- It was spoken during the Norman invasion, between 1066 and 1470.
2. What were the major factors which led to the development and the spread of Middle English?
- The introduction of the printing press into England by William Caxton in the 1470s, and later by Richard Pynson; after the introduction of the Chancery Standard.
3. Match the following Old English words with their Anglo-Norman equivalent:
A. Pig / pork
B. Cow / beef
C. Wood / forest
D. Sheep / mutton
E. House / mansion
F. Worthy / honourable
G. Bold / corageous
4. Compare & contrast the structure of nouns, pronouns and verbs, between Middle English & Modern English.
- NOUNS
Middle English retains only two separate noun-ending patterns. For example, engel (angel) and nome (name). The strong -s plural form is still used in Modern English, while the weak -n form is rare (oxen, children, brethren)
-VERBS
As a general rule, the first person singular of verbs in the present tense ends in -e ("ich here" = "I hear"), the second person in -(e)st ("þou spekest" - "thou speakest"), and the third person in -eþ ("he comeþ" - "he cometh/he comes"). (þ is pronounced like the unvoiced th in "think").
In the past tense, weak verbs are formed by adding an -ed(e), -d(e) or -t(e) ending. These, without their personal endings, also form past participles, together with past-participle prefixes derived from Old English: i-, y- and sometimes bi-.
Strong verbs, by contrast, form their past tense by changing their stem vowel (e.g. binden -> bound), as in Modern English.
-PRONOUNS
MIDDLE ENGLISH:
Post-Conquest English inherits its pronouns from Old English, with the exception of the third person plural, a borrowing from Old Norse:
-Subjetc pronouns: I, thou, hit, he, sche, we, ye, he/they
-Object pronouns: me, thee, it/him, him, hire, us, you hem/them
-Possessive pronouns: mi(n), thy, his, his, hir, ure, your, hir, their
MODER ENGLISH
-Subject pronouns: I, you, it, he, she, we, you, they
-Object pronouns: me, you, it, him, her, us, you, them
-Possessive pronouns: my, your,its, his, her, our, your, their
5. How is pronunciation different between Middle English and Modern English?
- Generally, all letters in Middle English words were pronounced, not as in Modern English. In middle English the word "knight" was pronounced /knɪçt/.
- In earlier Middle English all written vowels were pronounced. Later, the final
- An additional rule in speech, and often in poetry as well, was that a non-final unstressed
6. What is the Chancery Standard, and how did it come into effect?
- It was a written form of English used by government bureaucracy and for other official purposes from the late 14th century. It is believed to have contributed in a significant way to the development of the English language as spoken and written today. Because of the differing dialects of English spoken and written across the country at the time, the government required a clear and unambiguous form for use in its official documents. Chancery Standard was developed to meet this need.
7. Who wrote the Canterbury Tales?
- The Canterbury Tales were written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century.
8. Describe the medieval pilgrims who journeyed from Canterbury to London.
- They are 29 pilgrims who go from London to Canterbury. There are characters from all classes, upper and lower, represented. Religious characters, such as a prioress, monk and a Pardoner, travel alongside a shipman, miller, carpenter, reeve, squire, yeoman and a knight, among others.
9. Why did the pilgrims take this journey?
- To pay their respects to the tomb of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.
10. It is thought that some of the stories in The Canterbury Tales originated in Italy. What was the name of the Italian book and who wrote it?
- The name of the book is "The Decameron" and it was written by Giovanni Boccaccio.
11. The Canterbury Tales is considered an extremely important book, both in terms of English Literature & in the history of English writing. In your opinion, why is this book so important?
- It is important because it talks about people from all classes, telling diffrent stories; and that is considered as culture.
- The book was written in Middle English, language that was part of what English is today, and part of the English history.
- Also because it is thought that Chaucer took parts of other tales to write the Canterbury tales, so we could say that they are a compilation of stories.
12. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is:
a. A collection of German folk tales, similar to Grimm's Fairy Tales.
b. A collection of Japanese ghost stories, similar to Kwaidan.
c. A detailed explanation of the proper etiquette & behaviour for all knights in Medieval Europe.
d. A medieval romance poem, with Arthurian themes.
e. None of the above.
f. All of the above.
- Alternative d) A medieval romance poem, with Arthurian themes.
13. Who is Sir Gawain?
- Sir Gawain is the youngest of Arthur's knights and nephew to the king.
14. What is the challenge that The Green Knight proposes to the Knights of the Round Table?
- He asks for someone in the court to strike him once with his axe, on condition that the Green Knight will return the blow one year and one day later.
15. What is the similarity between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Irish tale of Cúchulainn?
- The tale of Cùchuñainn paralels Gawain in that Cúchulainn's antagonist feints three blows with the axe before letting his target depart without injury.
16. What is the importance of the pentagram/pentangle in the poem?
- The pentangle on Gawain's shield is seen by many critics as signifying Gawain's perfection and power over evil. The poet uses a total of 46 lines to describe the meaning of the pentangle. No other symbol in the poem receives as much attention or is described in such detail. The poem describes the pentangle as a symbol of faithfulness and an "endless knot", it is described as "a sign by Solomon". Solomon, the third king of Israel, in 10th century B.C. was said to have the mark of the pentagram on his ring, which he received from the archangel Michael. The pentagram seal on this ring was said to give Solomon power over demons.
17. How are numbers used to symbolize events in the poem?
- The author gives number to the facts, the events and some other things in the poem, as virtues, to add symmetry and meaning to the poem. For example, he compares: "three kisses are exchanged between Gawain and Bertilak's wife; Gawain is tempted by her on three separate days" or "The five points of the pentangle, represent Gawain's virtues, for he is "faithful five ways and five times each"
18. What is the significance of Sir Gawain's neck wound?
- During the medieval period, the body and the soul were believed to be so intimately connected that wounds were considered an outward sign of inward sin. The neck, was believed to correlate with the part of the soul related to will, connecting the reasoning part (the head) and the courageous part (the heart). Gawain's sin resulted from using his will to separate reasoning from courage. By accepting the girdle from the lady, he employs reason to do something less than courageous—evade death in a dishonest way.
19. Which actor played The Green Knight in the film adaptation, Sword of the Valiant?
- Sean Connery.
20. In many ways this poem is, in the modern sense, a soap opera. Compare Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with a modern Chilean teleseries.
- The only connection I can see between the poem and the Chilean soap operas, is the temptation of women. It is always present it the telseries and men are always tempted.
- Chilean teleseries have lost the values they used to hae and represent in the stories. Nowadays we see more comedies or really tragic soap operas.
