THE NORMAN CONQUEST
The Normans were Vikings who came from Norway and settled along the coast of France (Normandy). Local people called them Norsemen and eventually, they were known as Normans. In 1066, the King of England, Edward the Confessor, died without a heir, and the Duke of Normandy claimed that King Edward had promised him the throne, and so did Earl Harold Godwinson of England. William of Normandy led his army acros the channel and set up at the city of Hastings. The two armies fought and eventually, William defeated Harold and marched towards London. The English resisted his rule and even elected another man, Edgar, as their King, but William kept fighting until the English leaders were defeated and William was crowned as King of England on December 25th, 1066.
Look for more information to answer these questions in the following website:
1. Who where the Normans? Where did they come from? How long did their rule last?
2. Why is the battle of Hastings os important in the English history?
3. What is the Doomsday book?
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In the Midle Ages, most plays were religious and therefore, they were used to teach people about the Bible, the lives of saints or to teach theh good morals to follow in life. According to this, there were three main types of medieval plays: mistery plays, miracle plays and morality plays.
Click on the following link to read more about medieval plays and answer the following question:
4. Provide a definition and an example of a mistery play.
5. Provide a definition and an example of a miracle play.
6. Provide a definition and an example of a morality play.
http://heironimohrkach.blogspot.com.es/2013/07/medieval-theatre-staging-cycles-other.html
THE ROMANCE
In the Middle Ages, Romance referred to a type of poetry which dealt with the adventures of knights as they rescued and conquered the hearts of their fair ladies. The underwent several adventures in which supernatural beings and events intervened. Romances originated in hte earlier chansons de gestes and epic poems, however their subject matter focused on courlty or chivalric love.
Scholars usually divide medieval romances into four categories, based on their subject matter: the matter of Rome, the matter of Britain, the matter of England and the matter of France.
For more information about Medieval Romance, click here. Read the information and answer the questions:
7. Define "romance". Where did it originated?
8. Define the two main types of romances.
9. There are four types of romances according to their subject matter. What are each of them based on?
10. Do you know any medieval romance? Write at least two expamples.
Remember!
Romance refers to episodic poetry which deals with chivalry and courtly love.
Chivalric romances present the adventures of a knight who wants to win the favor and love of a lady and he does it by undertaking a dangerous quest in which supernatural elements - usually of Christian origin- play an important role.
Courlty love romances deal with the morals and rules of aristocratic courtship and the consequences of arranged marriages and adultery.
THE LEGEND OF KING ARTHUR
Many writers have told us about the story of King Arthur but no one really knows who he was. The name of King Arthur first appeared in 1136, in the The History of the Kings of Britain, written by Geoffrey of Monmouth. Monmouth's work was translated into French in the Middle Ages and that was the begining of the expansion of King's Arthur's legend.
According to the legend, Arthur was the first born son or King Uther Pendragon, however, advised by Merlin the magician, he was raised in a secret place without knowing his true identity. When King Uther died, Merlin used his magic to set a sword in a stone with an inscription carved on it that said that the person who pulled the sword out of it, would be King of England. Many contenders tried to pull the sword out but it was Arthur whi finally became the King of England.
Arthur's story was translated into several languages, and that contributed to its expansión and development of the legend. Writers such as Chrétien de Troyes added new bits to the story such as the fact that Arthur's knights met at the Round Table, the story of Sir Lancelot or Percival and the quest for the Holy Grail. In 1470, Sir Thomas Malory wrote a compilation of Arthurian legends called Le Morte D'Arthur, printed in 1485 by Caxton, which contributed to the final widespread of the legend.
To read more about King Arthur's legend, click on the following links:
King Arthur
11. Who was King Arthur? How did he became King of England?
12. How many authors have written about King Arthur and what were their contributions to the story?
13. Who was Sir Lancelot?
14. What is the quest for the Holy Grail?
15. Why is the legend of King Arthur so widespread and well-known?
Chaucer is considered to be the first great poet in English language. His best known work is The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer was also a page to Queen Elizabeth, he served both King Edward III and his successor Richard II and he was eventually eleceted as a member of parliament for Kent. His travels exposed him to the work of other relevant authors of the time such as Boccaccio, who influenced his literature.
The Canterbury Tales is the most famous of Chaucer's works. It relates the stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. Chaucer's original idea was to let each pilgrim tell one story on their way to Canterbury and another on their way back but such a homeric work was not accomplished and the book remained unfinished.
Some of the most famous tales you can find in his work are: The Knight's tale, the Clerk's tale, the pardoner's tale or the Nun's tale.
http://klimas11a.blogspot.com.es/
Chaucer's life
Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales 1
The Canterbury Tales 2
Chaucer in context
Now answer the following questions:
16. Write a short biography of Geoffrey Chaucer.
17. What are the Canterbury Tales about?
18. Make a short summary of three of the tales mentioned above.
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