Middle Ages Lit project notes from 3rd/4th period

Dante’s Inferno Canto XXIX: Contrapasso and AlchemyContrapasso: suffer the opposite

HISTORICAL ASPECTS

PEOPLE MENTIONED

places mentioned Use of Literature

Minos=jury for Hell and deciding which level spirit would go to

Minos-former king of Crete, judges the damned into hell now in Dante’s inferno

Arezzo: Province situated in eastern Tuscany

Similes- lots of it, helps with imagery and describing Hell to the readers

practices of alchemy was highly banned and illegal-8th circle of hell=fraud, which includes alchemy

Capocchio-burned at stake for alchemy in 1293

Siena:Province situated in central Tuscany

Bringing in real world places, making it more connectable

Arezzo: a free city where the interests of the Ghibellines, rivals of nearby Florence, often prevailedSiena: one of Europe’s largest cities and a major military force, in a class with Florence, Venice and Genoa.Aegina: an island state with a large commercial fleet, major naval power.

Niccolo, Stricca, Caccia d’Asciano, Abbagliato- the Spendrift Club- group of rich young Sienese nobles who waste money and time on unecessary things

Aegina: an island near Greece

Contrapasso- (suffer the opposite) a principle of retribution, came from the expression: “an eye for an eye” used in the form of a simile or a casual phrase

Dante’s inclusion of historical people in layers of Hell/purgatory/ Paradisio, this shows how the places are immortal and God is powerful (The placements also reflected Dante’s personal political opinions and beliefs)

Daedalus-a master craftsman and artisan who created the Labyrinth for King Minos’s Minotaur.

Imagery- Use of grotesque imagery defines the mood and setting

Albero-son of the Bishop of Siena, had Grifolino of Arezzo burnt for a necromancer

terza rima- 3 lines per stanzarhyme scheme= aba bcb cdcstanza = terzinaReflects Holy Trinity

Virgil- ancient Roman poet who

Use of Ancient Mythology-

guides Dante through Hell, he resides in the first circle of Hell

establishes author’s skill/expertise and shows profound knowledge

Pope Boniface III- Pope who Dante used to support but then thought he was bad and was exiled

Allegory:

Beatrice- Dante’s “beloved” that Dante was obsessed with. She died in her 20s and Dante was filled with grief. Dante placed her in Paradisio as Dante’s guide

Wife of Bath’s TaleLiterary elements in the text:Allusion: one of the women the knight talks to tells him the old story of Midas, and how his wife could not keep one of his embarrassing secrets.irony: if god had commanded maidenhood then with that same word had he condemned marrying. - section 76 (since before he supposedly said they had to increase and multiply)

Meaning of Literature (why was it written?):- “The tale does, however, give a woman’s perspective on how romance should be. In the time of Chaucer’s writings this tale may have been a bit controversial. Nonetheless, it was a perspective for women to appreciate, and maybe give men pause in their wives wants and needs. The Wife of Bath’s tale is all about the woman being in control of their husbands”.- “the true moral is that marriage is a partnership. The husband should obey and work with the wife to give her what she wants”.- focuses on women’s point of view on marriage/love

History of Women in Medieval Times:- Usually had lower occupations than men such as artisans, peasants, wives, or mothers- Women who were peasants shared similar rights as their male counterparts because the both shared the poverty. However, women of higher classes had fewer rights than their male counterpart but were in an overall better situation than the peasant women.- Women were mostly expected to reproduce. - Women were expected to engage/help with their husbands work such as farming and crafting.- Women could gain power by becoming an abbess, queen regnant, or a prioress in a nun convent -Christianity allowed women to escape marriage and get an education- Women lost rights as the Middle Ages progressed (history goes backwards during many different periods of time) -almost all religious, political, and social authority figures were men-men saw women as inferior-women were expected to behave quietly and modestly (like a lady)-many medieval marriages were arranged by parents, guardians, or the local overlord at puberty or earlier (married at very young age)-church strongly forbade divorce -society supported man’s right to abuse his wife; if women did not obey their husbands, they were beat into submission because disobedience was considered a crime against God.-most women of lower economic means-duties: spinning, weaving, making clothes, preparing/cooking food, harvesting crops, feeding farm animals, buying and selling goods at markets, managing and hiring servants, performing first aid-man of house was usually the manager of the home or farm-common professions: spinning, weaving, making clothes, laundering, cleaning houses, waiting table at taverns

Quick Notes:Symbolism in Canto 1:

● She-Wolf: greed, and she is also a symbol of Rome and the evil qualities (greed and corruption) that happen there.

● Leopard: envy, lust● Lion: violence, pride● Dark woods: the setting that represents sin and leading a sinful, lost, God-less life● Right path: the way to salvation and God, the life everyone has to lead, the right way● Virgil wrote Aeneid (political propaganda for emp. Augustus) and part of it takes places in hell, which

Dante used for inspiration for his own inferno.● This is way Dante chose Virgil to be his guide in his book

Terza Rima: The rhyme scheme, meter, and poem structure of the Inferno in its original Italian version Three lines in a stanza Rhyme scheme of ABA, BCB, CDC, DED, etc. The three lines are often thought to represent the Holy Trinity of Christianity Iambic pentameter (alternating stressed syllables)

Why does the book matter? Shows people where they will go based on their actions in this life. Sinners- based on how bad the sin is ( goes with above ) Shows how innocent sin can lead to intentional sinning, going against god Also wrote to get back at political enemies ( puts them in hell )

Dante (Person): born in Florence Italy 1265 heir of a poor but noble family Age 9 met the love of his life

( central inspiration for his major poems ) 1285-1302 married, began a family , & was exiled from Florence Exile gave Dante his perspective on corruption of the 14th century papacy, a view he would clearly

describe in the Inferno.

Canto XXVIII – Islam and Dante’s InfernoRole of Islam in Middle Ages

Europe was greatly influenced by Islam in the Middle Ages through both culture and politics. Islam's cultural influence in the Middle Ages was with the education of medicine , philosophy and mathematics Islam's political influence in the Middle Ages was that Muslims were in partial control of Spain from the 8th through

the 15th century. Dante (the author) believes that Mohammed and Ali are responsible for the schism that occurred in Christianity (the

Great Schism). The Medieval view of Islam was based off of fear and prejudice that Islam will end the existence of Christianity. Islam was regarded as a heresy in the Middle Ages because Christians thought Mohammed was a false prophet.

Role of Islam in Dante’s Inferno Muslims were not respected in the text. Muslim mosques were placed in hell and were the dominant type of

architecture seen during Dante’s adventure through Hell. Mohammad and Ali, who were both major religious Muslim leaders, were placed in one of the deepest Circles of

Hell for divisiveness. Mohammad, who built up the Muslim religion, was guilty of making man fight man in Christian vs. Muslim conflicts. Ali was guilty of making Muslim brother fight Muslim brother over the Sunni vs. Shiite conflict (which continues to

this day)

Ali and Mohammad Controversy over whether Ali (who married Mohammad’s daughter) should succeed Mohammed as the caliphate or

not led to the division of Islam into two groups, the Sunni and the Shiite after the assassination of Ali. Shiites believe that their leader should be a descendant of Mohammad Sunnis believe that leader should be a respected elder

NotesDante:

Dant Alighieri was born in 1265 and his family had a history of involvement in the complex Florentine political sense Wrote the Divine Comedy which is comprised of three canticas: Dante’s Inferno, Purgatorio(Purgatory), and

Paradiso(Paradise)o He wrote this when he was exiled and traveling

In 1314, Dante publishes Inferno Dante’s Inferno was a profound Christian vision of his temporary and eternal destiny Italian poet and moral philosopher Dante is seen as the father of modern Italian, and his works have flourished since before his death in 1321

Structure of Hell: A funnel that extends all the way to the center of the Earth It is underneath the city of Jerusalem

o the center of the northern hemisphere Opposite of Jerusalem, at the center of the Southern Hemisphere, is the mountain of Purgatory

o Lucifer is immobilized at the bottom of Hell, where he fell after the defeat in his rebellion against God Nine circles of hell:

Upper Hell: The Incontinent-1. Limbo-Souls that never knew Christ, died without baptism (mostly babies), and never committed a sin 2. The Lustful3. The Gluttonous4. The Avaricious and Prodigals5. The Wrathful and SullenLower Hell: Violence and Fraud-6. The Heretics7. The Violent8. Fraud9. Treachery

Some of the circles have separate pockets called bolgia’s in GreekThe Eight Circle- Bolgia 9: Sowers of Discord

Thrown in hell for causing a great division among people, in return they are torn apart as they so did to other people Characters such as Bertram de Bornio and the prophet Muhammad are present in the readings All people in there are being punished according to their certain sin There is an image of people being forced to walk in a circle and be split again and again by a demon with a bloody

sword Contrapasso is the idea that you will be punished according to your sin

The Lay of the Were-Wolf Marie de FranceSummary The protagonist, Bisclavaret, is a knight that turns into a werewolf. After he tells this werewolf secret to his wife, she betrays him by stealing the clothing that turns him human again and runs away with her illicit lover, leaving Bisclavaret stuck as a werewolf. One year later, the king encounters Bisclavaret on a hunting trip. Bisclavaret, in turn, shows the king compassion and loyalty even as a beast. As a result, the king takes him back to his castle and loves him like a constant companion. When the new husband of Bisclavaret’s ex-wife comes to the castle for a feast, Bisclavaret does not hesitate to unleash his rage on him. Later, the wife is attacked by Bisclavaret as well, resulting in the loss of her nose. Seeing the similarity between the two assaults, the king finds out that his werewolf is actually his favorite knight who went missing a year ago. Eventually, Bisclavaret returns to his human form and lives a successful life.Author Biography Not much is known about Marie de France, although she is the earliest recorded French female poet. Her greatest works, including The Lay of the Were-Wolf were written around the year 1170 (Shoaf).Literary Analysis The prevalent themes we found in the text were betrayal, particularly of the family, and the importance of chivalry. When his wife betrayed Bisclavaret, she sealed his fate in a kiss to her covert lover, symbolizing the kiss of Judas in the Christian faith. Much like most texts of the period, this important section shows the link to Christianity. Bisclavaret attacks his adulterous wife and cuts her nose off with his claws, portraying revenge and betrayal. The nose is important, because it is a physical representation of beauty, which was possibly one of the best qualities of women at the time. Finally, the imagery in this medieval work is fantastic, depicting violence, darker tones, and chivalry. These reflect the dangerous society of the Middle Ages and the respect put on chivalry and proper conduct.Historical Analysis A knight was forbidden to ever harm a woman or child, and the fact that Bisclavaret ignored everything society said about the way he must act and attacked his wife and her new husband showed that the wrong had been tone to him was beyond being chivalrous about (Abels). Knights were absolutely forbidden from having excessive pride, engaging in adultery, breaking oaths, faking oaths, or committing any act of treason (Abels). Bisclavaret shows the opposite of all these traits, remaining a perfectly humble and honest knight of his king and lady.

Abels, Richard. "Chivalry." Usna.edu. The United States Naval Academy, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.Shoaf, Judith P. "The Lais of Marie De France." College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. University of

Florida, n.d. Web. 15 Sept. 2013.

Sarah Fan, Noela Lu, Ivory Randle, Amulya Bhattarai, Dylan Hay

Author Background: The author was named Geoffrey Chaucer. He was born in London, England sometime around 1343. His came from a wealthy family who developed much of their wealth during the time of the Black Plague. Chaucer was a soldier in the 100 years war, and he traveled to many countries so he knew French, Latin, and Italian (Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1343-1400)).

Historical Context of Book: It was written in the 1380-1390’s. (The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue & Frame Story). Bubonic plague era hit England in 1348-1350. 1/3 of Europe’s population was wiped out so expansion stops and society falls as peasants turn away from the church (Notes on the Fourteenth Century). They started looking for God by themselves as they thought the clergy and pope were too worldly (The Late Middle Ages).

Literary Analysis: Mode: Prose because it was free verse Work was shared: originally as manuscripts that Chaucer shared with his friends> manuscripts weren’t known until after

death Figurative language: a lot of similes, metaphors, and allegories to the Bible, Church, and Christianity Translation: the book was translated from Old English into Modern English

Summary: Priest Sir John begins telling the tale of a widow with two daughters, who has prize cock named Chanticleer praised for his timekeeping. Chanticleer has a nightmare of a beast coming and killing him and confronts Pertelote, his wife. Pertelote tells him to take no heed and to be less of a coward. Chanticleer tells many stories of men dying because they ignored the warnings in dreams. However, he let it go because he loved her so much. Months later, a fox tricks him with flattery and snatches him. Chanticleer tells the fox to boast, and as the fox opens his mouth, the cock escapes.

The Nun’s Priest’s Tale Relation to Church’s Role Within Society: The dreams that Chanticleer have are warnings. If he took heed to them, it would have led him to safety and success. This

by symbolizes listening to the church because it leads to heaven and salvation. When Chanticleer doesn’t listen, it is disobeying/ignoring church, clergy. This parallels with the time period after the Bubonic Plague, where there were many peasant uprisings and people turned away from the church to seek their own salvation and spiritual fulfillment.

Chanticleer falls into the trap of flattery by the wolf, which ultimately leads to his capture. Pride and vanity are sins, so giving into this is like disobeying God and His intentions for you. By disobeying, there will be consequences (Chanticleer’s capture)

Pertelote makes Chanticleer defy God’s warning, he chose lust over God’s will. By this he was turning away from God. Pertelote was at fault for she lured Chanticleer away. Women are the temptations, representing the fall of man. The story is an allegory to Adam and Eve when Eve disobeyed God and created sin. Story is symbolic to the birth of sin.

**The point of the story was to teach a lesson about the will of God and resisting worldly temptations as vanity and pride are sins.  Works Cited

Butler, Chris. "The Black Death and Its Impact." Flowofhistory.com, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013.

"The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue & Frame Story." Shmoop. Shmoop.com, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013.

Forgeng, Jeffrey L., and Will McLean. Introduction. Daily Life in Chaucer's England. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1995. N.

pag. Print.

"The Late Middle Ages." The Late Middle Ages. Facstaff.bloomu.edu, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2013.

"Notes on Fourteenth-Century History." 14th Century Outline. Public.wsu.edu, n.d. Web. 17

Sept. 2013.

Vikings The lady of the household had to see to it that the food lasted during the long, dark winter. The farm animals

were also her responsibility and when her husband went trading, went Viking, or hunting she also ran the farm in his absence. In rich families she would have servants and slaves to help her. As a visible sign of her authority and power the lady of the household wore the keys to the food chests at her waist. --- The passage “Bergthora went up to the cross- bench, together with Thorhalle, and spoke to Hallgerd: ‘You must move aside for this woman.’ Hallgerd spoke: ‘I’ll not move aside for anyone and I won’t sit in the corner like a cast-off hag.’ ‘I decide things around here,’ said Bergthora (Njal, 1).” shows connection with our research to this passage in which shows the authority and power in which Bergthora attained.

On one hand, a woman was, by law, under the authority of her husband or father. She had only limited freedom to dispose of property belonging to her. She was prohibited from participating in most political or governmental activities. She could not be a goði (chieftain). She could not be a judge. She could not be a witness. She could not speak at þing (assemblies). --- The passage “Before he left he spoke to Hallgerd: ‘Behave yourself while I’m away and don’t show your bad temper where my friends are concerned. (Njal, 2).” shows a connection from our research about men and the authority they had over their women to the text.

The opposite of honor was disgrace, and because every man lived his life as a member of an extended family-circle, he could easily bring disgrace to his entire family - including his forefathers. Therefore, it was intolerable for a free man to live in such a fallen state. If he was disgraced, he could only restore balance in his social system by confronting the source of his fall from an honorable status. Thus, revenge was a key component of this social system, a system which placed great importance upon maintaining personal honor. – The passage “‘It seems that Bergthora is out to rob me in a big way,’ said Hallgerd, ‘but I’ll see to it that he won’t chop any more.’ connects our research to the passage by displaying an act of revenge in which was common throughout society.

The Viking Age saw major changes in the economy of Scandinavia. At the beginning of the Viking Age, few people in Scandinavia had any knowledge of coinage. Some foreign coins entered the region as a result of trading contacts both with Western Europe and the Islamic world to the east. However, except in major trading centers such as Hedeby and Ribe, in Denmark, the idea of coinage as such was unfamiliar. Coins were valued only for their weight in silver or gold, and circulated alongside many other forms of precious metal.--- The passage “Njal accepted self-judgment from Gunnar and said ‘I’m not going to push this too hard: pay me twelve ounces of silver.’ Gunnar paid the money readily and then rode home (Njal, 3) shows a connection between our research and the passage by displaying the usage of money and trade amongst Vikings.

Asna Ali, Annette Guo, Homa Moosavi, Maya Fletcher, Michelle Lee

Matheny/Doran

Block ¾

September 18, 2013

Summa Theologica: Role of the Monastery/University System and/or Church

Summa Theologica

The Summa theological is divided into three parts with many sub divisions.

Part one covers God and the existence and nature of God, the Creation, angels, the work of the six

days of Creation, the essence and nature of man, and divine government ("Synopsis of the

Theological Summa of St. Thomas Aquinas")

Describes the relationship between God and man and to explain how man’s understanding with the

Heavenly is made possible at all through Christ (McInerny)

Thomas Aquinas

At the age of five, Thomas was sent to the nearby Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino; there he

received religious guidance (Mclerny)

Aquinas debates with himself about whether you can prove God’s existence. He uses science and faith to

back up God’s existence and Him not existing. He also debates the moral implications of war (Kennedy)

Monasteries/University System/Church

Monasteries encouraged literacy and promoted learning (Sorabella)

Monks and nuns worked to secure their own salvation and tried to seek the salvation of others through

prayer (Sorabella)

Education was used to translate, organize, copy, and codify sacred texts and materials from the classical era

(Liberal Arts Curriculum)

Canto XXIVCircle Eight: Bolgia Seven

Characters: Virgil, Dante, Vanni FucciSetting: Inferno:Eighth Circle (8th level of hell of 9), Bolgia Seven (7th “ditch” of 10)Subject: Fraudery is subject of Circle Eight, Thievery is subtopic of Bolgia Seven

Synopsis (79-139) Dante reaches the seventh pit with his guide, Virgil (Roman Poet).● Both see swarms of serpents more gruesome than serpents from Greek mythology.● Snakes were chasing around naked people and binding their hands and legs.● Dante witnesses someone who gets bitten by a serpent between his shoulders.● The person dies and is turned completely to ashes and is resurrected in an instant, only to be tortured

again.● The man reveals himself to be Vanni Fucci, of whom Dante recognizes as a man of blood and anger.● Dante questions why Vanni Fucci is so far down in hell when he should have belonged in one of the earlier

circles.● Vanni Fucci states that he stole from the churches, and someone else was falsely accused for his crimes.

Main IdeasBiography

● Born in Florence, Italy in the year 1265 ● Studied Occitan, Tuscan, and Latin Poetry, as well as other forms of the fine arts Married to

Gemma di Manetto Donati, but loved Beatrice Portinati (who became the topic of many of his poems)

● Exiled from Florence in the year 1302 after getting on the bad side of the Pope and the Black Guelphs, a political party in Italy(“Dante”).

● The Divine Comedy is his autobiography of his own path to salvation(“Biography”).● died in Ravenna, Italy on September 14, 1321(“Dante”).

Historical● Punishment for thieves varied greatly. Medieval torture was used mostly even if the thief only stole

bread to feed himself. Of course death to thieves happened on rare occasions and were just publicly tortured instead(“Medieval Crimes”).

● Thieves go to the seventh bolgia of the eighth circle(Hollander 131).● Stealing from the Church was a grave crime for the result was execution

Literary Analysis● Used metaphors, personification, symbolism, and alliteration throughout Canto XXIV● Interested, intrigued tone (tone could have changed during translation process)● Several religious allusions to the Bible and Greek mythology● Symbolism included resurrection, serpents, and the phoenix● Point of view, figurative language, poetry (translated from Italian to English)

○ Poetry written in Terza Rima, a form of poetry invented by Dante himself(Poetic Form).■ Iambic Pentameter = usual pattern

● The language Dante uses is archaic and difficult even for native Italian speakers to understand, making the translations especially difficult and sometimes hard to make completely accurate (both due to cultural differences and language barriers)(“Side by Side”).

Nelson Carlos da Silva, Jessica Ma, Liam Paup, Mattias Tung

Summary of Medieval Project of Dante’s Inferno Canto XXIX

In Dante’s Inferno, the protagonist is Dante, who is led through Hell on a tour to all levels. He was brought there by Virgil, and in later works, finally reached Heaven after walking through everything: Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven

Some literary elements in this Canto of Dante’s Inferno include: imagery, themes, setting, poetic structure, and symbolism. Imagery includes giving reader vivid images of hell in their heads. Themes include regret, pain, suffering, and sickness. The last three are all natural events in Hell, with people in pain all the time. The people who were sent to Hell would be regretting the things they did when they were alive by now, and wishing they did better things. Setting is very important in this passage, since if Dante and Virgil weren’t in the 8th level of Hell, the people they encounter along with the severity of the punishments would be completely different. The poetic structure of this poem was lost during the translation from Italian to English, but in Italian, Dante’s had perfect poem structure and rhyme scheme, with ABA, BCB, CDC, and so on. Symbolism was used a lot in this passage, with one single person representing the crime that would send people to this level of Hell.

Historical elements in this Canto were mostly people and places mentioned in the text. Places such as Arezzo (“Arezzo”), Aegina (“Aegina”), and Siena (Steves), were mentioned in the text as places that the spirits lived in before they died. Most of these places were in Italy, where Dante had lived, and Aegina was near Greece, adding onto the Greek references he made in this canto. There were a lot of people mentioned in this canto, including Virgil, Capocchio, Albero, Daedalus, and some of the people in the Spendthrift Club (a group of rich young nobles who wasted money on unnecessary luxuries). The people in the Spendthrift Club included: Niccolo, Stricca, Caccia d’Asciano, and Abbagliato. Capocchio was an alchemist who was burned at the stake in 1293 for practicing alchemy, showing that in a way, alchemy is like fraud, deceiving people about magic (“The World of Dante”). All of these people were sent here because of some sort of Fraud, which is the category for the types of crimes in level 8 of Hell: the Malebolge (Dante’s).

Dante Alighieri was born in 1265 and died in 1321. He grew up in Florence, Italy. When he was nine, he met a girl named Beatrice, and fell in love with her. She became the center of his major works later in life. In Florence, he was highly active in cultural and civil life, serving as a soldier and held political offices. In 1301, conflict happened between the two sections of the Guelf, the Whites and the Blacks. The Pope Boniface VIII was part of the Blacks, who were told by the Pope that they were allowed to exile any of the White leadership, and Dante was one of them. He never served a public office after, even though he was still strongly interested in Italian politics. By the end, Dante thought the Pope and the rest of the church was autocratic and believed only a strong and centralized authority could bring order back to Italy. He spent a lot of his time in Verona at the court of Can Grande della Scalla, the lord of Verona. In 1319, Dante moved to Ravenna, where he completed the Paradiso, and later died in 1321 (Wetherbee).

Julia Lioubarski Sarah Chu

Beowulf Literary Analysis Point of View

-Beowulf is told in third-person omniscient point of view (describes each character’s thoughts, actions, and ideas)-The story moves back and forth between each character’s thoughts, and time period -The narrator is very descriptive and all knowing, since it is third-person omniscient (Warsh).

Translation to English -Original copy in Old English -Traditional story was in poetry form, but translators just converted it into prose form since it is extremely difficult to create the same effect in a different language (Warsh).

Mode -Beowulf was written was an epic poem, but then translated to prose (refer to explanation above) in the process lost the alliteration of stresses syllables in Old English -The story shares the qualities of a poem such as: the clear distinction between good/evil, the characters in the story possesses trait of bravery, and the formation is broken into stanzas (Caillouet).

Figurative Language-Many scenes in Beowulf are depicted in vivid detail through intense imagery; personification and alliteration are

also commonly used throughout the text (Caillouet).-Alliteration: Ø “…shadow-stalker, stealthy and swift…”   –Line 19-Personification: Ø “The dread of the land was desperate to escape…” –Line 48-Imagery: Ø “…stumbling in fury; the two contenders crashed through the building. The hall clattered and hammered, but somehow survived the onslaught and kept standing.”-Line 54-57

Historical Analysis: -Beowulf is a key piece of literature that gives us a brief view into the obscured world of the 6th century Scandinavian tribes and their struggle for independence (“Beowulf Context”). -Beowulf is the hero that the Geats needed to resist the constant fighting and harassment from their northern neighbors, the Swedes (“Beowulf Context”).-Gives a glimpse at the Geatish lifestyle and culture; the Heroic Code was brought up quite often and defines the Geatish warrior-The Geatish tribe’s customs would soon be lost to history and Beowulf would soon be the last remnant of the written history left, but Anglo-Saxons added their own flair to the story in order to make it fit their own uses

Biography: -Only known form of the manuscript dates back to 1000 CE.-The author of Beowulf is an unknown Anglo-Saxon poet. Scops (English poet)spread the story (“The History Behind”).-Main theory was that the author was from East Anglia based on the discovery of the Sutton Hoo

Julia Lioubarski Sarah Chu

Austin Elliot, Arian Hafezi, Lorenzo Bertolo, Jack Giovanola

Notes for Medieval Project

William Langland was the author of Piers Plowman, which we had to read an excerpt of for our topic about

peasants. He was born in Worcestershire in 1330, died in 1400. Not a lot is known about his life but he

studied at Benedictine school. He wrote Piers Plowman in late 13th century. He never became a priest in his

life time.

Peasants had to work all day on fields and such, they had to give ten percent of their income away, no food

or money lead to many deaths of children due to malnourishment.

Catholic Church played important role during mediaeval times because of its power, they had more money

than the kings, more power than kings, didn’t have to pay taxes, center of medieval life.

Tithes were the 10% the peasants had to give to the church, it was mostly their crops, tithes houses were

build, and church said if peasants don’t pay they go to hell.

Peasant revolt: peasants realized they have more potential, peasants made up 80% of population during

those times, many churches, 200 in London alone, Revolt in 1381 started out slow but then spread very

quickly, peasants attacked lords houses and important documents such as slavery documents, tax rolls, and

judicial documents were burned, church hit by black death, religious respect and religious life generally

started to decrease.

Church was the center of life during these times and this relates to our topic because much of what the

peasants did and why they were so poor and hungry was because of the church. For example they had to

give 10% or they would go to hell.

Dante’s Inferno: Canto 34____Group : Gleb, Ehmer, Connor, Ankit and Guilherme.“If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there” (Psalm 139:8) . In

the 34 th canto of Dante’s Inferno, the ninth circle of hell is described and classified. Being the realm of Lucifer, better known as the devil, the ninth circle of hell is principled as the most terrifying and torturous level of the abyss. Throughout the text, literary terms were discovered, one of which was the example of irony. The author created this case of irony by changing a Christian hymn, “Vexilla regis prodeunt.” Instead of leaving the holy saying as it was written originally, Dante added “Inferno” to the end to add the hellish contrast to heaven (Cervigni 1). Other instances of literary devices included the use of iambic pentameter throughout the text. Interestingly enough, the original text was written with terza rima, another form of poetic positioning with language (Poets 1). Continuing with the theme of hell, hell is described the sins needed to get to such a low circle. Dante’s perspective on sin was the act of betrayal portraying the worst sin to be judged upon.

Born in 1265 in Florence, Italy, Dante Alighieri became one of the most influential poets of his time. Studying at the University of Bologna until 1306, he mastered the craft of writing and had his own inspiration to prove it. His works include A Diving Comedy, Purgatory, and Paradiso. Centered on the themes of hell, A Divine Comedy describes the nine circles of hell in a fashion that would shy away the faint of heart.

At the time of the writing of The Divine Comedy, the Italian monarchy was in turmoil. Through the Renaissance era, a revolution followed and two major political parties were squaring off for control of the land. However, the party Dante was affiliated with (Ghibellines) was compromised and so was his own citizenship. Because Pope Boniface VIII was affiliated with the opposing group (Black Guelfs), Dante was exiled in 1301 (Kumar). With this in mind, it is possible to correctly assume that the church used Dante’s works as mild propaganda to encourage people to refrain from sinning.

“God the Father is a deep root, the Son is the shoot that breaks forth into the world, and the Spirit is that which spreads beauty and fragrance.” –Tertullian. Finally, the holy and anti-Trinity. In the Christian faith, there exists a Trinity of beings to represent the all-mighty god. God (the father), Jesus (the son) and the Holy Spirit make up the Trinity of heaven and so on and so forth. However, in Hell, there exists a possible anti-trinity, Lucifer’s assortment of his three heads. Keep in mind that Lucifer, the Devil, has three heads, each to devour the sinners of the previous life. It is possibly correct to assume that these three heads make some sort of anti-trinity or the trinity of hell as opposed to that of heaven.

In conclusion, Dante’s Inferno is both a fiery and icy tale of the hell’s sinners of the Christian faith. Be it propaganda or even just a funny take on imagination, The Divine Comedy is certainly a tale worth confessing to.

The Pardoner’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer is a story following the adventures of three men from Flanders to kill Death. The men have the names of Herod, Paul, & Seneca, and are often drunk. In addition, they are gluttonous, gamble, and often talk blasphemy when sitting drinking in taverns, none of which was condoned by the church. When they hear that Death has taken two lives in a village a mile away, they swear to each other that they are brothers, and that they are going to take out Death, shall they meet him along the way. Ironically, their oaths to each other seemed a little like wedding vows.

Along the way, the three men first run into a poor, elderly man who tells them that he’s been walking, and cannot find a young man who will exchange his youth with the old man. Thusly, he (the old man) has decided to keep his old age, as is God’s will, and Death will not take him. The old man then proceeds to tell them upon their asking that Death is under an oak tree that he just passed.

The three “brothers” go to the oak tree, to kill off Death. Upon arrival, one decides that he needs to go into town, and while there, sees an apothecary to get a poison from him to kill off the other two men in his party, ergo leaving him with the pile of riches they came upon. While he is gone, the other two plot to kill him when he returns so that they may split the pile of riches. This shows greed, because they are all plotting against each other to get rich.

However, the greed of all three men soon led to their demise. The man who bought the poison was killed by the other two as they’d decided upon, and as they sat to drink, they both drank from the bottles containing poison, and they both died soon after. Thus, proving the idea that no bad deed goes unpunished. Also, none of them gained passage to heaven, because no priest heard their confessions, so they were not cleansed of their sins. All in all, the moral of the story is that greed will not go unpunished.

Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron NotesGiovanni Boccaccio (13131375)was an Italian poet and scholar best known for the Decameron● Gave up studying business & law to dedicate himself to literature (“Giovanni Boccaccio”)● Unknown whether or not he truly lived in Florence, Italy, during the time of the plague, buthe was nonetheless qualified enough to use the city as the setting of the Decameron.● After the Decameron wrote almost nothing in Italian and only wrote scholarly works inLatin. Also worked for the Florentine gov. and the pope before retiring in poverty (Bosco).● Written from his perspective, he describes what he has seen/heard of the Black Death inFlorence, Italy, in the introduction.The Decameron: an allegory comprised of 100 stories told by 10 people over 10 nights.● Firstpersoninformative introduction from Boccaccio’s perspective● Thirdpersonnarrative (the 100 stories and frame story)● The Black Death is referenced as being brought upon by God, with religion offeringexplanations for the plague and its transmission.● While the writing is prose, metaphors were heavily utilized as well as other poeticelements (e.g. “apt to convey it from the sick to the whole, just as fire devours things dryor greasy when they are brought close to it”)● Stories in the narrative portray characters in various situations during the plague inFlorence, and themes such as how desperation and fear influence a person’s behaviorduring that time were explored (e.g. “fathers and mothers were found to abandon theirown children, as if they were strangers”)Primary Source Analysis: The final will of Ursollina, a woman dying of the plague.● She was described as “healthy in mind and intellect, but sick in body”.● Many people in association with her had died of the plague as well● Similar accounts described in the Decameron, with plaguespecificsymptoms occurringbut no signs of fever or other maladies.