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8.XI.2009
Pearl - it is written in dream vision convention (The speaker fell asleep and tells his dream). It's unknown author, designated the "Pearl poet”. The poem is an example for alliteration: Pearl, delighting a prince's pleasure.
The whole poem consist of 101 parts. Each stanza consists of 12 lines. Each stanza finished the same line.
This is an example of allegorical poem. The pearl is a daughter who died. There are some words which describe grave. There are 3 interpretation of pearl:
1 - as a pearl.
2 - as a daughter
3 - as a faith (wiara)
William Langland - “The Visions of Piers Plowman”
It is written in two conventions:
dream-vision convention,
field full of folk.
We've got a speaker who falls asleep and he tells us his dream. In his dream he sees field full of folk, which means that he sees panorama of society - represented different classes and professions. He describes the people and he criticises them.
In the first part he criticises the entertainment industry - he criticises people who are jesters and jugglers = children of Judas because they make folk fools (money).
The next group of people who he criticises are those who worked in a civil serve. He says that those people serve the King but really they serve the King's money.
He prises good deeds. The refers the religious: “That faith without deed is right nothing worth”. - the most important thing, the main idea of the poem.
Generally the poem shows the search true religious. It shows how to be religious person and how to reject material things. This is the criticism on society and institution of Church.
MEDIEVAL ROMANCE
Medieval romance was popular way of writing.
“Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” - long poem full of symbolism and presents supernatural features. It's also anonymous poem written in alliterative verse. The story is simple but symbolised.
King Arthur and his knights celebrated Christmas at Camelot. They celebrated for 15 days. During the celebration came Green Knight who proposed to the king beheading game. But king though that was a very silly game. One of the king's knight - Gawain volunteered to this game and he cut off the Green Knight's head. But the Green Knight didn't die. He put his amputee head on his neck and said that after a year he would find Gawain and then he will cut off Gawain's head. During this year sir Gawain was travelling, praying and when the next Christmas approached, and sir Gawain knew that he admitted the Green Knight he wanted to find a Church but he found a castle. The owner of the castle - Bertilac - invited sir Gawain to spent several days in the castle. Bertilac was a hunter and he had a wife. Bertilac proposed sir G. a game - every evening they will exchange everything what they got during the day. Bertilac's wife every day tried to seduce young knight but sir Gawain didn't give in (ulegać). It turned out (okazało się) that Bertilac was a Green Knight, and it was a test. Bertilac spared Gawain's life, and Gawain received a magic belt from Bertilac's wife which is supposed to protect him from any weapon. Sir Gawain returned to Camelot and he told the story. The King decided to give similar belts to all his knights.
These belts are the symbol of friendship and brotherhoods. There are similar symbols in this story:
Green Knight - symbol of God
Bertilac's wife - symbol of temptation (kuszenie)
Sir Gawain - symbol of ideal Medieval Knight (he's loyal, brave, religious, honest) - he was loyal not only to his king but also to religious and to Bertilac who invited him.
King Arthur - symbol of ideal king (“but Arthur would not eat until all were served”)
The story shows that the human nature is the same for everyone. People are expose to different temptations.
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14.XI.2009
MEDIEVAL DRAMA
There are two kinds of Medieval drama:
Miracle plays
Morality plays.
Miracle plays - were based on the stories from the Bible or life of saints. They were known as Quaem Quaeritis? In Latin which mean: Who are you looking for? And they were performed on Corpus Christi Day. Usually they told the story of Mary who was looking for the Christ tomb. She met an angle who asked her: Quaem Quaeritis? Mary replaced she looking for the Christ grave and angel tells her the story of resurrection.
Other typical subjects of miracle plays were:
Creation of the world
The fall of man
Crucifixion
Judgement day
These plays were written by several people there were called guild members.
The plays were performed on special platforms or moving wagons.
The most popular miracle plays:
“Noah”
“The Second Shepherd's Play”
Morality plays - this were allegorist which presented the struggle between protagonist (bohater) God and Devil.
The typical protagonist was mankind, everyman.
Among other figures are: angels, demons, death.
The typical morality plays are:
“The Castle of Perseverance”
“Everyman”
Everyman
The figures are personifications. They have human qualities (they talk). The story started the Messenger. In the speech of Messenger is very moralistic.
God describes people - he died for people but people forgot about him, they forgot God's law. God isn't here merciful (miłosierny). He is angry.
God tells Death to go and bring Everyman to a confession. Death comes to Everyman and Everyman is surprised. He wasn't prepared for death.
Good Deeds is the only person who can accompany him. Good Deeds rises from the ground but they are weak - this is an allegory.
The names of characters are allegorical. Sins make good deeds be lied to the ground. Everyman reflects the views of Medieval Church, which is:
Life is a struggle between god and evil
Salvation (zbawienie) is the central purpose of life
Things of the world are insignificant. The Church is a necessary guide to salvation. God is presented as an angry man, and human is presented as sinful.
Geoffrey Chauces - The Canterbury Tales
These tales were supposed to include 120 stories told by pilgrims. The pilgrims were supposed to God from Southwort to Canterbury, which was the place of martyrdom (męczeństwo) of Thomas Becket. There are supposed to be 30 pilgrims and each of them was supposed to tell 2 stories on his way to Canterbury and 2 stories of his way back. The structure of The Canterbury Tales is complex, this is a Chinese box narration (narracja szkatułkowa) - there is 1 primary narrator who tells the main story and secondary narrators who are pilgrims and who tell their stories. The pilgrims are both: the characters and the narrators.
Pilgrims describes themselves. They are not presented by the narrator. They are introduce by the narrator.
In this way Chauces achieved so called interpretative freedom, which means that the narrator doesn't estimate the characters but the reader does.
The General Prologues - przewodnik
The story starts in April. The speaker tells when it is. The main narrator is sitting in Toward Inn and he is ready to take the pilgrims to Canterbury. The people of all kinds is the panorama of English society. Those are the people from different classes and different professions .
The first person who the main narrator describe is the Knight (line40). He was noble man and he loved the way of chivalry (line 49). The Knight travelled a lot. We took part in many wars and he is an example of ideal medieval knight - experienced and braved.
The next character is a Squire - his son - a lover and a soldier, very young and very handsome - he was an ideal man.
Prioress (przeorysza) - she was an ideal woman. (124 line), she was well-taught at table.
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