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


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• A Study of The Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain
  and the Green Knight
  

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Table of Contents

• The Journey Begins . . .
  
  
• England in the Middle Ages
• Focus question
• Geoffrey Chaucer
  
  
• The Canterbury Tales
• Travelers to Canterbury
• Chaucers Middle Ages Population
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
• The Green Knight
• Sir Gawain
• Works Cited

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The Journey Begins . . .

• In October 1066 a daylong battle near
  Hastings England changed the course of
  history.
  

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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 militaryKnighthood.
  
• Women had no political rights.
• Chivalry and courtly love served as the system of
  social codes

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England in the Middle Ages

• Lower middle and uppermiddle classes developed
  in the cities.

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England in the Middle Ages

• The Crusades extended from 10951270.
• They brought contact with Eastern mathematics
  astronomy architecture and crafts.

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England in the Middle Ages

• The MagnaCarta defeated papal central power.

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England in the Middle Ages

• The Hundred Years War 13371453 was the first
  national war waged by England.

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England in the Middle Ages

• The Black Death 13481349 brought the end of
  the Middle Ages.
  

Fleas on rats carried the bubonic plague which
killed thousands of people. in Europe.
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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.
  

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Geoffrey Chaucerc. 13431400

• Considered the father of English poetry
• Wrote in the vernacular
• Served as a soldier government servant and
  member of Parliament
  
• Introduced iambic pentameter
• First writer buried in Westminster Abbey
• Learn more about Chaucer. Go to. . .
• http//www.unc.edu/depts/chaucer/index.html

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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.

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The Travelers to Canterbury
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The Travelers to Canterbury
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The Travelers to Canterbury
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Chaucers Contemporaries
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Chaucers Snapshot of the Middle Ages Population
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Sir Gawain and the Green KnightHave 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
  

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The Green Knight

• He challenges King Arthurs knights to a New
  Years 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.
  

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Sir Gawain

• Sir Gawain accepts the Green Knights challenge.
• He honors his word and searches for the knights
  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 resistsall but one advance.
• The Green Knight reveals himself to be the lord
  and spares Gawain for his honesty.
  

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Works Cited Home

• Brown Ian. The Green Knight. 2002. May 16
  2003 .htm.
  
• Geoffrey Chaucer. Elements of Literature Sixth
  Course. Ed. Robert R. Hoyt. Austin 1977. T99.
  
• Pyle Howard. Sir Gawain the Son of Lot King of
  Orkney. 1903. May 16 2003 er.edu/camelot/gawmenu.htm.
  
• The Canterbury Tales A Snapshot of an Age.
  Elements of Literature Sixth Course. Ed. Robert
  R. Hoyt. Austin 1977. T101T104.