ESSAY CEMETERY

THEMES/INTERESTING THINGS Evoking Fate -           " Stand fast, good Fate, to his hanging: make the rope of his destiny our cable" -           " By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune, Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies Brought to this shore; " Usurpation of rulers and the seizing of power: -           Usurpation of Prospero by Antonio and Alonso -           Plan to usurp Alonso by Antonio and Sebastian Revenge -           "By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune, Now my dear lady, hath mine enemies Brought to this shore; " Noble birth doesn’t necessitate gentility: -           " To think but nobly of my grandmother: Good wombs have borne bad sons" Education as more valuable than nobility -           "Knowing I loved my books, he furnish'd me From mine own library with volumes that I prize above my dukedom. " -           " Me, poor man, my library Was dukedom large enou

CHARACTERS The shipwrecked: Alonso - King of Naples, father of Ferdinand (conspired with Antonio) Ferdinand - Prince of Naples, falls in love with Miranda Sebastian - brother of Alonso, also conspired with Antonio against Prospero Antonio - brother of Prospero, Duke of Milan after usurping Prospero (conspired with Alonso) Gonzalo - leaves Miranda and Prospero supplies, enabling their survival Stephano - friend of Trinculo Trinculo - friend of Stephano, thought to be a spirit by Caliban ---- Claribel - Alonso's daughter, married to the Prince of Tunis Miranda - Prospero's daughter, falls in love with Ferdinand Prospero - former Duke of Milan Ariel - Prospero's familiar spirit, freed by Prospero after being trapped in a tree by Sycorax Sycorax - a witch who trapped Ariel in a tree, now dead Caliban - Prospero's servant, son of Sycorax. Proposes to kill Prospero and make Stephano king of the island SUMMARY Act I, Scene I- on a boa

THEMES/STYLE Nature imagery Sonnet 64: When I have seen the hungry ocean gain Advantage on the kingdom of the shore Woman as better than nature Sonnet 18:  Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate Self-referential poetry Sonnet 18 So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Sonnet 19  Yet, do thy worst old Time: despite thy wrong, My love shall in my verse ever live young. Sonnet 24 My body is the frame wherein 'tis held, And perspective it is best painter's art. Sonnet 76: So all my best is dressing old words new, Spending again what is already spent Men as ruling nature Sonnet 19 But I forbid thee one most heinous crime: O! carve not with thy hours my love's fair brow Woman created by nature (surpassing god) Sonnet 19 A woman's face with nature's own hand painted Gender as ambiguous Sonnet 20 A woman's face with

Summary of information found in the Norton Anthology of English Literature , 4ed. John Donne was born in 1572 to a Catholic family. Catholicism was opposed and so he abandoned his faith in order to be able to gain acceptance. He wasn't affluent and so tried to make a livelihood based on his wit. He came to sit in Elizabeth's last parliament but ruined his chances by marrying the daughter of a prominent man. Afterward he struggled to make a living by various jobs. Donne had refused to take Anglican orders, but when King James declared Donne could be employed by no one but the church, Donne had to take up the position of an Anglican preacher. He was excellent and inspiring.  His poetry is defiant of that of his predecessors as well as his contemporaries. He never utilized imagery as simply as others did, instead of exploring more complex philosophical meanings of imagery. He wrote colloquially but strikingly. He died in 1631. During his life, he was known for his religi

THEMES/MOTIFS/STYLE Bath's Prologue Outspoken woman Quoting from the bible, to support her view which is certainly not mainstream - a parody on church people who quote from the bible to support true holy causes, showing that the bible can be used to support any argument thus diminishing from the value of the bible as a tool of truth. Polygamy for women- it is men who usually have multiple husbands and not vice versa, so the Wife of Bath breaks that convention. Explicit sexuality - "Al were it good for no woman for to touch (He mente as In his bed or in his couche)" Experience is a key word Inaccurate bible quoting Criticism of the Church! Bath's Tale Criticism of the church Satire/ contradictory behavior to courtly decorum Fairy tale with a moral and psychological relevance Geoffrey Chaucer

The Prologue to the Wife of Bath The wife of bath is the speaker. She has much experience in marriage, she says, as she has had five husbands. She justifies this fact with rhetoric, quoting from the bible as a reference. She took both her husbands' money and masculinity. She is open to a sixth husband! The wife of Bath is very liberal. She evokes St. Paul who said marriage is a positive thing. She brings up polygamous biblical men; she says God never expressly forbade multiple marriages. Virginity, she admits, is valuable but so is procreation according to the bible and to achieve the latter one must give up the former. She concludes by saying that she uses her husband as debtor and slave- that she owns him. She possesses him using the instrument that god gave her (presumably her sexuality). At this point the Pardoner interrupts the Wife, saying that he had meant to marry himself, but didn't- why should he risk his wife controlling him as the Wife of Bath does her hus

THEMES/MOTIFS/REMARKS Taxonomy and classification - very important in the Middle Ages, the way people defined the world was according to their standing in society, which was determined by birth, association with nobility and ranking in the Church. Descriptions of nature open the Prologue. There is also talk of crops. "April with his showres soote… bathed every veine in sweich licuor" "The tender croppes" Hierarchy and order (classification/taxonomy) The introduction to the list of people: "Me thinketh it accordant to resoun To telle you al the condicioun Of eech of hem, so as it seemed me And whiche they were, and of what degree [MS1]   And eek in what array that they were inne Characters described in terms of riding skills and horses Characters described in terms of manners Characters described in terms of clothing Criticism of the operation of Christian institutions Astrology The humors (components of the

It is now April, springtime, and this makes people want to go on pilgrimages, especially to Canterbury, to seek the remains of the saint that helped them. Before embarking on the pilgrimage the narrator (who speaks in the first person and is a character in the story) goes to the Tabard, an inn, to sleep. At night 29 men come into the Tabard, and they happen to be going to Canterbury as well. The narrator joins them. Before the tale continues however the narrator wants to introduce to us his fellow travelers: 1.       A Knight- described in terms of the values he honors- "trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisye". He traveled far and wide, was valiant in many wars and battles and is honored for all of this. He is "as meeke as is a maide", and is described according to the vision of the ideal courtier. The knight wears a tunic under his mail coat and his horse is fine 2.       A squire- the knight's son. A bachelor and honorable suitor of women, a gentl

Summarized from the historical background in the Norton Anthology, 4ed Personal History Even though medieval scholars did not recognize the existence of any classes other than aristocracy and commoners, a middle class came into being and it was to this Chaucer belonged. He grew up amongst commoners but was sent as a teenager to serve as a page in the court of Lionel of Antwerp, son of Edward III, reigning monarch and brother to John of Gaunt. Chaucer thus spent the rest of his life amongst nobles. He married a woman of high birth and his children and grandchildren went on to be eminent people and married amongst nobility; Chaucer managed to jump the gap between the common and aristocratic classes. Aside from poetry, Chaucer was involved in many other trades- he served as soldier, tradesman for the nobility, diplomat, forester and more. He was favored by the nobility, receiving rent-free housing, and grants. During the entirety of his life he came into constant contact wit

Page numbers from Norton Anthology of English Literature, 4ed. THEMES/MOTIFS Money and treasure                 Many references.                 Page 48: Dead warriors are burned with their war gear on At the fire it was easy to see many a blood-stained battle shirt, boar-images all golden Page 50: Gifts given to Beowulf in thanks Twisted gold courteously bestowed on him, two arm-ornaments, a mailshirt and rings, the largest of necklaces of those I have heard spoken of… Good kings as associated with money and gifts Page 29 [Scyld] prospered in honors… until every one… had to obey him, pay him tribute. That was a good king. Loyalty associated with money  Page 30                 By giving splendid gifts… later in life beloved companions will stand by him Christian References                 Page 31: Creation                 the Almighty made earth… set up in triumpth the lights of the sun and the moon…                 Page 40: trust in God  

[PROLOGUE] Beowulf begins with the description of the genealogy of the Danes. Scyld arrives in Denmark alone on a treasure ship as a young child. He goes on to become a great king. He is given a splendid burial in a ship filled with treasure. He has a son Beow who is also a glorious king. Beow has a son Healfdene who is a great warrior who has four children amongst whom are Heorogar, Hrothgar and Helga. [BEOWULF AND GRENDEL] [THE HALL HEOROT IS ATTACHKED BY GRENDEL] Hrothgar is king, and has a huge hall built called Heorot. He is successful in ruling and battle, until his hall and the kingdom is attacked repeatedly by the monster Grendel, a descendent of Cain's, to complete wreckage. They pray to the Devil, as heathens do but they ought to have prayed to god. [THE COMING OF BEOWULF TO HEOROT] Beowulf, the bravest of the Geats, heard of Grendel's deeds. He organized a team of good soldiers and crosses the ocean to Hrothgar's kingdom. Thanks to their splendid wa