Chaucer's use of biblical material in ‘The Miller’sTale’.
CHAUCER'S USE OF BIBLICAL MATERIAL IN 'The Miller's Tale' The biblical references and implications in 'The Miller's Tale' mockingly inter-relate the tale's sexual and vulgar content and its religious elements. It is a parody on and critique of the Church, mocking all sacred: the stories from the Bible, the saints, even the Holy Family. The 'dronken' miller commences his tale in 'Pilates voys', implying that the story will be condemning Christianity, since Pilates, according to the Bible, has condemned Jesus with his words. As the scholar clerk Nicholas and parish clerk Absolon represent St. Nicholas and Absalom, Son of David, miller sinfully compares two saints with two lustful and immoral men, who are concerned more with secular than the spiritual matters. Since carpenter John metaphorically represents Joseph and Noah, and his young wife Alison therefore represents Virgin Mary and Noah's wife, the miller this time immorally correlates Joseph/Noah and Virgin Mary/Noah's wife with a madman and a promiscuous, sly wife, when the Church forbids promiscuous behavior and implies that mad behavior is associated with the Satan. Further religious mocking is portrayed by the actions of Nicholas in the tale, as he does exact the opposite of what St. Nicholas did. While St. Nicholas was very zealous in his efforts to maintain ecclesiastical discipline and honor, especially in
Medieval Literature 2, Testament of Cresseid: To what extent should the planetary gods be blamed for Cresseid's downfall in Henryson's "Testament of Cresseid"?
Medieval Literature 2: Testament of Cresseid To what extent should the planetary gods be blamed for Cresseid's downfall in Henryson's "Testament of Cresseid"? Here, the problem is posed as to how far the planetary gods can be seen as responsible for the infliction of leprosy and ultimately the death of the poem's heroine, Cresseid, the beautiful yet unfaithful lover of the Trojan knight Troilus in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde to which this poem is a sequel. However, it might be questioned whether the planetary gods can be blamed at all for Cresseid's downfall. The poem outlines how Cresseid, rejected by her lover Diomede, blasphemes against Venus, the goddess of love, and her son Cupid. She then falls into a swoon in which she dreams that she observes a counsel of the planetary gods as they decide her punishment, and when she awakes she looks in the mirror to find she has been inflicted with leprosy: . . . than rais scho vp and tuik Ane poleist glas, and hir schaddow culd luik; And quhen scho saw hir face sa deformait, Gif scho in hart was wa aneuch, God wait! (lines 347-350) Nevertheless, it could be argued that Cresseid deserves such a cruel punishment for her arrogance in refusing to accept responsibility for her own actions, instead blaming the gods; it would almost certainly have been understood by a medieval audience that the planets represented their
In this paper I am going to deal with Dryden and his essay Preface to the Fables.
JOHN DRYDEN The epoch associated in England with the name of Augustan or Classical was an age of dominant intellectualism, a hard and sterile period. Dryden and Pope were the two prominent literary figures who lived during this age and carried out innovations in the field of literature. In this paper I am going to deal with Dryden and his essay Preface to the Fables. Samuel Johnson in his Lives of the Poets says Dryden's " contemporaries, however they reverenced his genius, left his life unwritten; and nothing therefore can be known beyond what casual mention and uncertain tradition have supplied". Thus much details about Dryden's life is not known except he was born on August 9, 1631, at Aldwincle near Oundle, as the son of Erasmus Dryden of Tichmersh . Johnson further says that " Dryden may be properly considered as The Father of English Criticism, as the writer who first taught us to determine upon the merits of composition". Even great critics from Santisbury to T.S. Eliot acknowledged this. Though Dryden tried his hand in other forms of literature like poetry and drama and equally excelled in them, he is best known for his political satire and literary criticism. Energy and driving force, the English virtues are indeed, a general merit of the verse of Pope and Dryden says Sri Aurobindo in his The future of Poetry.The poetry of Dryden is vigorous and forceful. He
How do Bennett and Chaucer present women in their texts? Refer to 'The Outside Dog' in 'Talking Heads 2'.
Laura Westwood How do Bennett and Chaucer present women in their texts? Refer to 'The Outside Dog' in 'Talking Heads 2' The main female characters in these two texts are Alison in 'The Miller's Tale' and Marjory in 'The Outside Dog.' However, it may also be possible to consider the prominent feminine qualities in Absolon, and also Tina, the dog in the Talking Heads 2' monologue. It can also be said that Stuart's victims are presumably female. Alison, in 'The Miller's Tale' is largely presented as the stereotypical young wife, which follows the genre of the tale itself. The Miller says, 'fair was this yonge wyf,' so the reader immediately sees her as the attractive and beautiful stereotype, which is intensified by the fact that the Miller does not give her a name until line 258, effectively objectifying her as a character, giving her no individuality. Also, the repetition of this title reduces her own personality and makes her seem almost like the property of her husband. Alison's two-dimensional image is furthered by Chaucer's frequent references to colour, in this case, black and white. The colours usually describe what she is wearing, for example, 'a bamcloth eek as whit as morne milk' and 'of col-black silk.' Chaucer sees Alison, and possible women in general, as a contrast of black and white; the white of her apron is contrasted to the black of her hair and
Women in Chaucer's Time Teresa Eberly
Women in Chaucer Women in Chaucer's Time Teresa Eberly In General * The Virgin Mary was a huge influence on medieval society. * Women were defined in terms of their relationships to men. * Medieval society was sometimes considered to consist of three groups: those who work, those who fight, and those why pray-and women were frequently lumped together as a fourth group. * Women occupied a subservient position with few legal rights; the feudal system took away many of women's rights and lowered their status. Courtesy Literature Ideals * Courtesy literature of the time encouraged modesty, humility, chastity, and obedience. Women were encouraged to see themselves in the mirror of men's eyes. * The household was their proper domain. * The ideal was that women should be isolated, and in rural townships women's work was centered on the household (but they were not isolated, because men and women relied on each other's labor. If more labor was needed in the fields, women would work alongside the men. Women as dairymaids, poulterers, gardeners, bakers, and brewers worked not only for the supplies of an individual household, but also for marketable surpluses). * Ideal women were expected to be silent or be very careful when they spoke, how they spoke, and what they said. (Ex: two townships where women's speech was legislated.) * Women's speech should show proper
"Its irony makes all the laughter uneasy and slightly strained." How far do you agree with this comment in The Merchant's Tale?
"Its irony makes all the laughter uneasy and slightly strained." How far do you agree with this comment in The Merchant's Tale? Definition: Fabliau is a versified short story designed to make you laugh, and its subject matter is most often indecent, concerned either with sexual or excretory functions. The plot is usually in the form of a practical joke carried out for love or revenge Merchant's Tale( furthest away from fabliau-type; does not fit to any simple category; ironic references to the Song of Songs; physical and moral blindness of January has Freudian symbolism; structure of plot is ironical; matter of argument: levels of narration, degree of drama of tale, relationship between Merchant's own experience and tale to be examined: differences and similarities between traditional fabliaux and Chaucer's; Chaucer's philological, linguistic, stylistic resources, levels of narration, kind of characterization. From the first reading of The Merchant's Prologue and Tale the irony is what makes the tale witty and funny but when looking beyond the seemingly humorous irony; we realise that what makes the laughter uneasy and strained is that the audience is the target of the merchant's sardonic humour. The tale begins with an ironic opening speech of a 'worthy knight', January and before the merchant further parodies . "January's 'rape' of May is ironic even: he thinks he is
Blasphemy in The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale
Audra Kwilos English 3351 Dr. Gustafson 0/22/04 Blasphemy in The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale, by Chaucer, is a story about a corrupt Pardoner who tells a tale about three sinners. In The Pardoner's Tale, the Pardoner is a blasphemer as well as the three men in his story; blasphemy is in the very structure of the story itself. Nearly all of the Canterbury Tales are related to the storytellers in someway, this very true of The Pardoner's Tale. The Pardoner may be the biggest blasphemer in the whole tale. Blasphemy is defined as: a contemptuous or profane act, utterance, or writing concerning God or a sacred entity; the act of claiming for oneself the attributes and rights of God. We first see the Pardoner in the General Prologue where his vile outward appearance suggests his inner corruption. "This Pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wax," it was thin, long and stringy. "Swiche glarynge eyen hadde he as an hare." In his lap he held his knapsack; "bretful of pardoun comen from Rome al hoot." He would take these relics to the countryside and prey on poor people and he would make more money in one day "than that the person gat in monthes tweye." He made fools of the parson and of the people; "ne was ther swich another pardoner." He is skillful at his business and very proud of his cleverness. The first act on the long list of his
Role of Women in the Canterbury Tales.
Role of Women in Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer serves as a moral manual for the 1300's and years after. Through the faults of both men and woman, he shows in each persons story what is right and wrong and how one should live. Under the surface, however, lies a jaded look and woman and how they cause for the downfall of men. "The Knight's Tale" is one of chivalry and upstanding moral behavior. However, beneath the surface lies the theme of the evil nature of women. Emily plays the part of the beautiful woman who captivates the hearts of two unsuspecting men. Those two men are cousins Arcite and Palamon, both knights who duel for Emily's hand in marriage. The two start out as the best of friends and then roommates in a jail cell that is to be shared for eternity. But with one look at Emily, the two start bickering instinctively and almost come to blows over something they will never be able to have, or so it seems. Chaucer's knack for irony revels itself as Arcite is released from his life sentence but disallowed from ever coming back to Athens. He would be killed ever caught within the city again by King Theseus. Because Arcite is doomed to never again see Emily, his broken heart causes him sickness as he's weakened by love. It is only after he comes up with the plan of returning to Athens under an
Remind yourself of the portraits of the Prioress, the Monk and the Friar. Discuss the effects of the way Chaucer Portrays two of these characters.
Remind yourself of the portraits of the Prioress, the Monk and the Friar. Discuss the effects of the way Chaucer Portrays two of these characters. In the course of your answer: * Look closely at the effects of language, descriptive detail and imagery in creating your impressions. * Comment on what these portraits suggest about the Medieval church The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales introduces us to the twenty-eight other pilgrims with whom Chaucer will be travelling to Canterbury. As a pilgrimage was a journey to a sight of Religious importance, it is understandable that among the travellers are figures from the ecclesiastic profession. However, the Medieval Church system was a lot larger than today, and was made up of nearly a quarter of society. It was highly influential on everyday life, due the lack of scientific knowledge, and the value and belief system held at that time. The Medieval church can in some ways be viewed as a large-scale industry, and like any large corporation it was open to abuse and there was wide scale corruption, which is strongly hinted through Chaucer's portrayal of the first three religious pilgrims. The Prioress is the first of the ecclesiastic pilgrims and one of only two women on the pilgrimage, the other being the wife of Bath. She has a genteel and dignified manner compared to the other raucous pilgrims although Chaucer's first
Illustrate from 'The Pardoner's Tale and Prologue' the Pardoner's skill as a preacher.
Illustrate from 'The Pardoner's Tale and Prologue' the Pardoner's skill as a preacher. People sought salvation with devotion as The Black Death swept across Europe. The pre-science era when Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales meant priests faced an increasing workload, introducing monetary payments in exchange for remission of sin or penances (punishment). The responsibility of the collection of this money went to quaestores. These quaestores1 did not always have a firm connection with the Church, and definitely not with the artes praedicandi, the collected thought embodied in the theory and art of preaching. However, the new direction the Church took became a rampant breeding ground for forgers and confidence tricksters such as the Pardoner, preying upon the fears of the diminishing population for personal gain. The artes praedicandi was divided into two areas, the moral and the technical. With the moral, the preacher, genuinely inspired, was to be the mouthpiece for the Holy Spirit. There is no question that Chaucer's Pardoner is a completely immoral creature, his motives selfish and his interests in human art more important than guidance from God. However, in the technical aspect of preaching he excels. Medieval practice and sermon called upon the preacher to provide religious teaching as well as entertainment.2 Gardiner writes of elements of convention in the traditional