WE ARE GOING TO PRESENT YOU

THE MALE FIGURES

IN THE LITERARY TEXTS WE HAVE STUDIED SO FAR

THE TEXTS WE HAVE CHOSEN

• “BEOWULF”, an epic poem

• “LORD RANDAL”, a ballad

• “THE KNIGHT”, from a narrative poem

• “SONNET XVIII”, a sonnet

BEOWULF

Figure described a WARRIOR

an IDEALISTIC man

conveyed in a REALISTIC way

He’s CREDIBLE

CHARACTERIZATION

• moral values courage, honour, loyalty, solidarity, mighty, strenght

• social class vassal high-born

• point of view well-considered good reputation of the society

Authority, leader, navigator

• rule in the society

AUTHOR’S OPINION it agrees with PEOPLE’s opinion

Beowulf = a perfect warrior = a HERO

Name : Beowulf Positive qualities and superlatives

Verbs expressing he was authoritative

USE OF LANGUAGE

Positive semantic field

Beowulf is EXALTED

simple- common language

(Anglo-Saxon)

To be FIXED in listener’s mind

Nouns belonging to the semantic field

of the war

REALISM

Old English period

military society warrior=central figure

Beowulf was a warrior

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

He belonged to the Old English society

He assured his population’s survival

Beowulf and all warriors were EXALTED

LORD RANDAL

• Figure described: A LORD

HIS FREE TIME

HIS RICHNESS

REALISTIC

DESCRIPTION

CHARACTERIZATION

• SOCIAL CLASS

• FAMILY

• HOBBIES

a lord aristocracy

a son he needs his mother’s help

hunting

USE OF LANGUAGE

• SIMPLE LANGUAGE

• A LOT OF REPETITIONS

addressed to common people

to impress the ballad in listener’s minds

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

ballads from 12th century

lords feudal system from the XI century

Lord Randal = society of ballads centuries

CONCLUSION

• LORD

MAN SOCIALLY POWERFUL

POISONED BY HIS TRUE LOVE

MEN SHOULD KEEP AWAY FROM WOMEN

THE KNIGHT

Figure described a KNIGHT

REALISTIC description : knights really existed

IDEALISTIC descritpion : knights never had neither only positive qualities nor all ones

CHARACTERIZATION

• social class a knight

• battles he fougth in crusades

• places he visited pilgrimages

all three continents

• the way he dressed simple clothes

• the way he appeared not conceited

embodiment of the chivalric code

well-consideredgood reputation

Deep Christian beliefs

Umility

• moral values truth, honour, freedom, courtesy

courage, dignity, wisdom,

clemency

AUTHOR’S OPINION

EXALTATION of the knight

A lot of positive adjectives

“Truth, honour, freedom and all courtesy “

“Though so strong and brave, he was very wise “

Superlatives

“No christened man so oft of his degree. “

“And therein had he ridden, no man more “

A long list of all his battles

“In Latvia raided he, and ..in far Granada at the siege was heOf Algeciras, and in Belmarie.At Ayas was he and at Satalye…”

USE OF LANGUAGE

refined language

Readers = intellectual men

Exaltation /elevation of the knight idealization

knights Norman period (XI- XV centuries)

Age of Chaucer (XIV century)

The knight belonged to the society of the Age of Chaucer

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

CONCLUSION

knights fought against enemies of the Church

Main code : RELIGIOUS CODE

They obeyed religious code

Knights were WELL-CONSIDERED by Christian population

Chaucer exalts the knight

SONNET XVIII

• Figure described: A YOUNG FAIR MAN

IDEALIZED description

CHARACTERIZATION

• PHYSICAL ASPECT

• MORAL ASPECT

ELEMENTS OF A SUMMER DAY

COMPARISION

AUTHOR’ S OPINION

• Shakespeare dedicated the sonnet to a young man

ALL THE SONNET IS AN AUTHOR’S OPINION

POSITIVE ADJECTIVES

Shakespeare ADMIRES the young man’s beauty

USE OF LANGUAGE

• A RHYME SCHEME

• REPETITION OF THE WORD “FAIR”

TO IMPRESS SOME WORDS IN PEOPLE’ S MIND

TO EXPLAIN and to EXALT the young man’s beuty

CONCLUSION

• FAIR YOUTH HE COULDN’T BE COMPARED WITH NATURE

AN IDEALIZED FIGURE

He is BETTER than THE REAL WORLD

CONCLUSION

Texts from different centuries

Characterizations of different kinds of man

the warrior the lord the knight the loved man

military society Renaissance society

Norman-French society

feudal society

different kind of man different kind of society