Literatura Medieval

** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
http://www.sarasuati.com
Tema43:
Laliteratura
Medievalde
transmisinoral.La
leyendaArtrica.G.
Chaucer:Los
cuentosde
Canterbury.
MadhatterWylder
29/05/2009
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
La literatura Medieval
M
de transmisin oral. LLa leyenda Artrrica. G. Chaucerr: Los cuentos d
de Canterbury.
Topic 43::
Table of contents
1. Olld English period

p
_____
____________________
______________________________
___ 3
1.11. Poetry ___________________________________
________________________________
____ 3
1.22. Prose ____________________________________
________________________________
____ 4
2. Eaarly Middlee English Peeriod _______________

______________________________
___ 5
2.11. Medieval sources of the
t legend off King Arth
hur. ____________________________
____ 5
2.22. The Arthu
urian legend
d ____________________
________________________________
____ 6
2.2.1. Argum
ment ________________________________
____________________________________
_____ 6
2.2.2. The Main Characters ______________________
____________________________________
_____ 7
(
Tablee & Grial) ___________________________
_____ 9
2.2.3. Themees of the Arthuurian Legend (Round
2.2.4. The Grrial. ________________________________
____________________________________
_____ 9
2.2.4.1. Ceeltic Traditionns of the Graill ___________
____________________________________
____ 10
2.2.4.2. Eaastern Traditioons of the Graail __________
____________________________________
____ 10
2.2.4.3. Chhristian Interppretations of thhe Grail _____
____________________________________
____ 10
2.2.5. The leggendary Histoory of Britain. ___________
____________________________________
____ 12
2.2.6. Perceval or the Storyy of the Grail. ___________
____________________________________
____ 13
S
___________________________
____________________________________
____ 14
2.2.7. Short Summary
3. Laate Middle English

E
Litterature. ____________
______________________________
__ 16
3.11. About Geeoffrey Chau

ucer. _________________
________________________________
___ 16
3.22. Backgrou
und to the Caanterbury Tales
T
______
________________________________
___ 20
3.33. The Canteerbury taless. ____________________
________________________________
___ 21
Bibliiography_____________
____________________
______________________________
__ 23
Brieff summary. _________
____________________
______________________________
__ 24
Ivn Matellanes
s Notes
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
La literatura Medieval de transmisin oral. La leyenda Artrica. G. Chaucer: Los cuentos de Canterbury.
1. Old English period
The Anglo-Saxons (5th C) brought with them a vigorous oral poetic
tradition. The writing of prose took place later on, when they converted into
Christianity, but even then, prose remained much more secondary than poetry.
1.1. Poetry
The most important Anglo-Saxon contribution to European literature is
Beowulf, an epic poem of 3,280 lines probably composed in the mid-8th C. It
narrates the combat between an ideal Germanic hero and demon monsters,
with background of legendary history and Christian symbolism. Beowolf is
the great poetic monument in Britain before Chaucer.
Throughout the story of Beowulf, one finds many elements of
Christian philosophy: that man survives only through the protection of God,
that all earthly gifts flow from God, and that the proper bearing of man is to be
humble and unselfish. However, there is also a strong sense of heroic pride
within Beowulf which is at times in direct conflict with these Christian

values. Thus, we see the dichotomies of pride vs. humility and sacrifice vs.
selfishness. In "Further Celebration at Heorot" , Hrothgar reminds Beowulf of
the lessons of the Greek tragedians: that pride, untempered by humility, will
result in the tragic fall. But he also teaches the lessons of Christian philosophy:
that wealth, accumulated through the grace of God, must be shared unselfishly.
Throughout the story Beowulf repeatedly acknowledges God as his
protector. When Beowulf relates his battle with Grendel's mother, he states
that "The fight would have ended straightaway if God had not guarded me"
(1.4). Further exemplified by the powerfully stated "most often He has guided
the man without friends" (1.5), there is a sense of mystical protection
permeating all of Beowulf's actions. However, there is also a strong sense that
God's protection must be earned; a warrior must first be true to his values,
courage, honesty, pride, and humility and only then will he earn God's
protection.
In addition to earthly protection, there is also the sense that all earthly
good, be it success or wealth, derives from God. For example, when
Ivn Matellanes Notes
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
about to fight Grendel's mother in her cave, Beowulf sees a great weapon
hanging on the wall. But he does not take credit for this perception. The credit
is given to God: "But the Wielder of Men granted me that I should see hanging
on the wall a fair, ancient great-sword" (1.5). And later in the passage,
Hrothgar tells Beowulf that even the status of king is achieved through the
grace of God. When telling of Heremod, a king who falls victim to pride and
selfishness, Hrothgar tells Beowulf "he turned away from the joys of men,
alone, notorious king, although mighty God had raised him in power, in the joys
of strength, had set him up over all men" (4.4). And again, "It is a wonder to
say how in His great spirit God gives wisdom to mankind, land and earlship. He
possesses power over all things. At times He lets the thought of a man of high
lineage move in delight" (5.1). In other words, a king's earthly power is only an
illusion. The true power lies with God. Any "delight" that a man enjoys here on
earth is achieved only through the grace of God.
Moreover, Hrothgar tells Beowulf that earthly success, given by God,
must be handled with humility and a sense of sharing or the earthly king will
bring on his own doom. Hrothgar tells Beowulf of a selfish king: "What he has
long held seems to him too little, angry-hearted he covets, no plated rings does
he give in mens honor, and then he forgets and regards not his destiny because
of what God, Wielder of Heaven, has given him before, his portion of glories"
(5.13). The phrase "he covets" is strongly reminiscent of the Christian Ten
Commandments, that material desire leads to wanting more and more until
nothing will suffice. Thus, a good king is willing to share his earthly
possessions; he is one who "recklessly gives precious gifts, not fearfully guard
them" (5.18). Hrothgar tells Beowulf that life itself is a gift from God, that even
the human body is "loaned" (5.17), and that it eventually "weakens, falls
doomed" (5.17).
1.2. Prose
Following Latin models, OE prose consisted largely of traditions. King
Alfred (c.848-899) made many translations of Latin philosophic and theological
writings. However, it was not until the monastic revival of the later 10th C that
prose became a conscious literary art.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
The most outstanding work in OE prose is the Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle, which begins in the 7th C and ends up in the 12th C. It is a
wonderful example of vernacular prose in Europe and also marks the beginning
of non-Latin historiography.
2. Early Middle English Period
2.1. Medieval sources of the legend of King Arthur.

The battle of Mount Badonin which, according to the
Gildas
Annales Cambriae (c.1150), Arthur carried the Cross of Jesus
NO reference to
on his shouldersbut not Arthur's name, is mentioned (c.540)

by GILDAS1. The earliest apparent mention of Arthur in any
Arthur in a battle he
was supposed to be
known literature is a brief reference to a mighty warrior in the
Nennius (800)
Welsh poem Gododdin (c.600). Arthur next appears in NENNIUS
Dux Arthur who won
(c.800) as a Celtic warrior who fought (c.600) 12 victorious
12 bettles
battles against the Saxon invaders.
Geoffrey of
These and several subsequent references indicate that his
Monmouth
legend had already developed into a considerable literature
King Arthur as a
before GEOFFREY
OF
MONMOUTH wrote his Historia Regum
conqueror
Britanniae (c.1135), in which he elaborated on the feats of
Waces Roman de
King Arthur whom he represented as the conqueror of
Brut
Western Europe. After Geoffrey's Historia came WACE's Roman
Transformed
de Brut (c.1155), which infused the legend with the spirit of
Monmouths legend
chivalric romance. The Brut (c.1200) of LAYAMON, modeled on

Wace's work, gives one of the best pictures of Arthur as a
national hero.
Layamons Brut
Translation of
Waces version, with
th
CHRTIEN DE TROYES, a 12 C French poet, wrote five romances some added features
dealing with the knights of Arthur's court. His Perceval
contains the earliest extant literary version of the quest of the

Holy Grail.
Chrtien de
Troyes
Gildas, Saint , d. 570, British historian, possibly a Welsh monk. Shortly before 547 he wrote
the De excidio et conquestu Britanniae, a Latin history of Britain dealing with the Roman
invasion and the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England, the earliest authority for the period. He
explained the Germanic invasions as God's punishment for the sins of the Romano-British
Christians.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
After 1225 no significant medieval Arthurian literature was
Vulgate Cycle
produced on the Continent. In England, however, the legend
(c.1200)
continued to flourish. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Post Vulgate Cycle
(c.1370), one of the best Middle English romances, embodies
(c.1250)
the ideal of chivalric knighthood. The last important medieval
Sir Gawain and
work dealing with the Arthurian legend is the Morte d'Arthur of
the green knight
SIR THOMAS MALORY, whose tales have become the source for
most subsequent Arthurian material. Many writers have used
Sir Thomas Malorys
Arthurian themes since Malory, notably Tennyson in his Idylls
Morte dArthur
of the King. Swinburne, William Morris, and Edwin Arlington
Robinson also wrote poetic works based on the legend. T. H.
White's trilogy The Once and Future King (1958) is a charming

and decidedly 20th C retelling of the Arthurian story.
2.2. The Arthurian legend
A knight, in this period, is seen as a compendium of Christian virtues:
HELMET: Caritas
SHIELD: trinity; Stand for Christian doctrine -------------
SPEAR(=lanza): fortitude
HORSE: Goodwill
SPUR(=espuela): Discipline
SWORD: Metaphor of the cross ( T )
2.2.1. Argument
The Arthurian legend is the body of stories concerning
King Arthur. This famous cycle of medieval romances
describes the birth of Arthur, the establishment of the
fellowship of the round table, his own exploits (=gestas)
and those of the knights, the adultery of Lancelot and
Guinevere, the quest for the Holy grail, led to the

destruction of that fellowship and to the death of Arthur
himself.
Knight =
Christian Virtues
Birth King Arthur
Round Table
exploits
Lancelot adultery
quest of the Grail
Death of King Arthur
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
2.2.2. The Main Characters

- King Arthur:
Legendary King, sovereign of the knights of the round table. Welsh
literature turns Arthur into a King of wonders and marvels (opposed to what
Nennius described in 800). From the beginning of the 12th Century, Arthurian
stories were in circulation in France.

- Guinevere:
King Arthurs wife. From early times, there is a tradition related with the
abduction and infidelity of Guinevere. In the French Lancelot, by Chrtien de
Troyes, She is rescued by Lancelot and this story is incorporated in the Vulgate
cycle. It is thorugh Lancelots love for her that she is best known
- Lancelot:
Also known as Lancelot of the Lake. He is one of the greatest knights in
Arthurian romance. He is the lover of Guinevere and the father of Galahand. It
was Chrtien de Troyes who first named Lancelot in a list of Arthurs knights,
making him the rescuer and the lover of Guinevere, and briefly mentioning that
he was brought up by a fairy in a lake. It was said that Chriene was obliged to
write and adultery history because his producer (Marie de Champagne) told him
so.
- Merlin:
Enchanter (=hechicero) and counsellor of King Uther and his son Arthur.
Merlin, to whom many political prophecies were ascribed (=atribuidas) throughout
the Middle ages, is a fascinating and enigmatic figure with a strange ancestry,
half man, half demon. The name appears as Myrddin in Welsh tradition. In
Monmouth,
Merlin can perform extraordinary events, such as bringing
Stonehege from Ireland. In the Arthurian romances, there are many
inconcictences in the character of Merlin. In any case, he is almost invariably

the prophet of the Grail and the source of much of the magic taking place.
- Gawain:
King Arthurs nephew.
He plays an imp pseudo-historic rol in
Monmouths HRB, where he is sent as ambassador to the Romans. In the

Famous Sir Gawain and the green night, an English anonymous poem of the
14th C, an episode of decapitation challenge is attributed to him. Although he is
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
not the hero in any of the 12th C romances of Chrtien de Troyes, he is always
one of the principals characters and an example of a good night. However, in

the 13th C Vulgate cycle, the attitude towards Gawain changes, connected with
the change in attitude through the introduction of the Grail theme, contrasting
his earthly chivalry with Galahands heavenly chivalry
- Galahand:
Lancelots son. One of the three Arthurian Knights, together with
Perceval and Behort, who take part in the quest. In the Lancelot prose cycle,
Galahand is given importance for two reasons:
1. to link the grail quest to the story of Lancelot.
2. the grail theme is given a more austere theological significance, demanding a
Grail winner whose genealogy could be traced back to David and whose very
name is linked to the biblical place named Gilead, one of the mystic
appellations of Christ
According to Malorys Morte dArthur, Galahand is the chief winner of
the grail and consequently entitled to the siege perilious, the seat at the
round table reserved for the knight successful in the grail quest
- Perceval:
Winner of the Grail in the oldest existing account of the quest for the
Holy Grail. In de Troyes Roman de Perceval the character is astonishingly
innocent, and this remains his dominant feature in Arthurian Romance. In this
poem, he has a lady, Blancehflor, but unlike Lancelot, his chivalry is not
inspired by human love but it is given a more spiritual motivation. As he seeks

for the Grail, so he gradually learns the true meaning of chivalry and its close
connection with the teachings of the Church.
Both in the Vulgate cycle and in Malory, through replaced by
Galahand as winner of the Grail quest, Perceval still plays an important part. His
childlike innocence protects him from temptation
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
2.2.3. Themes of the Arthurian Legend (Round Table & Grial)

- The round Table:
It is 1st mentioned in the Roman de Brut by Wace, in which Arthur
has a round table made so that none of his barons could claim preference over
the others. The idea of fellowship of the round table is not remarkable in the
romances of Chrtine de Troyes and it is only in the prose cycle of the 13th C
that the fellowship becomes comparable to the great orders of chivalry founded
in the late Middle ages. This conception culminates in the Morte dArthur by
Malory for whom the notion of chivalry is unseparable from that of a great
military brotherhood established in the household of a great prince.
In the peculiar messianic Grail poem of Robert de Borron Joseph
dArimathie , Joseph is commanded to make a table in commemoration of

the last supper and to leave a place empty to symbolize the seat of Judas. This
seat cannot be occupied without peril except by the destiner finder of the Grail.
In his Merlin, Robert relates that Merlin constructed a table for King Uther2
following the model of Josephs Grail table. In the Vulgate cycle, the grail
story is fully integrated with the legend of Arthur, the round table theme attains
its classical form and it is a formal order of kinghood. Admission to it is
reserved to the most valiant and the Siege perilious (The empty seat) is left
vacant waiting for the arrival of the strange figure of Galahand, who will bring
Arthurs kingdom to an end.
2.2.4. The Grial.
The legends of the Holy Grail are woven of three strands: a
Celtic tradition of otherworld vessels and supernaturally powerful weapons;
an Arabic or Byzantine tradition of a mysterious stone that had fallen

from the heavens; and a Christian tradition, perhaps of Gnostic or
heretical origin, of a mysterious talisman.
Arthurs father
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
10
2.2.4.1. Celtic Traditions of the Grail
Jessie Weston held the view that there lay at the root of the Grail
tradition, the rites of a secret mystery cult. The Grail might have been a
sacramental dish of the kind used in the Orphic tradition and apparently
taken over by the Christian Church; this possibility is explored in the fourth
volume of Joseph Campbell's The Masks of God. Miss Weston also suggested
that the Bleeding Lance, carried by a squire, and the Grail, carried by a
maiden, must have been originally symbolic elements of a classical mystery
rite.
Loomis held the alternative view that the origin of the Grail legends
was Celtic. The Celtic gods of the Underworld or of the Land Beneath the
Waves (Nodens or Nuadua, Gwynn ap Nudd, Manannnan Mac Lir, Bran the
Blessed) possessed magic vessels of inexhaustible ambrosia and were to be
found in mysterious castles hidden in mist, surrounded by water or by
impenetrable forest.
2.2.4.2. Eastern Traditions of the Grail
Wolfram's Parzival contains passages that reveal a knowledge of events
in the Levant, as might have been told by returning crusaders. Indeed, Wolfram
claims to have taken his subject matter from a book given to him by Philip,
Duke of Flanders, who had been in those lands in 1177. He also cites as a
source a certain mysterious Kyot, who provided him with further material from
the south of France or perhaps Moorish Spain (and the Kabbalah of the Spanish
Jews). So there are Arabic and other elements in Wolfram's story that do not
appear in his primary source, Chrtien's unfinished poem.
In Wolfram's account, the Grail is a stone that fell from the
heavens. It is by the power of this stone that the phoenix rises from the
ashes. Hence Wagner's reference to the meteoric stone in the mosque at
Mecca.
2.2.4.3. Christian Interpretations of the Grail
- Arthur, the Once and Future King:

With the appearance in 1136 of The History of the Kings of Britain,
an extraordinary book written by Geoffrey of Monmouth, the names of the
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
11
mythical hero Arthur and the mythical wizard Merlin became inseparably
linked. The book became the medieval equivalent of a best seller, with an
enormous number of copies being made (in an age before the printing press)
and circulated throughout western Europe. Many adaptations and paraphrases
were made in Latin prose and verse, and then vernacular versions appeared in
Old English, Old French or Welsh. The characters and ideas of Geoffrey's book
were developed by French writers, such as Marie de France and Chrtien de
Troyes. Other tales were related to the court of Arthur: these included the love
story of Tristam and Yseult or Tristan and Isolde (of which the earliest
version appeared around 1150) and the story of the Grail and its guardian, the
Fisher King.
-Grail Romances:
The medieval romances that tell of the Holy Grail divide into two groups.
In the first group are the different versions of the story of the quester who
visits the Grail Castle, where he witnesses miracles but fails to ask the vital
Question. In the earlier versions of this story, the quester is either Gawain or
Perceval. In the second and smaller group are the romances dealing with the
early history of the Grail. These describe the history of a sacred vessel in which
the blood of Christ had been captured. Joseph Campbell divided the literature
of Arthur, Merlin and the Holy Grail into four overlapping phases:
The first of these phases was concentrated on Arthur and Merlin. In
the second, the focus moved to the knights of Arthur's court, including
PERCEVAL & GAWAIN, whose adventures were described in Chrtien's
Perceval ou Le Conte du Graal. Loomis and other scholars have argued
that, in view of the differences and similarities between the story of Peredur in
the Mabinogion and the French works, both Perceval and Peredur son of
Evrawc must have derived from a common predecessor, probably written in

French, which has been lost without trace.
The third phase was motivated by an attempt by the Church to take over the
popular figures and events of the courtly romances and to utilise them in the
promotion of Christian doctrines. There were two major components in this
movement:
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
12
In the final phase, the literature of the Holy Grail reached its apogee in the
work of the poet-knight Wolfram. As Oswald Spengler pointed out, it was with
Wolfram that western civilization arrived at a mythology of inwardly motivated

quest, directed from within: the tragic line of the individual life develops from
within outward, dynamically, functionally.
In the last of the Continuations to Chrtien, probably written about 1230, the
Fisher King reveals that the bleeding spear is the lance that pierced the side of
Christ and that the Grail is the cup in which Joseph of Arimathea caught the
blood of Christ. This interpretation is also described in Robert de Boron's
Joseph d'Arimathie, finished about 1199. There is one element of de Boron's
story that found its way into Wagner's story although it does not appear either
in Chrtien or the Continuations: the Grail ceremony induces pain in any sinner
present. None of this is found in Wolfram and it may be supposed that Wagner
had read a text that referred to, or summarised, Joseph d'Arimathie.
2.2.5. The legendary History of Britain.

Although stories about King Arthur and his court were extremely popular
in Wales before the 11th century, the Arthurian legend as known today is almost
wholly the creation of the French Middle ages. Arthur achieved European fame
through the The History of the Kings of Britain (c.1135) by G.
Monmouth. He created, partly from the Celtic tradition but still more from
classical and biblical reminiscences, the fictional history of a glorious Britain

ruler called Arthur. The concept of a great warrior who triumphaly defeats the
Saxons is taken from Nunnius Historia Britonum.
Chrtien De Troyes made Arthur the somewhat passive ruler of a realm
of marvels, though retaining the imperial status G. Monmouth had given him.
Chrtiens works are basically adventure romances with a strong love interest,
in which high-born young knights and his lady-love play the leading roles.
The Arthurian Prose Romances of the 13th C are built around two main
themes: The winning of the Grail and the love story of Lancelot and
Guinevere. R. de Borron in his Merlin had established links btw the round
table, Merlin and the Grail hero Perceval.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
13
The Vulgate cycle was a cyclic work around Lancelot and his flaterring
with Guinevere. It connected the theme of Lancelot and Guinevere with the
Grail legend through the figure of Galahand, the Grail guard. In the branch of
the Vulgate cycle known as the Queste del saint Graal, Galahand achives
the vision of God through the Grail as fully as possible, Whereas Lancelot,
stained (=manchado) by his adultery with Guinevere, is shown as a novice. The
Lancelot story was prefaced by another branch of the cycle based on Borrons
Merlin, which tells of Arthurs birth, his adoption by the father of Kay, and his
winning of the crown by drawing scalibur.
The legend was transmitted to Sir Thomas Malory in the 15th C. Thanks
to him, Arthurs legend remained alive in England up to the 17th C.
2.2.6. Perceval or the Story of the Grail.

The story begins in the spring in a peasant environment. Peasants are
usually represented as ignorant and stupid, whereas the knights are a superior
class. Perceval is NOT a real peasant. All the male members of his family have
been Knights, but now his father has left the court because of its corruption.
Perceval wants to leave, to what his mother advices him to go ahead but to go
to church as often as possible (Christian propaganda). When Perceval leaves,
his mother falls death. He is able to see it, but he runs away as quick as
possible. This is a clear demonstration of his lack of Morals at this point in the
story. Perceval also shows his lack of morals when he stoles the lady of the tent
her ring, which was a present of her lover. Now her lover could think that she
has been unfair, as she does not have the ring.
In King Arthurs court, the Red Knight hits Perceval, and he brutally kills
the Knight. The Red Knight dies in a dishonourable way because he is killed by
a peasant (Perceval is not yet a Knight) with the aid of a javelin (not even a
sword).
Perceval is trained to become a Knight. He is trained in arms, in manners
(help maiden, be merciful) and in morals (go to church). Once a knight, he asks
for shelter in an undersedge castle. There, Perceval comes across a Maiden
with some problems. A knight wants her territory and her body, to what she
obviously opposes. The Maiden is the niece of the Lord who have just trained
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
14
Perceval. She uses sexual approaches in order to convince him to help her. She
wants to vassal him (a vessel in the courtly love sense). Now, he is her vassal.
This help will end up in his first courtly fight as a knight. Now, we can see his
courtly manners, as he dismounts his horse once the enemy falls down his.
Perceval does not kill his enemy when asking for mercy.
- Evolution of Perceval:
FOREST
Innocent Perceval
Incident of the tent

uncourtly
Moment of initiation
Perceval knighted
Courtly love with

the maiden
Improvement
Improvement
Fight against the Red Knight

Does not know about knightly
combat
Knightly combat
Courtly combat and merciful
His Mother
Only when he has completed his mothers
desire (become a knight) does he remind her.
2.2.7. Short Summary

Gildas
NO reference to Arthur in a battle he was supposed to be
Nennius (800)
Historia Britonium
Geoffrey of Monmouth
Description of Dux Arthurs 12 battles agains the Saxons.

Arthur is said to be a professional soldier serving the
British King. Source from were Monmouth will exaggerate
his King Arthur.
King Arthur is seen as a conqueror
Merlin can perform extraordinary events, as guessing the
future.
Gawain played an imp pseudo-historic rol, where he is
sent as ambassador to the Romans.
The History of the Kings

of Britain (c1135)
A Latin account of the British
Kings who reigned before
Christ
Waces Roman de Brut

(1155) Transformed
Monmouths legend
Layamons Brut (1200)

Translation of Waces
version, with some added
features. Long verse
chronical.
It contains material that does not appear in Monmouths

version
The Round table is 1st mentioned
It contains material that does not appear in Monmouths

version
The Brut is important for including the earliest surviving
English Romanic legends of King Arthur. Layamon is the
fountainhead of the English Arthurian romance. However, it
was from France that it got its best influences.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
Chrtien de Troyes
Five Romances (c.1160-80)
Robert de Borrons
Joseph dArimathie
(Grail poem) and Merlin
(1180-99)
Vulgate4 Cycle (1215-30)
There seems to have existed

an early prose romance of
Lancelots successful flatering
of Guinevere. This romance
became the center of a cyclic
work known as Vulgate
Cycle.
Sir Thomas Malorys

Morte dArthur
3
4
15
The Romances are basically adventure ones with a strong

love interest.
Lancelot saves Guinevere and becomes his lover.
Gawain is NEVER the protagonist, but he is always one of
the principal characters.
Perceval is astonishingly innocent.
The idea of fellowship of the round table is not
remarkable.
The first exiting text giving The grail special significance as
a mysterious, holy vessel is Roman de Perceval or Le
conte del Graal
Joseph is commanded to make a table in commemoration
of the last supper and to leave a place empty to symbolize
the seat of Judas.
Borron established links btw the round table, Merlin and the
Grail hero Perceval
In Merlin, Merlin constructed a table for King Uther3
following the model of Josephs Grail table
Morron identifies the Grail with the vessel of the last supper
It connected the theme of Lancelot and Guinevere with the
Grail legend through the figure of Galahand, the Grail
guard.
The lady of the lakes careful education combined with
his love for Guinevere produced an almost divine knight;
the perfect representative of earthly chivalry: Lancelot.
In later versions, Lancelot is surpassed by his own son
Galahand.
The attitude towards Gawain changes, connected with the
change in attitude through the introduction of the Grail
theme, contrasting his earthly chivalry with Galahands
heavenly chivalry.
Though replaced by Galahand as winner of the Grail
quest, Perceval still plays an important part. His childlike
innocence protects him from temptation.
The fellowship of the Round table becomes comparable to
the great orders of chivalry founded in the late Middle ages.
The round table theme attains its classical form and it is
a formal order of kinghood.
The real meaning of the grail has nothing to do with
knightly adventure, but it is purely theological. The grail is
the symbol of divine grace and that the theme of the
romancew is NOT the quest for salvation, but for divine
vision.
Galahand is the chief winner of the grail and consequently
entitled to the siege perilious
though replaced by Galahand as winner of the Grail quest,
Perceval still plays an important part. His childlike
innocence protects him from temptation
Arthurs father
name of the Latin version of the Bible used by the Roman Catholic Church in the early 3rd C.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
16
3. Late Middle English Literature.

3.1. About Geoffrey Chaucer.
Before William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer was the preeminent
English poet, and still retains the position as the most significant poet to write
in Middle English. Chaucer was born in the early 1340s to a middle-class
family. His father, John Chaucer, was a vintner (=vinatero) and deputy
(=delegado) to the king's butler (=steward).
His family's financial success
came from work in the wine and leather businesses. Chaucer probably spent his
boyhood in the mercantile atmosphere of Londons vintry, where ships docked
with wines from France and Spain. Here, he would have mixed daily with
people of all sorts, heard several languages spoken. Little information exists
about Chaucer's education, but his writings demonstrate a close familiarity with
a number of important books of his contemporaries and of earlier times.
Chaucer was likely fluent in several languages, including French, Italian and
Latin. Instead of apprenticing Chaucer to the family business, however, his
father was able to place him, in his early teens, in one of the great aristocratic
households of England: The Countness of Ulster, married to Prince Lionel,

second son of Edward III (King of England).
This was his first appearance in public records (1357) as a member of
the house of Elizabeth, Countess of Ulster. This was a conventional

arrangement in which sons of middle-class households were placed in
royal service so that they may obtain a courtly education. Two years
later Chaucer served in the army under Edward III and was captured
during an unsuccessful offensive at Reims, although he was later ransomed
(=rescatado). Chaucer served under a number of diplomatic missions. By 1366
Chaucer had married Philippa Pan, who had been in service with the Countess
of Ulster. Chaucer married well for his position, for Philippa Chaucer received an
annuity (=renta vitalicia)
from the queen consort of Edward II. Chaucer
himself secured an annuity as yeoman of the king and was listed as one of the
king's esquires.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
17
Chaucer's first published work was The Book of the Duchess (in
his French Period), a poem of over 1,300 lines that is an elegy5 for the
Duchess of Lancaster. For this first of his important poems, which was
published in 1370, Chaucer used the dream-vision form, a genre made
popular by the highly influential 13th-century French poem of courtly love, the
Roman de la Rose, which Chaucer translated into English. Throughout the
following decade, Chaucer continued with his diplomatic career, traveling
to Italy for negotiations to open a Genoa port to Britain as well as military

negotiations
with
Milan.
During
his
missions
to
Italy,
Chaucer
encountered the work of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, which were

later to have profound influence upon his own writing. In 1374 Chaucer
was appointed controller of the customs and subsidy of wool, skins, and tanned
hides for the Port of London, his first position away from the British court.
Chaucer's only major work during this period was Hous of Fame (in his
French Period), a poem of around 2,000 lines in dream-vision form, but this
was not completed.
In a deed of May 1, 1380, Cecily Chaumpaigne charged Chaucer with
rape. Rape (raptus) could at the time mean either sexual assault or
abduction; scholars have not been able to establish which meaning applies
here, but, in either case, the release suggests that Chaucer was not guilty as
charged. This charge had little effect on Chaucer's political career. In October
1385, he was appointed a justice of the peace for Kent, and in August 1386 he
became knight of the shire for Kent. Around the time of his wife's death in
1387, Chaucer moved to Greenwich and later to Kent. These activities brought
Chaucer into association with the ruling nobility of the kingdom, with Prince
Lionel and his young brother John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, who was the
most powerlful baron during much of Chaucers lifetime, with their father King
Edward and with Edwards gradnson, Richard (II). Changing political

circumstances eventually led to Chaucer falling out of favor with the royal court
and leaving Parliament, but when Richard II became King of England, Chaucer
Meditative lyric poem lamenting the death of a public personage or of a friend or loved one;
by extension, any reflective lyric on the theme of human mortality.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
18
regained royal favor. During this period Chaucer used writing primarily as an
escape from public life. His works included Parliament of Fowls (=aves
de corral) (in his French Period), a poem of 699 lines. This work is a dreamvision for St. Valentine's Day that makes use of the myth that each year on that
day the birds gathered before the goddess Nature to choose their mates. This
work was heavily influenced by Boccaccio and Dante.
Chaucer's next work was Troilus and Criseyde (in his Italian
Period), which was influenced by The Consolation of Philosophy, written by the

Roman philosopher Boethius in the early sixth century and translated into
English by Chaucer. Chaucer took the plot of Troilus from Boccaccio's Filostrato.
This eight thousand line poem recounts the love story of Troilus, son of the
Trojan king Priam, and Criseyde, widowed daughter of the deserter priest
Calkas, against the background of the Trojan War. The first two books of
Troilus and Criseyde describe how Troilus fall in love with the reluctant
Criseyde and how Pandarus, by rather obscure strategies, bring her to love
Troilus. The third book, in which the love affair is consummated, continuous the
intrigue. The fourth and the fifth books told how Criseyde is sent to join her
father and how she falls in love with Diomede, breaking her faith to Troilus.
After a period of misery, Troilus is killed in a fight. Chaucer makes his Troilus
more innocent, more courtly than Boccaccios; and Criseyde more delicate,
timid, loving and vulnerable than Boccaccios heroine. The English Pandarus is
far more complex that the Italian one. Chaucer enriches the poem with whole
episodes of social detail, transporting the reader into a peculiarly

intimate vision of the 14th C courtly life. He inserts philosophical
reflections, by mouth of the characters. The ending is an extreme example of
Chaucers ambivalent view of the world as a mixture of good and bad, allowing
him to be at the same time satirical and tolerant.
Medieval social theory held that society was made upon three
estates (from the latin word status): The nobility, composed of a small
hereditary aristocracy, whose mission on earth was to rule over and defend the
body politic; The church, whose duty duty was to look after the spiritual
welfare of that body; and everyone else, the large mass of commoners who
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
19
were supposed to do the work that provided for its physical needs. The first
and third estates (Aristocracy and peasantry) are a matter of birth, while the
second (the Church) is entered into, willingly or not, by individuals of varying

social origin.6 By the late 14th C, however, these basic categories became
more complex, interrelated, and unstable social strata among which birth,
wealth, profession and personal ability all played a part in determining ones
status in a world that was rapidely changing economically, politically
and socially. Chaucers life and his works, specially The canterbuty tales, were
profoundly influenced by these forces. The Canterbury Tales secured Chaucer's
literary reputation. It is his great literary accomplishment, a compendium of
stories by pilgrims traveling to the shrine of Thomas a Becket in Canterbury.

Chaucer introduces each of these pilgrims in vivid brief sketches in the General
Prologue and intersperses the twenty-four tales with short dramatic scenes with
lively exchanges. Chaucer did not complete the full plan for the tales, and
surviving manuscripts leave some doubt as to the exact order of the tales that
remain. However, the work is sufficiently complete to be considered a unified
book rather than a collection of unfinished fragments. The Canterbury Tales is a
lively mix of a variety of genres told by travelers from all aspects of

society. Among the genres included are courtly romance, fabliau, saint's
biography, allegorical tale, beast fable and medieval sermon.
Information concerning Chaucer's descendants is not fully clear. It is
likely that he and Philippa had two sons and two daughters. Thomas Chaucer
died in 1434; he was a large landowner and political officeholder, and his
daughter, Alice, became duchess of Suffolk. Little is known about Lewis
Chaucer, Geoffrey Chaucer's youngest son. Of Chaucer's two daughters,

Elizabeth became a nun, while Agnes was a lady-in-waiting for the coronation
of Henry IV in 1399. Public records indicate that Chaucer had no descendants

living after the fifteenth century.
In addition to these broad categories, there were also three specifically feminine estates:
virgins, wives and widows. Note that the general (i.e. male) estates are defined by how one
makes a living (still thought by many today to be more important for men than for women),
while the "female" estates are defined by sexual activity, that is, according to the men with
whom the woman does, no longer does, or never did, sleep
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
20
3.2. Background to the Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is one of the landmarks of English literature,
perhaps the greatest work produced in Middle English and certainly among the
most ambitious. It is one of the few works of the English Middle Ages that has
had a continuous history of publication. It was the last of Geoffrey Chaucer's
works, written after Troilus and Criseyde during the final years of Chaucer's life.
Chaucer did not complete the entire Canterbury Tales as he designed it. He
structured the tales so that each pilgrim would tell four tales, leading to a total
of over one hundred tales. However, Chaucer only completed twenty-four tales,
not even completing one tale for each pilgrim.
The Canterbury Tales includes a number of tales that Chaucer had
written before creating the grand work itself. The Second Nun's Tale and the
Knight's Tale were included as part of Chaucer's biography in the prologue to
The Legend of Good Women, a poem by Chaucer that predated The Canterbury
Tales, but since those stories survive only as part of The Canterbury Tales and
not as independent works, it is impossible to determine whether Chaucer
transferred them entirely to The Canterbury Tales or adapted them from a

previous form.
The versions of The Canterbury Tales that remain in the present day
come from two different Middle English manuscripts known as the Ellesmere
and the Hengwrt manuscripts. The Ellesmere is the more famous of the two,
containing miniature pictures of each of the pilgrims at the head of each of

their respective tales, but compared to the Hengwrt manuscript the Ellesmere is
heavily edited for grammatical content. The Hengwrt is thus valued as the best
and most accurate manuscript of The Canterbury Tales. There are discrepancies
between the two versions concerning the order and inclusion of the tales. The
Hengwrt manuscript lacks the Canon's Yeoman's Prologue and tale, part of the
Parson's Tale, and several of the tales' prologues.
The structure of The Canterbury Tales is indebted to Boccaccio's
Decameron, a work by Chaucer's contemporary in which ten nobles from

Florence, to escape the plague, stay in a country villa and amuse each other by
each telling tales. Boccaccio had a significant influence on Chaucer. The
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
21
Knight's Tale was an English version of a tale by Boccaccio, while six of
Chaucer's tales have possible sources in the Decameron: the Miller's Tale, the
Reeve's, the Clerk's, the Merchant's, the Franklin's, and the Shipman's.
However, Chaucer's pilgrims to Canterbury form a wider range of society
compared to Boccaccio's elite storytellers, allowing for greater differences in

tone and substance.
No single literary genre dominates The Canterbury Tales. The tales
include romantic adventures, fabliaux, saint's biographies, animal fables,
religious allegories and even a sermon, and range in tone from pious, moralistic
tales to lewd and vulgar sexual farces. The form that Chaucer most often
employs for his tale is the fabliau. These tales generally concern lower class
characters; the standard form has an older husband whose younger wife has an
affair with a man of flexible social status. This can be seen most accurately in
the Miller's Tale, which strictly adheres to fabliau conventions. Throughout the
tales, two major themes emerge: the first is the idea of the unfaithful wife that
is employed not only in fabliau but other literary genres. The other is the idea
of the patient and suffering woman, who is exalted for her steadfast behaviour.
Chaucer exploits this division between the female saint and the whore
throughout The Canterbury Tales, with few tales whose plots do not centre at
least marginally around this distinction.
3.3. The Canterbury tales.
This work was probably first conceived in 1386, when he was living in
Greenwich, some miles east of London. From his house, he might have been
able to see the pilgrim road that lead towards the shrine (=relicario) of the
famous English Saint, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was
murdered in his cathedral two hundred years before. Medieval pilgrims were
notorious Tale tellers and the sight and the sound of the bands riding towards
Canterbury may well have suggested the idea of using fictious pilgrims as a
framing (=dar marco a) device for a number of stories. Collections of stories
linked by such a device were common in the late middle ages. Chaucers
contemporary John Gower had used one in his Confiesso amantis. The most
famous medieval framing tale besides Chaucer was Boccaccios Decameron, in

** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
22
which 10 different narrators each tell a tale with plots analogous to plots found
also in The Canterbury Tales.
Chaucers artistic exploitation of the evidence is, in any case, altogether
his own. Whereas in Gower a single speaker relates all the stories, and in
Boccaccio the ten speakers all belong to the same sophisticated social elite,
Chaucers pilgrim narrators represent a wide spectrum of ranks and
occupations. The great variety of tales is matched with the great variety of their
tellers. Tales are assigned to appropriate narrators and juxtaposed to

bring out contrasts in genre, style, tone and values. Thus, the knights
courtly romance about the rivalry of two noble lovers for a lady is followed by
the Millers fabliau of the seduction of an old carpenters young wife by a

student. Chaucer conducts two fictions simultaneously that of the
individual tale and that of the pilgrim to whom he has assigned it. He
develops the second fiction not only through The General Prologue, but also
through the links, the interchanges among pilgrims connecting stories. These
interchanges sometimes lead to quarrels. Thus, The Millers tale offends
the Reeve, who takes the figure of the Millers foolish, as directed personally at
himself, and he retaliates (=vengarse) with a story satirizing an arrogant miller

every much like the pilgrim miller. Further dramatic interest is created by the
fact that several tales respond to topics taken up previously tellers. The
Wife of Baths thesis that women should have sovereignty over men in marriage
gets a reply from the Clerk, which, in turn, elicits (=evoca) responses from the
Merchant and the Franklin. The tales have their own logic and interest apart
from the framing fiction; no other medieval framing fiction, however, has such
varied and lively interaction btw frame and individual stories.
Like most authors in the Middle Ages, Chaucer wrote rather to be
listened to than to be read. The vocabulary, syntax and the tone are
colloquial. He sounds sometimes more like a preacher than a poet, making his
transitions from one point to another very clear and explaining anything that is
likely not to be understood. To reduce strain (=tensin) on the listener he uses
conventional phrases, doublets and almost meaningless tags such as for the
nonis. Syntactic difficulties and puns are strange. The style is plain. His
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Tema 43:
La literatura Medieval
M
de transmisin oral. LLa leyenda Artrrica. G. Chaucerr: Los cuentos d
de Canterbury.
23
poettry, a po
oetry thatt is almost prose, seems to
t us no poetry at
a all
sinc
ce there are
a no re
emote allu
usions, hardly a metaphor
m
and non
ne of
the splendid
d hyperbo
ole of th
he Elizab
bethans. Chaucers
s imagerry is
simp
ple, direc
ct and spe
ecific. Eac
ch word is
s clear and bright llike new.
The Lan
nguage in which Cha
aucer wrotte was bassically thatt spoken by
b his
Lond
don fellow--citizens. This
T
may be
b conside
ered as a mixture
m
of the dialeccts of
the near-by Ea
ast Midland and Sou
uthern areas, with th
he East midland element
dom
minant; and
d it was allready acquiring the prestige and
a
importtance thatt was
soon
n to make it the sta
andard lite
erary langu
uage throu
ughout the
e country: The
King
gs English
h. Its maiin difficultyy is perhaps its voccabulary, fo
or it has many
m
word
ds now ob
bsolete, orr used in a differentt sense. Th
hough he did not in
nvent
many words, as Spence
er did, he is often the earliest writer, or among
g the
earliest, in Eng
glish whose
e use of a word is reccorded.
Bib
bliograp
phy
http:///www.gradesave
er.com/ClassicN
Notes/Titles/cantterbury/
http:///cla.calpoly.edu//~dschwart/eng
gl203/gp203.htm
ml
The No
orton Anthologyy
Ivn Matellanes
s Notes
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
24
Topic 43: Brief summary
Brief summary. La literatura Medieval. La leyenda Artrica. G. Chaucer: Los cuentos de Canterbury.
- OE PERIOD: Vigorous oral poetic tradition, since prose appeared later on, when Christianity convertion.
- Poetry: Beowulf narrates the combat btw an ideal Germanic hero and demonic monsters.
There are elements of Christian philosophy vs. strong sense of heroic pride (conflictive relation).
___ Man survives only through the protection of God & this protection must be earned by means of his values, courage, honesty & pride.
___ All earthly gifts (success & wealth) derive from God & it must be handled with humility.
- Prose: The most outstanding work in OE prose was The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle originally compiled on the orders of King Alfred the Great.
- EME PERIOD: The most important writings of this period were the Arthurian legends.
- A Knight is seen
as a
compendium of Christian
values:
HELMET Caritas
SHIELD Trinity
SPEAR Fortitude.
HORSE Goodwill.
SPUR Discipline.
SWORD Cross.
- The Grail: The legend of the Grail

comes from 3 lines of development:
First, from the CELTIC TRADITION:
Other world vessels and mysterious
castles hidden on the mist.
Second, from the ARABIC or
BYZANTINE TRADITION: A mysterious
stone that fall from heaven whose
power helps the phoenix rising from
the ashes.
Finally, from CHRISTIAN TRADITION,
perhaps of Gnostic or heretical origin,
of a mysterious talisman.
- Medieval
source of the legend of the King Arthur:
Gildas
Nennius (800)
Historia Britonium
Geoffrey of Monmouth
The History of the Kings of
Britain (c1135) A Latin account
of the British Kings who reigned
before Christ
Waces Roman de Brut
(1155) Transformed Monmouths
legend
Layamons Brut (1200)
Translation of Waces version,
with some added features. Long
verse chronical.
Chrtien de Troyes
Five Romances (c.1160-80)
Robert de Borrons Joseph

dArimathie (Grail poem) and
Merlin (1180-99)
- The literature of Arthur, Merlin

and the Holy Grail can be divided
into four overlapping phases:

st
The 1 ph concentrates on Arthur
& Merlin.
nd
In the 2 Ph the focus moved to
the knights of Arthur's court,
including PERCEVAL and GAWAIN
(Chrtien's Perceval ou Le Conte
du Graal)
rd
The 3 ph was motivated by an
attempt by the Church to take over
the popular figures & to use them in
the promotion of Christian dogmas:
__ In Borrons Joseph dArimathie
st
the Grail became, for the 1 time,
a chalice where Christ blood was
kept after he was pierced in the
cross by a Spear.
__ In the Vulgate Cycles, the Grail is
a dish.
Vulgate Cycle (1215-30)

There seems to have existed an
early prose romance of Lancelots
successful flatering of Guinevere.
This romance became the center
of a cyclic work known as
Vulgate Cycle.
Sir Thomas Malorys Morte

dArthur
- NO reference to Arthur in a battle he was supposed to be

-Description of Dux Arthurs 12 battles agains the Saxons. Arthur
is said to be a professional soldier serving the British King.
Source from were Monmouth will exaggerate his King Arthur.
- King Arthur is seen as a conqueror
- Merlin can perform extraordinary events, as guessing the
future.
- Gawain played an imp pseudo-historic rol, where he is sent as
ambassador to the Romans.
- It contains material that does not appear in Monmouths version
st
- The Round table is 1 mentioned
- It contains material that does not appear in Monmouths version

- The Brut is important for including the earliest surviving
English Romanic legends of King Arthur. Layamon is the
fountainhead of the English Arthurian romance. However, it was
from France that it got its best influences.
- The Romances are basically adventure ones with a strong love
interest.
- Lancelot saves Guinevere and becomes his lover.
- Gawain is NEVER the protagonist, but he is always one of the
principal characters.
- Perceval is astonishingly innocent.
- The idea of fellowship of the round table is not remarkable.
- The first exiting text giving The grail special significance as a
mysterious, holy vessel is Roman de Perceval or Le conte
del Graal
- Joseph is commanded to make a table in commemoration of the
last supper & to leave a place empty to symbolize Judas seat.
- Borron established links btw the round table, Merlin and the
Grail hero Perceval
- In Merlin, Merlin constructed a table for King Uther following
the model of Josephs Grail table
- Morron identifies the Grail with the cup of the last supper
- It connected the theme of Lancelot and Guinevere with the Grail
legend through the figure of Galahand, the Grail guard.
- The lady of the lakes careful education combined with his love
for Guinevere produced an almost divine knight; the perfect
representative of earthly chivalry: Lancelot.
- In later versions, Lancelot is surpassed by his son Galahand.
- The attitude towards Gawain changes, connected with the
change in attitude through the introduction of the Grail theme,
contrasting his earthly chivalry with Galahands heavenly
chivalry.
- Though replaced by Galahand as winner of the Grail quest,
Perceval still plays an important part. His childlike innocence
protects him from temptation.
- The fellowship of the Round table becomes comparable to the
great orders of chivalry founded in the late Middle ages.
- The round table theme attains its classical form and it is a
formal order of kinghood.
- The real meaning of the grail has nothing to do with knightly
adventure, but it is purely theological. The grail is the symbol of
divine grace and that the theme of the romancew is NOT the
quest for salvation, but for divine vision.
- Galahand is the chief winner of the grail and consequently
entitled to the siege perilious
- Though replaced by Galahand as winner of the Grail quest,
Perceval still plays an important part. His childlike innocence
protects him from temptation
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** *
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
** ** ** ** *** *** *** ** *** *** *** **
** ** ** ** * ** ** ** ** ** **
** *** *** *** *** QU *** *** *** *** *** ***
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
*
E
*
*
*
*
D
*
*
** ** **
*
*
*
*
*
D
L
** ** ** *** E E A A *** *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** S IM P ** ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** T P R ** ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** E R O ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** D E H ** ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** O S IB ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** C IO ID ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** U N A ** ** *
** ** ** ** ** ** M * * ** **
*
*
*
** ** ** *** *** *** *** EN *** *** *** ***
** ** ** ** ** ** ** T ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** O ** ** **
** ** ** *** ** ** ** ** * * * **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** * * * * * *
Topic 43: Brief summary
BRITISH
PERIOD
ITALIAN
PERIOD
FRENCH
PERIOD
- LME PERIOD: The most important author of this period was Geoffrey Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales.
25
- Chronological view of Chaucers life and his main works:

1340 Chaucers father was a vintner (wine seller). Chaucer probably spent his youth in the mercantile atmosphere of London.
1360 CHAUCER was placed, when very young, in one great aristocratic household of England: THE COUNTESS OF ULSTER, married
nd
to the 2 son of EDWARD III. CHAUCER even served in the army under EDWARD III & was captured.
1370 First book published: The book of Duchess (An elegy -lyric poem lamenting the death of a public character- for the Duchess
of Lancaster in dream-vision form)
1370 Chaucer continued with his diplomatic career: He went to Italy where he encountered the work of DANTE, PETRARCH &
BOCCACCIO, which were lately to be of great influence in his work.
1380s Publication of Parliament of fowls (dream-vision for St. Valentine's Day that makes use of the myth that each year on that
day the birds gathered before the goddess Nature to choose their mates.)
1380 Chaucer was accused of rape. He was found not gilty.
1385 Chaucer next work was Troilus & Criseyde. Chaucer took the plot from Boccaccios Filostrato. The story is about TROILUS
and his beloved CRISEYDE. TROILUS fall in love with CRISEYDE, but she is relunctant towards his intentions. Thus, PANDARUS, with obscure
strategies, brings her to love him. After that, she has to leave to meet her father & falls in love with someone else. Troilus is killed in a fight.
___ TROILUS is more innocent and courtly, CRISEYDE is more timid and vulnerable & PANDARUS is much more complex than
BOCCACCIOS counterparts.
th
___ Chaucer enriches the poem through an accurate social detail of the 14 C country life.
1386 Chaucer wrote the Canterbury tales.
1387 His wife dies. Chaucer moves to Greenwich & later to Kent, where he will be associated w/the ruling nobility of the kingdom and
specially with JOHN DE GAUNT.
- Background to the Canterbury tales (CT): The medieval society was made-up upon three estates.
Virgins
(1) THE NOBILITY was composed of a small hereditary aristocracy. Their mission was to rule over and defend the king.
Wifes
(2) THE CHURCH looked after the spiritual welfare of the nobility. Matter of willing; diff social class.
Widows
(3) EVERYONE ELSE worked where they were assigned. Matter of birth.
HOW MAKES A LIVING
SEXUAL ACTIVITY
These three basic categories became more complex bc of the birth of the Bourgeoisie in a world that was rapidly changing
economically, politically and socially. The CT were profoundly influenced by these forces.
The structure was similar to that of BOCCACCIOs Decameron. However, in the Decameron the story-tellers belong all to the same social
class. On the contrary, CHAUCERs Story-tellers belong to different social classes (generally lower social classes).
No single literary genre dominates the CT: Romantic adventures, Fabliaux, biographies, sermons
- The Canterbury tales (1386): Chaucer was living at GREENWICH (east London). From his house he was able to see the pilgrim road
that leads towards the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket (murdered in the Cathedral 200 years before).
There is a great variety of tales and tellers: Tales are assigned to appropriate narrators & juxtaposed to bring out contrast in genre, style,
tone & values Kings tale palced before the Millers tale.
CHAUCER conducts two fictions simultaneously:
___ (1) The Individual tale.
___ (2) The Pilgrim to whom it has been assigned through interchanges (and event quarrels) among pilgrims connecting stories Millers
tale offends the Reeve, who will in return offend the Miller back in his tale.
Several tales responds to topics taken up by previously tellers Wife of Baths tale is a counteranswer to the one of the Clerk.
CHAUCER wrote to be listened to rather than to be read. The vocabulary, syntax & tone are colloquial. He sounds more like a
preacher than like a poet., as his poetry is almost prose, since there are hardly a metaphor or any other stylistic figure. CHAUCERs imagery
is simple and direct: each word is clear and bright as new.
The Lg used is basically that spoken in London (East-midland mixed with Southern, which will become prestigious and standard
throughout the country). Its main diff is perhaps the vocabulary used, bc many words are now obsolete.

Literatura Medieval

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Literatura Medieval

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

1. Olld English period

2. Eaarly Middlee English Peeriod _______________

3. Laate Middle English

3.11. About Geeoffrey Chau

1. Old English period

The Anglo-Saxons (5th C) brought with them a vigorous oral poetic

The most important Anglo-Saxon contribution to European literature is

Beowulf, an epic poem of 3,280 lines probably composed in the mid-8th C. It

Throughout the story of Beowulf, one finds many elements of

within Beowulf which is at times in direct conflict with these Christian

selfishness. In "Further Celebration at Heorot" , Hrothgar reminds Beowulf of

Throughout the story Beowulf repeatedly acknowledges God as his

the man without friends" (1.5), there is a sense of mystical protection

good, be it success or wealth, derives from God. For example, when

Ivn Matellanes Notes

Moreover, Hrothgar tells Beowulf that earthly success, given by God,

Following Latin models, OE prose consisted largely of traditions. King

Alfred (c.848-899) made many translations of Latin philosophic and theological

Ivn Matellanes Notes

The most outstanding work in OE prose is the Anglo-Saxon

Chronicle, which begins in the 7th C and ends up in the 12th C. It is a

2. Early Middle English Period

2.1. Medieval sources of the legend of King Arthur.

Annales Cambriae (c.1150), Arthur carried the Cross of Jesus

on his shouldersbut not Arthur's name, is mentioned (c.540)

known literature is a brief reference to a mighty warrior in the

Welsh poem Gododdin (c.600). Arthur next appears in NENNIUS

Dux Arthur who won

(c.800) as a Celtic warrior who fought (c.600) 12 victorious

battles against the Saxon invaders.

These and several subsequent references indicate that his

legend had already developed into a considerable literature

MONMOUTH wrote his Historia Regum

Britanniae (c.1135), in which he elaborated on the feats of

King Arthur whom he represented as the conqueror of

Western Europe. After Geoffrey's Historia came WACE's Roman

de Brut (c.1155), which infused the legend with the spirit of

chivalric romance. The Brut (c.1200) of LAYAMON, modeled on

Waces version, with

contains the earliest extant literary version of the quest of the

Ivn Matellanes Notes

After 1225 no significant medieval Arthurian literature was

produced on the Continent. In England, however, the legend

Sir Gawain and

work dealing with the Arthurian legend is the Morte d'Arthur of

the green knight

most subsequent Arthurian material. Many writers have used

Sir Thomas Malorys

Arthurian themes since Malory, notably Tennyson in his Idylls

of the King. Swinburne, William Morris, and Edwin Arlington

Robinson also wrote poetic works based on the legend. T. H.

White's trilogy The Once and Future King (1958) is a charming

2.2. The Arthurian legend

A knight, in this period, is seen as a compendium of Christian virtues:

SHIELD: trinity; Stand for Christian doctrine -------------

SWORD: Metaphor of the cross ( T )

describes the birth of Arthur, the establishment of the

fellowship of the round table, his own exploits (=gestas)

and those of the knights, the adultery of Lancelot and

Guinevere, the quest for the Holy grail, led to the

Birth King Arthur

quest of the Grail