Anglo-French/Medieval English Literature

Metrical Tales and Romances

Presented by :
DELMENDO, NICOLE D.
MADELO, JULES MHAY N.
MILLON, GEWILSON M.
REYES, BETTY MAE P.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to;
a)Define what is Anglo-French/Medieval English Literature.
b) Differentiate between metrical tales and metrical
romances.
c)Appreciate the literature of metrical tales and romances.
INTRODUCTION
Anglo-French/Medieval English Literature
 Anglo-French or Medieval English literature refers to the body of literature
written in England during the Middle Ages, particularly between the 11th and
15th centuries.
 The Anglo-Norman literature, also known as Norman-French literature or
Anglo-French literature, played a significant role during this period.
 In the land of medieval England, a rich tapestry of literature and culture began
to unfold.
 After the Norman Conquest in 1066, Old English was suppressed in official
records and venues in favor of the Norman French language.
INTRODUCTION
The 3 Estates In the Middle Ages
The idea of estates, or orders,was encouraged during
the age, but this ordering was breaking down.
Clergy
Latin chiefly spoken, those who pray, purpose was to
save everyone’s soul
Nobles
French chiefly spoken, those who Fight, purpose was to
protect- allow for all to work in peace and provide
justice
Commoners
English spoken, those who work, Purpose was to feed
and clothe all above them.
Characteristics of Medieval Literature
· Romance
Romance is a literary genre popular in the Middle Ages, dealing,
in verse or prose, with legendary, supernatural, or amorous subjects
and characters.
The name refers to Romance languages and originally denoted any
lengthy composition in one of those languages.
· Chivalry
Refers to the lifestyle and Moral code of medieval Knights.
The Medieval knight was Bound to the chivalric
Code to be loyal to…
Ø God
Ø His lord
Ø His lady
Chivalric ideals include…
Ø Benevolence
Ø Brotherly love
Ø Politeness
Ø Sir Gawain is an example
The ideal of Courtly Love
This relationship was modeled on the feudal relationship between a knight and his
liege lord. The knight serves his courtly lady with the same obedience and loyalty
which he owes to his liege lord. She is in complete control; he owes her obedience and
submission
Mystery play
Mystery plays were stories taken from the Bible. Each play had four or five different
scenes or acts.
Morality plays
Morality plays were designed to teach people a lesson in how to live their life
according to the rules of the church.
METRICAL ROMANCES
Metrical Romances
is a type of narrative poem which typically centers on courtly love,
knights, and chivalric deeds. It has a happy ending whether love is
involved or not.
Ancient English Metrical Romanceës (1802) is a collection of Middle
English verse romances edited by the antiquary Joseph Ritson; it was
the first such collection to be published.
Metrical romances are non-rhyming prose poems that tell a story,
usually concluding with a happy ending.
 The stories often focus on knights, including their adventures and
deeds, and other heroes with exemplary moral characters.
 Whether written in prose or verse form, Metrical Romances were
incredibly popular in Medieval Europe.
Metrical Romances
The Norman first brought this Metrical Romans into England.
 The stories of metrical romance typically involved stories that included
the adventures, trials, and tribulations of knights as well as typically
told stories of chivalrous feats of said knights.
Courtly love was a typical theme of metrical romance as well.
 Metrical romance was typically written in the language of Old French
but was later worked into German, and English.
These romantic narratives are all in stanzaic verse, which is of two
types, ²quatrains of twelve-syllable lines in assonance, and quatrains of
eight-syllable lines in assonance.
Some of the finest examples among metrical romance are;

 Paradise Lost, by John Milton

 The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Coleridge
 Sonnets From the Portuguese, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
 The Emigrants, by Charlotte Turner Smith
 The Corsair, by George Gordon Byron (or Lord Byron)
 Lady of Shallot, by Alfred Lord Tennyson
SIR THOMAS MALORY
is the author of Le
 The author of Le Morte D'Arthur (1469 or
1470) then revised and printed by William
Caxton in 1485.
 Born around 1415 and 1418
 He died in Newgate Prison on March 13,1471
 The son of John Malory and Philippa
Chetwynd
 Lived at Newbold Revell in Warwickshire,
England
 Married Elizabeth Walsh of Wanlip in
Leicestershire, who bore him a son, Robert
and Thomas .
MALORY’S LIFE OF CRIME
 Between 1450 and 1451 he was charged with several major crimes —
robbery, two cattle raids, several extortions, a rape, and an attempted
murder.

 Escaping from prison after his first arrest.

 Twice breaking into and plundering the Abbey of Coombe.
 Extorting money from various persons.
 Committing sexual offense.
Le Morte D’Arthur
 A compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of
Romance tales about the legendary King
Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and the
Knights of the Round Table.

 Le Morte D’Arthur" was written in

English and consists of eight tales in 507
chapters in 21 books, so arranged by
Caxton, for clarity of understanding.

 "Idylls of the King."

King Arthur and The
Knights of
TheRound Table
King Arthur and The Knights of
TheRound Table
 King Arthur is the figure at the heart of the Arthurian
Legends but The Knights of the Round table play an
important part in the story and legend of King Arthur.
 Code of Chivalry
HONOR
HONESTY
VALOR
LOYALTY
 "Brothers in arms"
The Round Table
 The Siege Perilous
 The significance of the Round Table was
that no one, not even King Arthur, would
be able to sit at the head of the table.
 According to the Vulgate Cycles, it was a
wedding gift from Guinevere's father, King
Leodagan of Carmelide, after Arthur asked
her hand in marriage.
 The names of the knights were engraved on
their chairs.
CODE OF CHIVALRY by Giovanni Boccaccio

• When called upon, to defend the • To seek nothing before honor

rights of the weak with all one's • Never to break faith for any
strength reason
• To never lay down arms • To practice religion more
• To seek after wonders diligently
• To called upon, to defend the • To grant hospitality to anyone
rights of the weak with all strength • Whether in honour or
• To injure no one disgrace, to make a report with
• Not to attack one another the greatest fidelity to truth to
• To fight for the safety of one's those who keep the annals
country
When they were assembled, Merlin said that

"from now on you must love one another and

hold one another as dear as brothers, for from
the love and sweetness of this table where you
will be seated there will be born in your hearts
such a great joy and friendship that you will
leave your wives and children to be with one
another and to spend your youth together."

(translation by Martha Asher)

CHARACTERS
King Arthur
➤Legendary King of Britain
➤ was the son of Uther Pendragon and Igraine, whose actual
name might have been its Latin version, Arturus

Uther Pendragon
➤ a legendary king of sub-Roman Britain and the father of
King Arthur.

Igraine
➤ in Arthurian legend, she is the mother of King Arthur.
CHARACTERS
Guinevere

➤was the legendary Queen consort of King Arthur

➤ said to have had a love affair with Arthur's chief knight
Sir Lancelot
➤reputedly the most beautiful Britain woman in Britain

Morgause

➤the mother of Gawain, Mordred, Gareth, Agravain, and

Gaheris
➤sister of Morgan le Fay and the wife of King Lot of
Orkney
Morgan le Fay

➤ a powerful sorceress in the Arthurian legend

➤ Arthur's half- sister; she is, therefore, the daughter of
Igraine and Gorlois
CHARACTERS
Merlin

 Arthur's counselor and magician, and in many ways, he is the prime

architect of Arthur's reign: Merlin helps Uther Pendragon to become
Arthur's father; he guides Arthur to withdraw Excalibur from the Stone;
he is the creator of the Round Table and prophet of the Grail; and he helps
Arthur attain various goals
Sir Ector

➤Hector, Antor, or Ectorius

➤ the father of Sir Kay and the foster father of King Arthur
in the Arthurian legend
Sir Lancelot

➤one of the Knights of the Round Table in the Arthurian legend

➤the most trusted of King Arthur's knights and played a part in many of
Arthur's victories
➤best known for his love affair with Arthur's wife Guinevere and the
role he played in the search Holy Grail
CHARACTERS
Sir Kay

➤ Sir Ector's son and King Arthur's foster brother and later seneschal
➤ as well as one of the first Knights of the Round Table
➤is one of the earliest characters associated with Arthur.

Sir Gareth

➤a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian Legend

➤he was the youngest son of Lot and of Morgause, King Arthur's half-sister, thus
making him Arthur's nephew
➤ as well as brother to Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris, and half- brother to Mordred

Sir Gawain

➤in most tales, including "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" he is Arthur's nephew (in
some, he's his cousin)
➤an innocent and true knight.
CHARACTERS
Sir Agravain

➤a lesser-known nephew of King Arthur who serves him as a Knight of the Round
Table. he is a son of King Lot of Orkney and Morgause
➤and an accomplice of his evil half-brother Mordred

Sir Gaheris

➤ nephew of King Arthur and a Knight of the Round Table

➤ son of Arthur's sister or half-sister Morgause and her husband Lot, King of Orkney
➤ he is a brother of Gawain, Agravaine and Gareth and half-brother of Mordred

Sir Perceval

➤ is a type of blessed fool, a heroic knight who sees the Grail and visits the Fisher
King in his mysterious castle.
CHARACTERS
Sir Bedivere

➤ friend of Lancelot and Gawain

➤ a loyal knight of King Arthur who is tested at the end of the story as told by Malory.
Mortally wounded, the dying Arthur asks Bedivere to cast Excalibur into the lake from which
it came

Mordred or Modred

➤is a character in the Arthurian legend, known as a notorious traitor fought King Arthur at the
Battle who of Camlann, where he was killed and Arthur fatally wounded
➤he is best known today as Arthur's illegitimate son by his half-sister Morgause
➤In earlier literature, he was considered the legitimate son of Morgause, also known as Anna,
with her husband King Lot of Orkney.
➤ his brothers or half-brothers are Gawain, Agravain, Gaheris, and Gareth.
SETTING
Camelot
• Camelot is depicted as a mythical
and idealized realm in medieval
literature.
• The main setting of this book was
King Arthur’s castle in Camelot,
England.
PLOT

Exposition
Arthur, son of the Late King
Uther Pendragon, pulls a
sword from a stone. This act
proves that he is the rightful
king of England.
Rising Action
King Arthur institutes the Knights
of the Round Table after marrying
Guinevere. Only the most worthy of
knights may sit at the enormous
table created by Merlin. Sir
Lancelot becomes one of the
mightiest champions for Queen
Guinevere.
Climax
Morgana tells Mordred that
Arthur is his father and that
Mordred is heir to the Camelot
throne. Morgana poisons his
mind against his father.
Falling Action
Mordred is able to prove
that Lancelot and
Guinevere are having an
affair.
Resolution
Mordred and Arthur wind up in a
vicious battle. Though Arthur
succeeds at killing Mordred and
foiling Morgana’s plan, Arthur,
too, is mortally wounded and so
ends the fairy-tale existence of
Camelot, Arthur and his Knights
of the Round Table.
Conflict
Arthur’s half-sister, Morgana Le Fay,
threatens Camelot and Arthur with
sorcery. After facing many battles to
protect his throne, Arthur must defend
his throne and prove that he is worthy
of leading Camelot and England.
Theme
• redemption,
• classic
• and fascinating

POINT OF VIEW
Third Person
• For example, the narrator might say, “King Arthur drew his sword
Excalibur from the stone and became the rightful king of Britain.”

TONE
• Heroic
• Noble
• Adventurous
METRICAL TALES
Metrical Tales
A metrical tale is a narrative poem which is written in verse that relates to real or
imaginary events in simple, straight forward language, from wide range of subjects,
characters, life experiences, and emotional situations.

Features/Characteristics:
1. Metrical tale is to poetry what the short story is to prose.
2. Metrical tales rarely conform to rhythm, although they feature a systematic
combination of words in the form of verses.
3 . It deals with any emotion or phase of life and its story is told in a simple,
straightforward, and realistic manner.
4 .The characters are ordinary people, concerned with ordinary events.
5 . It has simple structure and tells of a single incident.
Features/Characteristics:
6 . A narrative told by a known author with characters, setting, plot and
theme.
7 . Metrical Tale is written in number of verses.
8 . Metrical tales often vary in length – they can either be a brief story, or span
to the expanse of a novel and anything in between.
9 . A metrical tale typically comprises of a series of connected events, which
usually end up with a happy ending especially in romance themes; where
tales are told of brave Knights facing hardships and trials in their quests
for adventure. A romantic end would often suffice as a reward for their
valiant accomplishments.
10 . Most metrical tales convey the story in the first person.
Features/Characteristics:
11 . Note that the majority of hip-hop lyrics adhere to the metrical tale style,
also referred to as "meter."
12 . "The Lady of the Lake" by Sir Walter Scott is an excellent example of a
Metrical Tale.
13 . A metrical tale is a simple and straightforward long story consisting usually
of a single series of connective events, and usually, do not form a plot.
Examples of these are simple idylls or home tales, love tales, tales of the
supernatural or tales written for a strong moral purpose in verse form and
can be the length of a short story or of a complete novel.
What are the genre of tales?
Fabliaux- a short, usually comic, frankly coarse, and often cynical
tale in verse.
Bestiary- a medieval allegorical or moralizing work on the
appearance and habits of real or imaginary animals.
Sermons- a religious discourse delivered in public usually by a
clergyman as part of a worship service.
Courtly Love- a late medieval conventionalized code prescribing
conduct andemotions of ladies and their lovers.
“Canterbury Tales”
by G. Chaucer
 (written c. 1388-1400 CE) is a medieval
literary work by the poet Geoffrey Chaucer (l.
c. 1343-1400 CE) comprised of 24 tales
related to a number of literary genres and
Canterbury touching on subjects ranging from fate
to God's will to love, marriage, pride,
Tale and death.

After the opening introduction (known as The

General Prologue), each tale is told by one of
the characters (eventually 32 in all) who are
on pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas
Becket in Canterbury.
What is the reason why Chaucer wrote The Canterbury
Tales?

 The tales could be described both as social realism

and as estates satire. At the same time that Chaucer
takes care to honestly show the perspective of each of
his characters, he also aims to critique the hypocrisy of
the church and the social problems posed by Medieval
politics and social custom.
Characters
Chaucer - the pilgrim who narrates the work; tells the 17th and 18th tales
The Knight – a man of honor, truth, and chivalry; tells the 1st tale
The Squire - the knight's son, a gentle youth of poetic sensibilities; tells the 11th tale
The Yeoman – the knight's servant; no tale
The Prioress (Madame Eglentyne) – a nun who supervises a priory; tells the 15th tale
The Second Nun – secretary to the Prioress; tells the 21st tale
The Nun's Priest – one of three priests traveling with the Prioress; tells the 20th tale
The Monk – a worldly lover of hunting, riding, and drinking; tells the 18th tale
The Friar (Huberd) – a corrupt clergyman who keeps donations for himself; tells the 7th
tale
The Merchant – a somber man who distrusts women; tells the 10th tale
The Clerk – a scholar from Oxford University; tells the 9th tale
The Sergeant of the Law (Man of Law) – a wealthy lawyer; tells the 5th tale
The Franklin (landowner) – a glutton, companion of Man of Law; tells the 12th tale
The Cook (Roger) – works for the above tradesmen, loves to drink; tells 4th tale
The Shipman – a ship's captain; tells 14th tale
The Doctor of Physic (physician) – a greedy astrologer; tells 13th tale
The Wife of Bath (Alisoun) – a widow who has survived five husbands and traveled the
world; tells 6th tale
The Parson – a devout and honest clergyman; tells the 24th (last) tale
The Plowman – the Parson's brother, devout and charitable; no speaking part
The Miller (Robyn) – coarse, rough, and fond of drinking and stealing; tells the 2nd tale
The Manciple (caterer) – purchases food for establishments; tells the 23rd tale
The Reve (Osewald) – manager of an estate, an accountant; tells the 3rd tale
The Summoner – server of summons to ecclesiastical courts; tells the 8th tale
The Pardoner – seller of indulgences (pardons) and fake holy relics, rides with the
Summoner; tells the 14th tale
The Host (Harry Bailey) – Innkeeper at the Tabard where the pilgrims begin their journey,
proposes the story-telling contest and moderates/settles disputes
The Canon's Yeoman – not introduced in the General Prologue; meets the pilgrims along
the way; tells 22nd tale.
Settings
The setting at the
beginning of The
Canterbury Tales is a
journey from London
to Canterbury being
made by pilgrims.
Plot
- it tells the sequence of the story.
Exposition
Chaucer, Bailey, and pilgrims meet at the Tabard Inn.
Rising Action
1.Riding to Canterbury, they have a story competition.
2.The Knight tells the first tale.
3.The Miller interrupts with the next tale.
Climax
As they ride, characters take turns telling their stories.
Falling Action
Near Canterbury, the Parson tells a final tale, a sermon.
Resolution
Chaucer prays for forgiveness for his less holy writings.
Conflict
Major conflict The struggles between characters,
manifested in the links between tales, mostly involve clashes
between social classes, differing tastes, and competing
professions. There are also clashes between the sexes, and
there is resistance to the Host's somewhat tyrannical
leadership.
Theme
Love, Sex, and Fellowship
- Throughout the frame story, character prologues, and tales, Chaucer explores
human relationships. The tales discuss brotherly love and the betrayal of it, as
well as the partnerships among thieves and rogues. The camaraderie and
fellowship of the pilgrim company set the tone of the frame story. Most
pilgrims complete their tales by directly addressing the listening company; in
more than one case, a story creates friction between pilgrims.
Point of View
First-Person Point of View
The Canterbury Tales uses the first-person point of view in
the General Prologue and the frame narrative; Chaucer, the
narrator, speaks from his own perspective on the events of
the story contest and the pilgrims who tell the tales.
Tone
Comical and Ironic
While the tone of the stories that comprise The Canterbury Tales ranges
from pious to plain to comical, Chaucer as narrator takes an upbeat but
wry tone, allowing himself to make his social commentary through
humor and irony instead of direct criticism. For example, Chaucer
describes the Friar as jovial and agreeable, and while he never directly
insults him, Chaucer still manages to emphasize the Friar’s greediness
and hypocrisy. He also describes the Prioress’s virtues, but indicates that
she’s really just a woman neglecting her religious commitments in favor
of a life of high-class luxury.
Are there any Questions ?
Thank you for
your listening! :))