Week I

Before Romans, there used to be Celts in England so, it is accepted they are the original of the native
English people. Then, England was invaded by Romans and they pushed Celts to other parts of
England such as; Scotland and Wales. After that, Romans withdrawn from England because of the
internal conflicts going on within the Roman Empire. That’s why the Anglo-Saxon period was began.
Anglo-Saxon are Germanic people and they are coming from northern Europe. During the settlements,
Celtic people moved to westwards or northwards. In 177 Ad, Britain was a very small piece compared
to the rest of the Roman Empire. When they were a conflict within the Roman empire, they withdrawn
from in that because England was a very small island and they did not really care they said 'okey we
can withdraw because we need to take care of the rest of Roman Empire.’ The whole Europe was
Roman Empire at that time. Some roads, structures, cities such as; London, Manchester remained from
the Romans. Also, they are the first introduce sanitation water systems within England and they are the
first one to introduce Christianity to England because Roman Empire, Italy is where the Christianity
flourish. They are the introducer of that religion. When they came to England, they came with their
religion and they try to kind of impose introducer to Celtic and to English people. However, there is no
legacy of their language, there is nothing left their language.

ANGLO-SAXON
They are mainly Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. That's where the name England comes
from like Angles. They came from northern Germany, and Denmark. Let's have a look to the
kingdom they established within England.
The Jutes: The Jutes were mainly the Kingdom of Kent.
The Saxon: Saxon were in Wessex Sussex, Essex.
The Angles: Angles were from Northumbria.
Unlike the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons did leave a lasting linguistic imprint on English
literature.
How did they leave the imprint?
Until Norman conquest, English language was mostly influenced by German life by Dutch.
? After the Norman Conquest, it was mostly influenced by French language. There is nothing
similar with Anglo-Saxon English and the Modern English. They are totally different from
each other but we still have in English some Germanic words. and most of the phrasal verbs
‘roots are coming from Germanic, in Dutch. French's words are more formal than the Dutch.
French is more formal than the Dutch. Why?

The Culture of Anglo-Saxon Literature

When we look at the literature part, these are not written works, these are memorized
works. For example: 'Beowolf' has been written for hundred years after its composition or
'The Dream of the Rood' was written years after its composition. In order to survive, these
poems needed to be memorized and sighted by people. The major setting within Anglo-Saxon
literature because in contemporary novels, the setting are the homes, schools, where we live.

Gleeman
is the one who memorized poetry and sing songs.
Scope
 Mead Hall
English poetry like Beowulf and anything epic, they are going to take place within the
Mead Hall. This is the setting where they come together, celebrate, sing, eat. This is a
community gathering place so, it is very important place for Anglo-Saxon to Mead Hall.
In Anglo-Saxon period, most of the literature took place within the Mead Hall. This is also
King residence. It is a kind of a sight of communal activities. This was also the place where
they were sighted. Mead Hall where people came together and everyone was sighting
something, singing songs because there was no TV, there was no movie, they needed it
something to entertainment themselves and pass time. That's why it was the main
entertainment of those days.

Warrior Culture in Anglo-Saxon England

In Warrior Culture, it is expected the King to be generous to be to his loyal subjects.
There is no ...kind of there is .. but they are tribunal things. It is a tribe. They are connected by
glad most of the people. So, there is a kinship between them.

THANES
Thanes are the lords of King and the most important thing that were expected from
them or we expected from subject of the King, he is to be loyal to the King, to obey his
commands. There is a line of kinship to founders of the tribe and all their values reflected
heroic acts. As long as you are heroic acts, as long as brave you are considered the good man.
If you are not like that, you are nothing.
Why?
Because in order to survive they needed to be so. This was the time where they needed

? to brave, fight against to invaders, against the nature, against the animals. They need to be
protected themselves because there is no one protect them against to invaders, nature,
animals.

King Alfred The Great: He is very important because he was really into literature. He said
culture is very important. He translated many books from Latin to English of his time. That's
why we kind of contributed to them Anglo-Saxon culture. he kind of helper Anglo-Saxon
culture to establish.so he is a very important figure of his time.

How did Anglo-Saxon England become Christian?

- Romans brought Christianity but they lived between 50-400. With Romans,
Christianity came, they just wanted to established it but they gone back so,
Christianity went back with them. Then, there was an Anglo-Saxon period from 450 to

? 11th century who are pagans. That's why with the arrival of the Saxons, Jutes and
Angles, most of the country had once again reverted to paganism and there was no
more Christians in England because Anglo-Saxons were not Christianists.
- To convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons to the Christian faith, Rome sent St
Augustine to England in 6th century. Like they withdrawn from England but they
realized that there were some people there, needed to take care of them and needed to
send someone there. So, they could convert them back to Christianity.
- The story of St Augustine’s arrival in England has become the stuff of legend, and was
first told by the 8th-century monk and historian Bede. We learn all these stories of England by
Bede, by Ecclesiastical History of the England. Most of the knowledge that we have, all
Anglo-Saxon people comes from Bede, from his writings. His writings told us that St
 Augustine comes and established Christianity one more time in England. The reason
Canterbury is the place of the pilgrim, because the first St Augustine goes there and he
became the first Archbishop of Canterbury. It is the place of pilgrims.

Features of Anglo-Saxon Poetry: There are 3 main features of that poetry;

1- Alliteration: It is the repetition of the same consonants.
Ex: ‘Swift Swallow flying to the South’
2- Kennings: They are the compound words. Old English is full of riddles. They are very
fond of backing other people guess what they mean, like using metaphors and
compound words. In their writing, instead of sword, they say battle-lighting.
Ex: battle-lightning (sword), bone-house (body), war-sweat (blood), head-
jewels (eyes), death-house (graveyard), whale-path (sea), (most of the kennings
are about wars, death, and sea.
3- Caesura: These are the pauses within the poem and added rhythm that helped
remember the poem itself.

Why do you think that most of the kennings are about the sea and wars?
Because that's the topic of the literature. They are talking about the wars and
sea because they are surrounded by sea.
? Why do you think they write poems using these features?
In order to memorize and to facilitate because when you start with the same
consonant, you know that it comes with the same consonant.

In most of the poems, it is seen that they are about nature. However; the way they are
talking about the nature is not in a positive way. They are mostly talking in negative way
because it's frightening, it's rainy, cold, foggy. There is nothing to like it and the nature is a
place to be frightened of. Anglo-Saxon people always described the nature in a very negative
way. However, it changed after the Norman conquest and spread of Christianity.
Why do you think so?
They were living in the horror of going nowhere. They questioned ‘When ı die,
what's going to happen?’ That's the way to fear from human being. They wanted to
know what was going to happen to them when they died. That’s why it was create the
? irritation, discomfort. However; with the coming of Christianity, the idea 'afterlife'
came and they knew that they were going to a better place and knowing that there was
heaven of have makes them perceive nature or what's happening on them in a more
peacefully way. Before Christianity, they were more worried, everything was
dreadful, there was fear in everything but After Christianity, there was more peace in
what they were doing.
 Literary Genres
Epic: Beowulf - And also, there is
riddles, translations vs.
Elegy: The Wanderer
- They are mostly
History: Ecclesiastical History religious things and pure
translation from that.
Lyric-Dream vision: The Dream of the Rood

Manuscripts: There are 4 main manuscripts;

1- The Vercelli Book
2- The Junius Manuscript
3- The Exeter Book
4- The Nowell Codex

1- The Vercelli Book;

 It contains both poetry and prose.
 The Dream of the Rood is which comes from the Vercelli Book.

2- The Junius Manuscript;

 It is also known as the Cædmon manuscript because it was once thought that the
whole manuscript was written by Cædmon himself but then turns like that if it was not
written by Cædmon, that's why the called it The Junius Manuscript now.
 And, we have an illustrated collection of poems on biblical narratives.

3- The Exeter Book;

 It is the largest and oldest collection of English Literature, and there are around 900
different riddles, poems, elegies, religious verses, heroic narrative and contains poems
by Cynewulf Known for his religious compositions- Elene-. Cynewulf is one of the well
poets that we know his name from Anglo-Saxon period because he also writes his own
name in his poems.
 The seafarer, The wanderer, The wife’s laments.

4- The Nowell Codex;

 It contains prose and poetry, typically dealing with monstrous and it contains one of
the most important epic poems of English Literature 'Beowulf'. It is written in Anglo-
Saxon English.
The Ecclesiastical History of the English People / BEDE
- It is written in 731 and it was written to demonstrate how the Christian church
had established itself and grown throughout England.
- Dante is the most influential figure of European history and he is talking about
Bede in his Divina Comedia-Paradiso.
Caedmon
 - Caedmon went frequently to Mead Hall, but he was ashamed to sing. So he left
the Mead Hall embarrassed that he couldn't participate in the singing or sharing things.
One day, during his dream, the Lord makes him sing and then he started to compose.
While he gets back to the church, and tells about his dream vision, ... makes him.. He
gets into the church because he says 'he directly told to the God himself in his dream
because he gets all these information in his dream. Cædmon's Hymn survives only in
manuscripts of Bede’s. It is the oldest surviving English poem, according to Bede it
was composed between 658 and 680. Cædmon, a supposedly illiterate and unmusical
cow-herder, miraculously empowered to sing in honour of God.
The Dream of the Rood
Part of it is carved on the Ruthwell Cross but the only other surviving copy of this text
is in the Vercelli Book in Italy. The ... itself exemplifies the introduction of Christianity to the
? pagan Anglo-Saxon culture. There were kind of tribe to introduce Christianity to this pagan
Anglo-Saxon literature. The Dream of the Rood, in which the talking tree upon which Christ
was crucified gives an account of his death, presents Jesus not as the suffering ‘man of
sorrows’, but in the role of a military warlord who goes willingly to his death.

? • Why a dream narrative?

• Find an example of alliteration?
Fairly fashioned down to its foot vs.

? •
•
Find an example of kenning?
How many narrators are there?
There are 2 narrators Cross/Rood and Dreamer
• Why did they describe Christ as a warrior?
The Anglo-Saxons were a warlike people, and all they knew in life was war.
Therefore, in order for them to accept Jesus as their leader, he had to be depicted as a
warrior. Also, this was something that was related to their culture. In addition,
according to them, in order for a person to be sublime, he must be a warrior.
• How is the cross described?
• How do we understand that Christ is a warrior?

THE DREAM OF THE ROOD

 - The Dream of the Rood is an extremely famous Anglo-Saxon religious poem
and it consists of 156 lines.
- This poem is the first English Dream Poem and it is one of the earliest
Christian poets written in Old-English.
- Like most Old English poetry, it is written in alliterated verses.
- ‘Rood’ comes from the Old English word rōd 'pole' or, more specifically,
'cross'
- It appears in a late 10th century manuscript located in Vercelli in northern
Italy.
- The poem may be antedate -önce gelebilir- its manuscript because a part of
this poem is engraved on the Ruthwell Cross and its date back to the 8th century.
- Neither the author nor its date of composition is known.
- In this dream, he is speaking to the Cross on which Jesus was crucified -
çarmıha gerilmek-.
- The poem is divided into 3 parts. In the first part narrator gives to us details
about the things he saw in his dream. - from his vision of what the cross look like-. In
the second part …

THE DREAM OF THE ROOD

İnsan seslerinin uykuda örtüldüğü bir gecede
Beni harekete geçiren bu muhteşem rüyaya kulak verin.
Rüyamda etrafına ışık saçan o en görkemli ağacı gördüm.
Bu parlak ağaç altınla kaplıydı ve köklerine kadar pırıl pırıl parlıyordu.
Beş kişi, verilen bir hükme göre, çarmıhın üzerinde asılmıştı -Tanrı onları görüyordu-
Açıkçası, bu bir suçlunun darağacı değildi,
Ancak kutsal ruh, onlarda güçlü bir yaratılış görüyordu.
O ağaç galip geldi ve ben günahla lekelendim, kötülükle dolup taştım.
Görkemin gövdesinin ihtişamla süslendiğini, mutlulukla parıldadığını, hepsinin altınla
kaplandığını,
Değerli taşların Yüce Tanrı'nın ağacını görkemli bir şekilde süslediğini gördüm.
Ama yine de eski çekişmelerin izlerini görebiliyordum.:
Altının altında olan sağ taraf kanamaya başlamıştı.
Bu dehşetli manzara karşısında korkuyordum
Ağacın işaretlerinin hızla renk ve biçim değiştirdiğini gördüm
Şuandan itibaren ağaç akan kan ile kaplanmıştı; şimdi hazineye gömülmüştü..
Yine de uzun süre yere uzandım ve Kurtarıcımızın bana seslenişini duyana kadar
kederli bir şekilde ağacı seyrettim.
Ağacın tamamı konuşmaya başladı;
'Yıllar yıllar önceydi... Tam olarak ne vakitti hatırlamıyorum. Köklerimden ayrılarak
ormanın kenarında kesildim. Çok güçlü olan düşmanlar beni aldılar. Suçlarını
kapatmak ve geçit töreni yapmak için beni bir sirk oyununda görevlendirdiler.
Askerler beni bir dağa yerleştirene kadar omuzlarında taşıdılar;
Gereğinden fazla düşman beni dayıyordu.
İnsanoğlunun Rabb'inin, üzerime çıksın diye büyük bir aceleyle geldiğini gördüm.
Daha sonra, dünyanın yüzeyinin titrediğini hissettiğimde Tanrı'nın sözüne boyun
eğmeye ya da parçalara ayrılmaya cesaret edemedim.
Düşmanları yok etmiş olmama rağmen o yerde durdum.
Sonra bu genç adam kendini gösterdi -ki bu Yüce Tanrıydı—
Güçlü ve cesurdu; yüksek darağacına tırmandı insanlığı kurtarmak için yola çıktı.
Adam beni kucakladığında titredim;
Dünyaya boyun eğmeye cesaret edemedim, yeryüzünün yüzeyine eğildim, ama hızlı
durmak zorunda kaldım.
Bir rood yetiştirildim; Göklerin Rabbi olan güçlü bir hükümdar yetiştirdim. Secde
etmeye cesaret edemedim..
İçime hala izlerinin görülebildiği karanlık çiviler batırdılar,
Kötülüğün izlerini açtım; ama hiçbirini parçalamaya cesaret edemedim.
O dağda çok acılar çektim, acımasız olaylara şahitlik ettim.
Mülkün sahibi yüce Tanrı'nın yere uzandığını gördüm.
Karanlığın gölgesi Tanrı'nın parlamakta olan cesedinin üzerini kapatmıştı.,
Bütün yaratılış ağladı, Kral'ın düşüşüne yas tuttu çünkü Mesih çarmıhtaydı.
Hemen uzaktan ateşli adamlar o, hükümdara geldiler. Ben bütün her şeyi gördüm.
Ağır bir kederle doluydum ama yine de büyük bir itaatkarlıkla onların ellerine
eğildim.
Oradan yüce Tanrı'yı aldılar ve onu bu acımasız işkenceden kurtardılar.
Sonra savaşçılar beni orada dikilmiş halde bıraktılar, her yerimi oklarla deldikleri için
her tarafım kan içindeydi..
Onu yere yatırdılar ve cansız bedeninin başında durdular.
O büyük mücadeleden sonra cennettin Tanrı'sını orada dinlenirken gördüler.
Sonra bir mezar yapmak üzere yola koyuldular.
Parlak taşlar oydular ve zaferin Tanrı'sını oraya koydular.
Savaşçılar gece çökerken üzgündü
O meşhur Tanrı'dan uzaklara yorgun bir şekilde dönmek istediklerine, O orada birkaç
kişi ile huzuru bulmuştu.
Bir süre orada durup yas tuttuk; askerlerin sesleri söndü.
Sonunda insanlar bize Dünya’yı anlatmak için balta getirdiler.
Bu korkunç bir kaderdi! Bizi derin bir çukura gömdüler.
Ama Tanrı'nın yoldaşları beni öğrendi ve beni altın ve gümüşle süsledi.
"Şimdi, benim için çok değerli olan kişi, nasıl korkunç acılar çektiğimi anlayabilirsin.
Şimdi o kadar uzaktan ve bir sürü insanın bana tapma zamanı geldi, ki dünyanın her
yerinde ve tüm yaratılış bu işarete dua eder.
Bir zamanlar Tanrı'nın oğlu benim üzerimde acı çekti;
Bu yüzden şimdi cennetin altında görkemle yükseliyorum ve benden korkanlardan
birini iyileştirebiliyorum..
Uzun zaman önce en acımasız ceza oldum,
İnsonoğlu tarafından en çok nefret edilen oldum,
Ta ki dil taşıyıcılara doğru yaşam tarzını açana kadar.
O, yücelerin Rabb'i, Göğün koruyucusudur.
Annesi Meryem tüm kadın ırkından yücedir.
‘Şimdi sana emrediyorum, çok sevgili oğlum,
Gördüğün olayları başkalarına anlat;
Bunun, Yüce Tanrı'nın insanlığın bu kadar çok günahı ve Adem'in bu kadim suçu
yüzünden uğradığı zafer ağacı olduğunu söyleyecek sözler bul.
O, orada ölümü tattı; Ama Kurtarıcı, insanlığa yardım etmek için büyük gücüyle
ortaya atıldı.
Daha sonra cennete yükseldi.
Kıyamet gününde, insanlığı aramak için tekrar orta dünya'ya gelecek.
Kurtarıcı'nın kendisi, Yüce Tanrı ve melekleri ile birlikte, her birinin bu kısa yaşamda
getirdiği liyakat konusunda tüm insanlığı yargılayacak.
Kimse Tanrı'nın soracağı son sorudan korkmasın.
Kalabalıktan önce, Kurtarıcı adına o ağaçta uğradığı ölümü çekecek bir ruhun nerede
olabileceğini talep edecektir.
Korkacaklar ve Mesih'e ne söyleyeceklerini düşünecekler.
Lakin kalbinde iyilik taşıyan kimsenin korkmasına gerek yok.
Ve bu dünyada, kurtarıcısıyla sonsuza dek daha fazla var olmak isteyen her ruh,
krallığını o çarmıhtan aramak zorundadır.’’
Sonra sevinçten etkilenerek, az sayıda olan yoldaşlarım ile o ağaca ateşli bir gayretle
dua ettim.
Daha sonra, kalbimde yola çıkma dürtüsünü hissettim;
Acı çektim, o zamandan beri çok özlem duyuyorum.
Şimdi ise umut içinde yaşıyorum,
O zafer ağacından sonra, diğer tüm insanlardan daha sık yalnız, ona iyi ibadet etmeye
cesaret ediyorum.
Bunu yapma isteği kalbimde çok fazla; benim korumam Rood bağlı.
Bu dünyada çok az arkadaşım var. Fakat onlarda buradan, dünyevi sevinçlerden Zafer
Kralı'nı aramak için yola çıktılar.
Şimdi Cennette, Yüce Baba'nın kudretiyle yaşıyorlar ve ben sürekli olarak Tanrı'nın
rood'una doğru ilerliyorum.
Bu dünyada daha önce gördüğüm bu kısacık hayattan beni götürecekler
Ve o zaman, beni mutluluğun sonsuz olduğu yere getirecekler
Tanrı'nın halkının olduğu Cennette sevinç için
sevincin sonsuza dek sürdüğü o şölene katılıp
Azizler ile birlikte onların zevklerini paylaşarak yücelik içinde sonsuza dek orada
yaşayacağım.
Uzun zaman önce darağacı ağacında insanların günahları için acı çeken Tanrı,
yoldaşım olsun:
O, bizi kurtardı ve bize hayat verdi, bize cennette bir yer verdi..
Umut yeniden doğdu ve ateşte yananlara mutlulukla yeşerdi.
Oğul -?İsa-, birçok kişiyle birlikte, Yüce Hükümdar olan Tanrı'nın Krallığına,
meleklerin sevincine bir ruh topluluğuyla döndüğünde, Güçlü ve muzaffer bir şekilde
ilerlemeye cesaret edince muzaffer oldu,
Ve bütün o kutsallar daha önce Cennete geldiler.
Tanrı'ya geri döndüklerinde ihtişam içinde yaşamak için.

Cemanur Aygül
Afife Sena Dana
 Week II

The Wife's Lament -The Wife's Complaint-

The Wife's Lament, The Wanderer, and The Seafarer are kind of very similar. These are
all very similar in theme to each other because they are all kind of lamenting about
something. In other words, they are sorrowful forms about something.
The Wife's Lament is a very short poem. This is also known as "The Wife's Complaint". It is
one of the two surviving English poem believed to have been composed by woman, by a nun.
There are so many kinds of discussions about who the writer is so, it is not certain because
there is nothing prove in it. However; highly believed idea is that it has been written by a
woman. If it was written by a woman, it would become more interesting because writing a
poem in 700s means that this is one of the earliest female writings. So, it becomes more
interesting.
What is the summary of The Wife's Lament?
The speaker explains how deeply depressed she is by her circumstances. She’s alone,
likely the husband’s kinsmen, are trying to keep her from finding her husband. Now, she has
? to spend the rest of her days with nothing but unhappiness on her mind. In the last lines, it
appears that she’s wishing the same sorrow on her husband.
What does 'the Lord' imply?
‘The Lord’ implies her husband. The reason she identifies her husband as 'the Lord' is the
hierarchical situation. He is much above the woman. That's why he is referred as the Lord.
Her use of the term 'lord' seems to refer to her husband but also reflects “the conventional
? idiom of OE poetry which was designed to celebrate the male world of the comitatus”. This is
a male world because this is the world of commutates. - the world of warrior- because this is a
world of warrior, women hierarchy a.... so they all become their lords. That’s a hierarchy
position as well. The term certainly designates a social hierarchy.

Let's have a look to the language that opens The Wife's Lament.
- The language that opens “The Wife’s Lament” situates the poem and its speaker in the
context of the traditional heroic elegy of exile; in particular, her opening line, [I recite
this song about myself, very mournful], closely resembles the opening lines of “Deor,”
“Resignation,” and “The Husband’s Message
- She sings under an oak tree; a common Old English poetic metaphor for the cross
- The speaker’s language is the cultural expression of female monasticism: like a
nun at matins singing the office under the cross (and thus lamenting her Lord), this
speaker laments the loss of her lord, under a tree.

full of sorrow... she talks about herself within eye. this is something very important in
literature because she becomes the object her own writing. she doesn't want to ...narration by
she writes in the first-person narration. That's her own narrative and she becomes the eye
the .. of the story and that also indicates some kinds of power of her. she is not that kind of
unpowerful women. She has some power over her life because she tells the story in the first-
person narration. She said 'ı shall make this song about me. My own fate. like the warrior she
is telling her life. Her life is wordy of telling. In order to tell your life, it needs to be worthy of
 telling, wordy of narrative. When you compare with to the warrior life, when you are warrior,
you can talk about your heroic act because it's wordy of telling. but this is all about sorrow
and she says 'ı am going to talk about my own fate.'
Where she lives?
She lives in a cave. The earth cave may be literally a natural or man-made cave.
? “Grave” imagery is appropriate for a female religious, dead to the world socially and
restricted from it physically. In literary says, it can become a real cave and she might be living
in it or symbolically because she is kind of cast away from her husband from her community,
she is kind of living in a separate environment and that become a symbolic cave for her.

STRUCTURE:
The narrator is the woman. It is a monologue because she speaks to herself within eye, and
she records the lament of an exiled wife. The first lines, prologues or the opening lines are the
very important to establish the tone and theme of the poem. You get the tone whole things.
That's we going to go on practice poem from the first lines. That's why the very important to
analyse in order to get the whole..
- Lines 1-5 establish the tone and theme of the poem, as the wife describes her exiled
state and sorrowful mood.
- Lines 6-14 describe the events responsible for the separation of the husband and wife.
She describes why she might be separated.
- From lines 15-27 emphasize the contrast between the previous bliss and present
sadness in the exiled wife's relation to her husband.
- Beginning with line 27, the wife's passion increases as she describes the unpleasant
environment she must live in (11. 27-41),
- And then later on, she curses the person responsible for her anguish -prison stayed-
(11. 42-4711),
- In the end, she concludes with a further description of an exile's physical and spiritual
torment.
With the last line, we can see that ....
Themes:
- Sorrow/Depression, Loneliness/Solitude, Exile are the main themes of the
poem.
Narrator:
- It is the first-person narration and it is a monologue.
Literary Devices:
- Kennings, Alliteration, Caesura, Assonant

The Wife's Lament Kadı’nın Ağıtı

Full of sorrow, I shall make this song about me, my Üzüntü dolu bu şarkıyı kendim, kendi kaderim
own fate. hakkında yapacağım.
Surely, I can tell what sufferings I endured since I Reşit olduğumdan beri hem yeni hem de eski, ne
came of age, acılara katlandığımı kesinlikle şimdiki kadar
Both the new and old, never more than now. söyleyebilirim. Sürgün ıstırabına sonsuz
dayanmalıyım.
I must endure without end the misery of exile
Önce Lordum, dalgalar halinde savrulan kavimden
First my Lord departed from his people over tossing
ayrıldı; Gün geldiğinde efendim hangi topraklarda
waves; I worried when day came in what land my
olabileceğinden endişelendim.
liege- lord could be.
Then I set out, a friendless exile, to seek a place for my Sonra dostsuz bir sürgün olarak, şiddetli ihtiyacımı
sore need. gidermek için bir yer aramaya koyuldum.
My husband’s kin had hatched a plot, conspiring Kocamın akrabaları bizi ayırmak için gizlice bir
secretly to separate us, so that we widest apart in the komplo kurmuşlardı, böylece dünya alemlerinde
world’s realms lived in most misery, and I languished. birbirimizden en geniş şekilde ayrıldık, en çok sefalet
My lord commanded me to keep house here; in this içinde yaşadık ve ben çürümüştüm.
dwelling-place;
Lordum bana bu evde oturmamı emretti.;
I had few dear ones, devoted friends. Therefore; I feel
downcast. Çok az sevgili ve sadık arkadaşım vardı. Bu yüzden
Then I learned my lord was like myself- down on his kendimi aşağılanmış hissediyorum.
luck, dreary-spirited, secretly minding murder in his Sonra öğrendim ki, lordum benim gibiydi- şansına
heart. küsmüş, kasvetli ruhlu, yüreğinde gizlice cinayete
A happy pair we had promised each other, that death bakıyordu.
alone would ever divide us, and nothing else. Bütün bunlar değişti; Bir zamanlar yakınlığımız şimdi
All that is changed; our nearness once is now as sanki hiç olmamış gibi.
though it never had been. Şimdi, uzak ya da yakın, sevdiğim adamın kötülüğüne
Now, far or near, I must bear the malice of the man I katlanmak zorundayım.
loved. Bana bir ağaç korusunda, toprak bir mağarada bir
meşenin altında yaşamam söylendi.
I was told to live in a grove of trees, under an oak in
an earthen cave. O toprak-salon eskidir; özlem beni yener.
That earth-the hall is old; yearning overcomes me. Bu vadiler karanlık ve kum tepeleri yüksek, acı
siperler kuşburnuyla büyümüş, neşesiz bir yer.
These dales are dark and the dunes high, bitter
bulwarks overgrew with briers, a joyless place. İşte, Efendimin gidişi beni acımasızca üzüyor.
Here, my Lord’s departure afflicts me cruelly. Dünya üzerindeki dostlarım, birlikte yatan aşıklar,
yatakta uzanırken, şafak sökerken, yaz boyu tek
Friends here on earth, lovers lying together, lounge in başıma oturmak için meşe altındaki bu toprak
bed, while at daybreak I abandon this earthen -pit çukurunu terk ediyorum.
under the oak to sit alone the summer- long day.
Orada birçok sıkıntımı, sürgün acımı çekebilirim,
There I may bewail my many woes, suffering of exile, çünkü ne tüm kaygılarım ne de bu hayatın bana
for I can never obtain comfort for all my cares nor all getirdiği tüm özlemler için asla teselli bulamam.
the longing this life brought me.
Eğer biri kalbinde acı, acı hissedecek olursa, sonsuz
If ever anyone should feel anguish, harsh pain at acılara katlanırken mutlu bir görünüme bürünmeli-
heart, she should put on a happy appearance while dünyanın tüm mutluluğuna sahip olmalı mı, yoksa
enduring endless sorrows- should she possess all the anavatanından uzaklara sürülmeli mi?
world’s bliss, or be banished far away from her İnanıyorum ki Lordum fırtınayla dövülmüş taşlı bir
homeland. uçurumun kenarında oturuyor, yorgun arkadaşlarımın
I believe my Lord sits by a stony storm-beaten cliff, suya attığı ıssız bir evde oturuyor.
that water-tossed my weary friends sits in a desolate Zihninde çok acı çekmeli, çok sık daha mutlu bir yer
home. hatırlamalıdır.
He must suffer much in his mind, remembering too Yazıklar olsun sevileni bekleyene.
often a happier place.
Woe unto him who languishing waits for a loved one.
 The Wanderer
The Wanderer is an Old English poem from 10th century, and also it is preserved in the Exeter
Book. It is an elegy -like The Wife’s Lament- in which the narrative, speaks of an attack upon
his people that happened in his youth. In this attack, his close friends and kin were all killed,
and memories of the slaughter have remained with him all his life.
Warrior Culture:
The thing very important is that the relationship between The Lord/The King and the
Thanes/Commutates the warrior is very strong. They can’t really live without each other
because they kind of defined each other. Without the king, they are nothing.

- So, warriors were dependent on their lords for protection and provisions. The loss of a
master could bring great despair and financial insecurity.
- His lord has died. That means he has no more purpose, no more friends, no more
hopes of enjoying treasures, no one to feast with, and no one’s knee upon which to lay
his hand and promise loyalty because promise loyalty is the essence of their life. If
you lose your essence of life, there would no purpose of living.
- He is alone, cast out, left to wander in search of a new lord. Here we have also the
gender differentiation with women. He is cat out because her husband ..... against him
and she is exiled.....

Christianity: Fate is a very complicated thing because we are going to see that fate is also
very prominent within pagan understanding. In paganism, you should also except your life as
it is you can't question it because….He accepts that his life with his lord a friend is over, and
that he will never find such friends or sense of belonging again.
Grim, fatalistic worldview: The wanderer realizes that everything earthly is fleeting and
seeks “mercy/ From his heavenly Father.” The wanderer expresses a contentment with fate
and an appreciation for the wisdom that comes through experience, and that’s very Christian
because with the experience of suffering .... Here as well, the wisdom comes from the suffer,
which are in keeping with Anglo-Saxon values of accepting one’s destiny and proving oneself
in acts of courage and bravery.
*The Wanderer” is considered as a “Bildung” lyric, and also it is a poetic account of
spiritual growth because he is left alone, he is cast out, and he is left with nothing. That's why,
he just become the wanderer but there is a spiritual growth in it.

Wife’s Lament and The Wanderer:

1- Why do you think so many poems of this period are about wandering and
exile?

? 2- Describe the mood and emotions of the poems and explain why the narrator
of the poem feels that way.
3- Why are these elegies?
 It is a common theme of that time. It’s like an intro Anglo-Saxon poetry the depressing mood
because of that, these elegies are also in a depressive mood. The early Anglo-Saxons lived in
small, closely knit groups, the members of which were generally related by blood. Life was
harsh, and someone who was cut off from the group or made an outcast would have difficulty
surviving on their own. That's one the biggest problem of their lives. Being cast out, being
outside of the society or losing their society because firstly, the life is harsh and you cannot
really live on your own, you need a community to live in. Secondly, essence of life is to be
loyalty to your king. There are many poems about wandering about exile because these are
sorrow of these people. These are the pain that they enduring during this time, these are the
main problem of these people.
Most of the English poems that have come down to us celebrate to ties to the family, king, and
the trail. Many deals with the consequences of being cut off. We are an Anglo-Saxon period
where the family ties are very close and the traits that we are talking are related to each other
by blood. The essence of life is being loyal to your King and the essence of being King is
being generous to his people. So, when you lose the essence of your life, there is no purpose
of living. Secondly, emotional state but this is based also physical thing meaning that if you
are on your own you are, you can’t live. You need your people support to live in.
They all mourn the loss of a place, person, or the end of an era and express a sorrowful tone.
Also, theme Exile brings intense emotional anguish and loneliness. As elegy, we see that Old
English Literature confronts human mortality and the transience of this world. Temporal
World sufferings are recompensed by a higher, eternal World. Elegy is like they confront
mortality and human life is very short.

Ubi Sunt Motif:

- A number of medieval European poems begin with this Latin phrase meaning “Where
are they?”
- These poems meditate on the transitory nature of life and the inevitability of
death.
Please find the ubi sunt motif in The Wanderer.
“Where is the horse? Where is the young warrior? Where is the giver of treasure?
? Where are the seats of the banquets? Where are the joys in the hall?
Alas the bright cup! Alas the mailed warrior!

Then are his heart’s wounds the heavier because of that,

Often the solitary one experiences mercy for himself,
sore with longing for a loved one. Sorrow is renewed
the mercy of the Measures, although he, troubled in
spirit, when the memory of kinsmen passes through his mind;
Often the solitary one experiences mercy for himself,
he greets
over the ocean mustwith
longsigns
stir of joy,hiseagerly
with hands surveys
the rime-
the mercy of the Measures, although he, troubled in
cold sea, his companions, warriors. They swim away again.
spirit,
travel theThe
paths of exile – Fate is inexorable.”
spirit of the floating ones never brings there many over the ocean must long stir with his hands the rime-
So said the wanderer,
familiar mindfulCare
utterances. of hardships,
is renewedof cruel cold sea,
deadly combats, the fall of dear kinsmen –
for the one who must very often send travel the paths of exile – Fate is inexorable.”
“Often alone each morning I must
his weary spirit over the binding of the waves, So said the wanderer, mindful of hardships, of cruel
Bewail my sorrow; there is now none living deadly combats, the fall of dear kinsmen –
Therefore I cannot think why throughout the world
“Often alone each morning I must
Bewail my sorrow; there is now none living
to whom I dare tell clearly my inmost thoughts. my mind should not grow dark
I know indeed when I contemplate all the life of men,
that it is a noble custom in a man how they suddenly left the hall floor,
to bind fast his thoughts with restraint, brave young retainers. So this middle-earth
hold his treasure-chest, think what he will. fails and falls each day;
The man weary in spirit cannot withstand fate, therefore a man may not become wise before he owns
nor may the troubled mind offer help. a share of winters in the kingdom of this world. A wise
Therefore those eager for praise often bind a sad mind man must be patient,

in their breast-coffer with restraint. nor must he ever be too hot tempered, nor too hasty of
speech
So I, miserably sad, separated from homeland,
nor too weak in battles, nor too heedless,
far from my noble kin, had to bind my thoughts with
fetters, nor too fearful, nor too cheerful, nor too greedy for
wealth
since that long ago the darkness of the earth
nor ever too eager for boasting before he knows for
covered my gold-friend, and I, abject, certain.
proceeded thence, winter-sad, over the binding of the A man must wait, when he speaks a boast,
waves.
until, stout-hearted, he knows for certain
Sad, I sought the hall of a giver of treasure,
whither the thought of the heart may wish to turn.
Where I might find, far or near,
The prudent man must realize how ghastly it will be
one who in the meadhall might know about my people,
when all the wealth of this world stands waste,
or might wish to comfort me, friendless,
as now variously throughout this middle-earth
entertain with delights. He knows who experiences it
walls stand beaten by the wind, covered with rime,
how cruel care is as a companion, snow-covered the dwellings.
to him who has few beloved protectors. The wine-halls go to ruin, the rulers lie
The path of exile awaits him, not twisted gold, deprived of joy, the host has all perished
frozen feelings, not earth’s glory. proud by the wall. Some war took,
he remembers retainers and the receiving of treasure carried on the way forth; one a bird carried off
how in youth his gold-friend over the high sea; one the gray wolf shared
accustomed him to the feast. But all pleasure has with Death; one a sad-faced nobleman
failed.
buried in an earth-pit.
Indeed he knows who must for a long time do without
So the Creator of men laid waste this region,
the counsels of his beloved lord
until the ancient world of giants, lacking the noises
when sorrow and sleep together
of the citizens, stood idle.
often bind the wretched solitary man–
He who deeply contemplates this wall-stead,
he thinks in his heart that he
and this dark life with wise thought,
embraces and kisses his lord, and lays
old in spirit, often remembers long ago,
hands and head on his knee, just as he once at times
a multitude of battles, and speaks these words:
in former days, enjoyed the gift-giving.
“Where is the horse? Where is the young warrior?
Then the friendless man awakes again, Where is the giver of treasure?
sees before him the dusky waves, Where are the seats of the banquets? Where are the
the seabirds bathing, spreading their wings, joys in the hall?
frost and snow fall, mingled with hail. Alas the bright cup! Alas the mailed warrior!
BACKGROUND

Beowulf by unknown writer

It is an ‘’Old English epic poem’’. Also, it is the oldest and longest poem that we know.
It is written the tradition of German heroic legend. It is consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is
reviving the heroic language, style and pagan World of Ancient Germanic oral poetry. We have here
ancient Germanic oral poetry. It does not deal with native Englishmen but with their Germanic
forebearers (the Danes and the Geats). Because that's their ancestors. Beowulf was probably created
by a single Christian poet, and it reflects well-established Christian tradition. According to some
historians, the poem was initially more pagan but later on, they kind of inserted Christian themes in it
when they were writing in it because it was written by the monks. We don't know but it says it is
probably written by a Christian because in 17th century we already have Christianity. References to
New Testament are notably absent. They are mostly references to the whole testament rather than New
Testament. Hrothgar and Beowulf often speak of God as though their religion is monotheistic. It is like
there is only one God. They are real Christian because they just believe in one God. As all Anglo-
Saxon poetry, it was performed from memory at feasts or other public gatherings mainly in Mead Hall.
And also, it influenced many contemporary Works: The Lord of the Rings.

1- What are the events that taking place and what is the structure? (Structure = Olay
örgüsü)
- The rise of the Danish nation
- There are three major battles that Beowulf fights against: with Grendel, Grendel’s
? mother, and the Dragon.
- The first battle is between the Grendel and Beowulf. He fights for fame and to
prove his bravery by defeating the monster.
- The second battle is between Beowulf and Grendel’s mother. Grendel’s mother
attacked the mead hall to take a revenge on the death of her son, Grendel.
- The last battle is between Beowulf and the dragon that occurs after fifty has
? passed. Fortunately, they were able to defeat the dragon but Beowulf faced the
death.
2- Are Below and Beowulf the same person?
- They are different person. Below is the son of Shield Sheafson and father of
Halfdane, and Beowulf is a warrior.
3- What are the motivations for Beowulf to fight Grendel?

? - Revenge, Loyalty. She wants to take revenge for the men Grendel's had killed. He
wants glory, pride, fame. display of strange and kind of he is the best warrior in
those times.
4- Is it about Anglo-Saxon people?
- No, it is not. It is about… Actually; this is about Anglo-Saxons but they are
ancestors. This is about the ancestors of Anglo-Saxon people. It is not about they
were living in England but it is about what they were living back in their original
homeland.
? 5- What does the prologue serve?
- It gives us background information about the poem. Opening lines, and prologues
are very important because they give the moods. They are talking about their
ancestors and settle the mood for the whole poem.
Summary of Beowulf:
Hrothgar is the King of the Danes in southern Denmark. Through success in battle, he
has become rich and mighty. As a symbol of his power and prosperity he builds a magnificent
mead-hall, called Heorot. The joy of people in the mead hall angers Grendel (Grendel, a
monster descended from Cain) -Cain: The Old Testament of the Bible, in the Book of Genesis, tells
the story of how Cain killed his brother Abel. Cain was marked by God, so others would know him and
cast him out of society- Grendel repeats his nightly raids until no one dares sleep in the hall.
Heorot, once the symbol of greatness, is now a place of shame and terror for 12 years.
Beowulf struggles with Grendel, tearing off the monster's shoulder and arm. Grendel
returns to the fens to die. His arm is hung as a trophy under the roof of Heorot. That
night, Grendel's mother comes to the hall from her home in the bottom of a lake, seeking
revenge for the death of her son. Beowulf enters the lake, and swims for hours before
reaching her cave at the bottom. He fights with Grendel's mother. Beowulf seizes a sword
forged long ago by giants and kills Grendel's mother. He sees Grendel's body, and removes the
head, and takes it and the hilt of the giant's sword back to Hrothgar.
Beowulf and his men return to the land of the Geats His uncle the king, Hygelac is
eventually killed by the Swedes; his son Heardred, though young, takes the throne with
Beowulf's support. At Heardred's death, Beowulf takes the throne of the Geats, and rules in
great prosperity and fame for fifty years. In Beowulf's old age, a thief finds a passageway into
an old barrow and steals a cup. but the dragon discovers the theft and burns the land,
including Beowulf's mead-hall. Beowulf sets out to confront the dragon. He kills the dragon,
but not before he himself is terribly wounded.
Watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrm3PJjD7gU

Mead Hall is a very important place. It is constructed by the King a sign of the favour
for their people. While they were constructing their Mead Hall, they are created a space where
eat together, celebrate together, come together, which is very important for Anglo-Saxon
people. In those days, that was the only place to socialize and to come together. That's why
everything takes place in the Mead Hall -Also, it is called as Heorot.-. And then, that makes
Grendel unhappy and angry so he attacked. The problem with Grendel, he was the monster
descended from Cain. -that's a biblical allusion-. That's why they are evils, monsters. If you
read it from a philosophical view, there is nothing Grendel to be angry because he is cast out.
In Anglo-Saxon period, when you are cast out, there is nothing you can do. We can
understand why Grendel attacked. While the people were happy together, he could be kind of
envy of them. That's why he killed them. 25:30…..

Characters: There are many characters in it. Let’s look at the main characters;
 Beowulf: A Geatish warrior,
 Hygelac: Geatish king,
 Hrothgar: The King of the Danes, the son of Halfdene (Beow-Shield),
 Grendel: A man-eating monster descended from the Biblical Cain,
 Grendel’s mother: A female version of Grendel, also descended from Cain.

Why is the prologue important?

It sets the tone for the whole Beowulf Epic. Also, it provides necessary information to
understand the noble and worthy ancestry of King Hrothgar. -In order to make an empathy with
Hrothgar, we need to be known that he has a noble and worthy ancestry to fight for- Descendant of
great warrior kings who have done heroic deeds. Justifies Beowulf’s loyalty Introduce and
describe the main theme: the Heroic Code. The foundation of ethics, deeds, and
accomplishments.

Themes:
Family and Tribe, Heroic Code, Good versus Evil, Fame and Pride, Death and defeat:
Repetition, Christianity and Paganism.

Analysis of passages:

In the first paragraph, he talks about the

beauties that God has created for people. In
the second paragraph, on the other hand,
especially in the first sentence, we can
understand the differences between good
and evil. Christianity is the main theme. As
an example of this; ‘Almighty had made the
earth..’

Firstly, he considers himself a warrior and

describes himself as superior. So, there is a
theme of pride here. Then, in the last
sentence, ‘…to whichever side he sees fit..’
the theme of fate appears. There are two
main themes here; pride and fate.

Family and Tribe:

- As with the other poems we have read this week, family and tribe are very
important in this poem. Without a community or family, these men are incomplete,
they are nothing.
- Men or beings without tribes—such as Grendel and Heremod— They are
described as lonely and joyless because they are cast out of the society; they are on
their own.
- It emphasises placed on loyalty above any personal desire, exist to preserve and
strengthen the family and tribe. One of the most important things is loyalty. In
order to continue of the family and tribe, he is must be loyal -the thanes become
loyal, the kings become generous-
- Preservation of a family or tribe within a hostile environment demands not only
unity within the tribe, but the willingness to defend and protect the tribe from
 outsiders. We need heroic people because the having just you need to within the
tribe doesn't have. we also need people like Beowulf to defend our tribe against
Grendel. In order to stay, we need also warriors.
- Hospitability of the king is very important as well.

Heroic Code: Good Warriors and Good Kings:

In the heroic code; we have courage, loyalty, selflessness, and power in battle. That is
the definition of heroic code. As a protector and nurturer, the king must put the good of the
people above his own desire for fame and glory. His people come before him. That's why he
need to constructed gorgeous, grandiose Mead Halls for his people. Generous with gifts and
gold, provides a haven in which his people can eat and drink and socialize. The gold here is
emotional thing rather than financial because you don't need money to live in those times.

Good versus Evil:

 Representative of Good: Beowulf
 Representative of Evil: Grendel, Grendel's mother, and dragon.

Fame and Pride:

The quest for fame is of the utmost importance to a warrior trying to establish himself
in the world. Fame in Beowulf is associated with generosity and community while pride is
associated with greed and selfishness.

Death and Defeat: Repetition and Change:

The story begins and ends with funerals of kings. This is the symbol of reputation. -
even if we are in a legendary myth, where Beowulf fights the dragon or fights the evil and cuts the
head even he is ten times bitter than him, we are in a real life setting. There is a reputation of life
cycle. We have the birth and death.- Continuity of the world shows that events are in many ways
just variations of previous events, proceedings in endless procession like the seasons of the
year. no matter how heroic one's life death eventually defeats everyone from
mortal to monster slave to king there's.

Christianity and Paganism:

In Beowulf, we have Christian virtues as selflessness, moderation and caring for
others. These are emphasised throughout the poem. Cain’s legacy is directly from the Bible.
Grendel’s cave is turned into allegorical Hell Grendel are clearly used for Devil: such as “The
enemy of mankind”, “God’s adversary” and “Hell’s slave” The dark waters and worms that
are present in the cave Grendel dwells with his mother are other examples of Biblical
allusions in Beowulf.

What does the dragon symbolize in Christianity?

? The Devil himself. The dragon Beowulf fights is even made more snake-like to resemble the
Biblical story about the snake seducing Eve into tasting the forbidden fruit.

Death:
Beowulf is battling the Devil and even though he can’t defeat him (because only God can), he
stands against the greatest evil bravely. So, even he dies soon thereafter, he dies as a virtuous
man loved by God and can be remembered and praised. -Just like Christ- All mortal men
Beowulf is destined to die, but the death doesn’t matter, the faith and virtuous life does.
 Praising Mother:
While the mother of Christ in the Bible is blessed, ‘‘Blessed is the womb that bore you, and
the breasts that you sucked!" (Luke 11: 27) in the same way Beowulf’s mother is blessed.
Also, when Beowulf is praised;
Whoever she was
Who brought forth this flower of manhood.
If she is still alive, that woman can say
That in her labor the Lord of Ages
Bestowed a grace on her. (941-945)

12 men= 12 Apostles:
Beowulf gathers a squad of his twelve most trusted and brave warriors. This situation
mirrors the episode from the New Testament and one of the most straightforward examples of
Christian allegory: the Beowulf’s squad represents the twelve Apostles that Christ has.

Paganism:
Most of the Pagan elements are accredited to the idea of what Norse Paganism was. Of
course, they are so many about their ancestors who comes from Germanic tribes and we know
that they used to be pagan before coming England. So, in Christianity virtues were influenced
in that later on. That's kind of impossible not to see any pagan element in it. There should be
some pagan elements. Wyrd is a concept in Anglo-Saxon culture roughly corresponding to
fate or personal destiny. “Fate goes ever as fate must.” (455), “Often, for undaunted courage,
fate spares the man it has not already marked.” (572-573).

Other symbols of paganism are;

- The use of special swords, -symbol of warrior-
- The practices of ship burial and cremation,
- The topic of a hero who has supernatural strength and needs to fight and kill
monsters in order to protect the people is a plot very characteristic of the Pagan
literature.
- His victories are all depicted during the summer and his tragic death caused by the
dragon’s venom happens to be depicted in the winter, which coincides with the
Pagan understanding of good and evil being brought closer to the reader through
the natural occurrences of changing seasons, describing the strongest shifts in the
good and evil events with the symbolism of the opposites – summer and winter.
While summer symbolizes good, winter symbolizes evil
- Pagan heroes considered dying in combat the most honourable death of all and this
is expressed in regards to Beowulf’s battle with Grendel’s mother: -Part of the
reason Beowulf is valuable is because he died for his people. And this is a very
important thing in pagan culture, warrior culture-
- So must a man do who intends to gain enduring glory in a combat. Life doesn't
cost him a thought. Then the prince of War-Geats, warming to this fight with
Grendel's mother, gripped her shoulder and laid about him in a battle frenzy (…)” (
1534-1539)
 Symbols:
 Grendel: Evil and jealousy / for being casted out
 Dragon: Greed
 Beowulf: embodiment of the heroic code his deeds are not to bring glory to
himself alone but to give his people as a whole
 Mead-hall: the symbol of a society, security, prosperity, community, place of
refuge
 Gold, Treasure, Gifts: less important for their economic value than their social
value. a lord rewards loyalty with gold, and in doing so inspires further loyalty.

Beowulf’un Özeti:
Başlangıcında Dan kralı Hrothgar'ın kırlar üzerindeki görkemli konağı Heorot'un, 12 yıl
boyunca kötü ruhlu canavar Grendel'in gece baskınlarına uğradığı, canavarın Hrothgar'ın
savaşçılarını kaçırıp yediği anlatılır. Beklenmedik bir anda, İsveç'in güneyindeki Geat
kabilesinin genç prensi Beowulf, adamlarıyla birlikte çıkagelir ve Heorot'u canavardan
kurtarmayı önerir. Kral, adı pek duyulmamış bu prensin cesaretine hayret eder, ama onu iyi
karşılar. Kralın maiyetindeki bazı kişilerin kıskançlığı dışında gerekli görgü kurallarına uygun
geçen bir akşam şöleninden sonra kral yatmaya gider, yerine Beowulfu bırakır. O gece
kırlardan Grendel gelir, ağır kapılan yıkar, Beowulf'un kabilesinden birini yer. Sonra Beowulf
la boğuşur, ama onun güçlü ellerinden kaçamaz, kurtulmak için hamle yaparken bir kolu
kopar. Sonunda kaçmayı başarır, ama ölümcül bir yara almıştır.
Ertesi gün Heorot'ta şenlik vardır, ama geceleyin savaşçılar uyuyunca Grendel'in annesi
oğlunun öcünü almak için gelir, Hrothgar'ın adamlarından birini öldürür. Sabahleyin de
Beowulf onu bir bataklığın dibindeki mağarasında bulup öldürür. Grendel'in başını
gövdesinden ayırarak Heorot'a döner. Danlar bir kez daha şenlik düzenler. Hröthgar gerçek
kahramanları öven bir uğurlama konuşması yaptıktan sonra Beowulf kazandığı onur ve aldığı
değerli armağanlarla Geat kralı Hygelac'ın yanına döner.
İkinci bölümde Kral Hygelac'ın, tarihsel belgelerin de doğruladığı bir savaş sırasında
ölmesi, oğlunun ölümü, Beowulf'un krallığa getirilişi ve 50 yıl ülkeyi barış içinde yönetmesi
anlatılır. Bu kez de ağzından alev püskürten bir ejder ülkeye saldırınca cesur, ama yaşlanmış
Beowulf onunla mücadeleye girer. Gençliğinde tutuştuğu dövüşlerin tersine bu kez korku ve
acı veren uzun bir çatışma olur. Genç yardımcısı Wiglaf dışında bütün askerlerinin kralı terk
etmesi de acı vericidir. Beowulf ejderi öldürürse de ölümcül bir yara alır. Şiir, kralın cenaze
ayiniyle, ağıtlarla son bulur.

If you want more information, you can watch these videos:

The Wife’s Lament:
 https://www.gradesaver.com/exeter-book/study-guide/summary-the-wifes-lament

The Wanderer:
 https://www.gradesaver.com/exeter-book/study-guide/summary-the-wanderer

Beowulf:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS6QC4z_Pb4
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FfkN_USdcc
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek-StkqXZkY
WEEK III
MEDIAVAL ENGLISH LITARATURE

Why do you think that these Anglo-Saxon goes until 1066?

- Because there is Norman Conquest.

Anglo-Norman Literature (Before Starting the Middle English Literature)

Mostly they were written in Latin, Anglo-Norman French -because there was a high
influence of French on English territory- and English -but not much of that-. They mostly have
written about legendary history of Britain for their Norman overlords. -They were written for the
Norman people to explain the Normans about the Britain-

Geoffrey of Monmouth:
The chief writer of history of the kings of Britain is Geoffrey of Monmouth -he has
written in Latin-. Geoffrey of Monmouth gathered together several strands of King Arthur myth
and history and retold the stories in a medieval fashion. Also, one of the most important things
of Geoffrey of Monmouth is that he is the one retelling King Arthur stories. So, when you
look at the King Arthur stories, there are some entries saying that it was invented by Geoffrey.
No, it was not invented by Geoffrey but it was re-written, it was kind of covered by Geoffrey
so, his two important works the history of Kings of Britain. However; it was not written in
English unfortunately and re-writing of King Arthur.

Language Middle English (twelve hundred to fourteen hundred / It is the Chaucer time)
Language is mostly French: While the French was principally the language of parliament,
law, business, and high culture during 13th and 14th centuries, English was the language of
peasants. But English was gaining ground.
Why?
Because of the 100 Year's war. And also, they were using English in order to reach peasantry
as well because peasantry or lower classes did not know how to read or write in French and in
Latin. In order to reach people those people, they needed to write in English as well. That’s
why several religious works have been started to written in English. Several authors of
religious Works were writing for the benefit of those who do not know French and Latin.
 Background Information:
In between 12th and 14th centuries, there was a (Bubonic)plague, black death, and it
wiped out almost a third of population. Actually, prevalent -diseases- existed throughout the
Middle Ages, but it was the most devastating during the 14th century. That's why, there was
almost no one left to work. As a result of this, scarcity of labour occurred. Then, it led to that
enforcing wage controls and oppressive new taxes. And, church became the target of popular
discontent. Why? Because church was among the greatest of the oppressive landowners
(wealthy, worldliness, venality). While the people were getting poorer, the church was very
rich. It contradicts their basically system because they say that everything on this earth is to
do good so, we can reach to heaven. what the hell are you doing? Also, there were 100 years’
war, and War of Roses.
Other Influential Writers:
William Langland: In his writings, he attacked the corruption at the church.
John Gower:
Julian of Norwich: She is the first known woman writer, visionary writing in England.
Margery Kempe: She writes religious works. Her writings are very important because
she shows us medieval church from female point of view.

Geoffrey Chaucer
He lived between 1343 and 1400 and his father was a wine maker. It means that he
was growing in middle class so, he was not noble. -Nobility comes with birth, you cannot earn it.
You can just be a noble if your father or your mother is noble- He served Edward III and Richard II
and in the 100 years’ war, he was captured -Edward III paid the ransom to get him released - He
knew English, French, Latin and Italian because he was a diplomat and travelled around the
whole Europe. If you go Westminster abbey, there is a poet corner and Chaucer is there.
Could he make his living as a writer?
Not really. So, he worked in many royal posts. Like he worked as royal page to a knight, he
was courtier diplomat travelling through Europe as an emissary for the king and he served as
a civil servant.
He influenced by Dante (1265-1321), Francis Petrarch (1304-1374), and Giovanni
Boccaccio (1313-1375). They were the founding fathers of the renaissance.
So, how was Chaucer influenced by these writers?
Because he was travelling constantly and knew how to speak Italian. It is unclear if they had
met him in person but they were living in Italy when he was in Italy as well.

He is considered ‘Father of English Poetry’ because;

 He invented many words such as amble- bribe femininity- plumage and
Twitter.
 He is the first one who established Middle English as a respectable language to
compose literature because English was not a respectable language then. He was the
first one who wrote in English. English was not considered a formal language, it was
considered vulnerable language -dilin yazılı değil, sözel olması- to write in English. It is
 not a vulnerable language to write in when there is Latin and French because these are
the language of science. But Chaucer started and English was more vernacular.
 The latter half of the 17th century, John Dryden calls him 'the Father of
English Poetry' monumental figure in the English canon.

He wrote a great deal of poetry throughout his adult life for amusement for
pleasure but also as a way of making money as part of this patronage system. As part
of patronage system; Wealthy nobleman would pay artists to create Works for their
private collection. For instance; they go and say 'Chaucer write me a book so, I can
add it my private collection.' Because it was one of the best things to pass time in
those days.

HIS WORKS:
DREAM VISION COURTLY POETRY SHORT LYRICS TRANSLATIONS
*The Book of the Troilus and Criseyde
Duchess -a romance tale set
during Trojan War-
*The Parliament of *The Knight’s Tale
Fowles -satire of
political governance-
*The House of Fame
*The Legend of Good
Women

Diversity:
He wrote in many different kinds of forms and genres. His works were spiritually
focussed: They were also focusing on intellect and desire, and they were serious and
playful.
 Spiritually focussed means that allusion to the bible and the Church Fathers,
especially in translations and in the dream vision, because he was a Christian and there
were references from Bible and Church Fathers.
 Intellect and desire mean that the nuances of the philosophical debates of his
time, but also focuses on lower passions to which humans are subject.
 Serious and playful means that important life lessons mixed with element of
mere entertainment or play. There are so many ironies within his works. These are the
important aspects of his works.
Canterbury Tales
 It is about a group of pilgrims who meet at Tabard Inn.
 There is a challenge was set for them: each pilgrim: 4 stories: 2 on the way to
the cathedral 2 on their way back to London.
 The most important thing within these Chaucer stories that there are people
from all walks of life different classes weaving together different genres and
characters. This is not just about nobility, there are people from all worlds of life and
there is a mixture of people so that's very important. The frame of pilgrimage is
served to mix people actually and it is a very significant.
  He is weaving together different genres and characters.
 There are 24 stories written in middle English narrative runs 17.000 lines.
 In total, a journey to visit the shrine of St Thomas Beckett.
 The whole stories focused on lower/ middle/ upper classes.
 Chaucer moved between classes freely showing favouritism to none of them
because he criticized all worlds of life, all worlds of classes.

Boccaccio Influence:
He has been influenced by some intellectual writers and one of them is Boccaccio’s
Decameron. Canterbury tales was also influenced by Boccaccio’s Decameron.
In the story, there are nobility. First of all, the differences of the nobility. In
Boccaccio's story, the nobility flees from Florence to escape the black death and they go to
isolated villa and they spend nights and days together. So, they can be same from the plague.
They go to isolated villa and they spend nights and days together. so, they can be same from
the plague. In order to pass the days, each member of the party tells a story each night. So, the
frame narrative of telling in order to pass time telling stories to each other is the frame
narrative and it is very... of Boccaccio’. but also, there is another story coming from middle-
east, which is also has the same frame word, One thousand one nights -Arabian Nights-.
There are differences in the design.
 While Boccaccio’s characters flee from Florence and the plague, In Chaucer,
they go on a journey to Canterbury. They don't flee London, they don't run away from
London..
 While another big difference is that Boccaccio’s characters are all of the
nobility, in Chaucer, there are all worlds of class.
Themes:
 Gender relations religion,
 Sexual immorality anti-semitism,
 Critiques
Whan that Aprill with the members
his shoures soote of nobility, clergy and peasantry,
11 (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),
 withUse
When April satire to call attention
its sweet-smelling showers to the hypocrisy. (So Nature incites them in their hearts),
2 ThePrologue:
droghte of March hath perced to the roote, 12 Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
Has pierced the drought of March to the root, Then folk long to go on pilgrimages,
3 And bathedevery veyne
It starts
in with
swichthe famous description
licour 13 of spring,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
 everyPrologue
And bathed vein (of thebecomes the
plants) in framed
such liquid narrative. And
It provides us the whole kind of
professional pilgrims to seek foreign shores,
4 structure
Of which vertu of theis the
engendred narrative
flour; because it introduces us the characters, what's going to
14 To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
By whichhappen,
power the and everything
flower is created;that we should knowToabout the background story of
distant shrines, known in various lands;
5 Canterbury
Whan Zephirus eek withtales.
his sweete breeth 15 And specially from every shires ende
 There
When the West Wind also is much
with itsemphasising
sweet breath,in the prologueAnd on the clothing ... we can interpret
specially from every shire's end
6 theincharacters,
Inspired hath every holtanalyse
and heeth the characters.
16 Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
In everywood andWithin thebreathed
field has prologue we are introducing the weaknesses -vanity, Greed,
life into Of England to Canterbury they travel,
7
Gluttony-. So, his ...start from the prologue.
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne 17 The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
The tender new leaves, and the young sun To seek the holy blessed martyr,
8 Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne, 18 That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
Has run half its course in Aries, Who helped them when they were sick.
9 And smale foweles maken melodye,
And small fowls make melody,
10 That slepen al the nyght with open ye
Those that sleep all the night with open eyes
It's completely different from what Churches wrote. While he is praising winter, he describes
spring as bad. At the same time, he uses it in a great irony when he is praising winter.
‘‘Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow,’’

 This is all about the nature. How the nature comes to life, how everything is
awakening, and the joy of April.

What does it symbolize?

- It symbolizes rebirth and fresh beginning and there is an awakening of the
nature. In the first lines, we are celebrating arrival of spring and there is energy,
everything is awakening in it. It is cycle of seasons: Also, this can be something
that very pagan because this is the rebirth and spring is always associated with the
everything good. And spiritual rebirth. Also, that ...............beginning of journey
so…and the people death are about the start to spiritual journey. So, there is a
parallel between the nature and between the pilgrims. With the awakening of
nature, people are actually going through a spiritual awakening. That’s why there is
a parallel between nature and people.
Note: Writers ever since Chaucer’s day have used and responded to this expression
of springtime. Therefore, this becomes a symbol of the canterbury tales, because
other authors have used the awakening of spring in their works in response to,
paralleling, or opposing Chaucer.

Reflections on Modernism:
T.S. Eliot one of the most modernist writers, inverts the Chaucer’s use of spring
and he writes that in The Waste Land, one of the most important poems in
modernism.

April is the cruellest month, breeding ull roots with spring rain.
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Winter kept us warm, covering
Memory and desire, stirring D Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers.
 In the time of Chaucer, nature is being cleansed, rebirth, it is believed that spiritual cleansing
will be carried out thanks to pilgrimage. Here, on the other hand, it is mentioned that none of
this will happen because religion was the most questioned thing in Modernism. Many new
ideas come out. Thoughts and beliefs are beginning to change. In the 'forgetful snow', there is
a deception in winter. So, winter is actually good in appearance. there is more religious
conflict

118 Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE, 142 But for to speken of hire conscience,
There wasEstate
also asatire:
Nun, a PRIORESS, But to speak of her moral sense,
119 That 143 She was so charitable and so pitous
Thereofare hir 3smylyng
estates.was ful symple
Nobility, Clergyand and
coy; Peasantry. Until Chaucer's time, there was a rigid
Who was very simple and modest in her She was so charitable and so compassionate
smiling; state system to a growing middle class. So, nobility 144 was
She nobility,
wolde wepe, clergy
if thatwassheclergy,
saugh aand
mous
120 peasantry was peasantry. However;
Hire gretteste ooth was but by Seinte Loy; the hierarchy was … because there was a growing
She would weep, if she saw a mouse middle
class who was
Her greatest oathneither
was butnobility
by SaintnorLoy;peasantry. They
145had their
Kaughtvoices
in abecause
trappe, ifthey haddeed
it were money.
or bledde.
121 And she was cleped madame Eglentyne. Caught in a trap, if
So, the structure was kind of a bit ... In the ideal model, the members of all estate are to work it were dead or bled.
And she was
together. calledpoints
Chaucer Madamout to the limitations of146
Eglantine. this HowOfthe
smale houndes
selfish hadde directions
and sinful she that sheoffedde
122 Ful weel she threaten
soong thetoservice She had some small hounds that she fed
individuals break dyvyne,
this down. Chaucer’s work ultimately draws us to question the
She sang the divine service very well, 147 With rosted flessh, or milk and wastel-breed.
123 proper bonds
Entuned in hirof community.
nose ful semely;Chaucer makes us questions all theroasted
With groups. Heor
meat, gets
milkout attention
and fine white
toIntoned
the silfulness of members lust, greed,
in her nose in a very polite manner; and pride. Rivalry
bread. among the members threatens the
124 group
And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly, 153 Hir mouth ful smal, and therto softe and
And she spoke French very well and elegantly reed.
125 To Canterbury,
After the scole ofShrine
Stratfordof atte
SaintBowe,
Thomas Becket Also, existenceHer mouthitself
veryis small,
a pilgrimage to our
and moreover soft and
true home we saw that already
In the manner of Stratford at the Bow, at play in Chaucer’s.
red.
126 For Frenssh of Parys was to hire unknowe. 154 But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed;
ForWhat
French does the
of Paris journey
was stand for in Canterbury?
to her unknown. But surely she had a fair forehead;
127 At mete wel ytaught was she with alle; 155 It was almoost a spanne brood, I trowe;
1- The journey with the pilgrimage, the spiritual birth.It was almost nine inches broad, I believe;
At meals she was well taught indeed;
128 She 2-leet The main from
no morsel aim of hirour journey
lippes falle, is to reach
156our true
For,home.
hardily,So,sheexistence is already a
was nat undergrowe.
journey.
She let no morsel fall from her lips, For, certainly, she was not undergrown.
129 Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe; 157 Ful fetys was hir cloke, as I was war.
Nor wet her fingers deep in her sauce; Her cloak was very well made , as I was
130 Wel koude she carie a morsel and wel kepe aware.
She well knew how to carry a morsel (to her 158 Of smal coral aboute hire arm she bar
mouth) and take good care About her arm she bore of small coral
131 That no drope ne fille upon hire brest. 159 A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene,
That no drop fell upon her breast. A set of beads, adorned with large green beads,
132 In curteisie was set ful muchel hir lest. 160 And theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene,
Her greatest pleasure was in good manners. And thereon hung a brooch of very bright
133 Hir over-lippe wyped she so clene gold,
She wiped her upper lip so clean 161 On which ther was first write a crowned A,
134 That in hir coppe ther was no ferthyng sene On which there was first written an A with a
That in her cup there was seen no tiny bit crown,
135 Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir 162 And after Amor vincit omnia.
draughte. And after "Love conquers all."
Of grease, when she had drunk her drink. 148 But soore wepte she if oon of hem were deed,
136 Ful semely after hir mete she raughte. But sorely she wept if one of them were dead,
She reached for her food in a very seemly The Nun Prioress
149 Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte;
manner. Or if someone smote it smartly with a stick;
137 And sikerly she was of greet desport, 150 And al was conscience and tendre herte.
And surely she was of excellent deportment, And all was feeling and tender heart.
138 And ful plesaunt, and amyable of port, 151 Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was,
And very pleasant, and amiable in demeanor, Her wimple was pleated in a very seemly
139 And peyned hire to countrefete cheere manner,
And she took pains to imitate the manners 152 Hir nose tretys, hir eyen greye as glas,
140 Of court, and to been estatlich of manere, Her nose well formed, her eyes gray as glass,
Of court, and to be dignified in behavior,
141 And to ben holden digne of reverence.
And to be considered worthy of reverence.
Analysis:
With us ther was a DOCTOUR OF PHISIK;
With us there was a DOCTOR OF
MEDICINE
412 In al this world ne was ther noon hym lik,
In all this world there was no one like him,
413 To speke of phisik and of surgerye,
To speak of medicine and of surgery,
414 For he was grounded in astronomye.
For he was instructed in astronomy.
415 He kepte his pacient a ful greet deel
He took care of his patient very many
times
416 In houres by his magyk natureel.
In (astronomically suitable) hours by (use
of) his natural science.
417 Wel koude he fortunen the ascendent
He well knew how to calculate the
planetary position
418 Of his ymages for his pacient.
Of his astronomical talismans for his
patient.
419 He knew the cause of everich maladye,
He knew the cause of every malady,
420 Were it of hoot, or coold, or moyste, or
drye,
Were it of hot, or cold, or moist, or dry
elements,
421 And where they engendred, and of what
humour.
And where they were engendered, and by
what bodily fluid.
422 He was a verray, parfit praktisour:
He was a truly, perfect practitioner: The Doctor
423 The cause yknowe, and of his harm the
roote,
The cause known, and the source of his
(patient's) harm,
424 Anon he yaf the sike man his boote.
Straightway he gave the sick man his
remedy.
425 Ful redy hadde he his apothecaries
He had his apothecaries all ready
426 To sende hym drogges and his letuaries,
To send him drugs and his electuaries,
427 For ech of hem made oother for to wynne
--
For each of them made the other to profit --
428 Hir frendshipe nas nat newe to bigynne.
Their friendship was not recently begun.
429 Wel knew he the olde Esculapius,
He well knew the old Aesculapius,
429 Wel knew he the olde Esculapius,
He well knew the old Aesculapius, Analysis:
430 And Deyscorides, and eek Rufus,
And Dioscorides, and also Rufus,
431 Olde Ypocras, Haly, and Galyen,
Old Hippocrates, Haly, and Galen,
432 Serapion, Razis, and Avycen,
Serapion, Rhazes, and Avicenna,
433 Averrois, Damascien, and Constantyn,
Averroes, John the Damascan, and
Constantine,
434 Bernard, and Gatesden, and Gilbertyn.
Bernard, and Gaddesden, and Gilbertus.
435 Of his diete mesurable was he,
He was moderate in his diet,
436 For it was of no superfluitee,
For it was of no excess,
437 But of greet norissyng and digestible.
But greatly nourishing and digestible.
438 His studie was but litel on the Bible.
His study was but little on the Bible.
439 In sangwyn and in pers he clad was al,
He was clad all in red and in blue,
440 Lyned with taffata and with sendal.
Lined with taffeta and with silk.
441 And yet he was but esy of dispence;
And yet he was moderate in spending;
442 He kepte that he wan in pestilence.
He kept what he earned in (times of)
plague.
443 For gold in phisik is a cordial,
Since in medicine gold is a restorative for
the heart,
444 Therefore he lovede gold in special.
Therefore he loved gold in particular.
 Monk

165 A MONK ther was, a fair for the maistrie, 200 He was a lord 204ful fatNow
and incerteinly
good poynt;
he was a fair prelaat;
183
He was a Andplump
very I seydeNowhisand
lord opinion
certainly
in goodwaswas
he good.
a handsome
There was a MONK, an extremely fine And I said his opinion was good.
one, condition; ecclesiastical dignitary;
166 An outridere, that lovede venerie, 201 His184 What
eyen stepe,
205 and sholde he studie
rollynge
He was nat
in his and
pale asmake
heed, a forpyned goost.
hymselven
His eyes were wood,
prominent,
He was
and not
rolling
pale in
ashis
a tormented spirit.
An outrider (a monk with business outside Why should heswan
studyloved
and make himself
the monastery), who loved hunting, head, 206 A fat he best of any roost.
202 crazy,
That stemed as a forneys
A fatofswan
a leed;
loved he best of any roast.
167 A manly man, to been an abbot able. 185 Upon a book in cloystre alwey to poure,
A virile man, qualified to be an abbot. Which gleamed207 like His
a furnace
palfrey under
wasaas broun as is a berye.
cauldron; Always toHis pore uponhorse
saddle a bookwasin as
thebrown
cloister,
as is a
168 Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in 186 Or swynken with his handes, and laboure,
stable, 203 His bootes souple,
berry. his hors in greet estaat.
Or work
His boots supple, his with
horsehis in hands,
excellentand labor,
He had very many fine horses in his stable, 187 As Austyn bit? How shal the world be
169 And whan he rood, men myghte his condition.
served?
brydel heere As Augustine commands? How shall the
And when he rode, one could hear his world be served?
bridle 188 Lat Austyn have his swynk to hym
170 Gynglen in a whistlynge wynd als cleere reserved!
Jingle in a whistling wind as clear Let Augustine have his work reserved to
171 And eek as loude as dooth the chapel belle him!
And also as loud as does the chapel belle 189 Therfore he was a prikasour aright:
172 Ther as this lord was kepere of the celle. Therefore he was indeed a vigorous
Where this lord was prior of the horseman:
subordinate monastery. 190 Grehoundes he hadde as swift as fowel in
173 The reule of Seint Maure or of Seint flight;
Beneit -- He had greyhounds as swift as fowl in
The rule of Saint Maurus or of Saint flight;
Benedict -- 191 Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare
174 By cause that it was old and somdel streit Of tracking and of hunting for the hare
Because it was old and somewhat strict 192 Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare.
175 This ilke Monk leet olde thynges pace, Was all his pleasure, by no means would he
This same Monk let old things pass away, refrain from it.
176 And heeld after the newe world the space. 193 I seigh his sleves purfiled at the hond
And followed the broader customs of I saw his sleeves lined at the hand
modern times. 194 With grys, and that the fyneste of a lond;
177 He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen, With squirrel fur, and that the finest in the
He gave not a plucked hen for that text land;
178 That seith that hunters ben nat hooly 195 And for to festne his hood under his chyn,
men, And to fasten his hood under his chin,
That says that hunters are not holy men, 196 He hadde of gold ywroght a ful curious
179 Ne that a monk, whan he is recchelees, pyn;
Nor that a monk, when he is heedless of He had a very skillfully made pin of gold;
rules, 197 A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was.
180 Is likned til a fissh that is waterlees -- There was an elaborate knot in the larger
Is like a fish that is out of water -- end.
181 This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloystre. 198 His heed was balled, that shoon as any
This is to say, a monk out of his cloister. glas,
182 But thilke text heeld he nat worth an His head was bald, which shone like any
oystre; glass,
But he considered that same text not worth 199 And eek his face, as he hadde been
an oyster; enoynt.
Analysis:
 A Friar

A FRERE ther was, a wantowne and a merye, 231 Therfore in stede of wepynge and preyeres
There was a FRIAR, a pleasure-loving and Therefore instead of weeping and prayers
merry one, 232 Men moote yeve silver to the povre freres.
209 A lymytour, a ful solempne man. One may give silver to the poor friars.
A limiter (with an assigned territory), a very 233 His typet was ay farsed ful of knyves
solemn man. His hood was always stuffed full of knives
210 In alle the ordres foure is noon that kan 234 And pynnes, for to yeven faire wyves.
In all the four orders of friars is no one that And pins, to give to fair wives.
knows 235 And certeinly he hadde a murye note:
211 So muchel of daliaunce and fair langage. And certainly he had a merry voice:
So much of sociability and elegant speech. 236 Wel koude he synge and pleyen on a rote;
212 He hadde maad ful many a mariage He well knew how to sing and play on a rote
He had made very many a marriage (string instrument);
213 Of yonge wommen at his owene cost. 237 Of yeddynges he baar outrely the pris.
Of young women at his own cost. He absolutely took the prize for reciting
214 Unto his ordre he was a noble post. ballads.
He was a noble supporter of his order. 238 His nekke whit was as the flour-de-lys;
215 Ful wel biloved and famulier was he His neck was white as a lily flower;
Very well beloved and familiar was he 239 Therto he strong was as a champioun.
216 With frankeleyns over al in his contree, Furthermore he was strong as a champion
With landowners every where in his country, fighter.
217 And eek with worthy wommen of the toun; 240 He knew the tavernes wel in every toun
And also with worthy women of the town; He knew the taverns well in every town
218 For he hadde power of confessioun, 241 And everich hostiler and tappestere
For he had power of confession, And every innkeeper and barmaid
219 As seyde hymself, moore than a curat, 242 Bet than a lazar or a beggestere,
As he said himself, more than a parish priest, Better than a leper or a beggar-woman,
220 For of his ordre he was licenciat. 243 For unto swich a worthy man as he
For he was licensed by his order. For unto such a worthy man as he
221 Ful swetely herde he confessioun, 244 Acorded nat, as by his facultee,
He heard confession very sweetly, It was not suitable, in view of his official
222 And plesaunt was his absolucioun: position,
And his absolution was pleasant: 245 To have with sike lazars aqueyntaunce.
223 He was an esy man to yeve penaunce, To have acquaintance with sick lepers.
He was a lenient man in giving penance, 246 It is nat honest; it may nat avaunce,
224 Ther as he wiste to have a good pitaunce. It is not respectable; it can not be profitable,
Where he knew he would have a good gift. 247 For to deelen with no swich poraille,
225 For unto a povre ordre for to yive To deal with any such poor people,
For to give to a poor order (of friars) 248 But al with riche and selleres of vitaille.
226 Is signe that a man is wel yshryve; But all with rich people and sellers of
Is a sign that a man is well confessed; victuals.
227 For if he yaf, he dorste make avaunt, He was so dignified in managing his affairs
For if he gave, he (the friar) dared to assert, 282 With his bargaynes and with his
228 He wiste that a man was repentaunt; chevyssaunce.
He knew that a man was repentant;. With his buying and selling and with his
229 For many a man so hard is of his herte, financial deals.
For many a man is so hard in his heart, 283 For sothe he was a worthy man with alle,
230 He may nat wepe, althogh hym soore Truly, he was a worthy man indeed,
smerte. 284 But, sooth to seyn, I noot how men hym
He can not weep, although he painfully calle.
suffers. But, to say the truth, I do not know what men
call him.
Analysis:
 X
249 And over al, ther as profit sholde arise, 264 Somwhat he lipsed, for his wantownesse,
And every where, where profit should arise, Somewhat he lisped, for his affectation,
250 Curteis he was and lowely of servyse; 265 To make his Englissh sweete upon his tonge;
He was courteous and graciously humble; To make his English sweet upon his tongue;
251 Ther nas no man nowher so vertuous. 266 And in his harpyng, whan that he hadde
There was no man anywhere so capable (of songe,
such work). And in his harping, when he had sung,
252 He was the beste beggere in his hous; 267 His eyen twynkled in his heed aryght
He was the best beggar in his house; His eyes twinkled in his head exactly
252a [And yaf a certeyn ferme for the graunt; 268 As doon the sterres in the frosty nyght.
[And he gave a certain fee for his grant (of As do the stars in the frosty night.
begging rights); 269 This worthy lymytour was cleped Huberd.
252a Noon of his bretheren cam ther in his This worthy friar was called Huberd.
haunt;] 270 A MARCHANT was ther with a forked berd,
None of his brethren came there in his territory;] There was a MERCHANT with a forked beard,
253 For thogh a wydwe hadde noght a sho, 271 In mottelee, and hye on horse he sat;
For though a widow had not a shoe,
Wearing parti-colored cloth, and proudly he
254 So plesaunt was his "In principio,"
sat on his horse;
So pleasant was his "In the beginning,"
255 Yet wolde he have a ferthyng, er he wente. 272 Upon his heed a Flaundryssh bever hat,
Yet he would have a farthing, before he went Upon his head (he wore a) Flemish beaver hat,
away. 273 His bootes clasped faire and fetisly.
256 His purchas was wel bettre than his rente. His boots were buckled handsomely and
His total profit was much more than his elegantly.
proper income. 274 His resons he spak ful solempnely,
257 And rage he koude, as it were right a whelp. His opinions he spoke very solemnly,
And he knew how to frolic, as if he were 275 Sownynge alwey th' encrees of his wynnyng.
indeed a pup. Concerning always the increase of his profits.
258 In love-dayes ther koude he muchel help, 276 He wolde the see were kept for any thyng
He knew how to be much help on days for He wanted the sea to be guarded at all costs
resolving disputes, 277 Bitwixe Middelburgh and Orewelle.
259 For ther he was nat lyk a cloysterer Between Middelburgh (Holland) and Orwell
For there he was not like a cloistered monk (England).
260 With a thredbare cope, as is a povre scoler,
278 Wel koude he in eschaunge sheeldes selle.
With a threadbare cope, like a poor scholar,
He well knew how to deal in foreign
261 But he was lyk a maister or a pope.
But he was like a master of arts or a pope. currencies.
262 Of double worstede was his semycope, 279 This worthy man ful wel his wit bisette:
Of wide (expensive) cloth was his short cloak, This worthy man employed his wit very well:
263 That rounded as a belle out of the presse. 280 Ther wiste no wight that he was in dette,
Which was round as a bell fresh from the There was no one who knew that he was in
clothespress. debt,
281 So estatly was he of his governaunce
Analysis:
 The Wife of Bath Description in The Prologue (445-476)

445 A good WIF was ther OF biside BATHE,

There was a good WIFE OF beside BATH, From here;
446 But she was somdel deef, and that was scathe. We can understand from here that she earns on her
own, and she makes her own living. Of course,
But she was somewhat deaf, and that was a pity.
she gets money from her husbands as well but she
447 Of clooth-makyng she hadde swich an haunt has also good skills on cloth-making. Since she
is from Bath, where cloth-making is very famous
She had such a skill in cloth-making
and she is really talented in that so, she can make
448 She passed hem of Ypres and of Gaunt. a lot of money in that. Also, middle classes are
She surpassed them of Ypres and of Ghent. growing thanks to people who interest in different
kinds of trades. Medieval times was very famous
449 In al the parisshe wif ne was ther noon for cloth-making wool and she is very interested
In all the parish there was no wife in that.
450 That to the offrynge bifore hire sholde goon;  making on her living,
 skills on cloth-making,
Who should go to the Offering before her;  middle classes are growing
451 And if ther dide, certeyn so wrooth was she thanks to the trades.
And if there did, certainly she was so angry
452 That she was out of alle charitee.
That she was out of all charity (love for her neighbor).
453 Hir coverchiefs ful fyne weren of ground;
Her kerchiefs were very fine in texture;
454 I dorste swere they weyeden ten pound From here;
I dare swear they weighed ten pound We can understand from here that she is a
455 That on a Sonday weren upon hir heed. sexually attractive woman and she wants to
draw other people attentions. Also, finding the
That on a Sunday were upon her head. Scarlet Red is not easy thing so, only rich people
456 Hir hosen weren of fyn scarlet reed, can get that colour. Since she wears Scarlet Red,
we can conclude that she is a rich woman.
Her stockings were of fine scarlet red,  sexually attractive,
457 Ful streite yteyd, and shoes ful moyste and newe.  rich woman.
Very closely laced, and shoes very supple and new.
458 Boold was hir face, and fair, and reed of hewe.
Bold was her face, and fair, and red of hue. From here;
We can understand from here that she made
459 She was a worthy womman al hir lyve:
several marriages, which is something that is a sin
She was a worthy woman all her life: in that time. Also, at the church door means
460 Housbondes at chirche dore she hadde fyve,
that all her marriage is legal. She states this in
order to legitimize her weddings.
She had (married) five husbands at the church  to legitimize her weddings.
door,
461 Withouten oother compaignye in youthe --
From here;
Not counting other company in youth -- We can understand from here that she
462 But thereof nedeth nat to speke as nowthe. had many other companies in youth,
and it shows what a lustful woman she
But there is no need to speak of that right now. is. From here;
463 And thries hadde she been at Jerusalem;  can
We lustful woman.from here that she had
understand
And she had been three times at Jerusalem; many other companies in youth, and it shows
From here;
what a lustful woman she is.
464 She hadde passed many a straunge strem; We can understand
 from here
lustful that she
woman.
is travelling a lot under the pretext of
She had passed many a foreign sea;
pilgrimage. Also, she is a free
465 At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne, spiritualFrom
woman.
here;
She had been at Rome, and at Boulogne,  travelling
We can a lot,from here that she had
understand
 free
many otherspiritual
companieswoman.
in youth, and it shows
466 In Galice at Seint-Jame, and at Coloigne.
what a lustful woman she is.
In Galicia at Saint-James (of Compostella), and at From here; lustful woman.
From the fact that her teeth are
Cologne. separated, we can conclude that she is
467 She koude muchel of wandrynge by the weye. a lustful woman. -is not asked-
 aFrom
lustfulhere;
woman.
She knew much about wandering by the way.
We can understand from here that she is
468 Gat-tothed was she, soothly for to seye. From here;
travelling a lot under the pretext of
We can understandAlso,
pilgrimage. from she
hereisthat a
a free spiritual
She had teeth widely set apart, truly to say, womanwoman.
being in a pacing horse is not
469 Upon an amblere esily she sat, very common at thattravelling
time. However;
a lot,
she can ride very
 well
free spiritual woman.
She sat easily upon a pacing horse  can ride very well.
470 Ywympled wel, and on hir heed an hat
From here;
Wearing a large wimple, and on her head a hat
We can understand from here that she
471 As brood as is a bokeler or a targe; increases her lust and sexuality by
dressing extremely big and
As broad as a buckler or a shield;
extraordinary.
472 A foot-mantel aboute hir hipes large,  to increases her lust and
sexuality
An overskirt about her large hips,
473 And on hir feet a paire of spores sharpe. From here;
And on her feet a pair of sharp spurs. We can understand from here that she
is a good traveller and she knows
474 In felaweshipe wel koude she laughe and carpe. how to ride horses. Also, she can
In fellowship she well knew how to laugh and chatter. compete with men because this is
something that we can match with
man. As a woman, she is wearing
that. So, she is competing with men.
 good traveller,
 how to ride horses,
 compete with men.
475 Of remedies of love she knew per chaunce, From here;
She knew, as it happened, about remedies for love We can understand from here that she is he
knows how to cope with love and she
476 For she koude of that art the olde daunce.
might be very skilful in abortion.
For she knew the old dance (tricks of the trade) of that art.  how to cope with love,
 might be very skilful in
abortion

Summary of The Wife of Bath

The Wife of Bath (her real name is Alyson) opens her prologue by announcing that she
knows a thing or two about marriage, since she herself has been married five times. She
quotes from the Bible and makes a case for why being married more than once is okay.
She explains that in her first five marriages, she “wore the pants”; in other words, she
controlled her husbands. However, while the first four marriages were for money or
convenience, the fifth marriage to Janekyn was for love. Her fourth husband cheated on
her, so she retaliated by making him think she was being unfaithful to him. This drives him
insane with jealousy and sadness, and the Wife of Bath takes delight in the fact that she made
him suffer.
Her fifth husband, Janekyn, 20 years her junior, was a charismatic sweet-talker;
however, she says that he was the most brutal -acımasız- to her. At the funeral of her fourth
husband, Alyson was so impressed by his backside as he walked behind the casket that she
knew she had to make him hers. They were wedded a month later. She gave him all of her
lands and wealth, but he rarely gave anything to her. The age difference between them
became a problem, as Alyson was used to her independence and it grated on Janekyn. He
read to her often from a “book of wicked wives”, routinely pointing out stories of men who
were deceived by their evil wives.

Alyson finally grew so sick of it she tears pages out of the book and punches Janekyn
in the face. He retaliates -intikamını almak- by striking her in the head with his fist, which
causes permanent deafness in one ear. She pretends to be dying, asks for one last kiss, and
then when he leans in, she hits him again. Eventually, they come to an agreement with one
another: she has full governance of the house and estate, she controls the relationship, and he
burns his book.

This prologue has gone on for quite some time, and the Friar and Summoner tease Alyson
about that. Harry Bailey, the Host, quiets them down and tells Alyson to begin her tale.
 Opening Of Its Own Prologue

1 "Experience, though noon auctoritee

From here; -important-
"Experience, though no written authority
The woman is competing against the men. She
2 Were in this world, is right ynogh for me is not Fromkindhere;
of granted the rights, she needs to
Were in this world, is good enough for me She doesn’t
obtain them even denyif the
shefact
can'tthat Christ
obtain marriedthis
it because once
3 To speke of wo that is in mariage; is orthe
theman's
Catholic Church
world. Sheis needs
kind oftosuggesting
establishedthe
To speak of the woe that is in marriage; herselfFrom
marry as here;
once.
in She shows She
authority. that she
saysknows
that to thehandle
Bible.
4 For, lordynges, sith I twelve yeer was of age, She doesn’t
authority,
She saysyou deny
should
Christ the fact that
have theonce
got married Christ married
experience.
becauseThis his once
is
wife
For, gentlemen, since I was twelve years of age, or the
strategy Catholic Church
to establish
didn't die. However, is
herself. kind
She an
it is not of suggesting
triesinappropriate
to establish the
5 Thonked be God that is eterne on lyve, marry
herself asonce.
situation an forShe shows
authority.
her that shemore
to marry knowsthan the Bible.
once
Thanked be God who is eternally alive, However; there
 Theherperson
because is
husbands no
whoinformation
arehasdead.had thethemost
in book
aboutexperience
how manyhas people they will marry. So,
the authority.
6 Housbondes at chirche dore I have had fyve --
here, she can support her weddings.
I have had five husbands at the church door --
7 If I so ofte myghte have ywedded bee --
If I so often might have been wedded -- From here;
8 And alle were worthy men in hir degree. She married 5 times but she has no
And all were worthy men in their way. children so, she needs to continue
9 But me was toold, certeyn, nat longe agoon is, because that is what the God
But to me it was told, certainly, it is not long ago, commended her. She knows the Bible
and understand very well.
10 That sith that Crist ne wente nevere but onis
That since Christ went never but once
11 To weddyng, in the Cane of Galilee,
To a wedding, in the Cana of Galilee,
12 That by the same ensample taughte he me
That by that same example he taught me
13 That I ne sholde wedded be but ones.
That I should be wedded but once.
-------------------------------------
23 How manye myghte she have in mariage?
How many might she have in marriage?
24 Yet herde I nevere tellen in myn age
I never yet heard tell in my lifetime
25 Upon this nombre diffinicioun.
A definition of this number.
26 Men may devyne and glosen, up and doun,
Men may conjecture and interpret in every way,
27 But wel I woot, expres, withoute lye,
But well I know, expressly, without lie,
28 God bad us for to wexe and multiplye;
God commanded us to grow fruitful and multiply;
29 That gentil text kan I wel understonde.
That gentle text I can well understand.
30 Eek wel I woot, he seyde myn housbonde
Also I know well, he said my husband
31 Sholde lete fader and mooder and take to me.
Should leave father and mother and take to me. From here;
32 But of no nombre mencion made he, Here, again, she states that she is doing something
But he made no mention of number, normal by saying that it is not written anything
33 Of bigamye, or of octogamye; about how many people she will marry in Bible.
Of marrying two, or of marrying eight;
34 Why sholde men thanne speke of it vileynye?
Why should men then speak evil of it?
From here;
35 Lo, heere the wise kyng, daun Salomon;
Salomon is one of the King that Bible mentioned.
Lo, (consider) here the wise king, dan
She is talking about him and she states that he has
Salomon;
more than one wife. There is no problem when he
36 I trowe he hadde wyves mo than oon. marries more than one, is there a problem when ı
I believe he had wives more than one. marry more than one?
37 As wolde God it leveful were unto me
As would God it were lawful unto me
38 To be refresshed half so ofte as he!
To be refreshed half so often as he!
39 Which yifte of God hadde he for alle his wyvys!
What a gift of God he had because of all his wives!
40 No man hath swich that in this world alyve is.
No man that in this world is alive has such (a gift).
41 God woot, this noble kyng, as to my wit,
From here;
God knows, this noble king, according to my
If it's a sin to marry more than once, then why
judgment,
doesn't God punish the wise King Salomon? -
42 The firste nyght had many a myrie fit that’s a very strong support for herself because Salmon
The first night had many a merry fit is also mentioned in the Bible-
43 With ech of hem, so wel was hym on lyve.
With each of them, so well things went for him in his
lifetime.
44 Yblessed be God that I have wedded fyve!
Blessed be God that I have wedded five!
44a [Of whiche I have pyked out the beste,
[Of which I have picked out the best,
44b Bothe of here nether purs and of here cheste.
Both of their lower purse (scrotum) and of their
strongbox.
44c Diverse scoles maken parfyt clerkes,
Differing schools make perfect clerks,
45 Welcome the sixte, whan that evere he shal.
Welcome the sixth, whenever he shall appear.
46 For sothe, I wol nat kepe me chaast in al.
For truly, I will not keep myself chaste in everything.
47 Whan myn housbonde is fro the world ygon,
When my husband is gone from the world,
48 Som Cristen man shal wedde me anon,
Some Christian man shall wed me straightway,
49 For thanne th' apostle seith that I am free
For then the apostle says that I am free
50 To wedde, a Goddes half, where it liketh me.
To wed, by God's side (I swear), wherever it
pleases me.
51 He seith that to be wedded is no synne;
He says that to be wedded is no sin;
52 Bet is to be wedded than to brynne.
It is better to be wedded than to burn.
53 What rekketh me, thogh folk seye vileynye
What do I care, though folk speak evil
54 Of shrewed Lameth and his bigamye?
Of cursed Lamech and his bigamy?
55 I woot wel Abraham was an hooly man,
I know well Abraham was a holy man,
From here;
56 And Jacob eek, as ferforth as I kan;
She proves herself innocent by saying that the
And Jacob also, insofar as I know;
prophets also made more than one marriage.
57 And ech of hem hadde wyves mo than two,
And each of them had more than two wives,
58 And many another holy man also.
And many another holy man also.
59 Wher can ye seye, in any manere age,
Where can you find, in any historical
period,
60 That hye God defended mariage
That high God forbad marriage
69 For hadde God comanded maydenhede,
For had God commanded maidenhood,
70 Thanne hadde he dampned weddyng with From here;
the dede. If women cannot reproduce, virgins
Then had he damned marriage along with the cannot come into the world. Here, too,
act (of procreation). ironically, she again supports herself.
71 And certes, if ther were no seed ysowe,
And certainly, if there were no seed sown,
72 Virginitee, thanne wherof sholde it growe?
Then from what should virginity grow?

From here;
If women cannot reproduce, virgins cannot
come into the world. Here, too, ironically, she
again supports herself.
172 And whan that I have toold thee forth my tale
And when I have told thee forth my tale
173 Of tribulacion in mariage,
Of suffering in marriage,
174 Of which I am expert in al myn age --
Of which I am expert in all my life --
175 This is to seyn, myself have been the whippe --
This is to say, myself have been the whip --
176 Than maystow chese wheither thou wolt sippe
Than may thou choose whether thou will sip
177 Of thilke tonne that I shal abroche.
Of that same barrel that I shall open.
178 Be war of it, er thou to ny approche;
Beware of it, before thou too near approach;
179 For I shal telle ensamples mo than ten.
For I shall tell examples more than ten.
180 `Whoso that nyl be war by othere men,
`Whoever will not be warned by (the examples
of) other men,
181 By hym shul othere men corrected be.'
Shall be an example by which other men shall
be corrected.' From here;
182 The same wordes writeth Ptholomee; She also supports her side by
The same words writes Ptholomy; referring Ptholomy. However; it
183 Rede in his Almageste, and take it there." says that there is no such thing in
Read in his Almagest, and take it there." his writings, that’s a foul accuse.

Analysis:
 In Prologue, it can be seen the autobiography the Wife of Bath.
 From here;
Her very first word that “experience” is very important because she needs to
establish her authority. She also supports her side by referring
 She backs up her claims by referencing the Bible or the works of antiquity. it says that there is no
Ptholomy. However;
such thing in his writings, that’s a foul
 Her reference to Ptolemy’s Almageste, for instance, is completely erroneouss. It is not
accuse.
correct. There is a parallel between the Wife of Bath and the…the Priest because they
also read the Bible according to their wishes. For instance, they sell heaven, but there's
nothing like that in the Bible.
 The phrase she attributes to that book appears nowhere in the work.
 Lack of real scholarship, but also convey Chaucer’s mockery of the churchmen
present, who often misused Scripture to justify their devious actions.
 Marriage:
 Marriage was one of the basic sacraments, and the medieval Church’s teachings were
clear. Marriage was for life (the traditional ‘till death us do part’), and had to be
undertaken devoutly and for the purpose of begetting children. The Wife of Bath,
although not definitely outside the letter of the law, was at odds with its spirit. She
seems to treat marriage as an opportunity for self-advancement, she is interested in its
sexual rather than its procreative aspect, and she welcomes the opportunity to be
widowed and re-married.
 Women in medieval society could only gain power and money through their husbands.
The Wife of Bath both goes against and conforms to stereotypes: though she takes
power over her husbands, she also admits to marrying solely for money.
 The medieval Christian view held strongly that women were inferior and subservient
to men, in both social and spiritual terms. In this sense the Wife is even more in
conflict with the traditional attitudes of her time, because she champions the cause of
women and even argues that they should rule over men – a stance that could well be
seen as heretical. Again, the audience would have found this entertaining.
 Almost all medieval literature was expected to have a purpose – that is, to be
something beyond just entertainment. Most commonly it had a moral or directly
religious purpose. Chaucer’s tales would be expected to offer moral teaching or
guidance, and the Wife of Bath, as a character engaged in a Christian pilgrimage,
could be expected to deliver a Christian message. The character herself would be taken
more as a type or stereotype; as representative rather than individual.

1- What is the tale about?

 It is a story that happened in the time of King Arthur. The tale concerns a knight
accused of rape and his life shall be spared if in one year he discovers what women
most desire. He is constantly trying to find the answer, but no girl tells him the answer.
Finally, he meets an ugly old witch. That woman says that she will tell the answer only
on one condition. Then, she says the only thing women want is to dominate men.
Thanks to this answer, the knight is spared and the witch then demands that the knight
marry her. She asks him if he would wish her ugly yet faithful or beautiful and
faithless. He insists the choice must be hers. This concession of her mastery restores
her youth and beauty, and they live happily ever after.

2- What is the main purpose of the tale?

 16:00

 3- Women most of all want to sovereignty over the men. Why do you think that they
want to sovereignty?
 Because they have always been oppressed by men, also because they do not have a
name in the society. They are secondary, even maybe the low that, their husbands.
They gain all their power through their husband. They become an individual thanks to
their husbands. They are kind of nothing compared to the men. So, if you live under
such circumstances, the only thing you would want is to rule over men.
However; we are in the 14th century in Britain, in medieval society. So, how would
you expect women to rule over the men? This is against the Church teaching. This
against to what they were saying.

4- How came that she manages to introduce something like that?

 She uses her charisma to rule over the men and that becomes very easy because she is
a woman and she has all the natural requirements for ruling. She uses her body as a
bargain. She is clever. At the end of the tale, she gets what she wants.

5- Does she tale which is very compatible with her character or not?
 21:

6- What is the ending? Why the ending so important?

 In the end, the man tells the woman that the choice is yours. She becomes both
beautiful and faithful. The woman gets what she desires, and the man get what he
desires. So, in the last part, it is concluded that if you give women the right to have a
say, both men and women will be happy. In medieval age, it was not thought that man
was unhappy, which would be heretical. -happy wife happy life-

There are many other tales on Canterbury Tales that related to marriage but the Wife of
Bath is one of the radical ones. Chaucer seems to present a whole range of opinions and
attitudes, and the Wife of Bath’s is one of the most extreme. She does not support the
traditional view that the man is dominant. -from the beginning to the end she does not support the
dominance of men-

In the prologue, she says ‘I mean to rule over men, and at the end she says we are both
happy if we that happen so’. For her, nothing less than female dominance is acceptable, and
both her prologue and her tale carry the same message. The more likely alternative is that
many of the audience would have seen her as a representative figure, embodying exactly the
kind of vices and faults that so many medieval authorities ascribed to women. She has many
vices and faults ascribed to women, she is an outstanding woman, she is not an ordinary
medieval woman. So, she needs to be an outcast as well.
The medieval Church blamed Eve for the Fall of Man and was deeply misogynistic; for a
woman to claim even equality with men would have been unthinkable. -how can you imagine a
world where women rule over men, when women are the reason humanity was expelled from heaven?-
In order to voices unthinkable idea, you should integrate them into all thinkable ides.
 The knight:
The knight simply represents traditional male power and domination over women, which will
be reversed by the end of the tale. That's a very ironic point because woman marries with
30:10 30:45.. After his initial act of rape, he becomes subservient to female characters, first
‘the queen and other ladies’ of Arthur’s court, then the hag, who is the only person who can
save him.

The hag:
This supernatural figure, with the power to transform herself into a beautiful woman at the
end, is partially an image of the Wife of Bath herself, but more generally the representation of
the dominant woman who can behave better than men and who has absolute power over their
fate and their behaviour. She is not a consistent character. She is a counterpart for the Wife in
her amused contempt for men, best seen when she criticises her husband’s behaviour on their
wedding night (lines 1086–95)

Except for last husband, none of the characters in the tale is named, which immediately
indicates that it is their function that matters, not their individuality.
Why?
Not their individuality, but they become representative of something. So, what matters is what
they do, not their individuality.

587 Whan that my fourthe housbonde was on beere,

From here;
When my fourth husband was on the funeral bier,
588 I weep algate, and made sory cheere, She is not grieving. She is in happy because he
I wept continuously, and acted sorry, passed away and she has another chance to get
589 As wyves mooten, for it is usage, married. So, she is 34:07 as a wife must. She
As wives must do, for it is the custom, tells how she adapts to the expected situation.
590 And with my coverchief covered my visage,
And with my kerchief covered my face,
591 But for that I was purveyed of a make,
But because I was provided with a mate,
592 I wepte but smal, and that I undertake.
I wept but little, and that I affirm.
 She is talking about 5th husband.
681 And alle thise were bounden in o volume.
666 Now wol I seye yow sooth, by Seint Thomas,
And all these were bound in one volume.
Now will I tell you the truth, by Saint Thomas,
682 And every nyght and day was his custume,
667 Why that I rente out of his book a leef,
And every night and day was his custom,
Why I tore a leaf out of his book,
683 Whan he hadde leyser and vacacioun
668 For which he smoot me so that I was deef.
When he had leisure and spare time
For which he hit me so hard that I was deaf.
684 From oother worldly occupacioun,
669 He hadde a book that gladly, nyght and day, From other worldly occupations,
He had a book that regularly, night and day, 685 To reden on this book of wikked wyves.
670 For his desport he wolde rede alway; To read in this book of wicked wives.
For his amusement he would always read; 686 He knew of hem mo legendes and lyves
671 He cleped it Valerie and Theofraste, He knew of them more legends and lives
He called it Valerie and Theofrastus,
687 Than been of goode wyves in the Bible.
672 At which book he lough alwey ful faste.
Than are of good women in the Bible.
At which book he always heartily laughed.
688 For trusteth wel, it is an impossible
673 And eek ther was somtyme a clerk at Rome,
For trust well, it is an impossibility
And also there was once a clerk at Rome,
689 That any clerk wol speke good of wyves,
And also there was once a clerk at Rome,
That any clerk will speak good of women,
674 A cardinal, that highte Seint Jerome,
690 But if it be of hooly seintes lyves,
A cardinal, who is called Saint Jerome,
Unless it be of holy saints' lives,
675 That made a book agayn Jovinian;
691 Ne of noon oother womman never the mo.
That made a book against Jovinian;
Nor of any other woman in any way.
676 In which book eek ther was Tertulan,
692 Who peyntede the leon, tel me who?
In which book also there was Tertullian,
Who painted the lion, tell me who?
677 Crisippus, Trotula, and Helowys,
693 By God, if wommen hadde writen stories,
Crisippus, Trotula, and Heloise,
By God, if women had written stories,
678 That was abbesse nat fer fro Parys,
694 As clerkes han withinne hire oratories,
Who was abbess not far from Paris,
As clerks have within their studies,
679 And eek the Parables of Salomon,
695 They wolde han writen of men moore
And also the Parables of Salomon,
wikkednesse
680 Ovides Art, and bookes many on,
They would have written of men more wickedness
Ovid's Art, and many other books,
696 Than al the mark of Adam may redresse.
Than all the male sex could set right.

1- According to the above passage, how does she describe her 5th husband? What
does he represent?
 Here, we see that her 5th husband is very traditional and dominant. We can understand
it from 668th line. He is the representation of medieval misogyny.
 2- How does he behave against women? What are his opinions regarding
womanhood?
 Woman thinks a lift out of his book, and he gets very angry, and he hits the woman's
ear. That's why she becomes deaf and it represents traditional value of manhood like
they are over women, they can do whatever they like, they can hit them, they can
behave them very badly and there is no problem with that because they have all the
authority and they have all the rights. The book he is reading is called Valerie and
Theophrastus and it is about weak women and it becomes very important to him. In
other words, this book is a complete anti-feminist, and we can understand this in the
685th line.
3- All the men write about women, what would have happened if women wrote
about men? - in the last part-
 Writing is the symbol of authority and superiority.

Apart from the Wife, Jankin is the only character that is named within the story but he
too is more a stereotype than an individual. He is the representation of medieval
misogyny specifically because he possesses a book in which are bound all the major
anti-feminist writings of the period. 'Valerie and Theofraste': an anti-feminist work that
was bound in an anthology. He thus tries to assert dominance over his wife. This
culminates in their fight.

The Summoner’s Tale:

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