Middle English Literature Essays Examples For College & High School Students in PDF

48 total results

The Knightly Virtues of Chivalry, Heroism, and the Faults of Human Nature in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (515 words, 2 pages)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was a classic work of literature written by an unknown poet. This poem was written to display how Knights were to be chivalrous and heroic. It also show the faults in humankind. These traits are portrayed through the character of Sir Gawain, who is ... Read More

The Characters, Perception and Treatment of Death, and the Repercussions of Evil Deeds in Everyman, a Morality Play (1651 words, 5 pages)

Introduction Everyman, the play is based on the premise that a person will be held accountable for the good and evil deeds committed on earth by God after they have died. All these deeds are noted in a ledger book by God and one is expected to be answerable upon ... Read More

The Epic Poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Sir Gawain’s Virtues and How They Were Tested (781 words, 2 pages)

Through the epic poem, Sir Gawains chivalry, courage, courtesy, chastity, honesty, piety, trustworthiness, and generosity were all put to the test. These ideals are important uphold to Sir Gawain because they symbolize what a true knight is. The Lord tests his virtues in different challenges to see if he will ... Read More

The Significance of the Girdle in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a Verse by Pearl Poet (976 words, 3 pages)

The Girdles SignificanceIn the Pearl Poets Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, after two failed attempts at seducing Gawain, Lady Bertilak grants the knight a gift in response to his disinterest and inability to give her a keepsake of any sort. As Gawain refuses the gift of the exquisite, red ... Read More

The Concept of Chivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a Middle English Romantic Poem (1476 words, 5 pages)

Chivalry May Be Dead But Its Ghost IsntSir Gawain and the Green Knight is a poem from the Middle Ages written by an unknown author commonly referred to as the Pearl Poet. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the supposedly uniform concept of chivalry is interpreted in different ways ... Read More

A Show of Chivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Characters in King Arthur (1180 words, 4 pages)

Chivalry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Within Medieval stories chivalry is the most common prominent theme,because it was an important part of this time period. Chivalry, as definedby Merriam-Webster, is (1) the system of values (such as loyalty and honor)that knights in the Middle Ages were expected to ... Read More

The Loneliness of Heroism in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (530 words, 3 pages)

Gawain and the Loneliness of Heroism As Gawain goes in search of the Green Knight, he wanders alone in the wilderness with no mate but his mount (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, 2.695). Mate can be interpreted as either friend or romantic partner, and Gawain appears to withdraw from ... Read More

A Test of the Virtues of a Knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1370 words, 4 pages)

The story of Gawain is a series of games that test his virtues as a knight and his religious morals. As the nephew of Arthur, the most courteous of all, Gawain must exemplify the five virtues of the Knight. Before his journey to fulfill his arrangements with the Green Knight, ... Read More

Misogyny in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1332 words, 5 pages)

The words feminism and equality are a hot topic in the society of today. The word feminism has gained an ugly connotation and has even spurred a second movement called meninism. Basically, meninism is the response of ignorant misogynists to a valid fault in our society as a whole. Women ... Read More

A Positive Review of Everyman (940 words, 5 pages)

The author of Everyman does an excellent job of portraying Everymans purpose in life as well as his journey to heaven. Everyman proclaims, Take example all ye that this do hear or see, How they that I best loved do forsaketh me, Except my good deeds that bideth truly. (SimpsonDavid ... Read More

An Analysis of Salvation and Damnation in Everyman (1187 words, 5 pages)

EVERYMANEveryman was written in 1500. It is almost a dramatised sermon about whether man should choose salvation or damnation. The play has all the characteristics of a morality play.Plot and Structure Everyman who represents mankind or all humanity is told by Death, a messenger of God, that his earthly life ... Read More

Plot and Structure of the Second Shepherds’ Play (1725 words, 5 pages)

THE SECOND SHEPHERDS PLAY (ca. 1425)It is probably the best-known English cycle play. It is taken from the Wakefield cycle.It is written by the Wakefield Master who is thought to have been a clergyman. It is thought that he lived and wrote in the 15th c. But nothing is known ... Read More

An Analysis of the Clerk’s Tale in The Canterbury Tales (1626 words, 4 pages)

The Clerks Tale Throughout reading The Canterbury Tales, there has always been a character in each tale that seems to be the most unkind and cruel person compared to the other characters. Theres Duke Theseus in The Knights Tale, Alison in The Millers Tale, The Wife in the Wife of ... Read More

An Analysis of Keeping up Appearances in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (2549 words, 9 pages)

Keeping up Appearances in Sir Gawain and the Green KnightIn humanity's needs to keep up appearances, people sometimes lose sense of who they really are and what's really important. It then takes someone grounded in reality to set up some elaborate plan to bring back some sense and humility. In ... Read More

An Analysis of the Endings of the Stories in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and As You Like It (1620 words, 6 pages)

The ending of a story should always be the theoretical icing on the cake. Through the duration of a story, the author or storyteller develops a plot, builds up a major theme, or creates a major problem that needs to be answered. They use characters, settings, and other literary elements ... Read More

An Analysis of the Character of Sir Gawain in the Novel, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Pearl Poet (940 words, 2 pages)

Noble, Realistic GawainJust as the title suggests, Sir Gawain is the main character of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The poem is a medieval romance set in England, in the olden times of Camelot. Sir Gawain is a knight of the round table and is launched into a quest ... Read More

A Synopsis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (522 words, 2 pages)

During a New Years Eve feast at King Arthurs court, a strange figure pays the court an unexpected visit. He challenges the groups leader or any other brave representative to a game. The Green Knight says that he will allow whoever accepts the challenge to strike him down with his ... Read More

The Definition of Femininity in “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue” and “The Book of Margery Kempe” (1433 words, 5 pages)

Definitions of Femininity in The Wife of Baths Prologue and The Book of Margery KempeIn medieval times a womans role in life and religion was very primitive. Their daily life duties consisted of cooking, cleaning, and having children. From the religion perspective in this time period a womens role was ... Read More

A Literary Analysis of the Miller’s Tale (837 words, 3 pages)

Holey Flannel Shirt!A not-so-skilled storyteller told this tale Once upon a time there was a sweet little girl who loved dogs. She took strays home with her to give them a safe place to live. She always fed them well, and the dogs loved her. One day, this little girl ... Read More

The Pagan and Christian Dichotomy in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1548 words, 5 pages)

The Pagan and Christian Dichotomy in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight The different forms of spirituality reflected in the title characters of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight construct an intricate relationship between Christianity and paganism that overlaps and contrasts aspects of the two religions. As a knight of ... Read More

A Summary of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1471 words, 2 pages)

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight I really enjoyed this reading. I have always loved tales of King Arthur s court and this reading is right up my alley. The story line begins with all the Round Table knights of Arthur's court gathered to celebrate Christmas. Everything is depicted as ... Read More

The History of the Conception of a Knight From the 12th Century (950 words, 2 pages)

Most women dream of one day finding a knight in shining armor, a man that will give her love and loyalty forever. This conception of a knight began in the 12th century and is present in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The story has a mystique that combines Christian ... Read More

A Literary Analysis of Marriage in the Wife of Bath (1290 words, 2 pages)

The Wife of Bath Sovereignty, supremacy, and dominance When reading the wife of Baths prologue and then her tale one can not help but to see the parallels present. The major parallel that exists is the subject of sovereignty. Who has it, which wants it, which deserves it and what ... Read More

A Review of the Poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (658 words, 1 pages)

Sir Gawain and the Green KnightIn the medieval time period literature was considered a form of entertainment. The most popular type of literature as entertainment was poetry. Poetry is a way in which language is used. Language has two uses, which are to please and to teach. A poet uses ... Read More

The Prologue to Canterbury Tales (787 words, 4 pages)

The Prologue to the Canterbury TalesThe MillerThe Prologue to The Canterbury Tales were told duringa pilgrimage journey from London to the shrine of the martyrSt. Thomas a Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. This wasapproximately 70 miles to the southeast. These Tales weretold by a group of 29 pilgrims, and a Host ... Read More

A Plot Analysis of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1281 words, 2 pages)

Sir Gawain the Green KnightOne of the poems we read this semester was the anonymous poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. This folklore poem combines two plots the contest of the beheading between Gawain and the Green Knight and the attempt of a lady to seduce Gawain. The longest ... Read More

Silent Corruption within the House of God (1163 words, 2 pages)

Corruption Within the ChurchThe Catholic Church has long been a fixture in society. Throughout the ages, it has withstood wars and gone through many changes. It moved through a period of extreme popularity to a time when people regarded the Church with distrust and suspicion. The corrupt people within the ... Read More

An Plot Overview of “The Pardoner’s Tale’ (630 words, 1 pages)

The Canterbury Tales3. The rioters in The Pardoners Tale set our to kill Death because they are afraid to die themselves. They assumed if they killed Death, they wouldnt have to die and also they would live in dignity because they have killed Gods adversary. They believed a reward would ... Read More

The Reasons Why “The Canterbury Tales” Is Ranked as One of the Best Literature Works (770 words, 3 pages)

Three Honrable PilgrimsGeoffrey Chaucer was the greatest English poet of his time. Besides William Shakespeare no other writer has surpassed Chaucer's achievements. One of his best unfinished writing, "The Canterbury Tales" rankes as one of the world's best work of literature. In "The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales" Chaucer presents ... Read More

Canterbury Tales’ Views on Virginity and Sex (578 words, 1 pages)

Sex is natural, sex is good. Not everybody does it, but everybody should. --George MichaelFrom Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath is most creatively portrayed and certainly most controversial. Alison, as she is called, is a very outspoken woman with beliefs contrary to those of her time, when ... Read More

Middle English Literature Essay Examples