Medieval Period

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Medieval PeriodThe Middle Ages1066-1485

• The history of our English Language can be
  divided into 3 periods
• Old English (before 1066)
• Middle English (1066-1485)
• Modern English (1485-present)

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Language in TransitionMiddle Ages

• Around the year 1000, Old English pronunciation
  changed when distinct vowel sounds at the ends of
  words were being dropped.
• Middle English differed from Old English in its
  greater reliance upon fewer plural forms.

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Language in TransitionMiddle Ages

• Middle English was a more analytical language.
• Stressed word order/syntax
• Incorporated function wordsverbs

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French Invade EnglandOctober of 1066

• Leading Normandy was Duke William or William the
  Conqueror, who defeated and killed the last
  Anglo-Saxon king. This was the beginning of the
  Norman Conquest.

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Norman Conquest

• The Norman Conquest radically changed
• English History
• English Character
• English Language

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William the Conqueror is known for three
accomplishments

• Creating the Domesday Book which was an inventory
  of every piece of property in England.
• Bringing the French language to England
• Creating a bilingual society
• Upper-Class spoke French
• Lower-Class spoke English
• 3. Social System known as Feudalism

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Feudalism Knighthood

• Feudalism
• Religious concept of hierarchy.

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2 Major impacts on England as a result of the
Feudal System Form and Manners

• Formbetter known as knighthood.
• The institution of knighthood was firmly
• based on the ideas of loyalty.
• We will see this clearly in Sir Gawain and the
  Green Knight.
• He is honor-bound to accept a challenge that he
  knows
• could bring death.

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2nd major impact that the feudal system had on
England

• Manners
• Code of ChivalryCourtly Love
• A system of ideas and behavior codes that
  governed both knight
• and gentlewoman.

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Three aspects that make up the Code of Chivalry

• Loyalty to Lord
• Your oath, honor, and respect went directly to
  your lord.

• Warfare Rule
• Idea of Fairness
• Courtly Love
• Men--mostly the knights-- idolized women. They
  would show this by wearing the colors of their
  lady in battle, to glorify her. This love for a
  woman was thought to make the knight a better
  fighter. They were inspired by women.

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ROMANCE

• Courtly Love provided built-in drama for a poet
  or storyteller.
• It brought about the form of literature known as
  a ROMANCE a medieval story in verse form in
  which a brave knight must overcome great danger
  for the love of a noble lady or higher idea.

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

• Composed around 1370
• An unknown author transformed the popular romance
  into great art.
• An alliterative romance poem. (Legend)

• Basic narrative pattern of a romance
• Hero
• 2. Questin which the hero undertakes a perilous
  journey in search of something of great value.
• 3. Supernatural event

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

• In Sir Gawain you will see the pull of sexual
  temptation and of life in the medieval castle.
• Gawain is the model of the chivalric hero whose
  character is being tested on
• Courage
• Fidelity
• Morality

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

• Purpose of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
  teach us a moral lesson.
• Theme To achieve nobility human beings must
  rely on the constant practice of a number of
  virtues such as
• Courage
• Honesty
• Self-sacrifice

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

• Setting (time)
• The mythical past of King Arthurs Court.
• Setting (place)
• Camelot the wilderness Bertilaks castle the
  Green Chapel.
• Motifs
• The seasons games