jumping ahead a few hundred years… intro to the canterbury tales and the medieval period
TRANSCRIPT
Jumping ahead a few hundred years…
Intro to The Canterbury Tales and the Medieval Period
DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
1050 – Beowulf – Old English (Germanic languagefrom Angles, Saxons and Jutes): influenced by Latin, Celtic, Scottish, Pictish, Danish, Norse
1066 – William the Conqueror takes England – major addition of French, more Latin, Greek
1300’s – Geoffrey Chaucer – Middle English
bellatores (“warriors” royalty, gentry)
oratores (“pray-ers” religious, holy orders)
laboratores (“workers” middle and lower class)
Divisions of Medieval society:
Born into the Laboratores classo Father was a merchanto Hired as a royal page (personal assistant and secretary)o Soldier for King Edward IIIo Diplomat for King Richard IIo Royal clerk for King Henry IV
Writer and poet as a hobby
Traveled to many places in Western and Southern Europe as an officer of the king’s court
Educated and very skilled in courtesy (royal manners)
Buried in Westminister Abbey in the Poets’ Corner
Geoffrey Chaucer – 1343? – 1400
KnightSquireYeomanNun (Prioress)MonkFriarMerchantOxford Cleric (Student)Sergeant at the LawFranklinHaberdasher, Dyer, Carpenter, Weaver, Carpet-maker (these five are together)CookSkipperDoctorWife of BathParsonPlowmanMillerMancipleReeveSummonerPardonerHost (Harry Bailey)Chaucer
These are the characters in the
Prologue. You will be taking notes on these each night and in class!
LondonCanterbury
Approximately 100 miles one way
Canterbury Cathedral
These are pictures of St. Thomas à Becket, who was martyred in 1170. He was assassinated by four knights of King Henry II and is interred in Canterbury Cathedral.
“Science” and “Psychology”of the Medieval Period
sanguine – happy, friendly, fun-loving
melancholic – creative, sad, moody
choleric – dominant, angry, ambitious
phlegmatic – calm, kind, unemotional
Personality Type
sanguine
melancholic
choleric
phlegmatic
Personality Type Bodily fluid
sanguine blood
melancholic black bile
choleric yellow bile
phlegmatic phlegm/mucus
Personality Type Bodily fluid
Temperature and
condition
sanguine blood moist and hot
melancholic black bile dry and cold
choleric yellow bile dry and hot
phlegmatic phlegm/mucus
moist and cold
Personality Type Bodily fluid
Temperature and
conditionElement of
creation
sanguine blood moist and hot air
melancholic black bile dry and cold earth
choleric yellow bile dry and hot fire
phlegmatic phlegm/mucus
moist and cold water
Personality Type Bodily fluid
Temperature and
conditionElement of
creationSeason of the year
sanguine blood moist and hot air spring
melancholic black bile dry and cold earth fall
choleric yellow bile dry and hot fire summer
phlegmatic phlegm/mucus
moist and cold water winter
Whan that Aprill with his shourës sootë
The droghte of March hath percëd to the rootë
And bathëd every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendrëd is the flour