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The Prologue of Canterbury Tales and Renaissnace Powerpoint Dr. Duaa

The document discusses the first 18 lines of the prologue of Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales', highlighting their peculiarities and the language used. It includes exercises on identifying Middle English markers and character classifications, as well as prompts for further analysis of the prologue and related materials. Additionally, it suggests listening to an audio version of the prologue and preparing for a discussion on the movie 'Elizabeth: The Golden Queen'.

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Lara Salman
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71 views5 pages

The Prologue of Canterbury Tales and Renaissnace Powerpoint Dr. Duaa

The document discusses the first 18 lines of the prologue of Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales', highlighting their peculiarities and the language used. It includes exercises on identifying Middle English markers and character classifications, as well as prompts for further analysis of the prologue and related materials. Additionally, it suggests listening to an audio version of the prologue and preparing for a discussion on the movie 'Elizabeth: The Golden Queen'.

Uploaded by

Lara Salman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Topics for Consideration

What is so peculiar about the first 18 lines of the prologue?


What is Chaucer doing in these 18 lines?
Language Matters
Find out words that mean: Sweet, Pilgrims
If the marker for the third person singular in contemporary English is ~s
I play he plays; what is the marker for the following (provide
examples from the prologue in Middle English)
- Third person singular:
- Adjective:
- Past participle:
- Present simple plural/infinitive:
The First 18 lines of the Prologue
https://alanbaragona.wordpress.com/the-criyng-and-the-soun/the-canterbury-tales-general-prologue-ii-1-18-to
m-hanks/
Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote •When in April the sweet showers fall
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, •And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all
And bathed every veyne in swich licour •The veins are bathed in liquor of such power
Of which vertu engendred is the flour; •As brings about the engendering of the flower,
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth •When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth •Exhales an air in every grove and heath
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne •Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun
Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
•His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye •And the small fowl are making melody
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages), •That sleep away the night with open eye
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, •(So nature pricks them and their heart engages)
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, •Then people long to go on pilgrimages
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; •And palmers long to seek the stranger strands
And specially from every shires ende •Of far-off saints, hallowed in sundry lands,
Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, •And specially, from every shire’s end
The hooly blisful martir for to seke, •Of England, down to Canterbury they wend
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke. •To seek the holy blissful martyr,* quick
•To give his help to them when they were sick.
The Canterbury Tales Characters
Characters Classification:
- Upper class
- Specialized craftsmen
- Middle class
- Virtuous lower class
- Immoral lower class

Write a short bio of each character with the character’s


description, traits, and occupation. No more than two lines.
Points to Consider
Read the Prologue, respond to the questions in the pdf, and identify
the following:
- The speaker
- The setting
- The host
- The competition and its rules

Listen to the prologue on the following link: (from 1:04:50 – 1:43:45)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4Be9pQtQPU
Read about the movie titled Elizabeth: The Golden Queen
in preparation for the Renaissance. Make sure you jot
down any piece of information you feel related to our
course.

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