English 236

Knight's Tale

The Knight's Tale is the first tale to appear in the Canterbury Tales. It is the longest of the tales and fits into the genre of romance. This is significant because the tale fits the character and social status of the Knight himself. The Knight is of the

Miller's Tale

The Miller's Tale comes after the Knight's Tale in the Canterbury Tales. It is the opposite of the Knights tale in many ways. The tale is short, ignoble , discourteous, and full of trickery. This means that the tale fits into the Genre of Fablieaux. The t

Grendels Arm

Grendels arm was removed from Grendel while attacking Hereot by Beowulf. It was a sign that the evil beast was defeated and was displayed as a trophy, although Beowulf was not satisfied that it was not the head. "The monster's whole
body was in pain, a tr

Wiglaf

Wiglaf was one of Beowulf's warriors. He is siginificant because he is the only one who stood by Beowulf's side when they were fighting the dragon. Therefore, he embodies the Comitatus Code where it says that one should never leave the scene of a battle.

The Wife of Bath's Tale

The wife of bath's tale is generally about women. This tale is significant because women began to speak out about how they live and their wants when previously this would be outlandish, people talking about their social status. It explains how a man is se

Treasure Horde

The Treasure Horde in "Beowulf" is the treasure that the dragon guards.These riches were buried long ago by someone of a high-born race. A slave fleeing from his master accidentally finds the hidden passage into the horde and takes a gem-studded goblet. T

Wyrd

Wyrd is the anglo-saxon concept of fate, or destiny as seen in "Beowulf." The significance of wyrd is that it is thought to determine certain events in the book. Such as, when Beowulf shows up in the West-Danes he is there to "follow up an old friendship

Grendel's Mother

In the poem Beowulf, Grendel's mother is the mother of Grendel. This family of mutants is said to descend from the line of Cain, a man who killed his own brother. Grendel's mother portrays the opposite ideals of a woman in Anglo-Saxon society which were s

Weahltheow

Weahltheow is the wife of Hrothgar and the Queen of the Thanes. She is called the "peace-weaver" because when Beowulf and his Geats arrive at Heorot Hall, she passes the cup among the men, instilling trust between the Thanes and the Geats. Weahltheow port

Wife

In Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales, wives play a very different role. In Beowulf, males are completely dominant over their wives. Having a wife to go home to is an accomplishment. Wives are seen as lesser figures to serve all males, specifically the "cup

Logos

According successful persuader,One of Aristotle's three types of appeals to convince others to change their opinion. Logos is the appeal to the audience's reason. When appealing to a person's logic, we may argue using:
1. Induction= specific details -> a

Anglo-Saxon women

The role of Anglo-Saxon women appears in Beowulf. A key of the woman in some cases are "peace-weavers." In other words they are a tool used to unite two fighting countries with Marriage. "daughters of important men were married off to make peace between t

Grendel's Mother

Grendel's mother is a woman in the book Beowulf that is evil and seeks revenge for her son's death. This woman is significant in this epic poem because she threatens Heorot and encounters Beowulf in a fight. This fight results in Grendel's mother's death

The Hero's Journey

(Austin Teel) The Hero's Journey is the archetypal cycle of events that a majority of heroic novels, movies, and stories follow, including Beowulf. It consists of three main catagories and four subcatagories within each. 1. Departure (consists of: 1. The

The Return Stage

(Austin Teel) The Return stage is the third and final stage of the Hero's Journey as described by Christopher Vogler. The Return stage contains the hero's journey back to the orginal state that he was before the journey. The Return stage consists of: 1.Se

The Chain of Love

(Mac Maguire) The chain of Love is found in Chaucers masterpeice, Canterbury Tales. More specifically it is found in the end of the Knights Tale. It has very much to do with the whole theme of the tale, courtly love. Thesius said "Entire world bound toget

Ship Burial

The Anglo-Saxon people were famous for their funerals. Usually, they would put the deceased in one of their longboats, pile the ship full of that person's former possessions, and send it out to sea, as can be seen in of Beowulf. There, it states that "the

Sutton Hoo

The site at which the first Anglo-Saxon ship burial was discovered, hidden under a very large, grass-covered mound of dirt. These ships were the ones upon which the Anglo-Saxons let their deceased drift out to sea, as see here: "they stretched their belov

Supreme Ordeal

A stage in the Hero's Journey that is usually used as the climax of the Journey. The most grueling test that the hero has undergone so far. The hero must almost fail or almost lose their life, but recover to triumph over their enemy.
In Beowulf, this take

Alison

Miller's Tale- An 18 year old girl who married an old carpenter. Promises to love Nicholas who was a student to her husband. Eventually does when her husband is away. She is wanted by another man named Absalon, but she and Nicholas make fun of him. By the

Emily

Knight's Tale-The beautiful girl in The Knight's Tale that Arcite and Palamon both fall in love with just by seeing her through their cell window. She prays to Diana and asks for the two to be at peace and for her to be a virgin all her life, not a wife.

Palamon

Knight's Tale- The Noble knight who first spotted Emily in the Garden when he and his cousin Arcite were imprisoned. After arguing over who would get to have Emily, he and Arcite were separated. Palamon escaped prison and further pursued Emily, to the poi

Nicholas the Scholar

Nicholas is one of the main characters in "The Miller's Tale". Nicholas is significant because he represents the opposite of courtly love and chivalry, womanizing and sleeping with another man's wife through trickery, lies, and deception. "This lad was kn

Trickery

Trickery is the use of sneaky or devious actions in order to obtain a certain goal. Trickery is a theme in the Millers tale and is most apparent when John the Carpenter is tricked by Nicholas into believing that there was a "Great flood" coming to wash aw

John the Carpenter

John the Carpenter is one of the main characters in "The Miller's Tale". In order to sleep with his wife Alison, Nicholas tricks John into believing that another great flood is coming and that he must sit in a tub on the roof. "fetch a shallow tub or knea

Adultery

Adultery is the act of sexual impurity whether it be a man or a woman. This idea of adultery is seen in the Millers tale to describes Allison as "...a girl of eighteen years of age, Jealous he was and kept her in a cage" (89) This is an important theme in

Virgin

In the Knights tale, the princess Emily, sought after by two knights, Arcite and Palomon, is portrayed in the Knights tale with a certain innocence as a virgin. Emily could be compared to Mary in this context that both were virgins. This comparison is imp

Mead Hall

In Beowulf, the mead hall is regarded as the meeting place in the anglo-saxon culture, where mead, a type of beer, was served along with a feast of sorts. This is where many members of that society would gather and relax after a hard day of pillaging. Thi

Pagan/Christian

The Pagan Christian struggle comes into play in the poem Beowulf. Throughout his journey Beowulf sways back and forth between a Paganist belief. This is illustrated when Beowulf says "So many a man not marked by fate" (2291-2293) showing his belief in fat

Chivalry

Chivalry is a Knights certain code of ethics directing a Knight to a higher class than many of the commoners of this time. This is the actual code of chivalry.
From Chivalry by Leon GautierI.
I.Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt obs

Long Ship

A boat used by the Anglo Saxons but also used by the Anglo Saxons as a burial for great rulers or warriors. The deceased would be laid out on the boat and surrounded by all of his treasures and gear. The long ship would then be cast out to sea. While Chri

Unferth

A man who appears early in Beowulf. He insults Beowulf, speaking of a race in which Beowulf was the loser. There is a possibility that he killed his brothers when he caught them "having knowlege of his mother" which Beowulf brings up after Unferth insults

Heorot

The mead hall and general gathering place of the Danes. Also, Heorot means "heart." Throughout the story Heorot is spoken of as the heart of man; it gets brighter, happier, but also darker. Later in the story, when Beowulf goes to fight Grendel's mother,

1066

The date of the Battle of Hastings in which William the Conquerer invaded the mainland of the British Isles (England) from Normandy. (The West coast of France. Ironically, this is the same coast Allied forces storm during D-Day in World War Two) This batt

Gift-giving

Throughout the epic poem Beowulf, the act of gift-giving is very important to cultures of this time. Gift-giving is done through different groups of people such as the Geats and Danes, and signify that they will work together and be allies against a commo

Parson

a person authorized to conduct religious worship, in The only devout churchman in the company, the Parson lives in poverty, but is rich in holy thoughts and deeds. The pastor of a sizable town, he preaches the Gospel and makes sure to practice what he pre

Cup-Bearer

the attendant (usually an officer of a nobleman's household) whose duty is to fill and serve cups of wine. The Queen was the Cup-Bearer in Anglo-Saxon society in Beowulf, she is a supporting role for the king and his men.Wealhtheow emerges as a peace-pled

Dragon

any of several small tropical Asian lizards capable of gliding by spreading winglike membranes on each side of the body. symbol of evil and corruption, dragons were seen as the antithesis of a good king. Good kings shared their treasures with the people,

Nobles

The Nobility is a state-privileged status which is generally hereditary. Titles of nobility are usually associated with present or former monarchies. The term originally referred to those who were "known" or "notable" and was applied to the highest social

Pardoner

The Pardoner rides in the very back of the party in the General Prologue and is fittingly the most marginalized character in the company. His profession is somewhat dubious�pardoners offered indulgences, or previously written pardons for particular sins,

Hrunting

In the epic poem "Beowulf", Hrunting is the sword that Beowulf uses to slay Grendel's mother. The sword's significance is that it was given to Beowulf by God. This gift from God is the point where Beowulf is said to become Christian. Beowulf is described

Virgin

The Knight's Tales in Cantenbury Tales shows the importance and significance of virginity. Emily prays, "that i would be a virgin all my life," to the gods and it shows how chastuty was a sign of purity. It was believed that a chaste lady is more honorabl

Temple Of Mars

In the Cantenbury Tales, there is a description of the temple of Mars, the god of war, in the knight's tale. Here is where Arcite prays for victory to win Emily. The temple stood "armipotent" and as u entered, th gate was ""grim like death." This shows ho

Temple Of Venus

In the Knight's Tale in the Cantenbury Tales, the Temple of Venus is where Palamon goes. He is suffering from love and prays to win. The temple reflects the his agony by descibing the place as "piteous to behold" and mentioning the "sacred tears and the l

Temple of Diana

In the Knight's Tale in the CantenburyTales, the Temple of Diana is where Emily prays. It is describes as "modest" and the pictures of animals and hunting show he is a strong woman; emphazing how a chaste woman is better than a married one. Here, Emily pr

Vulgar Language

In the Miller's Tale, in The Cantenbury Tales, vulgar language is used by the Miller. This tale comes right after the Knight's tal which is decent and its language is more civilized. The vulgar words of the miller like "arse," "cuckold," and "fart" shows

Monk as Beowulf poet

Because a monk wrote down the tale of Beowulf allows him to put a twist on the story. The twist that he instills on the story is the message of Christianity. For example, Beowulf is often portrayed as a Jesus - like figure.
Whitaker, Austen

Courtly Love

In The Canterbury Tales we see Courtly Love in the Knight's Tale between Emily and both Arcite and Palamon. There were many rules to Courtly Love including(from powerpoint):
1. Marriage is no real excuse for not loving.
2. He who is not jealous cannot lov

Woman's Estates

In both Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales, woman's estates are shown. In medieval times, there were three types of women. The first was the ideal estate, which were the virgin/religious women. The second estate was acceptable estate, which were the married

Monk as Beowulf Poet

A Christian monk wrote down the Beowulf Poem, allowing him to put a Christian voice to it. Fore example, the poet as Monk tells the reader to beware of "fiery embraces" in times of trouble. The significance is that the people of the time were reading it b

fen

low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation
the Swamp of thick muck disease grime and monsters where Grendel's mom's lair is deep at the bottom. this is the place where she is ultimately killed.
associations: the swamp or deep woods is a long time symbol of

Unferth

Unferth is a character in "Beowulf" who is very jealous of Beowulf's position as a hero. He displays this jealousy by expressing bitterness towards Beowulf when Unferth tells the swimming match between Beowulf and Breca. Also, he shows the opposite of wha

the ancient sword of giants

(AKA: hrunting) while in the depths with grendel's mother He finds a large ornate sword with which he slays Gendel's mother and severs grendels head before the blade melts. as a gift he offers it to the king. When beowulf finds the weapon "A light appeare

Formal Boast

To announce himself Beowulf must Present himself as the Man's-Man Anglo-Saxon Warrior that he is and prove it to all around him to earn the right to roam the kingdom heavily armed with his soldiers to kill Grendel. Beowulf Presents himself well especially

Thane

Beowulf "when fighting starts steadfast companions will stand by him and hold the line"(23) while in battle the thanes are like the Knights in the Cantebury tales only without the romantic chivalry brought in by the french. They are expected to whole hear

Fabliaux

A fabliaux is a medieval times tale of raunch. It is filled with RAUNCH. Usually, in a fabliaux, you can see sex, low born characters, realistic detail, tricks played between characters, gullible characters, and disusting and rude humor. Such humor like

Ethos

Ethos is the appeal of the persuader's character. When a writer is making an ethical appeal, he communicates to the audience his good character, assuming he has any character. Aristotle divides it into 3 types. But, Ethos is the impression set on the read

Pathos

Is the appeal to the audience's emotions, assuming he is human, and not a robot. We use pathos when we use sensory images, storytelling and narration, and emotianally connotative diction. Sometimes, though, people use Pathos for wrong and nefarious reason

Ancient Sword of the Giants

This object appears in the "Beowulf". This mighty sword of the Giants is found by Beowulf during his vicious fight with Grendel's mother in her cave which was underwater. The sword was an ideal weapon that would make any warrior envious but it was so big

Breca

Breca was a ferocious sea beast that appeared in "Beowulf". After being made a fool by Unferth, Beowulf corrected him by telling him and everyone else in the mead hall about his ordeal in the sea with Breca. Beowulf was competing against a friend by seein

Chaucer

This term belongs to the text "Canterbury Tales". Geoffrey Chaucer is the author of "Canterbury Tales" and wrote the book in the 14th century. Although Chaucer received help from John of Gaunt for the beginning of the book, "no one knows when he put his l

5 Husbands

The topic "5 Husbands" is from the tale "Wife of Bath's" from "Canterbury Tales". The wife of bath was notorious for having had five husbands. Each relationship she had was significant, but the majority of her relationships were about money.
Although nume

The Hero's Return

The "Hero's Return" refers to Beowulf from the epic poem "Beowulf". It is significant because it symbolizes a period where the Hero was down, and almost accepts defeat, but strives to the end, prevailing over his enemy. When almost near death Beowulf, "..

Noah's Flood

Noah's flood is the flood from the bible that wiped out all the evil in the world. We can find this symbolism in Beowulf. The presence of this symbolism is significant because we can clearly see the influx of Christian ideas into the Anglo-Saxon stories.

Mere

The mere is a place where Grendel's mother lives. This place is important because the description of the mere is an archetypal image: dark, ambiguous and dangerous; which parallels Grendel's mother. The poem "Beowulf" gives a good description of the level

tournament

Tournament is a term from the Canterbury Tales, during the Knight's Tale, when the two Knights, Arcite and Palamon, agree to a tournament to settle their battle for Emily's love. Theseus decides that whoever, "Can drive his foe to stake, or take his life,

Arcite

Arcite a character in the Knight's Tale from the poem The Canterbury Tales. Arcite is one of two knights, the other being Palamon, who is infatuated with Emily, the girl that they end up fighting for in a tournament to prove their love and right to wed he

Widow

The Wife of Bath uses this in her tale in the Canterbury Tales. She is a widow, previously married multiple times to different men. She does not take marriage seriously, lying to her husbands, using them to gain assets, the opposite of the key term "court

Religious Clergy

The Clergy at the time when the Canterbury Tales was written were very corrupt by the Church, which was a foundation of peace, education and stability in times of crisis. They did not, however, act as servants of the Lord, but instead made people pay high

Religious Hypocrisy

Similar to the way the clergy was described, religion at the time was nothing but corrupt by the Church's want for money and riches to allow for their royal lifestyles. One example of profiting from God's grace was by selling "indulgences," which the cler

Emily

Emily was the woman that the two knights, Arcite and Palamon, fought over because they both experienced courtly love, which was thought to be a case of severe infatuation experienced by all knights. The two knights accept a tournament that will decide who

Supreme Ordeal

The supreme ordeal is the most difficult battle for the hero. The hero must overcome death and triumph over evil. In Beowulf, this occurs in lines 1492-1550 while beowulf fights Grendel's mother and takes revenge on her for killing his men. (Josh Dillon)

Germanic Code

The Germanic code "values strength, courage, and loyalty in warriors; hospitality, generosity, and political skill in kings; ceremoniousness in women; and good reputation in all people." Beowulf is comminted in living his life by this code and sets the pe

Black Death

The black death was significant because it took the lives of 2/3 of the population in Europe. Beowulf and his soldiers had to endure the challenges of war along with the black death . The people living during that time period had to avoid the black death

The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales were written by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. They are a collection of stories or tales written mostly in a poem and are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims. These stories vary widely as t

The Return Stage

The Return stage is the final stage of Christopher Voglers Hero's Journey. The Return stage consists of the hero returning to his homeland and receiving thanks and praises for his courage and leadership. The Return stage has three phases which includes Se

Peace-Weaver

The job of a Peace-Weaver is carried usually carried out by Anglo-Saxon women. In Beowulf a queen is know to weave peace between to countries."A queen should weave peace, not punish the innocent with loss of life for imagined insults."
-Hans Maggio

Germanic Code

The Germanic Code is also known as the hero's/warrior's code and is a set of laws that governs the warrior's way of life. One of the "laws" is that they must never retreat in battle. In the end of Beowulf, Beowulf himself follows the code when Beowulf doe

Arcite

Arcite is on of the main characters in the knights tale along with his blood cousin Palamon. They are the main contributes to the plot. They are both in love with the same women and both wish to marry her. This brings up interesting questions in subject o

Funeral Pyre

The Funeral Pyre at the end of the book of Beowulf is no inconsequential event; its presence is of great interest to many historians and annalists. A funeral pyre is the burning of a body on a pyre. First some background: the beginning begins with a norma

Comitatus Code

The Comitatus Code is the fabric of the Anglo-Saxon society and if broken they are doomed. It is a set of rules for all warriors and kinsmen. When one does not follow the Comitatus code it is extremely detrimental to their culture and the perpetrator is s

General Prologue

The General Prologue is the first section of The Canterbury Tales. This prologue gives a fairly detailed summary or introduction of each of the characters in the tales. Furthermore the prologue is wildly disorganized, this disorganation exists to relate t

Gapped Teeth

Gapped Teeth, are used to describe the Wife of Bath in The Canterbury Tales. The significance of someone having "Gapped Teeth" in Chaucer's time is to show that that person has insatiable sexual cravings. On page 15 Chaucer describes the Wife of Bath's pr

Plowman

The plowman is an honest Christian man in The Canterbury Tales. In this book the plowman doesnt have a tale but The Plowman's Tale is stated in two other Chaucerian texts. On page 17 Chaucer describes the plowman as "an honest worker, good and true, / Liv

Three Estates

In feudal Europe the three estates was there to define the social hierarchy. The classes in the estates were, Peasantry, Nobility, and the Clergy. It was believed that these classes were ordained by God and therefore there was very little social movement.

Palamon

He was the cousin of Arcite, and like Arcite was a prince of Thebes."The heralds knew, for all the filth and mud/That they were princes of the royal blood" p.30.Palamon would later see Emily and fall in love with her and come into conflict with Arcite who

Fabliaux

A style of writing during the medieval period. These books were short and were very low class, almost pornographic at times. The humor was low class and it contained a lot of vulgar language. "This Nicholas let fly a fart as loud as if it were a thunder-c

logos

One of the 3 ways of presenting an argument. When you use logos you often present facts, figures, and other historical context in order to prove your arguments. This style is used by the Wife of Bath in the Canterbury Tales in order to prove why marrying

Pathos

One of Aristotle's 3 ways to make an argument. When you use Pathos you're using emotion, sensory images, and using passionate speech in order to appeal to a crowd. This style of argument is best used to rally a mob to your cause.
James Mantil

Geat

The Geats were an Anglo-Saxon warrior nation during the time of the poem Beowulf. The significance of this nation in the poem is that it is Beowulf's homeland, and eventually he takes up kingship of the nation."We belong by birth to the Geat people and ow

Chivalry

Chivalry is what characterizes the knight. Chivalry's characteristics range consist of honor, virtue, and courtly love. Its what people see in a knight; the knight saves the princess and also will fight honorably to "obtain" her. This can be shown in the

Ship Burial

The Ship Burial was an Anglo-Saxon tradition with a Christian twist. The traditional Anglo-Saxon way of sending a king to the afterlife was to send his ship off to sea with his belongings, armor, horse, and sometimes slaves. When Christianity was introduc

Cain's Clan

Cain's clan was a reference to all the evil in the world, Grendel being a part of it. The reason why it is called Cain's clan is because it is referencing to "whom the Creator had outlawed and condemned as outcasts. For the killing of Abel." This is signi

God-sent strength

An important image and highlight in Beowulf. From the beginning, the protagonist Beowulf has a proud warrior mindset derived from his pagan beliefs. From the quote, "holy God decided the victory." and that it was "easy for Lord, the Ruler of Heaven" to "r

1.Fabliaux

Fabliaux is demonstrated in the Miller's Tale in the book The Canterbury Tales. It demonstrates the harsh reality of life involving sex
,Rude and disgusting humor
,Gullible characters , Realistic detail
,Short in length
Anonymous/Low born characters and T

knight

The Knight is used in both the Knight's Tale and The Miller's Tale in the Canterbury Tales. A Knight live by the code of chivalry which states to:
-Defend the weak
-Be courteous to women
-Be humble
-Serve God at all times
-Have mercy on your enemy
-Never

1.Disgusting humor

Disgusting humor is used in the Miller's Tale in The Canterbury Tales. It is defined as language which is offensive and does not have any moral boundaries or ethics. It is also described as Fabliaux which is a more raunchier style of writing or story tell

1.Nobles

The term, Nobles, is represented in the Canterbury Tales to distinguish the difference in social classes of the time. At the time there were three different estates to establish higher and lower classes. These were:
Clergy: The clergy were the highest ord

1.Chivalry

The code of Chivalry is in both Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales. It states:
# Live to serve King and Country.
# Live to defend Crown and Country and all it holds dear.
# Live one's life so that it is worthy of respect and honor.
# Live for freedom, justi

Battle of Hastings

After Edward the Confessor, King of England, died in 1066, two prominent figures sought his throne. The first, Harold Godwinson, had been given the throne after Edward's death, by the Witan (a council of England's barons and clergy). The second was Willia

Theseus

The Knights' tale begins with the story of Theseus, a prince who married Hippolyta. Theseus ruled the city of Athens and conquered the kingdom of Amazons. When he returned home victorious he swore vengeance upon Creon because he left the dead bodies of so