Chapter 1 & 2

Old and Middle English Literature

An Outline of English Literature
G. C. Thornley and Gwyneth Roberts
Beowulf (700)
The Old English language, also called Anglo-Saxon,
was the earliest form of English. (7)
Old English was spoken from about 600 A.D. to
about 1100.
First English epic, a story of 3,000 lines, author
unknown
Story of Beowulf about Hrothgar, King of the
Danes, and a brave young man, Beowulf, from
southern Sweden, who goes to help the King
The first great poem (Anglo-Saxon) to be written

Old and Middle English Literature
Grendel in Beowulf Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales (1387)
by Chaucer
The English which was used from
about 1100 to 1500 is called
Middle English. (p.15)
Chaucer=father of English poetry
The Cantebury Tales contains about
17,000 lines
A party of pilgrims tells stories to
pass the time on their journey
from London to Canterbury
The Canterbury Tales (1387)
the Prologue
Whan that Aprille with his shoures wrote
The droghte of marche hath erced to the rote
The Canterbury Tales (1387)
by Chaucer
There are more than twenty stories, mostly in
verse (p.16)
Wife of Bath a woman of very strong
opinions who believes firmly in manage and
the need to manage husband strictly.
Her story is about King Arthurs knights who
must give the correct answer to the question:
What do women love most? in order to save
his life.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1360?)
One of the stories of King
Arthur an his knights of
Round Table (p.17-18)
Sir Gawain struggle against
an enemy with magic
powers as well as great
strength and cunning
Sir Gawain finishes the
adventure with all honor
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1360?)

Sir Gawain Meets
the Green Knight

In the legend of the Green
Knight, a fearsome green
warrior rides into the king's
court, and challenges anyone
to cut off his head.

Sir Gawain eventually rises
to his challenge; then the
Green Knight laughs, picks
up his head, and rides away,
vowing to return the favor.

Morte DArthur (Arthurs Death)
An important Middle English
prose work (p.19)
Published by William Caxton in
1485, a translation from the
French Arthurian legends
Sir Thomas Malory

Theme: The search for the cup
(the Holy Grail) used by Christ at
the Last Supper, culminating with
the dissolution of the Round
Table
Miracle Plays
Subjects of the Miracle Plays:
Disobedience of Adam and
Eve (p.20)
Noah and the great flood
Abraham and Isaac
Events in the life of Christ


Miracle Plays
Acted on a stage called pageant
Performed at the same time in different places
Serious and religious in intention
Characters in the play has a tendency to become
recognizably human

English drama derives from the medieval Miracle
Plays of the late 13th and 14th century
Morality Plays
Characters in these plays were not people; they
were virtues such as Truth or bad qualities
such as Greed and Revenge (p.21)
Everyman (translated from Dutch)
The story of the end of Everymans life
Characters include Beauty, Knowledge, Strength,
and Good Deeds