Finish reading “Sir Gawain” and
answer the following:



Gawain, through facing his weaknesses
and finally admitting that he has
succumbed to temptation, realizes that he
has broken his oath of chivalry.
In your opinion, is Gawain justified in his
reaction, or is he too hard on himself?
Finally, is chivalry an outmoded virtue in
the 21st century? Why or why not?
Peters
1
A beast fable goes beyond a
personification of animals; in fact, it
is a story where animals are used as
embodiments or caricatures of human
virtues, vices, and follies. Explain
how Madame Eglantyne’s priest,
Father John, exposes her flaws
through his narration of the
characters, themes and conflicts of
his cautionary tale.

Peters
2
On your completed rough draft




Due for ten homework points today.
Highlight your thesis.
Write a concern or question that you have with
your essay. (You may write more than one).
Our revision activity today will garner you ten
classwork points.
Peters
3
In Your Group Rotations:



BLESS: Positively comment on
ideas/phrases/word choices/detailed content
and imagery/figurative language/advanced
syntax/sentence variety
PRESS: Encourage your writer to include
precise verbs/detailed content and
imagery/active voice/figurative
language/advanced syntax/sentence variety
ADDRESS: Assist your fellow writer with
his/her concern
Peters
4
Changes to calendar:



Finish The Pardoner’s Tale for
tomorrow.
The Pardoner’s Tale quiz and
Characterization Words quiz have been
combined for you to take this Thursday.
The Wife of Bath’s Tale (pp. 281-292)
due for Monday.
Peters
5
Weekend homework



Type your revised Chaucerian stanza. Be sure
to double space and include a proper MLA
heading. Use may use any font you wish.
Begin The Pardoner’s Tale on pp. 240 – 250.
(Text is also on my website.)
Define Characterization Words for Tuesday;
quiz on words and usage next Thursday.
Peters
6
Composing/presenting pilgrim dialogues
How might the other pilgrims have reacted to
The Wife of Bath’s Tale? Write a dialogue in which at least
two pilgrims, as well as the Wife herself, comment on the
story and its messages about men and women’s roles.
1.
Use language in keeping with the personalities of the
pilgrims as portrayed in the “General Prologue.”
2.
Present clear opinions about The Wife of Bath’s Tale and
its messages.
3.
Include stage directions to describe a pilgrim’s tone of
voice or body movements.
4.
Dialogue should be at least sixteen lines in length.
Maintain rhymed couplets and attempt iambic
pentameter.
5.
Present your dialogue. 10 points.
7
Wife of Bath Writing Prompts
1. Select a writing prompt and discuss all
aspects with your partner.
2. Get a laptop and compose at a least a onepage response to your prompt.
3. Your response must include at least three
examples of cited textual support, either
borrowed from the General Prologue and/or The
Wife of Bath’s tale.
4. Include a proper MLA heading with both
students’ names.
Peters
8
Socratic seminar today!



Arrange desks in a circle.
Take out your questions and notebooks.
(Please away put other coursework ).
Submit your questions (for five points) at the
end of class. You also get five points for
actively participating in the seminar.
Peters
9
The Nun’s Priest Tale




Chaucer presents the tale as a beast fable: a
genre in which a moral is communicated
through the personification of animals.
What is the basic plot of this tale? Who are
the major characters?
What is the moral of this tale?
Why might Chaucer have the nun’s priest
tell this tale?
Peters
10
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
1. How does the old hag/wife defend herself to
her knight/husband regarding her lack of
nobility, her old age, poverty and ugliness?
After she reveals this wisdom, how do you feel
about her reincarnation into a beautiful young
woman?
2. How is the Wife of Bath’s Tale similar to
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight?
Peters
11
3. How are women in general represented in the
Wife of Bath’s Tale? What does this text tell us
about the dominant cultural expectations about
women during the medieval period?
4. Examine the marriage in the Wife of Bath’s
Tale. Is it a marriage you would want to be in,
and why or why not? Would you rather be in a
modern marriage? Look at the end of the tale. Is
“to be in power over men” what women really
want today?
Peters
12
5. What does Chaucer seem to think of the Wife
of Bath, as depicted by her description in the
General Prologue and in the telling of her tale?
Is she admirable? Ridiculous? Attractive?
Repulsive? What traits are emphasized the
most?
6. How would the Wife of Bath fit into
contemporary society? What social trends would
she support or reject?
Peters
13

6. Sexism was not a new idea in Chaucer’s
time. Was Chaucer a sexist or a feminist? Is
the Wife of Bath a realistic example of a
woman from the Middle Ages? Why or why
not?
Peters
14



The Pardoner’s Tale is basically a story of the
consequences of greed. His story conveys
how our essential morality leads to our
decision-making practices and ultimately to
our actions.
How moral are we?
Read the following moral dilemmas and (based
upon your own moral judgment) respond
accordingly.
Peters
15


Patrick has a dog, but he works a job with long
hours so he has to leave it alone at home for
10-12 hours during the day. The dog was
making a mess of the house, so Patrick bought
a crate to keep the dog in during the day. The
dog seems very unhappy in the cramped
crate. Patrick does not see a good alternative,
though, so he keeps using the crate.
Agree/disagree: What Patrick did is clearly
morally wrong.
Peters
16


Welton will live in a foreign country for
several months on a work assignment. He is
fluent in the local language and enjoys
listening to talk radio. One of the programs
frequently insults Welton’s home country, and
Welton often finds himself agreeing. Finally,
a few days before returning home, Welton
works up the courage to call in to the radio
show and denounce his own home country
very strongly, insulting its citizens and heroes,
to the delighted cheers of the radio announcer.
Agree/disagree: What Welton did is clearly
Peters
17
morally wrong.


Beth is a freelance photographer who gets a
contract from a fitness club to take pictures of
overweight and skinny people for their
summer brochure. Working with the club’s
general manager, she goes to the park during
the day and begins snapping shots. She needs a
better angle on one of the people in a park, so
she calls out, “Hey, ugly!” to make a woman
turn around. The woman ends up feeling
terrible about herself.
Agree/disagree: What Beth did is clearly
morally wrong.
Peters
18


Tom’s whole family is taking a ski vacation
and staying together in a big lodge. The lodge
has each family organize a comedic skit and
perform it for the other families at night. Tom
looks over some scripts for different skits. The
funniest skit has a scene in which Tom has to
spit in face of a character played by his
father. Tom’s father says he doesn’t
mind. Tom feels a little weird spitting in his
own father’s face, but he figures “why not?”
and chooses that script over the others.
Agree/disagree: What Tom did is clearly
Peters
19
morally wrong.
The Pardoner’s Tale







How would the pardoner fill out this
personality profile?
Name:
Profession:
Last book I read:
Latest accomplishement:
Why I do what I do:
Quotation I like best:
Peters
20
Middle Ages Unit Test Format
Thursday: 70 points
Involves matching/multiple choice questions
which cover medieval history and terminology,
unit-based vocabulary (characterization words
and Gawain vocab) medieval romance
(including Sir Gawain and the Green Knight)
and the General Prologue.
 Friday: 50 points
Short answer/passage explication and one essay
response that cover the four tales
(Pardoner/Wife/Miller/Nun’s Priest).

Middle Ages Test Review



Compare and contrast the elements of a
feudalistic society with the aspects of a
democratic society.
Why is “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” a
medieval romance?
Delineate how the structure and roles of
feudalism were dismantled due to the onset
of the Bubonic Plague.
Pilgrim identification



______________1.
A lover and cadet, a lad of fire/With locks as curly as if they
had been pressed./ He was some twenty years of age, I
guessed.
______________2.
He’d sewed a holy relic on his cap;/ His wallet lay before him
on his lap,/ Brimful of pardons come from Rome, all hot./ He
had the same small voice a goar has got.
______________3.
Broad, knotty and short-shouldered, he would boast/ He could
heave any door off hinge and post./ His beard, like any sow or
fox, was red/ And broad as well, as though it were a spade.
Chaucer’s ultimate goal…




Chaucer envisioned telling many tales in a
connected and unified sequence.
He wanted to offer a panoramic view of
various economic and social classes and ranks.
His tone is one of non-involvement, reporting
much like a journalist would present his story.
Look for ironies in many of the characters--particularly the clergy class.
Peters
24
Pilgrim identification



______________4.
He watched his patients closely for the hours/ When, by his
horoscope, he knew the powers/ Of favorable planets, then
ascendant./ Worked on the images for his dependent.
______________5.
Truth, honor, generousness, and courtesy,/ He had done nobly
in his sovereign’s war/ Just home from service, he had joined
our ranks/ To do his pilgrimage and to render thanks.
______________6.
The Rule of good St. Benet or St. Maur/ As old and strict he
tended to ignore;/ He let go by the things of yesterday/ And
took the modern world’s more spacious way.
Pilgrim identification



______________7.
by his bed/ He preferred having twenty books in red/ And
black, or Aristotle’s philosophy,/ Than costly clothes, fiddle,
or psaltery.
______________8.
Many a load of dung one time or other/ He must have carted
through the morning dew./ He was an honest worker, good and
true.
______________9.
This ______________ wore a coat and hood of green/ and
peacock-feathered arrows bright and keen/ and neatly
sheathed, hung at his belt the while/ For he could dress his
gear in __________________ style.
The Miller’s Tale
Fabliau: comic verse; “low-brow”
comedy
a comic and often bawdy story in
verse, especially of a kind popular
in 12th- and 13th-century France
Explain (using plot/character
details from the story) how the tale
serves this definition.


A double entendre is a figure of speech in
which a spoken phrase is devised to be
understood in either of two ways. Often the
first (more obvious) meaning is
straightforward, while the second meaning is
less so: often risqué or ironic.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines a
double entendre as especially being used to
"convey an indelicate meaning." It may be
used to express potentially offensive opinions
without the risks of explicitly doing so.
Peters
28
The Miller’s Tale


The Miller’s Tale is presented right after
the Knight presents his tale---a story that
extols the virtues of chivalry and
especially of courtly love.
How does the Miller---in his admittedly
drunken and agitated state---share a tale
that serves as a SATIRE of these virtues
of courtly love?
Peters
29
Pilgrim Meet and Greet


As your pilgrim, “meet” your partner’s pilgrim
and discuss how the two of you would interact
at The Tabard and on the pilgrimage. Would
you get along? Quarrel and even despise each
other? Plot against or try to save other
members of the pilgrimage?
Then, discuss who in contemporary society
would serve as your pilgrim’s modern
counterpart.
Peters
30
Of the three tales you have read,
Which is the best tale . . .
According to Chaucer’s purpose?
 According to the host’s purpose?
 According to a contemporary
reader’s purpose?
 According to you?

Wife of Bath’s Tale
Discussion Prompt
What can the reader infer
about Chaucer’s view of
the Wife of Bath from
the tale he has given
her?
Calendar Adjustments:





Thursday:
Friday:
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Memorizations due
The Wife of Bath’s
Prologue/Tale quiz
The Miller’s Tale quiz
Unit test review
The Nun’s Priest’s
Tale due
The Canterbury Tales
Small Group Discussion



Discuss the assigned topic within your
group. Include several textual examples
that are covered throughout the General
Prologue.
Take detailed notes, as these will serve you
well in preparation for next Wednesday’s
timed essay on the General Prologue.
Share your findings with Mrs. Peters.
For Thursday:
Read
The Wife of Bath’s Tale,
pages 281 – 292.
Peters
35
The Pardoner’s Tale quiz/10 points



An exemplum is a brief moral story. In
one paragraph, explain how the plot,
characters and conflict of The Pardoner’s
Tale combine to provide an exemplum.
In a second paragraph, discuss how the
Pardoner’s prologue is a fittingly ironic
opening to his tale.
Keep both paragraphs to a total of one
page.
Who has the power to corrupt?



In his prologue, the Pardoner states:
“Radix malorum est cupiditas.”
Today, as in Chaucer’s time, the greed
and the other elements of human
weakness often trigger grave acts of
corruption.
List two examples of corruption, and
discuss the factors you think prompted
individuals to commit such wrongdoings.
Peters
37
The Pardoner’s Tale quiz/10 points


What moral does the Pardoner want us to
draw from his tale (not his prologue)?
How does the tale convey this moral?
What moral does Chaucer want us to
draw from The Pardoner’s Tale? How
does the tale convey Chaucer’s purpose?
Peters
38
Iambic pentameter:
five beats/stresses per line
(unstressed, stressed)
kaBOOM kaBOOM kaBOOM kaBOOM kaBOOM
I worship God and men---my life’s so simple!
Peters
39
Sample Chaucerian Stanza in
IAMBIC PENTAMETER:
unstressed/stressed---5 stresses per line










To the beautiful city of Jerusalem I hath been thrice,
And all the men’s attention I will entice.
Blood red, you see, is the color of my fine hose;
To match my face is as crimson as a rose.
A gap as wide as a valley between my teeth,
With a kerchief upon my head that’s like a wreath.
If you have trouble with love, then come to me;
I’ll try to provide a cure or helpful remedy.
You’ll see me in church, well-dressed in my big wimple;
I worship God and men---my life’s so simple!
Making inferences about the
_____________:
“Supple his boots, his horse in fine
condition.
He was a prelate fit for exhibition.
He was not pale like a tormented soul.
He like a swan best, roasted and whole.”
 Monk
Making inferences about the
_____________:
“In company she liked to laugh and chat
And knew the remedies for love’s
mischances,
An art in which she knew the oldest
dances.”

Wife of Bath City
Making inferences about the
_________________:
“If, when he fought, the enemy
vessel sank,
He sent his prisoners home;
they walked the plank.”
 Skipper
Making inferences about the
_____________:
“Wide was his parish, with houses far
sunder,
Yet he neglected not in rain or thunder,
In sickness nor in grief, to pay a call
On the remotest, whether great or
small.”
 Parson
Memorization Assignment Options:




20 points: Write (from memory) the first 18 lines
from Chaucer’s General Prologue.
20 points + 3 bonus points: In class, orally present
(from memory) the first 18 lines from Chaucer’s
General Prologue.
20 points + 7 bonus points: In class, orally present
(from memory) the first 18 lines from Chaucer’s
General Prologue in the Middle English
pronunciation.
All presentations due Tuesday, October 2.
It all began when…
Edward the Confessor
 No children
 Who would become
King when he died?
 Three men claim the
throne after his death
First claim to the throne
Harold Godwin
 His sister was married to
King Edward
 Edward was reported to
have uttered, “I commend
my wife and all my
kingdom to your care” on
his deathbed to Harold.
Second Claim to the Throne
William,
Duke of Normandy
Claimed King Edward
promised him the throne
Third Claim to the Throne
Harald Hardrada



Viking king of Denmark
Related to a Viking king that
had ruled England from 1016
until 1032
Believed he should have the
crown as a result
What happened?
Harold Godwin
became King of
England
Invasions began
 September 1066,
Harald Hardrada
invaded at Stamford
Bridge
The Battle
William defeated King Harold’s forces at Hastings on
October 14, 1066
 Harold was killed and William claimed the throne
(thus is he known as “William the Conqueror”)
 What famous monarch is named after William I?

Heir to the British throne,
Prince William, to one day be
King William ? of England
William’s England
He did not eliminate the Anglo-Saxons
 He combined Norman and Anglo-Saxon elements
 A blending of Norman French and English began to
evolve, known as Middle English.


Normans brought administrative ability, increased
emphasis on law and order and cultural unity
Domesday Book
1086 – all property in England inventoried in this book
For the first time, the English could be taxed for what they
owned


What else did the Normans bring?

French: Language switched from
Old English to Middle English
French became the language of the upper classes
and government
Middle English was the spoken language of the
peasant class
The Canterbury Tales: first work to be
composed in Middle English
Words that come from Norman
Britain








Rendezvous
Cliché
Fiancée
Miss/Ms./Mrs. or Mr.
Provenance
Dilettante
Melange
Façade
They also brought Feudalism, an economic ideology in
which peasants and vassals serve a powerful lord who
protects them and takes care of their economic needs
King
Nobles or barons/vassals/lords
Knights
Landless knights
and peasants
Castles served as “houses” for the
functions of the feudal classes
Knighthood
Sons of lords
 Age 7: Page
 Age 13: Squire (knight in training)
 Ages 18-21: Knight
 Dubbing ceremony/title of “sir”


Knights were “married” to their
lords; they could not marry until
they retired.
Medieval Weaponry
Medieval Battle Weapons
Catapult
Trebuchet
Heraldry
Colors and symbols
assigned to a family for
identification purposes
Helped knights identify
their comrades while in
battle
Knightly Code of Chivalry
System of ideals and social codes governing the
behavior of knights and gentlewomen
A major aspect of chivalry was fealty, or loyalty
to one’s lord (similar to Anglo-Saxon comitatus)
Other aspects: bravery, courage,
honor of women (known as courtly love)
Courtly Love
Aspect of chivalry
Dealt with the
relationship between knights
and ladies
 Lady was always out of the
knight’s reach
Provided for great literature
Led to the creation of the
Medieval Romance
Role of Women





Inferior to men
A woman’s rank depended on
the rank of her father or
husband
Housework and childbearing
Merchants, blacksmiths,
midwives
Chivalry brought idealized
attitude towards women, but
not better treatment
A change in the feudal system


More people = movement to cities and towns
The new merchant class worked outside of the feudal system
 Result: feudal system began to disappear
 Jobs: baker, smith, cooper, cobbler, haberdasher, cook, fishmonger
Important events of the
Middle Ages
The Crusades
Murder of Thomas Becket
Magna Carta
The Black Death
The Crusades
1095-1270
 European Christians vs.
Muslims
 Capture Jerusalem and
the Holy Land
 Benefit = exposure to
Middle East’s civilization

The Murder of Thomas Becket



Appointed Archbishop of
Canterbury by Henry II
Becket sided with the pope
 “Will no one rid me of
this turbulent priest?”
1170: murdered while
praying in the cathedral
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFie07BQ-nQ
Canterbury
Cathedral:
Steeple signified “visual
presence” with God
Saint Thomas Becket the Martyr
The Martyrdom located in Canterbury Cathedral
Aftermath of the murder




Public made Becket a martyr
Backlash against Henry II, making the
Church more powerful than the monarchy
Negative effect: Corruption in the
Church
Positive effect: No boundaries between
Church and people
Magna Carta
Signed in 1215
 Became the basis for
English constitutional
law

King John and the barons
The Bubonic Plague
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Years
52
13
47
13
00
13
00
12
00
11
00
0
10
1348-1349
God’s revenge
“Fleas on rats”
Reduced population
 Labor shortage
 Serfs gain freedom
 Feudalism becomes obsolete
 Merchant/city/trade class
grows as a major financial
boost to the English economy
Millions
The “Black” Death
What word from
childhood is derived
from the times of
outbreaks of the
Bubonic Plague?
Elements of a Medieval Romance
The medieval romance has a simple,
inevitable plot: a near-perfect hero battles
an evil enemy and ultimately wins. As part
of the story, the hero inevitably undertakes
a quest. The quest usually has three stages:
a dangerous journey, a moral test or ordeal
to determine if the hero truly has the
qualities of a hero, and a return to the point
of origin from which the journey began.
Female characters are also significant.
Sir Gawain and
The Green Knight
In Sir Gawain we have the model of the
chivalric hero whose honor is being
tested. This is a serious romance whose
purpose is clearly to teach a moral lesson.
Yet the hero does not have unlimited
powers; Gawain is a human being, who,
like all of us, is limited in his moral and
physical strength.
Sir Gawain and
The Green Knight
Discuss examples of behavior which
reflect the chivalric code that suggest
more than just courtly love (gallantry
toward women)---consider loyalty,
modesty, faith, honor, valor and
courtesy.
Sir Gawain class assignment
Compare and contrast Sir Gawain
and Beowulf. You should provide
at least three points of
comparison/contrast.
Finally, answer this question:
Who is the more honorable
character? (10 points)
Peters
Sir Gawain class assignment
How does the following statement apply to
Sir Gawain in his quest: “In serving
another we become free.”?
(Hint: Think not only of his physical quest,
but his moral dilemma, as well).
(10 points)
Peters
83
Sir Gawain class assignment
How does the following statement apply to
Sir Gawain in his quest “A man who’s true
to his word,/ there’s nothing he needs to
fear.”?
(Hint: Think not only of his physical quest,
but his moral dilemma, as well).
(10 points)
Peters
84
Chivalry: Dead or Alive?
Consider the question above
and find three examples from
today’s society to prove that
chivalry is alive and well or
has withered and died in the
face of our modern sensibilities
and values. Remember the
counterpoint, too!
Partner Activity:
Medieval art for analysis



With your partner, retrieve ONE laptop and
access Ms. Peters course website.
Go to the Middle Ages link, and click on
Medieval Art for Analysis.
Take some time to review the art included in
the document and complete the analysis
worksheet.
Peters
86
Today’s review activity:



Go to
http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com
Select “CRISSCROSS PUZZLE”
In answer/clue box, provide the following:





10 vocabulary words
5 significant quotations from each of the four tales
ONLY
5 medieval terms/and or history clues
10 pilgrim/Gawain clues
Print puzzle (4 copies) when finished and
exchange with another group
87