Review British Literature Mid-Term
1) Text: Beowulf
Author: Unknown but translated by Seamus Heaney, thought to be one poet
Plot Summary: Herot= name of the place run by Hrothgar and is attacked by Grendel
(descendent of Cane) Beowulf hears of this attack and comes to Herot to show Hrothgar
how to defeat Grendel. Wulfgar questions them upon first entering Herot. Then, they
meet Hrothgar who thanks Beowulf, then they all dine together. Unferth asks Beowulf
what makes him such a great warrior since he lost a swimming contest to Breca. Beowulf
explains that it was because he got side tracked defeating a monster in the sea. Festivities
continue until he goes to fight Grendel. He removes all of his armor. Grendel is protected
by a charm against metals so when Beowulf’s men attack him nothing happens. Beowulf
wounds Grendel’s shoulder, which causes him to retreat into the den forever. Celebration
at Herot for this defeat and the rebuilding of Herot. Given a cup of gold, two arm bangles,
a mail-shirt and rings, and a gold necklace. Then, Grendel’s mother attacks Herot out of
anger for her son. She takes one of Hrothgar’s favorite men and their trophy of Grendel’s
arm. Beowulf then fights Grendel’s mother who is underneath a lake. Loses his sword
when she grabs him and instead has to fight by hand. He takes one of her blades, an
ancient heirloom and uses that to kill her. He cuts her head off after seeing his troops in
her cave. Another celebration at Herot. Hrunting- the sword of Wulfgar that Beowulf uses
and gives back to him. He returns home and recounts his adventures to his king Hygelac.
Beowulf rules for fifty years and then a dragon comes to life, which he must kill, the
dragon is guarding a golden goblet that some man managed to steal and wake the
dragon’s wrath. Beowulf goes to defeat the dragon but doesn’t exactly defeat the dragon
by himself. Eanmund, son of Ohthere, gets Beowulf’s armor. The noble son of Weohstan
(Wiglaf) fought beside him to defeat the dragon. Beowulf however has poison in him
from the dragon and dies. Then, Beowulf’s funeral is described. They go back to the
dragon’s den and pitch her over the cliff and take all of the treasure. Then, they build a
great memorial for their chief.
Characters: Beowulf (Son of Halfdane, father’s name= Ecgtheow)- descendent from the
Geat people and pledges allegiance to Lord Hygelac, Grendel, Grendel’s mother,
Hrothgar, Watchman who first sees Beowulf and his men, Wulfgar= messenger who tells
Hrothgar who these men are Unferth=questions Beowulf’s talents. Wealhtheow=
Hrothgar’s queen King’s poet and King’s story teller. Wiglaf- fights beside Beowulf and
takes over after his death.
2) Judith-Biblical narrative inspired by Anglo-Saxon poetry- probably written in the
tenth century.
Characters: Judith, Holofernes
Summary: On the fourth day Judith comes to Holofernes and dines with his men. Then,
Holofernes requests her to be put in his bed. In bed Judith draws a sword and cuts off his
head. She then places his head into a sack and hands it to her servant to carry home. She
then has all of her troops move into battle. When Holofernes men see the others
advancing in on them they go to wake him and find his lifeless body. They bring Judith
Holofernes helmet, mail-coat, and everything that he owned in the way of treasure.
Characters: Judith, Holofernes, Servant, One of Holofernes’ men
3) The Dream of Rood
Author and date = Unknown/ Translation by E.T. Donaldson
Summary: Narrator has a dream about a tree, which is adorned with garments, gold, and
jewels. Saw it changing in clothing and color and blood everywhere. Then, the tree began
to speak. Tree describes being carried and watching Christ get up on him. Describes
being nailed and fearfully trying to support Jesus. Describes the pain of being used by
evil doers. The narrator then prays to the tree. Describes waiting for the day when the tree
that he saw on earth will bring him to heaven.
4) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: written in stanzas that contain a group of
alliterative lines. Each stanza closes with five short lines rhyming ababa. The first one the
rhyming lines contains one stress and is called a bob. The four three-stress lines that
follow are called the wheel.
Author: Gawain Poet
Characters: King Arthur, Sir Gawain, the Green Knight, Gringolet the horse, Morgan
Lefey, Guenevere,
Plot Summary: Everyone is feasting in King Arthur’s court when a green knight comes in
and wants to play a Christmas game. He wants Arthur to cut off his head with his ax and
then find him in a year so he can do the same. Arthur gets ready when Sir Gawain steps in
and says he will do it instead. He chops off his head and then the knight puts it back on
and tells him he will see him in a year. Tells him to look for the Green Chapel and that he
is known as the knight of the Green Chapel. Wears an emblem-a five pointed star, has
mystical significance and enclosed in a circle. Wanders around for a while trying to find
the chapel and the knight. Finds a castle and asks to stay there and does. Stays with this
lord for three days and on the fourth day they will go and find the chapel/knight. Makes a
deal with him whatever he hunts that day he will give to the knight and the knight must
give him what he receives that day as well. First day he hunts deer, boar, fox. Knight
receives one kiss, two kisses, and then her green kirtle that he thinks will save him from
death. Then he goes off with one of the man’s servants to find the Green knight. Servant
leaves Sir Gawain in the forest beside a grove where he tells him to look for the knight.
The green Knight reveals that he was the same man that he just stayed with and takes
some of his flesh on his throat for having his wife’s kirtle tied around him. Explains the
disguise the Morgan le Faye puts on him as the green knight and then again in the forest.
Dines with the king again and then returns home to tell everyone what happened and
show them his knick on his neck.
5) Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales- English most similar to ours. Estates Satire- 3
estates: nobility, church, and everyone else- wanted to expose examples of corruption at
all levels of society. General Narrator for the General Prologue.
Description of characters in the General Prologue:
Knight- Fought 15 battles, wise and acts meekly, not dressed well because he has just
come back from a voyage
Squire- Son of the knight, 20 yrs old, singing all the time, short gown with sleeves long
and wide, jousts, dances, sketches and writes and is in love with some woman
Yeomean-an independent commoner who acts as the knight’s military service. Clad in
green, peacock arrows beneath his belt, wearing a wrist guard for archers on his arm and
has a bow, also sword and buckler (a small shield) and a dagger with a green supporting
strap
Nun-Madam Eglantine, speaks French, well taught and good manners. Pity ruled her life
dictated by pristine/overbearing manners. Nose is fine and eyes are blue, with a small red
mouth. She has a brooch with the Latin words that say “love conquers all”. Also carrying
a rosary in green to mark certain prayers.
Monk- Likes to hunt and ignores convention. Rides all the time with his grey hounds.
Wears grey sleeves and piece of gold that is fastening his hood. Preys off of others
money.
Friar- makes money by hearing confessions, knows all of the taverns and barmaids. He
is a gigantic beggar, will even beg to widows, and exploits the rich. His name is Huberd.
Merchant-He has a beard and horse. On his head is a Flemish beaver hat, on his feet are
boots with the spokes out. The narrator finds pompous for announcing his winnings and
he can’t seem to be able to recall his name.
Clerk- From Oxford, educated, loves books (seems to prefer that to money), and when he
does have money he buys more books. Never says more than he feels he needs to.
Sergeant of Law- not only a practicing lawyer but one of high justice of the nation. St.
Paul’s cathedral is a meeting place for him and his fellow lawyers. He is highly educated
and charges a lot for his services. He is wearing a coat of mixed colors and a silk belt.
Franklin- white beard, humor is dominated by blood and references to his face. Son of
Epicrus (a Greek philosopher who taught people to make pleasure the chief goal of life)
Loves food, often acts as a knight. Has a dagger and a bag made of silk hanging from his
kirtle. Had been a sheriff and auditor, but now is feudal landowner of lowest rank, a
provincial narrator
5 Manual Labor People- haberdasher, carpenter, an arras-maker, dyer, and weaver
Cook- good cook with a sore on his face. Makes good white mousse stew
Sailor- from Darmouth, rides a large nag in heavy wool. Has a dagger hanging from a
cord around his neck, under his arm, and down. Drinks a lot and doesn’t seem to have a
conscience
Doctor- grounded in astronomy, uses horoscopes and natural magic to cure people. He
knows the great names of medical history. Not religious. Wears blue/red lined with
taffata /sendel (silk). He saved money he made during the plague. Thinks gold has special
physical properties.
Wife of Bath- deaf, good at cloth making, wears her kerchiefs on her head. Had red
leggings and her shoes are soft. She has had five husbands. She is well traveled, gap
toothed, sits on a horse with an easy gait, and has two small shields, sitting with a rug
underneath her and her feet are like a pair of sharpened spears, and knows the tricks of
her trade
Parson- also a clerk, religious, doesn’t give much to the church, but a very good priest
and scolds people immediately. Is connected with the plowman
Plowman- Brother of the parson, hard worker and lives in peace/charity. Loves god and
has paid his taxes
Miller- stout, big fellow, bead with lots of red in it and he has a wart on his nose. Has a
sword and a shield. Tells lots of stories, chatters. He can also blow a bagpipe
Manciple- business agent of a community of lawyers. Really good with money and
smarter than everyone else when playing the market. Also steals from his clients by
taking a percentage.
Reeve-Superintendent of large farming estates. He’s angry. Has a close shave beard, and
looks kind of like a priest. Good with weather/farming. Rich privately because of the
work he’d done for his master. Was a carpenter before and has a horse named Scot. Long
blue coat and blade by his side. He is from Norfolk= Badewell. He stays in the back of
the group.
Summoner- Red-face, looks scary has boils and pimples everywhere. Drinks and talks
too much. Only knows a few phrases in Latin which he repeats like a parrot. The one
phrase he knows particularly well is “ What point of law does this investigation involve?”
Nice person but thinks a man’s soul is money
Pardoner-Reports for the hospital of Roncesvalles in Spain. Has yellow hair and thinks
he’s in style. He has St. Veronica’s face pressed on to his cap. Carrying a wallet full of
pardons on his lap and pig relics in a bag next to him. Fools people with the relics and
reads lessons and sings at mass. Sings even better for money.
Host-Harry Bailey. Comes up with a game for their pilgrimage. Everyone must tell two
stories, two going and two coming back, the person who tells the story the best will get
dinner from the others. He will come with them to listen and judge the stories.
They draw straws to see who goes first and it’s the knight.
The Pardoner’s TaleThe pardoner’s job is to collect money for charitable enterprises and in return give
remission of sins. Only allowed to work in center areas. Sermon is framed by a narrative
that functions as an exemplum of the scriptural text. He begins by attacking Adam for
eating the apple-gluttony and then goes on to attack gambling. Then, reprimands people
for swearing unless you are swearing in righteousness, but never are you allowed to do it
in vain.
Tale: three men in a tavern see a corpse pass by who was slain when he was drunk-death
came by and with a spear split his hear in two. The innkeeper confirms the boys story and
says Death has been around the village which is a mile away. They decide to go and slay
death, but a ½ mile away they meet an old man who gives them a blessing. The men want
to know why he is so old. The man says that no one will barter for his age. The man tells
them where to find death, which is under an oak tree and that is where they find eight
bushels of gold. After they find the gold they decide it must be divided and taken home at
night. They draw straws to see who should go into town to get wine and bread, it’s the
youngest that looses. After he leaves the other two plot to kill him and keep the gold. The
youngest meanwhile also wants the gold for himself so goes into town and buys the food
and poison. When he returns the other two kill him but they mistakenly drink the wine
with the poison and end up dead as well. The pardoner uses his tale as a chance to sell his
bulls of indulgences and picks on the host as the first one to confess. The host refuses and
says he will make an ass out of him and give him a relic when it actually isn’t. The
pardoner ends with a loss of his words and it takes the knight to resolve the conflict.
The Wife of Bath and her tale: Was first married at the age of 12 and then went on to
have five husbands. Argues that if God wanted us to be maids he would have said
marriage is an evil institution. At one point the Pardoner interrupts her for love advice.
She likes her fifth husband best of all and doesn’t marry him for money like she has the
other four husbands. Her fifth husband is named Jenkins and is an apprentice. He reads
about wicked wives in books, which upsets her. One day she pulls three pages from his
book and he gets so angry that he knocks her deaf. She plays dead, which makes him
promise never to strike her again, she hits him back. He then grants her approval to have
her own life. Host asks her to tell her tale.
The Tale- (the story survives in two other version, where the knight is played by Sir
Gawain) A knight rapes a woman in a cornfield and as a result is told by the Queen that
he must figure out what it is that women most want within a year. While wandering
through the forest he comes across a group of 24 dancing ladies who all vanish except for
one. This old ugly maiden promises to give him the answer in front of the Queen, the
answer being that women want sovereignty. In front of the Queen the old maiden
demands that the knight marries her. On their wedding night she asks him to choose
between her being ugly and faithful or beautiful and not. He chooses ugly/faithful, which
turns her into a beautiful and submissive maiden for the rest of their marriage.
Julian of Norwich:
Ch 3- Julian is sick and thinks she’s being taken into Heaven, but lives through the night.
Her body then dies in halves. She has her caretaker bring a cross, which she looks into
and sees the holy cross. The cross is lit and besides it is everything that is fearful and
ugly. Then, she miraculously recovers. She thinks he’s granted her the second wound of
being fulfilled with blessed poison.
Ch 4- preaches that the trinity is God and God the trinity. Then, she sees Mary and knows
that she’s better than everyone except Christ.
Ch5- In both of these she mentions seeing Christ bleed because of the garland of thorns
pressed to his head. All creation as a hazelnut. Julian receives a hazelnut and asks what it
is and God replies it is everything that is made. God loves it and three things: he made it,
loves it, and looks after it. Whole idea is God is everywhere even in small things but we
need to know we should not be attracted to earthly things, which are made to love and
posses God, who is not made, who exists externally.
Ch 7- Christ as homely/courteous: idea that Christ is a man and that he will bring us the
most joy but not during our lifetime only in Heaven. Gives the example of a servant.
Ch 27- Sin is fitting- Julian doesn’t understand why God allows sin since he knows all.
He replies because to be human is to sin. And, everything will be okay and sin will be
gone in the next world. She then scolds herself for questioning God and resolves to
answer this question during the afterlife.
Ch 58, 59, 60, 61- Jesus as mother: Talks about the trinity and being married to God.
Idea of threes: Fatherhood/Motherhood/Lordship. We have out being, then we have our
increasing, then the fulfilling (i.e. kind, mercy, grace, father, mother, and our lord) Idea of
substantial vs. sensual. God vs. mother
Ch 59- Jesus as our mother- three manners of motherhood 1) our making 2) taking of our
kind 3) motherhood in working. And all is one in love
Ch 60- Jesus as mother again-refers back to her vision of the maiden and says mother’s
service is nearest (kind), readiest (love), and surest (truth). Jesus survived his pain
through love/work. She describes suffering as a necessary part of life for divine bliss in
the afterlife. Discusses concept btw. Mother and Jesus who is the holy Church. She
discusses the word mother and decides that God is our mother-lives are attached to his
biding and people must love him
Ch 61- God is everything to us until we become his servants in heaven. Idea that we must
suffer in this life in order to have the next one. Compares this to a mother with a sick
child who learns about her love because of the child’s sickness. Jesus as mother allows a
person to suffer until he’s ready to show his love.
Ch 86- Christ’s meaning- Argument that love is Christ’s meaning and that love is there
throughout a lifespan and our life should be spent loving him.
Margery of KempeCharacters: Margery, God, Mary and Husband
First child/First vision: Has her child and is forced to spend eight and a half weeks in
bed at which time devils come to her. She tore her skin off and shuns her husband and
friends. Then, at the last second Christ comes and saves her and wants to know why she
shunned him when he was always there for her.
Her and her husband reach a settlement- Husband wants to know if someone was
about to chop off his head and she could save him by sleeping with her if she would or
not. (She’s taken a vow of chastity to God) she says no. Then, on there way to
Bridlington her husband says in front of a cross to give him his three desires, which are:
one bed, debts re-paid, and to eat and drink with him on Friday. God comes and says him
to give him what he desires because then she will get what she desires. They come to an
agreement that she’ll pay off his debts and he won’t sleep with her anymore. Then, they
eat and drink together.
Margery sees the host flutter at mass: She sees the host flicker and Christ says she
won’t see anymore and that he didn’t show himself that way to his daughter Bridget. Tells
her she’ll do well despite her enemies and to keep on doing what she’s been doing. She
starts to pray for humanity, but God says I can only do for them what I’ve been doing.
Pilgrimage to Jerusalem: Goes on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem on a donkey and falls off
when she sees the city. Two priests help her back up and they tour all the places where
Christ suffered. Then, on the Mount of Calvary lies down and twists and turns and claims
to see how Christ was crucified then sees the ghosts of St. John and Mary Magdalene.
After she cries and this continues on a daily basis. Other people don’t understand and
begin to get annoyed by her tears.
Margery’s Marriage to and Intimacy with Christ: God comes to her on all Saints day
and says I’ll wed you. Doesn’t know what to do because she feels attached to the
manhood of Christ. More weeping. Sees the marriage in front of all the saints, Son, Holy
Ghost, Mary, Saint Katherine and Margaret. Begins to see the world differently. When
she was afraid God told her not to worry and what is burning in her heart is her love for
Christ. Loves God so much that she has nothing to worry about. Christ says if he was on
earth he’d marry her and treat her unlike any other man. Tells her he must see him in her
soul and love him there. The sound in her ear = Holy Ghost
Margery’s reaction to a pietà (an image of Christ in the virgin’s lap)- The priest who
reads the bible to her becomes very ill so she goes to Saint Stephen’s Church in Norwich.
Crying all the time people around her are very confused. She is lead to a tavern for food/
drink and then she goes to church and sees the lady with a pieta. This makes her think of
Christ and Mary weeping to him when he dies. Priest asks why she is crying when he
died so long ago, she says because it is like he died today for me. Lady says this is a good
example for her. When she returns to the priest he is healed.
Margery Nurses her husband in his old age: Her husband falls down stairs and is near
death when she’s called. People blame her because they aren’t living together due to their
vows of chastity. Prays to God who says take him and care for him. Husband ends similar
to a child and she cares for him like it was Christ himself.
Margery’s vision of the Passion Sequence: Sees Mary talking to Christ about how she
can’t take him dying. Sees her lying at his feet and asking what’s to become of her. Lord
comes and tells her to get up and follow him. She describes the Disciples seeking him
and then Jesus being tortured by Jews. She sees these ghostly sights every Palm Sunday
and Good Friday.
Pier’s Plowman:
Author: William Langland
Characters: Plowman, Envy, Gluttony, Repentance, Hope, Pagan, Faith, Mercy, Knights,
Hunger,
Summary: Starts with him dreaming of different kinds of workers: pardoners, nobility,
pilgrims, land owners. Then, shifts to a discussion with a woman who’s Holy Church and
tells him about the Castle of Care that holds the devil and is responsible for the downfall
of Adam/Eve and Cane. Man asks how to save his soul and she says Truth is best.
Describes Lucifer’s downfall in heaven and into hell. Claims truth will get him into
heaven, which can be found in the Trinity, and is the greatest treasure on earth. Guy
responds that he has no natural knowledge but she says it is in your heart (i.e. loving
God)
Passus 5: 1000 men crying to Christ to have grace to go to Truth. They meet a man with a
100 holy water phials on his hat and they ask him about Truth and where he lives. He
says he doesn’t know but he does know about Conscience and Kind wit and tells them
where to find them, which is through meekness in men/women until you get to
Conscience. Instructs them to bathe and then find a small-enclosed field. Pass these
various do-not-types and they come to the moat of mercy in front of the castle. They are
told what to say in order to enter the castle. You must be a child to enter. They all agree
upon entering together.
Passus 6: They want the plowman to go with him but he hasn’t finished his work. He
counsel’s people to do what they need to for work. Knight says he’ll help him plow if
plowman will go with them. Piers says he’ll plow for both of hem and the knight should
hunt, tells him not accept gifts. Says he’ll help/provide food for those who faithfully live
if they help him plow. Piers tries to get them to work, but works them too hard and people
start to complain and begin to get ready to fight. He calls on Hunger and forces people to
work for food.
Passus 7: Truth gives Piers a poena et a cupla (From punishment and from guilt). Priest
gives Piers a pardon, but it doesn’t absolve him from his sins. It says instead “They that
have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting
fire
C-Text: The Dreamer meets Conscience and Reason. Asks him what he can do (he’s
dressed like a beggar) says what he learned were the scriptures and he needs to use the
tools he was given to live. He goes around begging for food in rural areas. Conscience/
Reason question this but he persuades them that it’s okay to do it.
Christ’s Humanity: Crucifixion/ Harrowing of Hell. Piers basically experiences the entire
death and fall of Christ. Christ goes into Hell to release all the people (Lucifer has
deceived them like Adam/Eve) to take them back to Heaven. At the end Piers wakes right
before his resurrection and tells his wife/daughter to go and kneel at the cross and kiss it.
Morality Play: Evolved side by side mystery plays, but instead of rehearsing scriptural
stories, they are dramatized allegories of spiritual struggle.
Mystery Play: A sequence or “cycle” of plays based on the Bible and produced by city
guilds.
The York Play of Crucifixion: 1425, Longest of the four cycles
Characters: Soldiers, Jesus
Summary: Soldiers are talking about nailing Jesus to the cross. Jesus says he will die for
Adam’s sin. The first soldier swears to Muhammad. The four soldiers are at the four ends
of the cross. The cross is off by a foot or more so they decide they are going to pull him
up and stretch him out. The first soldier says he needs to be hanged so everyone else can
see. All four raise Jesus up, the first soldier wants to just let him fall in the hole (the
mortise, a hole in the ground for the cross). Jesus prays to God to save the souls of these
four men because they don’t understand what they are doing. The second soldier
compares Jesus to a magpie. They think there work is done when the first soldier says
they must decide what to do with Jesus’ kirtle. They decide to draw straws for it, but the
first soldier says that he will take the coat.
Wakefield Second Shepherd’s Play: Second of the two nativity plays that are part of
the cycle believed to have been performed at Wakefield in Yorkshire.
Author: Wakefield Master
Characters: Mak, Gill, Coll, Daw, Gib
Summary: Coll spends time complaining about the bleak life of shepherds and those
above him who are manipulating people. Gib complains about the weather and then about
being married to his wife. He continues to warn people of marrying when Coll comes in,
whom he doesn’t see, and doesn’t notice him until Coll starts to speak. Daw, a boy
working for the older Shepherds, enters and tells them that their sheep have been left in a
wheat pasture. Mak comes in with a cloak over his clothes. Everyone guards his or her
possessions from him and Daw removes his cloak. Mak pretends to be an important
shepherd from the South. The others know him so he gets caught. Mak begins to
complain that his wife eats/drinks too much and has children all the time. Everyone lies
down to sleep. Instead of sleeping Mak prays and gets up while everyone else is sleeping.
He puts a circle/spell around the shepherds who sleep for noon the next day. He takes one
of the sheep and goes to his wife who comes up with how to hide it (pretend it’s a baby)
and then returns to lie down with the shepherds. He then tells him he dreams of his wife
having a baby and says he must go back to her. When he arrives back home he knows that
the Shepherds will discover their missing sheep and come after him. So, Gill tells him to
sing a lullaby when he hears the shepherds coming and she’ll pretend to be in pain
because she just had the baby. The shepherds come and at first think that there really is a
baby, but when they go back because they haven’t give the child any gifts Daw discovers
that it is deformed and looks a lot like their sheep. Daw wants to punish the two
deceivers, but all they really do is toss Mak into a blanket and leave him. Then, an Angel
sings to the shepherds and tells them to go to Bethlehem to meet baby Jesus. Gib tells the
story of David and Isaiah, a prophecy that a child would be born. When they see the child
they give him gifts. Gill-a bunch of cherries. Gib- a bird. Daw- a ball. There reward for
twice showing pity on Mak is to see baby Jesus.
Everyman: Written near the end of the 15th century and probably a translation of a
Flemish Play, although its possible the Flemish play is a translation of the English
version.
Author: No manuscript is known and the version we are reading is based on the earliest
printing (1530) by John Skot and reproduced by W.W. Greg (1904)
Characters: Everyman, God, Death, Fellowship, Cousin, Kindred, Goods, Good Deeds,
Knowledge, Confession, Discretion, Strength, Beauty, and the Five Senses.
Summary: Messenger introduces God. God complains about man not realizing how
God’s suffered and summons Death and tells him to go to Everyman and tell him to go on
a pilgrimage. Death says he will do that and he will kill Everyman obsessed with riches.
Death finds Everyman and tells him what he must do. Everyman offers him goods ( 1000
pounds) to go away, and he wants a delay of 12 years. He decides he wants company on
his journey so he asks Fellowship who at first says that he will stick by him but then finds
out what Everyman wants and goes back on his word. Then, Cousin and Kindred come
and ask what’s wrong. Cousin says he’d rather eat bread and water for five years than go
with him. Kindred also refuses to go with Everyman. Then, Everyman calls on Goods
who he has loved all his life. Goods says no and that he takes many people into hell. After
Goods he looks to Good Deeds who’s buried in the ground. So, she gives him her sister
Knowledge and they go to Confession (a river) who dwells in the House of Salvation.
Confession gives Everyman the jewel of Penance. He confesses and offers his body, then
wades through water. It is at this moment that Good Deeds can walk again. Knowledge
gives him a garment (sorrow) so he has on true contrition. Good Deeds says he must lead
with three people: Discretion, Strength, Beauty, and the Five senses. All leave him in the
end except Good Deeds.
Dr. Faustus: a German narrative that exists in two different forms: the A text (1604) and
the B Text (1616)-which has censorship issues.
Author: Christopher Marlowe
Characters: Faustus, Lucifer, Wagner, good angel, evil angel, Cornelius, German Valdes,
Mephastophilis, Three scholars, Lucifer, Beelzebub, Old man, Clown, Robin, Rafe,
Vinnter, Horse-Courser, The Pope, The cardinal of Lorraine, Charles V; Emperor of
Germany, A knight at the emperor’s court, Duck of a Vanholt, Duchess of Vanholt, The
seven deadly sins: Pride, Covetousness, Wrath, Envy, Gluttony, Sloth, Lechery,
Alexander the Great, Helen of Troy, Attendants, Friars, and Devils
Summary: Begins the play by saying he wants man to live eternally and beat death. He
calls in Wagner and asks him to get his friends German valdes and Cornelius. Then, the
good and evil angel enter. He thinks law/physics are for petty wits. Divinity is the best of
the three. Faustus wants to learn magi. Valdes offers to teach him rudiments and Faustus
says he’ll conjure spirits that night. Two scholars confront Wagner about Faustus’ magic
and leave to tell the Rector. Faustus conjures a devil-wants him to be a Friar instead (this
is when Mephastophilis enters who is a servant to the devil). Mephastophilis represents
unhappy spirits. Faustus wants to make a deal where he gives the Devil his soul and in
return he will have his enemies killed and his friends helped. The Angel tries to convince
Faustus to leave the dark magic for God instead. Mephastophilis returns with a message
from the Devil, he wants his soul and his blood. So, he must stab himself in the arm and
write a contract in blood. He asks for a book of spells/incantations. Lucifer comes with
Beelzebub to talk about how Faustus can’t continue to talk of Christ. Lucifer brings him
the seven deadly sins to examine: Pride, Avarice, Lust, Wrath, Gluttony, Envy, and Sloth.
Mephastophils puts a spell on Faustus he’s with the Popes and snatches wine and food
from them, and completely misbehaves. Faustus reputation spreads and the Emperor
wants proof of his powers. He sells a horse that can be ridden under water, so a horsecurser rides it into water and it vanishes. Finally, he reveals the deal he’s made to the
other scholars at the end of the play and they say they’ll pray for him. He prays to Christ/
God to turn him into a lightning bolt or beast. Eventually he’s taken by the Devils and
ultimately fails.
Faerie Queene
Author: Edmund Spencer
Characters:
Cantos 1-7:
Cantos 7-12: Redcrosse knight is held captive by Gyaunt. Prince Arthur meets with Una.
The giant tries to defeat Redcrosse but Duessa (who is riding on a seven headed horse)
asks him not to.
List of Vocabulary Terms:
Local Irony (Litotes)
Dramatic Irony
Structural Irony
Allegory
Anachronism
Typology
Mystery Play
Morality Play