1. Approximately when was Middle English spoken?
It was spoken during the Norman invasion
2. What were the major factors which led to the development and the spread of Middle English?
The introduction of the printing press into England by William Caxton
3. Match the following Old English words with their Anglo-Norman equivalent:
A. Pig / pork
B. Cow / beef
C. Wood / forest
D. Sheep / mutton
E. House / mansion
F. Worthy / honourable
G. Bold / corageous
4. Compare & contrast the structure of nouns, pronouns and verbs, between Middle English & Modern English.
- NOUNS
For example, engel (angel) and nome (name).
-VERBS
the first person singular of verbs in the present tense ends in -e ("ich here" = "I hear"), the second person in -(e)st ("þou spekest" -
5. How is pronunciation different between Middle English and Modern English?
all letters in Middle English words were pronounced
6. What is the Chancery Standard, and how did it come into effect?
- It was a written form of English used by government bureaucracy
7. Who wrote the Canterbury Tales?
- The Canterbury Tales were written by Geoffrey Chaucer
8. Describe the medieval pilgrims who journeyed from Canterbury to London.
- They are 29 pilgrims who go from London to Canterbury.
The group is describe in detail , with characters from all classes, upper and lower
9. Why did the pilgrims take this journey?
- To pay respects to the tomb of Saint Thomas Becket.
10. It is thought that some of the stories in The Canterbury Tales originated in Italy. What was the name of the Italian book and who wrote it?
- The name of the book is "The Decameron" and it was written by Giovanni Boccaccio.
11. The Canterbury Tales is considered an extremely important book, both in terms of English Literature & in the history of English writing. In your opinion, why is this book so important?
- It is important because it talks about people from all classes
- The book was written in Middle English
12. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is:
a- medieval romance poem
13. Who is Sir Gawain?
- Sir Gawain is the youngest of Arthur's knights and nephew to the king.
14. What is the challenge that The Green Knight proposes to the Knights of the Round Table?
- He asks for someone in the court to strike him once with his axe
15. What is the similarity between Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the Irish tale of Cúchulainn?
- The tale of Cùchuñainn paralels Gawain in that Cúchulainn's antagonist feints three blows with the axe before letting his target depart without injury.
16. What is the importance of the pentagram/pentangle in the poem?
The pentagram/pentangle is Gawain's shield is seen by many critics as signifying Gawain's perfection and power over evil
17. How are numbers used to symbolize events in the poem?
the events and some other things in the poem, as virtues,
"The five points of the pentangle, represent Gawain's virtues, for he is "faithful five ways and five times each"
18. What is the significance of Sir Gawain's neck wound?
The neck was believed to correlate with the part of the soul related to will connect the reasoning part (the head) and the courageous part (the heart).
19. Which actor played The Green Knight in the film adaptation, Sword of the Valiant?
Sean Connery.
20. In many ways this poem is, in the modern sense, a soap opera. Compare Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with a modern Chilean teleseries.
- The only connection I can see between the poem and the Chilean soap operas, is the ways to express ideas
