Medieval Feast Project
It is Christmas time! Wassailing, singing, and frivolity are quite in order! On Friday, Dec. 21st we will
have a Medieval Feast of our own! Bringing appropriate festive foods and drinks, as well as dressing your part
will count as part of your project grade as we celebrate HIS Advent together!
Test Grade
Dress up as a British citizen of
the Middle Ages! You can
choose to be inspired by one of
the characters we have met in
The Canterbury Tales or select
another costume that is fitting
for the historical time period.
Be prepared to explain either
choice.
50 points
Homework Grade
A Toast, Tale, or Boast to regale
our guests on this day of
celebration!
Requirements for these 3
options are described below.
50 points
Research what foods were
eaten in the Middle Ages in
England. How would they have
served them? Bring something
to share with the class (two
items or two servings of the
same item).
Sign up during your class period.
20 points
Toast
The ritual of the toast can serve many purposes: as an act of remembering, as a look toward the future, as an
exclamation of hope or as a means of courting divine favor before you take that first sip. While the original
tradition of a toast originated with the Greeks and Romans, Bath is the famed place where the word “toast”
originated during the reign of Charles II.
For this choice, you should raise a glass to one of your classmates and recite an original ode in the form of a
Shakespearean sonnet. An ode is a poem that declares praise and celebration. Praise them for an
accomplishment or an impressive feat they have done. (Example: Making Director’s List 1st Quarter). You can
also identify something they may consider ordinary and use high praise to recognize them for its completion.
(Example: Driving to school without an accident).
Your ode must:
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Be written in the structure of a Shakespearean sonnet
Be written in iambic pentameter
Follow the rhyme scheme of a Shakespearian sonnet: abab–cdcd–efef–gg
Be written in elevated language
Include two similes or metaphors.
Include at least one example of personification
You should plan to share your ode as a toast to a classmate during our feast and also submit a typed version on
the 21st.
See any of Shakespeare’s sonnets for examples of structure.
Tale
The pilgrims were challenged to a story-telling contest on their way to Canterbury.
While the styles of stories varied from romances, to allegory, to lewd comedy, each
pilgrim told an individual tale that somewhat captured their character.
Your task is to write a story to share with the class. Be sure to not just read from a
page but give a lively performance. Additionally, keep your story’s setting to the
middle ages. Slips into modern slang or references to contemporary life will cost
you! Your story shouldn’t be shorter than 2 double-spaced pages and you should
submit a typed copy on the 21st.
Review the tales in The Canterbury Tales for inspiration or ideas.
Boast
This is a nod to the Anglo-Saxon era when Beowulf regaled his thanes with stories of his impressive
battles in the mead-hall. Write a formal boast about yourself in the style of Anglo-Saxon poetry.
Remember that the boast of an Anglo-Saxon warrior was not considered an instance of conceit
but was instead a method of inspiring heroic deeds.
Your boast must
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Should sound similar to Beowulf’s boast
Be a minimum of 20 lines long
Begin with a statement of who you are.
Explain what you intend to do or what you have done.
Explain why you are qualified.
Explain your previous accomplishments.
Explain how you intend to accomplish your deed.
Include two original kennings of at least three words each.
Include at least two lines of heavy alliteration.
Include caesura in at least four lines.
Boasts may be serious, satirical, ironic, and/or humorous.
You may use “artistic license” to add interest to your boasts.
Review Beowulf’s Boast on pg. 46 lines 173-198 to help you.