Gentillesse Flashcards
(20 cards)
“experience…
-“though noon auctoritee”
-shows how the wife values experience
-it indirectly introduces the theme of gentillesse as she shows how wisdom/ nobility/ virtue, is not inherited rather it is an action which is performed
-rejects male authority belief that gentillesse is inherited from ancestors
“ryght…”
-“ynough for me to speke of the wo that is in marriage”
-the section on gentillesse is uncharacteristic of the wife
-she is concerned primarily with miseries of marriage/ sovereignty/ sexual morality
-Chaucer’s own voice in this section as he may want to express his own belief’s in a hidden way or this section was meant for another pilgrim and Chaucer ran out of time
“he rafte…”
-“hir maidenheed”
-knight contradicts traditional form of a king arthur tale of romance
-knights were supposed to be hero’s, who saved the innocent
-this knight opposes gentillesse through his heinous crime
“but, for ye speken…”
-“of sich gentillesse as is descended out of old richesse”
-gentillesse repeated throughout this conversation between the knight and loathly lady
-rhyming couplet highlight medieval belief that gentillesse was inhertied
would the wife be considered to have the gentillesse quality?
-no because she was not descended from money
-she took land and money from her rich husbands so isn’t regarded to be gentillesse
“folk ne doon…”
-“hir operacioun alwey, as dooth the fyr, lo, in his kinde”
-gentillesse compared here to as fire
-fire will light up a dark room and fire is the same anywhere, meaning thoese who are gentillesse will be noble and virtuous everywhere
-link to how fire here is used in a positive way compared to the prologue where fire is used in a negative way to describe women’s love
-the wife here agrees with authorities which again shows how this section may be Chaucer’s own voice
“Crist who that…”
-“we claime of him oure gentillesse”
-we get our gentillesse qualities from God not our ancestors
“ful selde up riseth…”
-“by his branches smale prowesse of man”
-direct quote from the work of Dante
-wife would not haven known who Dante was (this section Chaucer’s own voice)
-comes from Dante’s work “Divine Comedy”
-image of how gentillesse is not hereditary
“for God, of his…”
-“goodness wole that of him we claime oure gentillesse”
-shows how out virtue comes from God alone not our families
-calm tone used here directly contrasts the passionate tone of the wife when discussing Jankin
“for God, it woot…”
-“men may wel often finde a lordes sone do shame and vileynie”
-this simple statement contrasts the philosophical reference to fire as representing gentillesse previously
-saying here that people born into rich noble families do not always act with the same qualities
“he nis nat gentil…”
-“be he duc or erl; for vileynes sinful make a cherl”
-even is someone is a duke or an earl, if you do evil deeds then you are a cherl (lowest social class)
-rhyming couplet echo’s Chaucer’s frustrations of the medieval belief’s of gentillesse
-demonstrates the extremities of medieval beliefs in regards to the powers of social classes
“thy gentillesse nis…”
-“but renomee of thine auncestres”
-use of 2nd person pronouns
-reminder that this conversation is between the knight and loathly lady in bed
-she is reminding him of his crimes and just because he is a knight does not mean he has gentillesse qualities
“so lough…”
-“a kinde”
-so low a social class
-what the knight calls the loathly lady
-contradicts medieval beliefs on gentillesse as she is the one with the quality as she helped someone in need whereas the knight raped a maid
“for gentillesse cometh…”
“Reedeth Senke,…”
-“fro God allone”
-“and redeth eek Boece”
-contrast to the beginning for the argument of gentillesse
-she references to God as evidence for her argument that gentillesse is not hereditary
-now she refers to authorities and agrees with their view to support her argument
-read Senke/ Boece you cannot argue with their evidence
-this contrasts to her prologue where she rejects authorities
“thanne am I gentil…”
-“whan that I biginne to luven vertuously and weive sinne”
-I am noble when I live virtuously and without sin
-unshaken belief of the wife/ Chaucer juxtaposes the chaos of the prologue due to the wife’s bold personality and inability to stay one the one topic
“poverte ful ofte…”
-“whan a man is lowe, maketh his God and eek himself to knowe”
-argument shifts from gentillesse to poverty
-her agrument is that poverty does not prevent a person from having gentillesse/ nobility
-says that Jesus was gentillesse and he lived in poverty
“thou art so loothly…”
-“and so oold also”
-knight repeatedly uses negative adjectives to describe his wife
-thinks she isn’t worthy enough to marry him due to her low social status
-the allows the wife to begin her argument against hi successfully as he is clearly displaying a lack of virtue which shows a lack of gentillesse
“my leeve…”
-“mooder”
-contrast to the way the knight spoke to the loathly lady when he needed information from her
-he cannot be considered to be gentillesse
-he believes he can speak to his wife poorly due to her low birth status, he resents her for this
“swich arrogance…”
-“is nat worth a hen”
-she says that the knight is only considered a gentleman due to his ancestors but he shouldn’t be
-animal image used
-saying his status is worthless
-this statement accusing the knight links the loathly lady to the wife and allows her voice to shine through slightly
“what thing is…”
-“it that wommen moost desiren?”
-this is the main focus of the wife in her prologue and tale, not nobility
-makes this section less plausible of being from the wife’s own voice
