Middle Ages Test Flashcards
The most developed character in the Prologue.
The Wife of Bath
Who brought feudalism?
William the Conqueror
Never mentions Christianity in their tale
Pardoner
Who had Malory’s work published?
William Caxton
Who is a near-perfect hero?
Gawain
Who spent 20 years in prison?
Sir Thomas Malory
Who brags about marriages?
The Wife of Bath
Who has little or no concern about religious matters?
Pardoner
Who can be compared to the old woman?
The Wife of Bath
Who commissioned the Doomsday Book?
William the Conqueror
Who is the Innkeeper in the Canterbury Tales?
Geoffrey Chaucer
Who is the 2nd most developed character in the Canterbury Tales?
Pardoner
Who is the Father of English Poetry?
Geoffrey Chaucer
Which character is the product of Druid myth?
The Green Knight
Who defeated the Anglo-Saxon king?
William the Conqueror
What happened in 1095?
The Crusades started
What happened in 1215?
Magna Carta signed
What happened in 1348?
Plague hits England
First serious poet?
Geoffrey Chaucer
Two major themes of the Canterbury Tales?
The unfaithful wife & the patient and suffering woman
Framework for the Canterbury Tales?
The General Prologue
- a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral (where St. Thomas of Becket was murdered centuries before). By using the pilgrimage, he brought together 3 classes of people and essentially represented all of medieval society (feudal class-related to the land, ecclesiastical order-the medieval church, professionals-merchants & people of the emerging middle class). The Prologue supplies the readers with a guide to the character’s motivation for each tale he or she tells
How does Chaucer define his characters?
Defined in terms of their occupation; Chaucer tries to show their best qualities
How many tales were there supposed to be and how many were there actually?
There should have been 116 tales, but Chaucer only completed 24
What did the Wife of Bath and Old Woman defend?
The old woman defends poverty and low status like the Wife of Bath defends female sexuality
What type of story is the Wife of Bath’s tale?
It is a fairy tale type story, where a kiss leads to a grand transformation.
-The tale’s theme is that of the struggle between husband and wife for power in a marriage. The tale’s central concern is feminine issues.
Two narratives that are woven into one romantic tale that is Arthurian legend
a mortal challenge and erotic temptation
Two major types of ballads
Folk ballad & Literary ballad
What type of ballad is “Lord Randall”?
Folk ballad, conversational (or international) ballad between a mother and her son
What type of ballad is “Edward, Edward”?
Folk ballad, conversational ballad
Four literary forms that were dominant during the Middle Ages
Epic, Romances, Allegories, Ballads
List four literary genres from the Canterbury Tales
Romantic adventures, Saint’s biographies, Fabliaux, Fables, Religious Allegories, Moral Tales, Vulgar Sexual Farces
List four elements of a romance
a near-perfect hero, a quest, supernatural events, female characters who are maidens/mothers/crones, an evil enemy, a test of the hero, good vs. evil
Summarize “Get Up and Bar the Door”
It is Martinmas and a husband and wife are home and about to have a feast. The door needs to be barred. The husband wants the wife to do it. The wife wants the husband to do it. They make a pact that whoever speaks first has to go and lock the door. A home invasion occurs. Two men come in and eat their feast. The husband and wife say nothing because they do not want to lose. The two intruders then decide to cut off the man’s beard and kiss the wife. The man finally responds and asks the intruders if they’re really going to do it. The wife responds that now he has to get up and bar the door.
The Friar harasses Thomas for money, but only receives a fart
The Summoner’s Tale
The Friar tells a derogatory tale about the summoner
The Friar’s Tale
January marries May and May falls in love with Damian
The Merchant’s Tale
John’s wife tricks him so she can “date” his roommate
The Miller’s Tale
The Parson preaches a sermon on the seven deadly sins
The Parson’s Tale
Two soldiers who are cousins fight for Emelye but we don’t know who wins
The Knight’s Tale
A murdered boy sings a song to honor Mary before dying
The Prioress’ Tale
A man kills his daughter to avoid shame
The Physician’s Tale
Chicken is eaten by a fox
The Nun’s Priest’s Tale
Arthur’s Wife
Guinevere
Who raised Arthur as a child?
Merlin
Who is Arthur’s illegitimate child?
Mordred
Keeper of the Holy Grail
The Fisher King
Arthur’s Half-Sister
Morgan le Fay
Who pulled the sword from the stone?
Arthur
Arthur’s father
Uther Pendragon
Who gave Arthur Excalibur?
Lady of the Lake
Who rescues Guinevere from Maleagant?
Lancelot
Which knight got the Holy Grail?
Sir Galahad
