When did the Medieval Period begin and end?
It began in 1066 and ended in 1485.
Which language became dominant during the Medieval Period?
Middle English.
Which languages served administration and the Church after the Norman Conquest?
Norman French served administration, while Latin served the Church.
What did English absorb while retaining Anglo-Saxon grammatical features?
Many French words.
What was William Caxton’s role in English printing?
He was England’s first printer, not a writer.
Under feudalism, what did the king grant to lords?
Land.
What military obligation did feudal lords owe the king?
Military service.
Which three groups divided medieval society?
The Church, the aristocracy, and the peasants.
What authority did the Church hold in medieval society?
Spiritual authority.
What power did the medieval aristocracy hold?
Military and political power.
What did medieval peasants provide?
Food and materials.
Which institution dominated every aspect of life during the Middle Ages?
The Roman Catholic Church.
How did the Church describe earthly life?
As a vale of tears.
What did the Church promise faithful people after temporary suffering?
A reward in Heaven.
What is excommunication?
Exclusion from the Church.
Why was excommunication considered the worst punishment?
It threatened a person’s salvation.
What did “romance” originally refer to in medieval usage?
A story written in a Romance language, especially Old French.
Which literary form remained dominant in the medieval period?
Poetry.
What two levels of meaning operate in an allegory?
A literal level and a symbolic level.
What nickname is Geoffrey Chaucer known by?
The Father of English Literature.
Which language did Geoffrey Chaucer choose for his writing?
English.
What is Chaucer’s most famous work?
The Canterbury Tales.
Around what time was The Canterbury Tales composed?
Around c. 1387.
What journey frames The Canterbury Tales?
A pilgrimage to Canterbury.
Which tones does The Canterbury Tales combine to portray medieval society?
Comic, ironic, serious, and moral tones.
What is known about the authorship and date of *Sir Gawain and the Green Knight*?
It is an anonymous verse poem dating from approximately 1375–1400.
Which virtues does Sir Gawain embody as a knight of the Round Table?
Virtue, justice, generosity, friendship, chastity, and piety.
What does Gawain promise after striking the Green Knight?
To receive the return blow later.
What does Gawain’s quest test about temptation and impurity?
Whether faith can help a knight overcome temptation and bodily and spiritual impurities.
How does Gawain’s motive for fighting differ from Beowulf’s?
Gawain fights to prove he is a perfect knight; Beowulf fights to save others.
What are Pearl’s approximate dates, stanza count, and literary forms?
Pearl dates to c. 1375–1400, has 101 stanzas, and combines elegy, dream vision, and Christian allegory.
What does the daughter tell her father about Heaven and their reunion in Pearl?
She is happy in Heaven, and they will meet again in the next world.
What does the lost pearl symbolize in Pearl?
The daughter’s innocence.
What does Pearl teach about the fate of the pure after death?
The pure will be saved after death.
What does the father eventually accept in Pearl?
The divine will.
Who is traditionally credited with writing *The Vision of Piers Plowman*, and around when?
William Langland, around c. 1380.
What kind of poem is *Piers Plowman*?
A long allegorical poem that is didactic and socially critical.
What does *Piers Plowman* teach people to do to save their souls?
Work on themselves, forgive their enemies, and follow Christian principles.
In *The Vision of Piers Plowman*, which author and work are traditionally linked to the ideal Christian peasant?
William Langland, *The Vision of Piers Plowman*, c. 1380.
How did Roger Bacon build theories about nature?
He built them gradually from observation and experimentation.
What approach to studying nature did Roger Bacon advocate?
Direct observation and experimental, evidence-based inquiry rather than exclusive reliance on established authorities.
What Bible translation did John Wycliffe promote, and for whom?
The first complete English Bible translation, for people who could read.
What Church issues did John Wycliffe criticize, and what was his nickname?
He challenged papal authority and criticized Church corruption and indulgences; he was called the Morning Star.
How did Merlin help Uther deceive Igraine?
He magically made Uther resemble Igraine’s husband.
What is drama intended to combine for an audience?
Showing and telling.
What was the main subject of medieval drama?
Religious themes.
Why did religious drama teach ordinary people Christian beliefs?
Most could not understand the Church’s Latin.
What did morality plays explore through allegory?
Moral choices.
What biblical span did mystery-play cycles depict?
From the Creation to the Last Judgment.
Where did medieval performances move after churches, bringing theatre closer to audiences?
Churchyards, streets, and public spaces.
What was a pageant wagon?
A mobile stage that brought performances to audiences in different locations.
How did medieval drama influence the development of English Renaissance drama?
It helped prepare the way for English Renaissance drama, when classical tragedy and comedy gained influence.
Which English features derive from Anglo-Saxon?
Many irregular verbs and the genitive ’s.
Why did the London dialect progressively become standard?
Political and cultural power was concentrated in London.
After which year did the London variety become predominant in written English?
After 1477.
When did a merchant middle class emerge?
Toward the end of the Medieval Period.
What conditions marked medieval life?
Frequent wars, famines, plague outbreaks, and short life expectancy.
How did people believe God affected everyday life?
God intervened in everyday life.
How could people interpret disasters in the Middle Ages?
As punishment for sin.
Which literary forms appeared in medieval literature alongside drama, romance, and poetry?
Oral songs, poems, and folk ballads.
Which three subjects commonly appeared in popular medieval romances?
Arthurian legends, Charlemagne, and classical heroes such as Alexander the Great.
What ideals did medieval romances generally illustrate?
Moral or chivalric ideals.
What was the didactic purpose of many medieval poetic texts?
To teach moral lessons.
What do abstract allegorical characters such as Pride and Greed often embody?
Abstract ideas.
What could visiting holy places help pilgrims obtain?
Atonement for their sins and forgiveness.
What do pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales do during their journey?
They tell stories to entertain one another.
What does the Green Knight symbolize in *Sir Gawain and the Green Knight*?
Spring, new life, and resurrection.
Who is responsible for Gawain’s failure in *Sir Gawain and the Green Knight*?
Gawain is responsible because nobody forces him to act as he does.
Which author’s works are especially associated with the French romances underlying *Sir Gawain and the Green Knight*?
Chrétien de Troyes.
What does a dream vision allow God to communicate to human beings?
What they should or should not do.
What literary form largely structures Pearl?
A dialogue between the father and his daughter.
Which institution’s wealth and power does *Piers Plowman* criticize?
The Church of Rome and the Pope.
What did indulgences grant remission from?
Punishment for sins.
What share of Europe’s population did the Black Death kill before *Piers Plowman* was written?
Almost half.
How was the Black Death sometimes interpreted?
As a warning or punishment sent by God.
What were Roger Bacon’s lifespan dates and English honorific?
He lived from 1219 to 1292 and was known as Doctor Mirabilis.
What later intellectual movement did Roger Bacon’s work foreshadow?
The Scientific Revolution.
What dates and roles are given for John Wycliffe?
He lived approximately c. 1320?–1384 and was an English theologian, philosopher, and Church reformer.
What historical evidence does Tintagel’s Arthurian association provide?
None that Arthur lived there or that the castle was his.
Why did writers bring Merlin and King Arthur into one narrative?
To create a connected cycle of stories.
What does setting describe in a narrative?
The time and space in which its story occurs.
What Anglo-Saxon narrative method shapes the beginning of Arthur’s story?
Introducing a character through genealogy and family history.
What did Merlin demand from Uther in exchange for his help?
The child born from Uther and Igraine’s union.
What does Arthur’s deceptive origin suggest about his kingdom’s success?
A foundation in deception cannot bring complete success.
Which work by Chrétien de Troyes about Lancelot influenced Malory?
Le Chevalier de la Charrette.
What must readers attend to besides a play’s language and text?
Body language, gestures, movements, facial expressions, and actors’ positions on stage.
What religious festivals especially shaped early English medieval drama?
Christmas and Easter.
Who wrote and performed many early religious plays?
Clergy.
What was an interlude, and when did it become particularly popular?
A short play performed during a banquet or in a castle, particularly popular during the Tudor period.
What accompanied Mummers’ Plays, and which saint appeared in some traditions?
Dancing, music, traditional characters, and sometimes Saint George.
What does the term “mummers” refer to, and were all Mummers’ Plays silent?
Masked or disguised performers; no, not all Mummers’ Plays were entirely silent.
How did different pageant wagons contribute to a cycle of scenes?
Different wagons could present different scenes from the cycle.
What did elaborate pageant-wagon effects sometimes show actors doing?
Trying to drag characters toward the scene of Hell.
How are pearls associated with the Virgin Mary and Queen Elizabeth I in the notes?
Pearls appear in the Virgin Mary’s iconography and in depictions of Queen Elizabeth I, dressed in white as the Virgin Queen.
Which fields did Roger Bacon’s works cover?
Optics, alchemy, and linguistics.
Answer 35 questions on The Medieval Period in England.
1. Which statements describe language use during the Medieval Period?
2. After the Norman Conquest, which languages served these roles in England?
Go over the full study guide for The Medieval Period in England.
Read the study guide →Upload your class notes and Revizly writes your flashcards in about a minute.
Flashcard maker