Jumping ahead a few hundred years…

Intro to The Canterbury Tales and the Medieval Period

DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

1050 – Beowulf – Old English (Germanic languagefrom Angles, Saxons and Jutes): influenced by Latin, Celtic, Scottish, Pictish, Danish, Norse

1066 – William the Conqueror takes England – major addition of French, more Latin, Greek

1300’s – Geoffrey Chaucer – Middle English

bellatores (“warriors” royalty, gentry)

oratores (“pray-ers” religious, holy orders)

laboratores (“workers” middle and lower class)

Divisions of Medieval society:

Born into the Laboratores classo Father was a merchanto Hired as a royal page (personal assistant and secretary)o Soldier for King Edward IIIo Diplomat for King Richard IIo Royal clerk for King Henry IV

Writer and poet as a hobby

Traveled to many places in Western and Southern Europe as an officer of the king’s court

Educated and very skilled in courtesy (royal manners)

Buried in Westminister Abbey in the Poets’ Corner

Geoffrey Chaucer – 1343? – 1400

KnightSquireYeomanNun (Prioress)MonkFriarMerchantOxford Cleric (Student)Sergeant at the LawFranklinHaberdasher, Dyer, Carpenter, Weaver, Carpet-maker (these five are together)CookSkipperDoctorWife of BathParsonPlowmanMillerMancipleReeveSummonerPardonerHost (Harry Bailey)Chaucer

These are the characters in the

Prologue. You will be taking notes on these each night and in class!

LondonCanterbury

Approximately 100 miles one way

Canterbury Cathedral

These are pictures of St. Thomas à Becket, who was martyred in 1170. He was assassinated by four knights of King Henry II and is interred in Canterbury Cathedral.

“Science” and “Psychology”of the Medieval Period

sanguine – happy, friendly, fun-loving

melancholic – creative, sad, moody

choleric – dominant, angry, ambitious

phlegmatic – calm, kind, unemotional

Personality Type

sanguine

melancholic

choleric

phlegmatic

Personality Type Bodily fluid

sanguine blood

melancholic black bile

choleric yellow bile

phlegmatic phlegm/mucus

Personality Type Bodily fluid

Temperature and

condition

sanguine blood moist and hot

melancholic black bile dry and cold

choleric yellow bile dry and hot

phlegmatic phlegm/mucus

moist and cold

Personality Type Bodily fluid

Temperature and

conditionElement of

creation

sanguine blood moist and hot air

melancholic black bile dry and cold earth

choleric yellow bile dry and hot fire

phlegmatic phlegm/mucus

moist and cold water

Personality Type Bodily fluid

Temperature and

conditionElement of

creationSeason of the year

sanguine blood moist and hot air spring

melancholic black bile dry and cold earth fall

choleric yellow bile dry and hot fire summer

phlegmatic phlegm/mucus

moist and cold water winter

Whan that Aprill with his shourës sootë

The droghte of March hath percëd to the rootë

And bathëd every veyne in swich licour

Of which vertu engendrëd is the flour