COMITATUS CODE- The king/lord is surrounded by followers who are members of his
household and frequently also blood kindred. He leads the men into battle, protects them, and
rewards them with the spoils.
KENNINGS- a two-word compound that serves as a metaphoric expression for
important/frequent terms: whaleroad = sea, life-house = body
KING ALFRED- organised first English fleet against the Danes, patron of literature,
promoted Old English by having the aristocracy taught to read and write in Old English,
translated various works from Latin to English language
ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH PEOPLE- Venerable Bede, 731., history
of the Christian Churches in England and of England
MAGNA CARTA- the Great Charter of Freedoms, King John signed it, which reinstated the
rights of all his subjects -> the beginning of human (civil) rights in Anglo-American
jurisprudence
1066- Battle of Hastings,William the Conqueror won and became England's first Norman
king
LITOTE- ironic understatement (no coward path in Beowulf)
COURTLY LOVE- the medieval philosophy of love, the love of knights for somebody else’s
wife SIR GAWAIN
FATHER OF ENGLISH LITERATURE- Geoffrey Chaucer
RISE OF THE MIDDLE CLASS- the growth of international trade continued as did the
influence of the rich merchant class, merchants and tradesmen CANTERBURY TALES
WIFE OF BATH- a rare medieval figure, an independent woman rich enough to live and
travel alone CANTERBURY TALES
ANTI-PETRARCHISM- criticism of the hyperbolic of female beauty
ROGER ASCHAM- ''The Schoolmaster'', tutor and Latin secretary to Queen Elizabeth
LORD CHAMBERLAIN'S MEN- a playing company for which Shakespeare wrote,
established the Globe Theatre
THE SOOTE SEASON- A free adaptation of Petrach’s poem 310 from Rime sparse by Earl
of Surrey
CAEDMON- Caedmon's Hymn is among the oldest extant English poems, Caedmon is the
main character
BEDE- Ecclesiastical History Of The English People, history of the Christian Churches
in England and of England
SCOP- a travelling poet who entertained Germanic kings and warriors by reciting poetry to
the accompaniment of a harp
425 AD- the year of the Anglo-Saxon invasion
GIRDLE- a magical object in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Gawain puts his trust in the
girdle as a replacement for his trust in God to save him from death
ROMANCE- the principal narrative genre of the Middle Ages – a story about love and
adventure containing fantastic elements
TABBARD INN- an inn in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales where pilgrims told their stories
JOHN SKELTON- a poet who represents "medieval Renaissance", author of the Skeltonic
verse
WILLIAM CAXTON- the first Englishman to learn to use a printing press
WAR OF THE ROSES- the 15TH century war between two noble houses - the House of
Lancaster, represented by a red rose, and the House of York, represented by a white rose, for
the supremacy over the English throne
ENCLOSURES- farmers losing jobs to more profitable trades; feudalism to capitalism,
privatization, criticised in Thomas More's UTOPIA
PLATO'S REPUBLIC- a Socratic dialogue on a "just city-state'', main sources for UTOPIA
BLANK VERSE- iambic pentameter unrhymed, Marlowe, Surrey
ICARUS- a Greek mythological character who represents Doctor Faustus, DR. FAUSTUS
HUBRIS- excessive pride and arrogance, DR. FAUSTUS
CAEDMON'S HYMN- Caedmon, c. 658-680 CE, 7th cent.
BEOWULF- anonymous, manuscript from c. 1000 CE
THE CANTERBURY TALES- Geoffrey Chaucer, c. 1387-1400 CE, 14th cent.
SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT- anonymous (Pearl Poet), c. 1375-1400 CE,
14th cent.
UTOPIA-Sir Thomas More, 1516 CE, 16th cent.
ASTROPHIL AND STELLA- Sir Philip Sidney, published posthumously in 1591 CE, 16th
cent.
SONNETS- William Shakespeare, published in 1609 CE, 17th cent.
DR. FAUSTUS- Christopher Marlowe, published in 1604 CE, 17th cent.
SIR GAWAIN HISTORICAL CONTEXT- Anglo-Norman literature, fascination with old
Celtic legends, Gawain poet lived c. 1375-1400, this is the first Arthurian romance in
English, medieval chivalric romance replaced the epic poetry, the poetic style is a long poem
with groups of alliterative lines and rhyme, uses bobs and wheels, Breton Lay is a short
rhymed tale of love and chivalry, includes supernatural elements from the Celtic culture
DR. FAUSTUS AS A ELIZABETHAN TRAGEDY- written during the Elizabethan period,
centers on the rise and fall of main protagonist, an exceptional individual with a tragic flaw
(hamartia), ambition for the forbidden knowledge, hubris as excessive pride and arrogance
Playwrights were concerned with what works on stage: elaborate costumes, bare stage with
minimal props, technical innovations (lowering actors on wires from a balcony, or having
them appear or disappear through a trapdoor in the stage floor), mixing of tragedy and
comedy, music and dance. In Marlowe's Doctor Faustus chorus is taken from the ancient
Greek plays, but it is performed by one person. Doctor Faustus centers around the rise and the
fall of the main protagonist who has an excessive pride and arrogance - hubris. Traditional
morality play has a serious tone, while in Doctor Faustus we have a "battle" between the
serious and comic tone. In traditional morality plays figurative characters have virtues and
vices, while in Doctor Faustus figurative characters have a comical relief. In tradition one of
the characters faces temptation, fall, and damnation who represents all humans, while in
Doctor Faustus the protagonist is an exceptional man with a tragic flaw - hamartia.
UTOPIA AND TUDOR ENGLAND- Utopia's geography similar to England/London, yet the
organization is completely the opposite, criticism of England: lots of poverty and beggars,
idle nobility and their retainers, priests, servants, farmers displaced from the land by the
“enclosure” for more profitable trade, farming is in a state of decay, severe punishments for
petty crimes, Utopia is a well-ordered political democracy, slaves,
Thomas More in his work Utopia criticizes everything that was a feature of the then Tudor
England such as severe punishment for petty crimes, enclosures, nobility relying on the past
glory and heritage. The enclosure movement, which transforms arable land into private
pastures, steals peasants' livelihoods while creating an oligopoly (ownership by the wealthy
few) that raises the price of bread and wool. However, in Utopia land is free for everybody to
work on it - there is no privatization. In Utopia Hythloday claims that capital punishment is
too harsh a penalty, because in Tudor England thieves were punished by death. More says
that theft does not deserve death, and death will not stop a person from stealing in order to
put food on their table. A far better policy would be to make sure that everyone has food.
More adds that maintaining an army creates a population of soldiers who in bad times make
very good thieves. Hythloday claims that English society is engaged in manufacturing thieves
and then blaming them for being thieves. Utopia represents exactly what Tudor England was
not: thieves do not exist, the whole country is common, there is no private property, superiors
work for their citizens, not for themselves.
PAGAN AND CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS IN BEOWULF- pagan heroic traditiona nd
christian tradition, pagan tradition is heroes, fights, blood-feuds, revenge, desire for glory,
christian tradition is pride as a deadly sin, god is praised like a hero and he is merciful,
biblical references
ELIZABETHAN SONNET- condenses the 14 lines into 1 stanza of 3 quatrains and a
concluding couplet with a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG
ANTI-PETRARCHISM NA PRIMJERU- criticism of the hyperbolic of female beauty,
Shakespeare's Sonnet #130, Petrarcha worships the ground his crush walks on while old
Willy makes her human and still loves her
Sir Philip Sidney shows key features of Petrarchan poetry in his sonnets from Astrophil to the
love of his life Stella. Astrophil is so in love with Stella that he can't control his mind.
According to Astrophil, Stella is so beautiful that even his Reason would fall to his knees.
This is the main characteristic of Petrarch's sonnet, and it is the beauty of a woman depicted
as a goddess walking the earth. At the same time, she is portrayed as a somewhat cold person
who easily resists the man who suffers for her. The man, in this case Astrophil, is the one who
suffers, and is so in love with Stella that only her virtues are visible to him, while the flaws
do not exist. The Elizabethan sonnet also deals with the matters of love, but Wyatt and Surrey
introduced a new kind of lover known as English lover. English lover suffers, but in the end
he concludes that there are other women too. Shakespeare criticizes Petrarchan beauty
standards, because outer beauty is something that fades, while inner beauty is something men
should fall for. In addition, the main difference between these two types of sonnets is in the
form. The Petrarchan sonnet consists of an eight-line stanza (octave) rhymed ABBAABBA,
and a six line stanza (sestet) rhymed CDCDCD or CDECDE, while the Elizabethan sonnet
condenses the fourteen lines into one stanza of three quatrains and a concluding couplet with
a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. The couplet often reveals that feelings of the
subject are in contrast with the rest of the poem.
CORRUPTION OF THE CHURCH- the context of Canterbury Tales, people resented the
church for its oppressiveness, church's claim that the black death was punishment for
immorality, people realised the corruption, start of the reformation, in Canterbury Tales
corrupted individuals are the Summoner, the Monk, the Friar. The Monk is very flamboyant,
loves hunting and expensive food, exact opposite of what a monk should be. The Friar
arranges marriages, absolves sins for money, extorts money from the poor. The Pardoner
looks lika a goat, sells fake relics. The Summoner is a womanizer, uses his power to dominate
young women, pimp, enforces teh Church's law.
WILLIAM I.- William teh Conqueror, won the Battle of Hastings, became England's first
Norman king
DARK LADY- the lady from Shakespeare's Sonnets, he addresses her in Sonnets 127-154
PRIORESS- a nun, polite and elegant spoke French with an accent, charitable, had a brooch:
Amor vincit omnia.
WERGILD- fee paid to the family of the slain man in order to prevent blood revenge
BOB AND WHEEL- bobs are lines which come before the wheels, wheels are a group of
alternatively rhymed lines, last word of the bob rhymes with the 2nd and 4th lines of the
wheel
SQUIRE- flamboyant, womanizer, breaks the chivalric code
BEHEADING GAME- proposed by the Green Knight
1215- King John signed the Magna Carta which reinstated the rights of all his subjects
HRUNTING- sword given to Beowulf by Unferth, it broke
JOHN WYCLIFFE- completed the translation of the Bible so that commoners can understand
it, laid the groundwork for the Christian Reformation
SIR FRANCIS DRAKE- pirated Spanish ships and possesions, first Englishman to
circumnavigate the globe
WAR OF THE ROSES- the 15TH century war between two noble houses - the House of
Lancaster, represented by a red rose, and the House of York, represented by a white rose, for
the supremacy over the English throne
BEDE- Ecclesiastical History Of The English People, history of the Christian Churches
in England and of England
COMITATUS CODE- The king/lord is surrounded by followers who are members of his
household and frequently also blood kindred. He leads the men into battle, protects them, and
rewards them with the spoils.
KENNINGS- a two-word compound that serves as a metaphoric expression for
important/frequent terms: whaleroad = sea, life-house = body
KING ALFRED- organised first English fleet against the Danes, patron of literature,
promoted Old English by having the aristocracy taught to read and write in Old English,
translated various works from Latin to English language
MAGNA CARTA- the Great Charter of Freedoms, King John signed it, which reinstated the
rights of all his subjects -> the beginning of human (civil) rights in Anglo-American
jurisprudence
