Rhyme and reason

The old English period 500-1066

Why were the Germanic tribes able to settle in Britain?

- the Romans withdrew

- the cults were not able to fight. They had no weapons and no skills

3 new settlers/tribes in Britain:

1. Angles                                           

2. Saxons                                           

Angelssaksons: Engels

3. Jutes

• Which other invaders invaded Britain?

Vikings. Vikings came when the Germanic tribes were settled.

What is an Epic and give a example?

An epic is a long narrative poem on a great subject, told in a serious and dignified way, centred round the deeds of a hero.

Examples: Beowolf; Odyssey and Iliad of Homer.

• How did the stories about the Vikings and Beowulf cross the channel?

By minstrels, who traveled through the countries, they sang or told the stories.

• What happened in 1066?

French <-> English. Battle of Hastings.

What are the typical style characters in the story Beowolf?

- Alliteratie

- No rhyme

- No pattern

- 2 half lines

Beowolf

Beowulf is young and strong. He helps the king of Denmark. He fights the monster that terrorizes Denmark. Fight 1: Beowulf kills the monster Grendal by ripping of his limb. Fight 2: Mother of the monster comes to avenge. They fight in a magic cave, underground lake. Beowulf cuts off her head with a magic sword. Fight 3¬¬¬: A dragon is terrorizing the country because he lost his gold that he got from B. so he would stay away. Beowulf kills him, but he got hurt, and dies.

• What is the meaning of the fights?

The first two fights were battles with personal things he want to overcome. Symbolize some personal achievement

The third fight he is fighting with death, he wins over his fear to death, but he comes to die peacefully.

• Compare the fight from the epic with the fights of the film.

Fight 1:

Fight 2:

Fight 3:

• Find the chance in Beowulf’s mood, from hero to doubter.

Line 26-33: For the First time he is afraid and he has to fight (but he knows he will die).

• Make a list of characteristics of a Germanic Hero.

The qualities of a Germanic hero:

-          Strong (valour)                              r.2

-          Wisedom                           r.2

-          Mighty                                r.3

-          Mild                                     r.3

-          Courage (moed)

-          Valour (dapper)

-          Unafraid                            r.25

-          You fight to death          r.99

-          Blameless                          r.146

-          Honest

-          Famous

• Are there elements that apply equally well to the twentieth century?

The qualities of a modern hero:

-          Unafraid

-          Valour

-          Courage

-          Strong (not necessary)

-          Wise (not necessary)

-          Fight till death

• The dragon plays only in fairy tales now, does the dragon plays the same role in Veowulf?

No, they thought dragons really existed. Killing a dragon is a symbol for personal achievements.

The Middle English Period 1066-1500

What is so special about 1066? What happened in 1066?

Battle of Hastings (English – French)

à Norman king rules England à French culture and languages entered England

• How do we know so much about the battle?

The Bayeux Tapestry (wandkleed).

The king gives all the important places to his “friends”. So the new official language was

French. He also brought his culture and literature with him.

English was transformed by French influence in Middle English.

• What happened to poetry?

• What is the role of women in the new period?

The women were still a sex symbol but every man wanted it.

Women became a symbol of the status of a man.

Women were honoured for being a woman. They were adored for the fact they are female.

• What is a link and frame story?

A number of tales set within the context of

another story.

Example: Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

Chaucer was a writer/poet and a courtier. A courtier is someone who works for the king. He also travelled a lot.

His greatest work is: Canterbury Tales. About 20 random people. (Ex: monk, squire, Wife of Bath)

This work was never finished.

The monk          (page 25)

                - He is a sportsman                                      

- He ignores the rules

                - He hunts                                                        

- He had hunting dogs

                - He doesn’t study the books                   

- He looks good, he was brown and fat

                - He doesn’t stay in the cloister

(Compare with Tv-preacher)

The wife of Bath (page 26)

                Has a lot of money (possible when you have no man)

                She can sew, reading maps and ride a horse

Married a lot

Travelled a lot

                She married old men without children or brothers.

(Compare with an old man’s playmate or a gold-digger)

• Does the story of the wife of bath suit her?

Yes, because she is a woman who has money and rights. (wants to be equal to the man)

The squire (page 24)

He raped girls from high positions.

He had to marry an ugly woman with is forever faithful. à Young women cheat a lot in those times.

The ugly woman turned out to be beautiful, when the knight became loyal to her.

This story is about the equality of women.

(Compare with a soldier)

• Compare the Squire and the Wife of Bath.

Squire had a lot of sex because he was a man. The wife of Bath for the money.

They both could read, write, ride horses and know a lot about love.

Early English Drama

• How did early plays start?

Modern drama started in the church. In the church the priest spoke Latin. But the poor people couldn’t understand the stories in the bible. So the priests started to make plays about biblical figures, so the people could understand the stories.

• How do we call the first plays?

Miracle plays. First in Latin later in English so people could understand it the best. But the plays become more and more realistic. They were costumes and rewrite the stories. So the Pope forbade the miracle plays in the church, because the church is to thank the Lord, not for entertainment.

                (Ex: Everyman, the story of Christ, biblical stories)

Morality plays go about ‘How to live’ and ‘The real world.’

(Ex: Dr. Faustus » has a good moral)

• Summarize, in one or two sentences, the argument expressed in lines 1-10

He want one hour to save his soul. He wants time to stands still so he haven’t go to hell. Faustus tells himself he has one hour left and he doesn’t want the night to come, because then he will be dead.

• In Faustus' last speech, God is represented in different ways. He is a God of forgiveness, to whom even the most hardened sinner may turn; but He is also a terrible God, who is to dreaded for His stern punishment. Find out where these two contrasting images are found in the text. Is the transition from one to the other connected with Faustus' words in between?

God of Forgiveness: r. 15, 35

Angry God/Unforgiving God: r. 19,21,55          

• List a couple of of terrible ordeals he is willing to undergo if he can escape of dying.

Go to hell for 1000 years, but come back to life after that. r.37

Become an animal, so he haven’t go to hell. r.40

He even wanted to get rid of his knowledge. r.58

Turn to air. r.28-31

Become water. r.53

• Who curses Faustes also?

Curs’d be the parents that engender’d me. r.48

Curse Lucifer, that hath depriv’d thee of the joys of heaven. r.49/50

Ballad

A Ballad is a simple and narrative poem. It originally meant to be sung. There is a lot of words in one verse, which you can summarize as one sentence.

                (Ex: Sir Patrick Spence, Unquiet Grave)

• Describe Sir Patrick Spence.

He is a good sailor that obeys the king. He is a good sailor because he can forecast the weather and had knowledge of the stars.

• Why had the King to sail?

He had to go to a marriage. But no one of the Scots nobles wanted to go.

• In which lines are clues that lead us to think the ship is going to sink?

Blood-red wine r.2

Best sailor (he needs the best sailor) r.7

A tear blinded his eye r.16

This ill (evil) deed to me r.18

Fear a deadly storm r.24

That we will come to harm r.28

• How do we know Sir Patrick is a good sailor?

Because the king claims that. r7.

He says wise-sailor-things: to send me out this time of the year. r.19

• What is the double meaning of line 41?

They are all death (scattered around the bottom of the sea) but the lords bow to Sir Patrick Spence.

The Unquiet Grave

A man mourns his true love for "a twelve month and a day". At the end of that time, the dead woman complains that his weeping is keeping her from peaceful rest. He begs a kiss. She tells him it would kill him and sends him away.

• Why did Francis James Child repeated the last sentence often?

When something was very important he wanted to emphasize the sentence.

• Name the characteristics of a ballad in The unquiet grave.

4 lines. (Sometimes 5, by emphasizing.)

Rime (like ABCB)

Each verse is one idea

Simple language

Most common subjects of ballads: Tragic lovestories.

• What are the phrases ‘water from the desert’r.22, ‘blood from out a stone’r.23 and ‘milk from a fair maids breast’r.24 supposed to convey?

Mission impossible. All the 3 things are impossible, those are metaphors.

• Compare the original ending with the ending on page 51. What is the difference?

In the original ending it’s impossible to see each other again. In the second version they may rendezvous in heaven. So the second version is quite more optimistic!

Renaissance 1500-1660

Shakespeare

In the first place he’s a dramatist (37 plays) secondly a poet (154 sonnets).

His drama can be divided in 3 groups;

- Comedy (As you like it/Midsummer night dreams)

- Tragedy (Hamlet/Macbeth/Antony and Cleopatra/Romeo & Juliet)

- Historical (Richard II/Henry IV)

He also invented a new form of sonnet; 3 quatrains and a couplet.

The couplet rhymes and is a short summary of the rest of the sonnet

Characters are all destroyed by flaws in their personality.

Typical Renaissance à Everything is your own fault, it’s not fate.

The plays were performed in (open air) theatres. Only men actress, women weren’t allowed on stage.

Theatre was always outside the city; so epidemics (Black Death) couldn’t spread and because of the riot.

He wrote:

Macbeth: Based on the story of the Scottish King Macbeth (1005). He gets a vision that tells him he become a king one day. So he kills the king and takes the throne. He becomes mad and kills every one.

Hamlet: The prince of Denmark, Hamlet, wanted to speak to the ghost of his dead father. The ghost tells him he was murdered by the present king, Claudius.