The Medieval
Period
“Middle Ages”
1066 (Battle of Hastings)1485 (Battle of Bosworth)
1066—William, Duke of
Normandy, conquered
England
FEUDALISM-class system
where wealth and status were
based on land
KINGS-Barons-knights--------serfs (conquered Anglo-Saxons)
1215-Magna Carta
Limited royal authority
Growth of power=growth of
TRADE
Growth of towns=decline of
feudalism
Population growth=Black
Plague
Hundred Years War
1337-France vs. England
Ended in 1485 (Battle of
Bosworth)
This marked the end of the
Middle Ages
Language
3 languages spoken during Middle
Ages:
French (Norman rulers)
Latin (clergy)
Evolving English (commoners)known as Middle English
Medieval Literature
Romance=an imaginative tale of
adventure
Knights
Idealized heroes
Love
Faraway settings and
elements of fantasy (castles,
magic spells)
Escapism
Code of Chivalry
Set of rules for gentlemanly
and heroic behavior
Faith, modesty, loyalty,
courtesy, bravery, honor
Protection of ladies
Holy quests (Crusades)
Literary Elements and
Literary Devices
Alliteration
Bob and Wheel
Simile
Hyperbole
Imagery
Symbolism
Theme
Simile
A comparison of two unlike things in which
a word of comparison (like or as) is used
(e.g., The ant scurried as fast as a
cheetah.)
Examples:


from SGGK pgs. 210, 213, 216
Also review pg. 216 lines 198-200 and pg.
220 lines 354-357
Alliteration
The repetition of initial sounds in
neighboring words. (Remember back to Beowulf)
REVIVAL! Review study guide(blue handout)
letter D
Examples: from SGGK pgs. 210, 213,215
Bob and Wheel
Associated with alliterative poetry like
SGGK
5 lines rhyming ABABA pattern
The “bob” serves as a bridge between the
alliteration and the rhyming pattern
The “bob” is the first line of the rhyming
lines (2-3 syllables long)
The “wheel” is the quatrain (4 lines long)
Bob and Wheel
Hyperbole and Imagery
Hyperbole: An exaggeration or
overstatement (e.g., I had to wait
forever.)

Examples: from SGGK pg. 210, 220
Imagery: Descriptive or figurative
language in a literary work; the use of
language to create sensory impressions.

Examples: from SGGK pg. 213,215,216
Color Symbolism(natural and liturgical):
A device in literature where an object
represents an idea.
green and gold: Green Knight (wild nature,
Celtic otherworld + nobility), lace and
girdle
red and gold: Gawain (love, service +
nobility)
blue: Mary, Gawain's chamber robe
(loyalty, truth, honor, chastity)
Theme
A topic of discussion or work; a major idea broad enough to
cover the entire scope of a literary work. A theme may be
stated or implied. Clues to the theme may be found in the
prominent and/or reoccurring ideas in a work.
Very Christian text within a very pagan story
line (examples see study guide section IV)
Civilized and uncivilized behavior demonstrated
by the Green Knight and even by Gawain.
Arthurian tale with little warfare; battle is individual and
secretive. The real test of Sir Gawain takes place in the
bedroom and not on the battlefield.
Gawain beats the Green Knight but falls victim to the Lady,
who manages to make him break his loyalty.

In the encounter the knight's and lady's roles are reversed:
she's the aggressor, he the fortress.
 Chivalric behavior proves to be a double-edged sword for
the shield used by Gawain and the lady.
The ideal/flawed Arthurian society reflected in its ideal/flawed
knight.
The results: comic (court's judgment), tragic (Gawain's
judgment), mixed (ours?): noble striving, noble failure.