Can Middle English Romances be considered popular and non-courtly? Discuss.
Can Middle English Romances be considered popular and non-courtly? Discuss Middle English romance is one of the most comprehensive of literary forms and its range of subject matter and metrical styles is vast. It is difficult to 'classify' romances as they exhibit so much variety, and some critics have questioned whether it is possible to speak of a romance genre at all. In the beginning of the Middle Ages, the word 'romance' was a term used indiscriminately to any kind of long narrative in French verse. Gradually, the term 'romance' began to refer to tales describing knightly prowess, usually set in remote times or places, and involving some element of the supernatural. The early Middle English romances are strikingly different from the sophisticated voice of French courtly romance. French courtly romance was characteristic of high medieval culture, with only elite audiences capable of understanding the code of social values they presented. Twelfth-century French romance concerned itself with the examination of ideal aristocratic values and there was a notable distance between the poet and the audience. Early middle English romance however spoke to a larger community, and the narrating voice made an attempt to include itself and its audience in the world the poem is describing. Because of this fact they can be considered popular as they appealed to the wider general
Virtues of Heroism.
Jeremy Reed British Fiction 9/14/03 Beowulf assignment #2 Virtues of Heroism A hero is an idealized individual, who exemplifies the finer qualities of man. He is distinguished by his exceptional courage, fortitude, and bold enterprise. In the epic poem Beowulf, by Anonymous, Beowulf (the central character) embodies the distinctive qualities of a noble hero. His character illustrates a perfect parity between the natural forces instinctive within the nature of man. Throughout the novel, his righteousness combats the malevolence thriving in his harsh world. This environment is a melting pot of multiple dualities. The poem illustrates a clear-cut struggle between one of the most prominent dualisms, good and evil. Evil emerges from the absence of goodness. Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon are all perverted forces of evil. They are bent on mass destruction and chaos. Grendel invokes a sense of terror while he ravages Hrothgar's Danish hall (Heorot), "So Hrothgar's men lived happy in his hall till the monster stirred, that demon, that fiend, Grendel, who haunted the moors, the wild marshes, and made his home in a hell not hell but earth. He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain" (pg26). Heorot symbolizes civilization. It is the center of community life, where happiness and freedom are celebrated. It is also the site of
The fame shame warrior ethic was extremely important to ancient civilizations. It was how a man was supposed to act in order to become a hero and appreciated in the society.
Sean Schaefer The fame shame warrior ethic was extremely important to ancient civilizations. It was how a man was supposed to act in order to become a hero and appreciated in the society. One was not to run away during a war or battle. It was better to them to die fighting and not running away. To retreat would be an ultimate embarrassment. A man would much rather die fighting than to face the humiliation of defeat or weakness. To be known as a hero is the ultimate goal of a man. It is the only way for them to become immortal, and have their legacy live on forever. We see the fame shame warrior ethic in both "Beowulf" and "The Song of Roland" in similar and contrasting values. In "Beowulf" the warrior fame shame ethic is very evident with the main character Beowulf himself. Beowulf is the strongest and most fearless warrior known. Beowulf is called upon to kill a dragon named Grendel who is terrorizing a city. Beowulf expresses his warrior ethic and strength by saying in a speech he will defeat the dragon with his bare hands and not use a sword or any other weapons. "I do not consider myself to be a fighter inferior either in strength or in experience to Grendel himself; so I shall not kill him with the sword. Although I could do it in that way, that is not how I propose to rid him of his life. He knows nothing of the art of cutting and thrusting, although his
Compare the heroic status of Beowulf and Daredevil.
Kevin J. Furst Mrs. Catrillo Honors English 12 21 February 2004 The heroes of today have maintained the same general values of a hero that were established centuries ago. No matter what their background seems to be, the fearlessness and sacrifice they possess exceeds that of the average man. Heroes were often looked upon as a real, tangible being, but now they are more fictionalized in many comic books of the 20th century. The epic poem, Beowulf, and Daredevil, created by Stan Lee, are both superheroes of their times in more ways than one. Although written in two completely different time periods, the strength, devotion, and bravery they exemplify reflect the lifestyle of both the Anglo-Saxon and modern day societies. The strength of a hero is not only measured by the size of their muscles, but also by their mentality. Beowulf has the strength of 30 men and swam to the bottom of the lake without coming up for air. "Beowulf, Higlac's/Follower and the strongest of the Geats-greater/And stronger than anyone anywhere is this world..." (Lines 194-196). His battle with nine sea monsters while swimming for seven days in the sea solidified his strength. The enormity of his strength could not be measured until he swam to the bottom of the bubbling lake to fight Grendel's mother in the battle hall. Daredevil, a New York lawyer fights the criminals that he could not bring to justice
Weapons in the Anglo-Saxon Society
Weapons in the Anglo-Saxon Society In the Anglo-Saxon society, weapons and treasure show power and wealth, and in Beowulf the loss of the importance of weapons and treasure parallels the downfall of the Anglo- Saxon society. Throughout the poem, the scops tell of the giving of treasures and ancient weapons to warriors as part of the comitatus code. The comitatus code is the giving of gifts from a king to his warriors for the good deeds they do. Hrothgar promises to give Beowulf much treasure if he defeats Grendel, saying that he will make sure Beowulf's ship is filled with treasure when he leaves for the land of the Geats, and again he promises to reward Beowulf if he defeats Grendel's Mother. Hrothgar gives Beowulf many gifts after Beowulf defeats Grendel. He receives treasure and ancient weaponry from Hrothgar including Hrothgar's own helmet, which he uses against Grendel's Mother. Beowulf also displays the comitatus code. As Beowulf returns to his ship to head home he rewards to Danish soldier who watches his ship with a golden handled sword. This shows that Beowulf learns from Hrothgar the importance of giving gifts and treasures. The first evidence of the importance of treasure is in the prologue, as the scop tells the story of Shild and Beo. After the time of his passing, Shild's men place his body on a ship with all of his treasures piled around him. In
'That doom abided, / but in time it would come' (Beowulf, lines 83-4) Discuss the theme of fate / destiny in these texts.
'That doom abided, / but in time it would come' (Beowulf, lines 83-4) Discuss the theme of fate / destiny in these texts. It is indeed immediately evident to the reader (or listener) of Beowulf, that the poem is heavily laden with themes of fate and destiny. I would even go as far as saying that it is partly the weight that these themes lend that gives Beowulf its rich and beautiful quality. These themes are present throughout the text, for instance the creation of Heorot comes with the prophecy of its doom, with "its gables wide and high and awaiting / a barbarous burning" (lines 82-3). We are also given the cause for such a fate, namely blood feud between in-laws. The inevitable doom associated with blood feuds, and its associated fratricide, is also present at the end of the text with the wild prediction of the war and destruction of the Geat nation at the Shylfing's hands. It is also interesting to note here that the poem is book ended by funerals, death being the inevitable conclusion of fate, and also with prophecy, particularly effective for a contemporary audience knowledgeable of the outcomes of such prognostications. However, it is in the episode of Beowulf's fight against the dragon that we see the most signposted manifestation of fate: He was sad at heart, Unsettled yet ready, sensing his death. His fate hovered near, unknowable but certain (2419-2421)
Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is a poem of heroism, chivalry, brave knights and romance.
Veronica Leturia April 3, 2003 Medieval English Literature Dr. Paul Oppenheimer Sir Gawain And The Fox Sir Gawain and The Green Knight is a poem of heroism, chivalry, brave knights and romance. The longest section of the poem are the hunting scenes. These scenes are the most engaging part of the poem, besides the fact that they are so detailed you draw parallels between the animals and the protagonist. Here we will consider the symbolism and importance of the hunting scenes and how they help develop and enhance the plot. The three hunting scenes in Sir Gawain are told in great detail. The author describes the light of the morning and all the surroundings, the bright sun and the green trees. The description of the animals movements paint a clear picture in your head as you read. Throughout medieval literature animals have held significant meanings, they are an important part of the story. The description of the animals characteristics made the story much more appealing and enjoyable to read. During the three days of the hunts Bercilak goes after three distinct animals the deer, boar, and the fox. The deer was thought to be honorable, but elusive, ready to flee before fighting. The boar was thought also to be elusive, but prone to face his attacker and strike back. The fox has the reputation for being cunning and duplicity. Here we can
Discuss how this short passage represents the theme of shame and show the significance of that theme within Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Transfer-Encoding: chunked Discuss how this short passage represents the theme of shame and show the significance of that theme within ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ Throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the idea of shame is explored both through Gawain’s own experiences but also through the presentation of the contrasting courts of Arthur and Bertelak, both of which the reader is drawn towards questioning the morals of by the end of poem. As this essay will discuss, it is, ironically, the grief and shame that Gawain clearly expresses in this extract that highlights the depth of his integrity and moreover the deeply flawed integrity of the court, who in prizing renown and honor more than anything else have instead been shown to have very superficial and certainly not honorable values. The poet does not seem to wholly criticize the shame-honour value system of the Arthurian court here, rather he uses the character of Gawain to show that these values are worth something but only when they are combined with strong personal integrity, which both the poet and the green knight, acting on behalf of Morgan le Fay, find severely lacking in Arthur’s court[1]. To this end, this extract, which is set when Gawain returns to Arthurs’ court after his experiences at Hautdesert, presents Gawain in a state of severe anguish and suffering over the shame that has come
History of Culture Supersedes Material Riches.
Beowulf: History of Culture Supersedes Material Riches Epic poems are defined by certain characteristics such as a hero, a villain, tragedy and usually a moral. It is through these characteristics that the literally work can be evaluated, discussed and applied to a culture. Those literally works that are usually deemed by the powers that be as classics, tend to have morals that can transcend time, place and culture. In this epic poem, Beowulf's belief is that to an honorable person history and culture are ultimately more important to a society than gold or other material riches. When Beowulf is first introduced in the poem he comes to the aid of the King and his people. Beowulf feels obligated to help rid the town of the dragon. Despite being given special armor as a gift, Beowulf is driven more by the challenge and the honor that goes with being a great warrior. Throughout the poem there is discussion on what makes a good king. Beowulf strives to learn the intricacies of being a great king so when it is his time he will be as successful at ruling as he was as a warrior. As the poem develops, Beowulf goes from being a great warrior, to being a good king. There is a learning curve that goes with being a king, and like present day leaders many times a leader or king can not be labeled great until well after they are dead and people can retrospectively look to
Beowulf vs. James Bond
Cristina Hall September 26, 2002 Beowulf vs. James Bond The epic tale of Beowulf has survived for many generations and undergone numerous translations, just as the movie series "James Bond" has been around since 1962 and has captured the hearts of those who view the films. Like the character Beowulf, James Bond projects "good" as agent 007, travels to hundreds of places, and his missions almost always affect the outcome of a nation. Roving to far and distant places, James Bond and Beowulf have the element of travel in common, for they voyage long distances to accomplish their tasks. Beowulf travels a long distance to help a nation win their war, "To anyone in Denmark. All of Beowulf's; Band had jumped from their beds, Ancestral; Swords raised and ready" (Beowulf, lines 316-318). Beowulf wants to show all of Denmark the good in his heart and loyalty to the race of men. Because their fate rests in Beowulf's hands, the people of Denmark trust his decisions. Likewise, James Bond, an agent working for the British secret service, has traveled to almost every nation and on a constant basis saves the world from destruction, "When a Soviet Lektor decoding machine is stolen, both the British and the evil organization known as S.P.E.C.T.R.E. are both out to retrieve it and it's up to James Bond to get it first" (Alan, Resident James Bond Scholar; allwatchers.com). James Bond