1. A Study of The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Exploring Canterbury
A Study of The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

2. The Journey Begins . . .
In October 1066, a daylong battle near Hastings, England, cemented the conquest of England. Duke William II of Normandy took control.

3. England in the Middle Ages
Feudalism replaced the Nordic social system.
The primary duty of males above the serf class was to serve in the military—Knighthood.
Women had no political rights.
Chivalry and courtly love served as the system of social codes

4. England in the Middle Ages
Lower, middle, and upper-middle classes developed in the cities.

5. England in the Middle Ages
The Crusades extended from
They brought contact with Eastern mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and crafts.

6. England in the Middle Ages
The Magna-Carta defeated papal central power.

7. England in the Middle Ages
The Hundred Years’ War ( ) was the first national war waged by England.
Kings of England were vassals to the Kings of France.

8. England in the Middle Ages
The Black Death ( ) brought the end of the Middle Ages.
Fleas on rats carried the bubonic plague which killed thousands of people. in Europe.

9. How do the writings of the Middle Ages represent the lives, loves, loyalties, and humor of humanity?
Discover the answer by reading The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

10. Read pages 90-91 Answer the following questions
According to Geoffrey Chaucer, what could unite people from diverse backgrounds and occupations?
What was a pilgrimage?
Who is the narrator of “The Canterbury Tales”?
How many pilgrims does the narrator meet up with?
5. Where do they meet?
6. Near what modern day city is this Inn located?
7. Who is the host of the Inn? What challenge does he propose?
8. Who judges the competition? What is the prize awarded to the winner of the challenge?
9. In what way is The Canterbury Tales a story about stories? How many tales does it consist of?
10. Chaucer’s Prologue describes Medieval Hierarchy. Which characters does he use to differentiate the various ranks?

11. Geoffrey Chaucer c. 1343-1400 Considered the father of English poetry
Wrote in the vernacular (language spoken by the ordinary man)
Served as a soldier, government servant, and member of Parliament
Introduced iambic pentameter (more on this next)
First writer buried in Westminster Abbey
Learn more about Chaucer. Go to. . .

12. Chaucer & Iambic Pentameter
Chaucer was labeled the “Father of English Poetry,” because of his storytelling
The Canterbury Tales uses the heroic couplet, a poetic convention in which each pair of lines rhyme in iambic pentameter. (each line has 5 metric units, or feet. Each foot (every two syllables) consists of an unstressed syllable (marked ˇ ) followed by a stressed syllable (marked / ).
“A lo ver and ca det, a lad of fire A lo ver and ca det, a lad of fire With locks of curly as if they had been pressed He was some twenty years of age, I guessed.”
Each line has 10 syllables.
Beats alternate unstressed. . . stressed
Every two lines rhyme:
couplet

13. The Canterbury Tales: Snapshot of an Age
It frames a story of characters on a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury.
The characters are a concise portrait of an entire nation.
The pilgrimage is a quest narrative that moves from images of spring and awakening to penance, death, and eternal life.
The characters tell stories that reflect “everyman” in the universal pilgrimage of life.

14. The Travelers to Canterbury

15. The Travelers to Canterbury

16. The Travelers to Canterbury

17. Chaucer’s Snapshot of the Middle Ages Population

18. Your Medieval Personality
Click on the link from the class webpage
Take the quiz
Copy and paste the answer on a Google Doc. Save in your folder.

20. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Have the rules of love changed?
The Art of Courtly Love ( twelfth century document) listed several rules of love:
No one can be bound by double love.
The easy attainment of love makes it of little value. Difficulty of attainment makes it prized
A new love puts flight to an old one.
If love diminishes, it quickly fails and rarely revives

21. The Green Knight
He challenges King Arthur’s knights to a New Year’s game.
The Green Knight wants to exchange “one blow for another.”
The stranger will stand for the first blow if the other knight will agree to have his turn in a year and a day.

22. Sir Gawain Sir Gawain accepts the Green Knight’s challenge.
He honors his word and searches for the knight’s Green Chapel.
Gawain finds a lord and his lady on his quest who offer him shelter on Christmas day.
The lord has the lady tempt Sir Gawain three times on the rules of courtly love.
Gawain resists--all but one advance.
The Green Knight reveals himself to be the lord and spares Gawain for his honesty.

23. Works Cited Home
Brown, Ian. “The Green Knight.” May 16, 2003 <
“Geoffrey Chaucer.” Elements of Literature Sixth Course. Ed. Robert R. Hoyt. Austin, T99.
Pyle, Howard. “Sir Gawain the Son of Lot, King of Orkney.” May 16, 2003 <
“The Canterbury Tales: A Snapshot of an Age.” Elements of Literature Sixth Course. Ed. Robert R. Hoyt. Austin, T101-T104.