world and They keep going back to hear the Shaper’s story. The Shaper has not told the Danes that his stories are not real and still proceeds to keep it a secret. This can be seen when Grendel is aggravated about his lies to the Danes. The Pardoner convinces people to buy pardons to satisfy his cravings. Instead of keeping it a secret, he admits to his greed and sins.
