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Middle English Literature (1066-1500): The Canterbury Tales | Major English Class 11
Middle English Literature
SOME OF THE FEATURES
MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE
Period of prose writing
Written in Latin
Dominated in Latin
Chaucer's popular work, "The Canterbury Tale,"
Dominated by the Anglo-Saxon
Beginning of the ballad
The beginning of a romantic narrative
MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE
The English that was used from about 1060 to about 1500 A.D. is called Middle English. This English was a mixture of Latin, French, Old English, and the local dialects. The greatest writer of the time was Geoffrey Chaucer, who is often called the father of English poetry. His greatest work, "The Canterbury Tales," is composed of about 17,000 lines. A group of thirty pilgrims, including the author, are on the journey from London to Canterbury, with its great church and the grave of Thomas Becket. They agree to tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and the other two on the way back. Chaucer collected more than 20 of these stories in the 'Canterbury Tales', and they are mostly in verse. Most of the pilgrims are ordinary people like the merchant, the lawyer, the cook, the sailor, the ploughman, the miller, and so on. In these stories, we get to know the pilgrims themselves. They can be recognised as real people with their own characters. Chaucer's other important poems are "Troylus and Cryseyde' and 'The Legend of Good Women'.
In Chaucer's time, there was an old alliterative verse that was used by William Langland in his work, "The Vision of Piers the Ploughman." It was written by a poor man to describe the sorrows of the poor. In this poem, Langland sadly tells how most people prefer the false treasures of this world to the true treasures of heaven. The other alliterative poems of that time were "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," "Knights of the Round Table," "Pearl," and "Patience." Most of the Middle English prose works were religious. The "Ancren Riwle," which was probably written in the 13th century, teaches proper rules of life for religious women.
Another important prose work of that time was "The Form of Perfect Living," which was written by Richard Rolle, whose prose style has been highly praised. Another prose writer, John Wycliffe, attacked many of the religious ideas of his time. He was a priest who attacked the church and translated the whole Bible into English. For his attacks on religious practices, his dead body was dug up and thrown into a stream that flows into the River Avon. Another important piece of Middle English prose, "Morte D' Arthur," was written by Malory. He wrote eight separate tales of King Arthur and his knights.
The first English plays were religious and were performed in or near churches. These early plays were called miracle or mystery plays. The subjects of the miracle plays include the disobedience of Adam and Eve, Noah and the Great Flood, Abraham and Isaac, events in the life of Christ, and so on. They were performed by the people of the town on a kind of stage on wheels called a pageant. In the morality plays, the characters were virtuous (like Truth, Revenge, and Greed) and walked and talked. These plays present moral truths in a new and effective way. "Every Man" is the best 15th-century morality play in which Everyman has to face death. At the end of his life, all his friends leave him except Good Deeds. In the 15th and 16th centuries, another kind of play, "Interlude," was also common. The interludes were short and funny and were performed between the acts of long morality.
MIDDLE ENGLISH PROSE
Most of the Middle English prose works were religious. The "Ancren Riwle," which was probably written in the 13th century, teaches proper rules of life for religious women. These rules include how they ought to dress, what work they may do, and when they ought not to speak.
Another important prose work of that time was "The Form of Perfect Living," which was written by Richard Rolle, whose prose style has been highly praised. He wrote this work with the same sort of aim as that of "Ancren Riwle," and his work is important in the history of old prose.
Another prose writer, John Wycliffe, attacked many of the religious ideas of his time. He was a priest who attacked the church and translated the whole Bible into English. He opined that anyone who wanted to read the Bible ought to be allowed to do so. For his attacks on religious practices, he had to leave Oxford, and even after his death, his dead body was buried in the grave and his bones were thrown into a stream that flows into the River Avon.
Another important middle English prose work was "Morte d'Arthur." It was written by Thomas Malory. It has been believed that Malory wrote some part of it while he was in prison during the Wars of the Roses. He wrote eight separate tales of King Arthur and his knights.
Arthur and his knights have become the lively characters of many British writers. In Malory's "Morte D' Arthur," the two important subjects were the search for "the Holy Grail" (the cup used by Christ at the Last Supper) and Arthur's battles against his enemies.
MIRACLE AND MORALITIES PLAY
The first English plays were religious and were performed in or near churches. These early plays were called miracle or mystery plays. Many events in religious history were the suitable subjects of these plays. These early plays are in four main groups, according to the city where they were performed: Chester, Coventry, York, and Wakefield.
The subjects of the miracle plays include the disobedience of Adam and Eve, Noah and the Great Flood, Abraham and Isaac, events in the life of Christ, and so on. They were performed by the people of the town on a kind of stage on wheels called a pageant. It could be moved to different places, and several miracle plays could be performed at the same time in different places. Though the miracle plays were serious and religious, English comedy was born in them.
In the morality plays, the characters were virtuous (like Truth, Revenge, Greed, etc.) and walked and talked. As the characters in these plays are not real people, we find these plays duller today. These plays presented moral truths in a new and effective way. "Everyman" is the best 15th-century morality play in which Everyman has to face death alone. It is the story of the end of Everyman's life, when Death calls him away from the world. The characters of this play include beauty, knowledge, strength, and good deeds. At the end of his life, all his friends leave him except Good Deeds. In the 15th and 16th centuries, another kind of play, "Interlude," was also common. The interludes were short and funny and were performed between the acts of long morality.
INTERLUDES
Interludes were common in the 15th and 16th centuries. The interludes were the short plays played between the acts of long morality, perhaps in the middle of meals. The origin of this name is uncertain, but the name perhaps means a short play performed by two or three characters. These interludes were funny and were performed away from churches, in colleges, or in rich men's houses or gardens. Among the important interludes of that time are "The Four P's' and "The Play of the Weather," written by John Heywood. The interesting part of "The Four P's" is that in one part of this play, a prize is offered for the greatest lie. It is won by a man who says that he never saw and never knew any women out of patience. In the latter play, Jupiter, the king of the gods, asks various people what kind of weather they want.
THE CANTERBURY TALES
The greatest writer of the Middle English period was Geoffrey Chaucer, who is often called the father of English poetry. His greatest work, "The Canterbury Tales," is composed of about 17,000 lines. A party of thirty pilgrims, including the author, are on the journey from London to Canterbury, with its great church and the grave of Thomas Becket. They agree to tell two stories on the journey and the other two on the way back. Chaucer planned to collect 120 stories but succeeded in including only 24 in the Canterbury Tales. Only two of them are in prose, and all the other stories are in verse. Most of the pilgrims are ordinary people like the merchant, the cook, the sailor, the carpenter, the miller, the lawyer, the ploughman, and so on. In these stories, we get to know the pilgrims themselves, who can be recognised as real people with their own characters. One of the most enjoyable characters is the wife of Bath. Her story shows that she is a woman of strong opinions who believes firmly in marriage and in the need to manage husbands strictly. In her story, one of King Arthur's knights must answer, "What do women love most?" He would be killed if he was unable to answer within a year. An ugly old witch tells him the answer (to rule) on the condition that he must marry her. At last, he agrees to marry her, but during the marriage, the witch becomes young and beautiful. Chaucer's other important poems include "Troylus and Cryseyde" and "The Legend of Good Women." The language of Chaucer is much easier than the old English. In "The Canterbury Tales, there are five main beats in each line. and instead of old English alliteration, he has used rhyme.
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