Study Guide for Beowulf, Day of Destiny, Canterbury Tales TEST
Identify the following characters:
A. Beowulf Epic hero of Beowulf tale
B. Grendel Monster raiding Herot, eats people
C. Grendel’s Mother 2nd monster Beowulf battles
D. Hrothgar King of the Danes
E. Hrunting Beowulf’s sword that fails him
F. Wiglaf Beowulf’s soldier who helps him kill dragon
G. Arthur Fictional King of England
H. Sir Gawain Arthur’s nephew; warns him
I. Sir Bedivere King Arthur’s knight and follower
J. Sir Lucas King Arthur’s knight and follower
K. Sir Modred Arthur’s illegitimate son & enemy
L. Sir Lancelot Arthur’s famous knight
M. Excalibur Arthur’s magical sword
N. The Pardoner Tells story of greed in CT
O. The Wife of Bath Tells story of women in CT
P. Herot King Hrothgar’s castle
Identify the following terms:
1. Epic Long narrative poem that tells of the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero
2. Epic hero Larger-than-life hero of a narrative
3. Kenning Metaphorical phrase or compound word used to name a person, place, or thing indirectly
4. Romantic hero Brave hero who must overcome great danger for love of a noble lady or high ideal
5. Verbal Irony When you say something, but mean something else
6. Situational Irony When the police officer’s son steals a car
7. Narrator Person who is telling the story
8. Vernacular Common language or dialect of the people
Identify the author of each of these stories:
A. Beowulf Unknown
B. Day of Destiny Sir Thomas Mallory
C. The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer
Answer the following questions:
1. Beowulf is set in two countries (Part 1 & Part 2 take place in different countries), what are they?
Sweden and Denmark
2. Why does Beowulf come to Herot?
To defeat Grendel
3. How does Beowulf mortally wound Grendel in the mead hall?
He rips off his arm
4. How does Grendel’s mother mourn the death of her son?
She attacks Herot just like her son had been doing
5. Who is Grendel descended from supposedly?
Cain, who killed his brother Abel, and is supposedly the creator of all evil spirits, beings, and monsters
in the universe.
6. How does Beowulf ultimately defeat Grendel’s mother?
He fights her in her lair, and when his sword fails, he finds one on the wall that he is able to use to cut
off her head.
7. When does Beowulf fight the dragon?
Many years later, like 50, when he is an old man and King of the Geats.
8. Why does Beowulf fight the dragon?
The dragon is waging war on the villages because a thief stole gold from his lair.
9. Who comes to Beowulf’s aid in defeating the dragon?
Wiglaf
10. What happens to Beowulf at the end of the dragon fight?
He is mortally wounded and dies.
11. What happens to the dragon’s hoard of gold?
It is left to Beowulf’s people.
12. What was Arthur warned of in his dreams?
He is warned of his death. Sir Gawain visits him and warns him not to battle Sir Modred or he will die.
Sir Lancelot will be there in a month and defeat Modred then.
13. Who was supposed to be coming to defeat Sir Modred?
Sir Lancelot
14. How did the battle start between King Arthur’s army and Sir Modred’s army?
When the King and Sir Modred and their soldier’s met to sign the treaty, an adler bit a soldier. When
he pulled out his sword to kill the snake, he therefore started the battle.
15. How many were left at the end of the day after fighting all day?
4- King Arthur, Sir Lucas, Sir Bedivere, Sir Modred
16. Why did King Arthur kill Sir Modred at the end of the day?
Because he did not believe he would have another chance.
17. How did King Arthur become injured?
As he was killing Sir Modred, Modred wrenched up Arthur’s spear to swipe at Arthur’s head. He cut
part of his head off.
18. What did King Arthur ask Sir Bedivere to do before he died?
Take Excalibur to the lake and throw it in.
19. How many times did Sir Bedivere go to the lake?
Three times.
20. What happened when he finally threw the sword in the lake?
A hand reached out from the middle of the lake to grab the sword.
21. Where does Sir Bedivere take the King?
To the lake
22. How do we know that King Arthur died?
The Archbishop of Canterbury tells Sir Bedivere that he saw several ladies up by this rock crying and
when they investigate it, they realize it is Arthur’s tombstone.
24. What happened to Sir Bedivere?
He lived his life as a hermit with the Archbishop of Canterbury, serving King Arthur’s grave.
25. What language was the Canterbury Tales originally written in?
Middle English
26. When does the tale take place?
Spring, 1300 England
27. What is a pilgrimage?
A spiritual journey to a holy place to pray and worship.
28. How many pilgrims are going on the pilgrimage?
30
29. What is the name of the inn that they all meet at?
The Tabard
30. How does the Host suggest they pass the time?
Tell stories
31. What will they win?
A dinner at the Tabard on the way back
32. Who will be the judge?
The Host decides to go along on the journey as the judge
33. Where are the pilgrims going?
The Cathedral of Thomas A Beckett at Canterbury
34. What does the Pardoner do for a living?
He pardon’s people’s sins for the church and sells indulgences.
35. What are indulgences?
Lesser sentences that the Pardoner sold to people who had sinned. The sentences were lesser in the
after life.
36. In the Pardoner’s Tale, who do the three young men hope to kill?
Death
37. In the Pardoner’s Tale, who do the three young men meet? What does he tell them?
The old man. He tells them that he had last scene Death up the hill at the base of a big tree.
38. In the Pardoner’s Tale, what do the three young men find at the base of the tree?
A large sum of gold.
39. In the Pardoner’s Tale, how do the three men split up?
Two men stay behind with the gold, one man goes to town to get bread and wine.
40. In the Pardoner’s Tale, what plans do the three men make while they are split up?
The two men decide to kill their friend by pretending to wrestle him and stabbing him in the back.
The other man buys poison and poisons the wine of his two friends.
41. In the Pardoner’s Tale, what happens to the three men?
They all die.
42. Why is it ironic that the three men want to meet Death?
Because people usually don’t go looking for Death, Death comes looking for them.
43. What does the Pardoner ask the pilgrims at the conclusion of his tale?
If they would like to buy any pardons or kiss his relics.
44. Why is the Pardoner’s tale ironic?
The tale is a moral tale about greed and the Pardoner is about as greedy as they come.
45. In the Wife of Bath’s Tale, what does the knight do that might cost him his life?
He rapes a girl.
46. In the Wife of Bath’s Tale, what does the queen ask the knight to find out?
What is it that women want?
47. In the Wife of Bath’s Tale, how long does the knight have to find the answer to his question?
One year and one day
48. In the Wife of Bath’s Tale, what does the Wife of Bath think women want the most?
To be pampered.
49. In the Wife of Bath’s Tale, what is the purpose of telling the story about Midas’ wife?
To show that women cannot keep secrets. Because Midas’ wife cannot keep the secret about his
ears, she has to tell someone, even if it is just the water.
50. How does the knight find the answer to the question?
He meets an old woman who agrees to tell him the answer.
51. What does the old woman want in return of telling the knight the answer?
She wants the knight to do the next thing that she asks of him.
52. What do women want the most?
To have power over their husbands.
53. What does the old woman ask the knight to do?
Marry her.
54. Why doesn’t the knight want to marry the old woman?
She is old, ugly, and poor.
55. According to the old woman, how does one become a gentleman?
They are not born into it, they have to act gentlemanly, and God must bestow the honor upon them.
56. What are the two choices the old woman gives the knight?
To have her old and ugly, but forever faithful, or young and beautiful and never faithful.
57. What does the knight choose?
He asks the old woman to decide.
58. What happens to the old woman?
She becomes young and beautiful and promises to be faithful.
59. How does the tale end?
The wife says that since the knight has allowed her power over him, she will be both young and
beautiful and forever faithful. They live happily ever after.
60. The Wife of Bath has had 5 husbands, after reading her tale, what might be the Wife of Bath’s real
quest on this pilgrimage?
To find another husband.
61. Why did Chaucer choose to write the Canterbury Tales in the vernacular?
So that everyone could read it.
62. Explain the narration of the Canterbury Tales. Who narrates the story? Who narrates the tales?
There is a Narrator who narrates the journey, each tale is narrated by the person telling it.
63. Explain the use of the number three in Day of Destiny.
Three times Sir Gawain goes to the lake. Three ladies come to get King Arthur.
64. What is the reasoning behind Grendel being descended from Cain?
Cain is the creator of all things evil in the world after betraying his brother.
65. Compare and contrast the characteristics of epic heroes and romantic heroes. (Beowulf & Arthur)
Essay.