The Pardoner's Tale Literary Analysis

Author: Geoffrey Chaucer

Biography: known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey. While he achieved fame during his lifetime as an author, philosopher, alchemist and astronomer, composing a scientific treatise on the astrolabe for his ten year-old son Lewis, Chaucer also maintained an active career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier and diplomat. Among his many works, which include The Book of the Duchess, the House of Fame, the Legend of Good Women and Troilus and Criseyde, he is best loved today for The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer is a crucial figure in developing the legitimacy of the vernacular, Middle English, at a time when the dominant literary languages in England were French and Latin.

Background: Chaucer was born in London sometime around 1343, though the precise date and location of his birth remain unknown. His father and grandfather were both London vintners; several previous generations had been merchants in Ipswich.

Masterpiece: The Pardoner’s Tale

Theme: Live, death, and sacrifice.     

     

Mood: Tense

Style: Poem

Setting: Bar in Flanders, and a tree in the grove, undertone of Black Death / use of the bar for the sins (gluttony, drunkenness, gambling, etc.) that are usually attributed to such a place. The background of the Black Death adds to the sense of doom.

Characters

Protagonist: The three young man (The three rioters)

Antagonist:  Death

Figurative Language 

Metaphor: The youngest, as he ran towards the town.

Simile:  -His eyes would twinkle in his head as bright, as any star upon a frosty night (lines 271-272)

A dagger and a little purse of silk, Hung at his girdle, white as morning milk (lines 361-362)

Hyperbole: This pardoner had as yellow as wax.

Imagery: The introduction of Death

Death imagery is introduced with the tolling of the hearse bell as a recent corpse is borne to the grave. This simple bell highlights the sombre reality that people in the Middle Ages knew well after successive waves of plague – death was never far away.

Plot

Conflict: It starts as one between the three young man and Death but turns into one between the man who goes to buy provisions and the two who remain behind.

Point of view

Third person (objective): Third person point of view with an intrusive narrator. Lecture, homily, parable, dramatic irony.

Symbolism: The old man, whom the comrades meet on the road. He himself cannot die, but he knows where Death is to be found.

Beowulf (Essay)

Beowulf was written in the eighth century by an unknown author. The story is centered on Beowulf, the main character, who goes to Denmark to offer his assistance in fighting off, Grendel, the monster who has been haunting them. Beowulf most definitely proves to be a hero. His heroism is exemplified first when he kills Grendel, then when he kills Grendel’s mother, and finally when he kills the dragon, called Worm. This makes him a hero because he risks his own life to save the people of Denmark.

The reader first experiences Beowulf’s heroism when he encounters and then kills Grendel. Grendel was a constant threat to the survival of the Danish people because he was using them as food. One night Beowulf awakes to find Grendel over his bed. Rather than trying to escape, Beowulf not only faces Grendel but also pursues him when he tries to escape. Like any other hero Beowulf purses the danger until it is conquered.

The reader experiences Beowulf heroism a second time when he kills Grendel’s mother. Grendel’s mother wanted to avenge her son’s death and went back to the mead hall where a lot of warriors slept and attacked. Beowulf came and was ready to fight but Grendel’s mother fled. Disregarding his own safety Beowulf persistently tracks Grendel’s mother to her cave, where the head of the chieftain was found. Despite how colossal Grendel’s mother was Beowulf stuck it out till the end and eventually stabbed Grendel’s mother leading to her death.

The third time the reader experiences Beowulf heroism is when he fights and kills the dragon, the worm. Once again Beowulf completely disregards his safety and decided to fight this monster. This time Beowulf ended up need some assistance from Wiglaf. Fortunately the worm was killed. However, Beowulf too was injured and was dying. He made a few requests that he wanted to be done after he died for Wiglaf to carry out. This showed heroism because he wasn’t scared of dying and was glad the worm was dead.

The author’s intention could be a kind of learning of the hero’s adventures, and feel how a man can do that many things for a purpose.

In conclusion by definition a hero is willing to do many things. For example he is willing to risk his own life for the good of others, faces danger and does not run away from it, and lastly pursues the danger until it is conquered. Every fight that Beowulf fought showed him doing all three of the characteristics a hero consists of.
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Beowulf Word Scramble Game » word scramble

Literary Analysis "Beowulf"

Author: Unknown, allegedly a Christian.


Biography: Unknown.


Background: The poem shapes and interprets materials connected with the tribes from northem Europe, the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes who invaded England after the Romans left in the fifth century.


Theme: Battle, monster, honor, kingdom.


Mood: It is a history of festering pride, loud talk, and drunken violence, of spies, bloody borders, and raids.


Style: Epic poem.


Setting: Herot


Characters: Beowulf, Grendel (demon), the murders, Hrothgar.


Figurative Language: We can find some metaphors and similes like...


The monster’s thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws. (Simile)
That shadow of death hunted in the darkness, Stalked Hrothgar’s warrior, old. (metaphor)
Twelve winters of grief for Hrothgar, king of the Danes, sorrow heaped at his door. (metaphor)


Imagery:

The monster’s mom look like a demon that seems like a snake / Grendel was crappy and stinky.

- A powerful monster, living down/ in the darkness, growled in pain, impatient/ as day after day the music rang (lines 23-25).

-…The monster’s/ thoughts were as quick as his greed or his claws:/ He slipped through the door and there in the silence/ snatched up thirty men, smashed them (lines 56-58).

-…Standing on that prince’s own hearth,/ helmeted, the silvery metal on his mail shirt/ gleaming with a smith’s high art, he greeted/ the Dane’s great lord (lines 160-163).

-The frozen sea surged around me,/ it grew dark, the wind turned bitter, blowing (lines 265-266).

-He murders as he likes, with no mercy, gorges/ and feasts on your flesh, and expects no trouble/ no quarrel from the quiet Danes (lines 319-321).

Plot:
In which eating and drinking and speaking, and gift-giving are natural ceremonies uniting young and old, in which heroic strength is wise and generous.
-A stranger comes to help some people of another country to kill the beast. It is a poem that tells the story of a brave man willing to support his fellows to kill a strange creature.


Suspense.- Beowulf hangs out on the side of the dragon’s barrow, seeking his past glories and wondering if he is going to die fighting the dragons.


Conflict.- Beowulf tears Grendel’s arm from its socket, and the mortally wounded monster crawls to his lair.


Resolution.- Beowulf die thinking for his protection, the people make a splendid funeral.


Point of view: Beowulf is a vivid story of humankind. The author (or authors) created a whole scenario where they developed characters to represent real persons looking for honor and fighting against evil, unknown forces. Beowulf is, then, a leader, an example of a honorable man who helps others and defeats.

 Narrator.- Unknown.


Rhythm: So the livings sorrow of Healfdane’s son, Simmered, bitter and fresh, and no wisdom.
 Symbolism:

-The woman (like evil “snake”)

-Grendel represents the sin.

-King represents the authority, powerfulness and guide.




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