Transcript What was it like to live in the Middle Ages?

English Literature
The Medieval Period
(Middle English)
What was it like to live
in the Middle Ages?
Welcome to England and the English…
an island of peoples, languages, and divisions...
The White Tower in London…
Chartres Cathedral
part of William’s legacy
Latin -- church, schools
French -- court, castle
English -- commoners
The 3 Estates in the Middle Ages
• The idea of estates, or orders, was
encouraged during the Age, but this
ordering was breaking down.
– Clergy
• Latin chiefly spoken, those who
pray, purpose was to save
everyone’s soul
– Nobles
• French chiefly spoken, those who
fight, purpose was to protect—
allow for all to work in peace—
and provide justice
– Commoners
• English spoken, those who work,
purpose was to feed and clothe
all above them
The Middle Ages
(1066-1485)
William, Duke of Normandy
The Battle of Hastings (October 1066)
• Daylong battle near Hastings, England
• Defeated King Harold of England, the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings,
this began the Norman Conquest
• The new group under William’s reign became known as the AngloNormans. The Norman Conquest of England created a powerful
Anglo-Norman entity and brought England into the mainstream of
European civilization
• Why did William attack?
– He was an illegitimate son of the previous Duke of Normandy and
cousin to the English king called Edward the Confessor.
– When Edward died childless, Harold, the earl of Wessex, was crowned
the next day.
– William claimed that the throne had been promised to him.
William the Conqueror:
Battle of Hastings, 1066
(Bayeaux Tapestry)
As a ruler . . .
• An efficient and ruthless
soldier, William did not want
to eliminate the Anglo-Saxons,
he wanted to rule them.
• England did not start speaking French, they kept their own
language.
• William’s first administrative feat –the Domesday Book—
often called Doomsday Book– William the Conquerer had
everyone’s personal property catalogued so he could tax it.
For the first time people could be taxed on what they
owned.
• Brought a new social system to England - feudalism
Feudalism
•
Feudalism was an economic, social
and military system in which vassals,
or tenants, pledged their loyalty to a
lord, exchanging work on his land, or
service in his military in return for his
protection.
•
Land parceled out to lords who
supported the Norman king
•
Lords then granted land to vassals in
exchange for loyalty/oath of military
duty
•
Feudalism is important as it created
ties of obedience and fostered a
sense of loyalty between the vassals
and their lord.
Taxes
Appointed for
protection and
to handle
territory.
Appointed to
protect both
the lord and
king.
Appointed to
work the land
and provide
food.
Feudalism
•Pyramid of
Power,religious
concept of hierarchy,
with the king at the
top of the pyramid and
peasants at the
bottom. (Don’t forget
about God,above
king.)
• Note: though the peasants were the largest group in society,
they had the least power
Knighthood
•
With feudalism came a sense of formalism –
knighthood and the code of chivalry.
•
Young males, above the serf class, were trained from
an early age to become warriors.
•
To be sure that their training was strict, they were
removed from their home and trained elsewhere.
•
Around the age of twenty, a young knight was
“dubbed,” or ceremonially tapped on the shoulder,
and only then does he get the full rights of the
warrior caste and the title “sir.”
•
Knighthood was grounded in the feudal ideal of
loyalty. Knights had a system of social codes that
they were not permitted to break.
Knighthood and Chivalry
Chivalry
• A product of feudalism, chivalry
was an idealized system of
manners and morals
– Restricted to nobility
• The Medieval knight was bound to
the chivalric code to be loyal to…
– God
– his lord
– his lady
• Chivalric ideals encouraged knights
to be:
–
–
–
–
–
–
generous
brave
honest
pious
honorable
to defend the weak and to battle
evil and uphold good.
– benevolent
– Sir Gawain is an example
Chivalry and Courtly Love
•
A new element of courtly love served to distinguish romances
from the earlier epics and gives rise to first romantic literature
•
The knight’s deeds were not performed in the service of king or
country, but on behalf of a beautiful, fair, and noble lady who was
above him in status and usually married--and therefore
unattainable.
•
The tradition of courtly love began in the eleventh century by
troubadours (poet-musicians) who sang lyrics based on the theme
of courtly love.
•
In its ideal form it was nonsexual, and viewed as a
means of self-improvement.
•
The idea was that a knight acting in the name of a lady would
make him braver and better.
•
He might wear her colors in battle, glorify her in words, and be
inspired by her, but she should always remain pure and out of
reach
The Crusades (1095-1270)
• a series of wars waged by European Christians against
the Muslims, with Jerusalem and the Holy Land as the
prize
• Heathens could not occupy the land of Jesus in the
minds of English
• England ultimately failed to hold Jerusalem
• BUT, they gained enormous amounts of knowledge in
mathematics, astronomy, architecture, and crafts
Martyrdom of Thomas a Becket
• Shrine of Sir Thomas a Becket located in Canterbury
• Thomas had risen to great power as chancellor, and
was appointed the archbishop of Canterbury by King
Henry II
• King Henry II hoped by appointing a friend to the position
he would gain an upper hand in any disputes with the
Church
• BUT, Thomas took the pope’s side much more often than
King Henry’s side
• In December 1170 Henry was furious and raged, “Will no
one rid me of this turbulent priest?” Four of his knights
took him seriously and murdered Becket in his own
cathedral.
• Public outrage led to devotion of St. Thomas the Martyr,
this weakened the king’s power and strengthened the
church’s
The New City Classes
• Because the population continued to
grow, people began living in towns and
cities, eventually making the feudal
castle obsolete
• A lower, middle, and upper class developed, their
lives not dictated by a feudal lord
• First cities were London and Canterbury
• People of the cities were free, tied neither to the
land nor to knighthood
The Magna Carta
•
•
•
•
Power to (some of ) the people
return to older, democratic tendencies
signed by King John in 1215
the English barons pushed (in other words,
FORCED) him to sign the document, thus ending
central monarchical power.
• Magna Carta later became the basis for English
constitutional law, which gave rights such as trial by
jury and legislative taxation
The Hundred Years’ War
• First major national war for England,
waged against the French
• Why? based on the dubious claims
to the throne of France by two
English kings – Edward III and
Henry V
• It was ultimately unsuccessful for
the English, but it did change the
look of England – no longer known
by a knight in shining armor, rather a
green clad yeoman with his longbow,
these yeoman formed the nucleus of
the English armies
• How long was the Hundred Years’
War?
– 116 years (1337-1453)
The Black Death
• bubonic plague, struck England around 1348
• highly contagious, spread through infected fleas from
rats
• the disease reduced the population by a third, thus
causing a labor shortage
• this led to the serf’s freedom (he was needed for
labor elsewhere) and the complete end of feudalism
• (this ends the Middle Ages)
Enough already!
I thought this was an English class!
Languages
• Latin was the language of the Roman
Catholic Church, which dominated Europe
• The Church was the only source of
education
• Thus, Latin was a common language for
Medieval writings.
Characteristics of Medieval Literature
• Heroism
– from both Germanic and Christian traditions,
sometimes mingled
• Beowulf
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
• Presentations of idealized behavior
– literature as moral lesson
• loyalty to king
• chivalry
Use of Allegory
• An allegory is a figurative (symbolistic) mode of
representation conveying a meaning other than
the literal.
• Much of medieval literature relied on allegory to
convey the morals the author had in mind while
writing--representations of abstract qualities,
events, and institutions are thick in much of the
literature of this time.
• Everyman is a good example of allegory during
this time period.
Characteristics of Medieval Literature
• Romance
– Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
– A narrative in prose or verse that tells of the
adventures and heroic exploits of chivalric heroes
• exploits of knights
• often a supernatural element involved
• Christian message
– concern with salvation and the world to come
– no interest in social change
• until the late 14th century
• Chaucer signals new thinking, up-ending social order
Characteristics of Medieval Literature
• The Quest
• In addition to the theme of Courtly Love, the
Quest was highly important:
• A quest is a hero’s journey towards a goal. The
objects of quests require great exertion on the
part of the hero, and the overcoming of many
obstacles.
• The hero must obtain something, or someone, by
the quest and with this object return home.
Characteristics of Medieval Literature
The Hero
• Is often of divine descent endowed with “great strength
and ability" or "a man admired for his achievements and
noble qualities"
• Usually, an inner and outer problem for the character is set.
• The hero is introduced; audience identifies with them
• The hero lacks something, has a tragic flaw, or a deep
wound
• The call often produces disorientation and discomfort for
the hero
• The call is often in the form of a dire warning
Characteristics of Medieval Literature
The Hero
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Excuses are used to avoid the call
This hesitation illustrates the formidability of the challenge ahead
Resistance creates change and strength, allowing the hero to grow
A physical or metaphorical crossing is made
The crossing is an irrevocable leap of faith, from which there’s no
turning back
The hero faces his greatest fear
The hero “dies,” so he can be reborn
The hero gains new perception
This new perception may create a moment of clarity
The moment may be of great self-realization for the hero
It may also be an epiphany for the hero’s companions
Authors and Works of the Middle
Ages
Everyman
A morality/miracle play to teach a lesson to
its viewers. It’s about a character named
Everyman who confronts Death and has to
find which of his friends will go with him.
Dante Aligheri
(writes Divine Comedy 1307)
Author of the Divine Comedy which is
comprised of The Inferno, Purgatorio
and Paradisio.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
(1375)
A tale about Arthur’s knights and the Round
Table, Sir Gawain accepts the Green Knights
challenge to exchange blows. The story
might really be about redemption and sin.
Canterbury Tales (written 1387)
Canterbury Tales was written in Middle
English by Geoffrey Chaucer who is often
called the father of English poetry. He is
credited with making English respectable.
Until Chaucer most literature and
documents of importance were done in
Latin.