Arthurian Essay

Of all the numerous females depicted in literature throughout the centuries, Geoffrey Chaucer’s Wife of Bath has inspired more in-depth discussion and gender-oriented analysis than the majority. She is in turn praised and criticized for her behavior and her worldview; critics can’t seem to decide whether she is a strong portrayal of 14th century feminism or a cutting mockery of the female sex. Both her tale and its prologue are riddled with themes of conflict and power struggle between the sexes

The Tale of Youth Chaucer’s Squire’s tale has often been disregarded by critics as fragmentary, incoherent, and “a rambling narrative.” (Lawton 106) These characteristics shed a malevolent light on the tale, and raise questions on the unfinished status in the Canterbury Tales. The argument presents itself due to the interruption of the narrative by the Franklin leaving it without the ending, which has been foreshadowed earlier in the tale. The answer to this enigma is “pure speculation.” (Lawton

with her words of wisdom; she posits that to receive his reward, he must repress his immediate anger, and instead cultivate a long, "slow-burning" rage (Baxter 260). It seems that what Brecht is here suggesting is that, in order for one 's negative emotions to produce a fruitful result, one must learn to repress his or her immediate emotional responses. Indeed, Mother Courage often seems to uphold such a philosophy of emotion. Throughout the play, she often responds stoically to tragedies. For example

Since the beginning of time, women have been seen as different from men. Their beauty and charms have been interpreted as both endearing and deadly to men. In the Bible, it was Eve’s mistake that led to humanity’s exile from the Garden of Eden. However, unlike in the Bible, in today’s world, women who drive men to ruin do not do so through simple mistakes and misunderstandings, they do so while fully aware of what effects their sexuality can cause. One thing remains constant through these portrayals

Gawain and the Green Knight, a great epic written in fourteenth century Europe by the Pearl poet, emphasizes the opposition of Christian love to Courtly love in the 13th century through the dilemma of Sir Gawain, one of the great knights of the Arthurian round table. By examining the women in the poem, Gawain's dilemma becomes a metaphor for the contrast of these two distinct types of love. The poem looks upon the Virgin Mary as the representative of spiritual love, obedience, chastity, and life

those that converted to Christianity actually act the part. In 1250, marriage was declared one of the seven sacraments of the Church, and marriage being a holy union was emphasized (O’Pry-Reynolds 2013.) This is reflected in a later version of the Arthurian myth, written in the early thirteenth century, called The Vulgate Cycle (Red 2018). The Vulgate Cycle Christianizes much of the mythos, including making the aforementioned grail into the Holy Grail we've all heard of. This also included changing

window. Second, the storefronts feature moving displays as if the items are moving by magic, e.g., self-knitting needles. Third, Diagon Alley includes medieval elements as homage to themes in the novels. Throughout the series, Rowling highlights Arthurian/ medieval aspects of Harry’s story and Hogwarts (Arden & Lorenz, 2003, p. 55). The Merchandise Division of Diagon Alley does not include Harry’s story nor Hogwarts, so it compensates in other ways to stay true to the core experiences of the novels

The Breton lai “Lanval”, written by Marie de France in the twelfth century, is a short romantic poem focused on a foreign knight, Lanval, and his life after meeting a faerie lover. The poem is set in the time of King Arthur, at a place named Carduel—a city in the along the borders of Arthur’s kingdom, Logres. In “Lanval” failure is a negative situation brought upon oneself by their inability to maintain their virtue, thus success in the Middle Ages was heavily influenced by loyalty and integrity

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight contains ambiguity and irony that make it interesting to read and teach. Gawain’s conflict arose when he accepted the girdle that could protect him and when he lied to his host, severing fellowship with the lord for courtesy with the lady. By utilizing a social reconstructionist philosophy of teaching that emphasizes personal beliefs and ethics, a teacher will help the students establish their identities and learn to appreciate classic literature. Sir Gawain and the

Among other things, Tolkien was perhaps chiefly a scholar of mythology, and despite his dislike of allegory, his universe is shot through with mythological archetypes. Among Tolkien’s obvious mythological influences (Biblical, Celtic, Norse, and Arthurian mythologies, etc.), I believe Biblical held the most significant effect on The Lord of the Rings, albeit Finnish/Nordic appears more so than any other. Additionally, Tolkien wanted to publish The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings together, since