Alliterative Poems of Middle English Period: ‘Pearl’, ‘Purity’, ‘Patience’ and ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’

After the Norman Conquest the French Influence rendered great impact on literature and rhymed verse gained ascendancy. It is after the victories of King Edward – III in France a national self consciousness as well as a new enthusiasm for the English tongue becomes prominent. In schools and colleges and law courts English started to displace the French. In 1362 parliament was opened in English language. As the result of all these old English verse form revives again in the Middle English period. Roughly between the year 1350 and 1400 there appears a number of poem which bring an unbroken development of old English all iterative verse. In colossians manuscript we get four remarkable poems written in west midland dialect. They are ‘Pearl’, ‘Purity’, ‘Patience’ and ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’. It is supposed that these poems are written by the same poet.

Pearl:-It is a poem of 1200 lines. The total poem is divided into 110 stanzas of 12 lines each. It is a kind of dream poem. The poet has lost his two years old daughter. One august day the poet falls asleep on the grave and in dream he meets with his dead daughter dressed in white with ornaments of pearl. The poet wants to cross the river in order to unite with her but she says that after the fall of Adam the river only can be crossed after death. His daughter consoles him and asks her to surrender the God. His dream breaks and the poet rises having new spiritual realization. The poem is takes both as an allegory and as an elegy. In symbolize the Christian faith and Eucharist as well as a typical elegy the poem treats the personal loss of the poet and his lamentation. A. C. Rickett – “In its external love lines and ever more in its deeper spiritual beauty and themes sufficient reason for most patient and devoted study of “The vita Nova of our layuage”.

Patience :-It is a poem of 531 lines. Basically it is a poetical paraphrase of the book of Jonah, and the gourd in the Bible exalting of patience.

Purity :-It is a collection of Bible stories in which the poet shows the impossibility to approach God without purity. It shows how greatly God is displeased at every kind of impurity and how sudden and severe is the punishment meted out for offence against the divine Laws.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:-It comes from ‘colossians manuscript’- poems written in west midland dialect. It supposed that these poems are written by the same poet. It is a poem of 2530 lines. The poem basically belongs to Arthurian romance. The stories of the poem open with the – appearance if a green knight riding a green horse to King Arthur’s court at Camelot. He challenges the knight to strike of his head with the blow of his great are on condition to receive the similar blow after a year from him after finding him out. When hesitation is going on Sir Gawain accepts the challenge and strikes of his head of the Green Knight leaves the court picking up his severed head. After a year according to the promise Gawain sets out in search of the Green Knight and a after a long wandering through wilderness he reaches a castle and he learns that his good is near hand. Each morning the lord of the castle goes off to hunt white the beautiful wife of the lord tries to tempt him but Gawain remains pure resisting all temptation. Finally he receives from her a green girdle. The lord of the castle proves to be the Green Knight and the blow from him only slightly cuts him skin. In shame Gawain throws the Green girdle but green knight presents it as a free gift and Gawain returns to Arthur’s court and tell the Knights the whole story. The poem to remarkable for several reasons –

(I) The Romance show’s close acquaintance with the courtly life the epic and combined with a lyrical clement.

(II) It is remarkable also for the deep and tender love of nature displayed thought out the poem and some of its most delightful passages describe the charms of wild scenery

(III) It display’s an intimate knowledge of medieval craftsmanship and art.

(IV) It shows literary power in its treatment of the story of the story of the story avoiding monotony and repetition with great skill.

A Brief Survey of Middle English Metrical or Alliterative Romance

Simply speaking, romances are fantasies in which the authors make the fullest use of their imagination and fancy and create an ideal world, which bears little or no semblance with real life. In the middle of the fourteenth century a revival of the old English alliterative verse occurs through romances, which develops – side by side with religions literature. This literature is inspired by French romantic poems and centers around Chivalry. There is an absence of originality but the fervour of nationalism is present in the literature of this period. Heroes and subjects connected with Britain are given reference in the romantic cycles of chivalry. British stories are valued most and the native poets get material for their original works.

Thus a series of romances appear with the Old English epic versification and French romance invested with dignity and stately splendor. In the Middle English period literature of the 14th and 15th centuries is much more diversified than the previous Old English literature and a very great number of romances can be classified according to subject, through it should be noted that they are both alliterative and rhyming in metre. A variety of French and even Italian elements influenced Middle English literature, especially in southern England. In addition, different regional styles were maintained, in literature and learning had not yet been centralized. For these reasons, as well as because of the vigorous and uneven growth of national life, the Middle English period contains a wealth of literary monuments not easily classified. However, the romances of that period are grouped in three categories. The romances which deal with English history are known as ‘The matter of England’; romances dealing with king Arthur is called ‘The Matter of Britain’; romances dealing with classical theme is called The matter of ‘Rome the Great’; with the French legends is called ‘The Matter of France’. The Middle English literature of the 14th and 15th centuries is much more diversified than the previous Old English literature.

Among the English historical romances king Horn, Havelock The Dane, Guy of Warwick and Bevis of Hampton are the best. In Bevis of Hampton has lively characterization of Josiane the heroine and Ascapart the giant, but the theme is well-worn – of a faithless wife, a murdered husband and father, a disinherited son, and an intruding tyrant. There is some interest in Bevis’s vengeance on his father’s murderer and his own wrongdoex, appropriately named Sir Murdour; and his horse Arundel and sword Morglay rank well among those favourite properties of Romance.

In ‘the matter of Britain’ the Arthurian cycle covers a lot of romances. Tristrem, Arthur and Merlin Ywain and Gawain, Morte d’ Arthure are notable. The best of this group of Sir Gawayne and The Grene Knyght is a secular work based on all the earlier Arthurain romances specially perceval of Chrestien de Troyes. This is one of the four alliterative poems contained in a single manuscript MSS – the other poems being Pearl, Purity, and patience. The author of these poems M.S.S. is unknown but surely he would have known courtly society, been familiar with castles, banquetings and hunts and tournaments. Sir Gawayne and Grene knight (late 1300s), has the central character Sir Gawayne who holds the place of honour, for attractiveness of personality. He is the best beloved comrade of Arthur. He is the mirror of knighthood, truest of speech and fairest of farm, very perfect and gentle. In the story we find that the giant like Green knight enters into the great Hall of Camelot on a giant horse, when king Arthur is celebrating Christmas among the knights of the Round Tables. His aim is to challenge Arthur’s knight. He is ready to allow his head struck off if the same thing is agreed to by any knight within a year and a day. Gawain takes the axe and cuts the head of the knight. The giant collects his head coolly and asking Gawain to keep his word turns back. After a year Gawain leaves in search of the green knight. On Christmas ever he reaches a castle and is well received there. After a maze course a Green Knight is found, but by the magic of green silk Gawain resists his own death. Later he returns to the court with triumph. Thus the tale is told of the knight's resistance to the blandishments of another man's beautiful wife.

The shorter alliterative vision poem, The Pearl, written in northwest England in about 1370, is a discussion between the poet and the pearl. It is doctrinal, but its tone is ecstatic, and it is far more deliberately artistic. Here is sincerity, passion, love and beauty. Here the pearl is of hope, beauty and Christianity. Apparently an elegy for the death of a small girl (although widely varying religious allegorical interpretations have been suggested for it), the poem describes the exalted state of childlike innocence in heaven and the need for all souls to become as children to enter the pearly gates of the New Jerusalem. The work ends with an impressive vision of heaven, from which the dreamer awakes. The other two poems Patience and Purity are didactic and of lesser importance than the Pearl.

Apart from above poems Coilzear and Sir Ferumbras are the French romances grouped under ‘The Matter of France’. Again, William of Palerne and Floris and Blauchefleur have two interesting subjects – of missing heir and of the love of a king’s son for a captive maid. Amisand Amiloun is the superior for pathos and beauty. In the Roman stories, king Alisaunder and The Destruction of Troy are long alliterating with popular classical theme.

The Middle English romances are in most cases meant to supply amusement and entertainment to the listeners. They perform the part of picture palaces in the Middle English England. Yet with the popularity of alliterative verse a more serious view is given to the romance. They bear historical value, charm of nature and wild scenery, high ethical ideal and a great literary craftsmanship.

Important Events in Chaucer’s Age : Hundred Year’s war, Black Death, Peasant’s Revolt, Collards Movement, and Revolutionized

LanguageThe period from 1340-1400 is called the age of Chaucer. It was an age of transition. This transition implies a shift from medieval to the modern times. The most important events, of the time are: Hundred Year’s war, Black Death, Peasant’s Revolt, collards Movement, and Revolutionized Language.

Hundred Year’s war: The period between 1338 and 1453 is marked by Hundred Years’ War, a long succession of skirmishes and armed conflict between France and England. The War was a series of short conflicts, broken intermittently by a number of truces and peace treaties. It resulted from disputes between the ruling families of the two countries, the French Capetians and the English Plantagenets, over territories in France and the succession to the French throne. These battles were largely won by English Yeomen. These wars generated the feeling of patriotism and nationalism.

Black Death: In the middle ages, people did not bother much about sanitation and cleanliness, so leprosy and other diseases which breed in dirt were very common. England was often visited by epidemics; especially plague . Black Death, outbreak of bubonic plague that struck Europe and the Mediterranean area during later half of the 14th century.The severest attack of this dreadful epidemic came in 1377. It was called the Black Death. The epidemic swept away of the total population of the England at that time and left the country totally disorganized price, rose and the value of money declined.

Peasant’s Revolt: The suffering peasants of England became very restless and discontented. They revolts in 1381 because , the poll taxes imposed in 1377, 1379 and 1380 were oppressive , Watt Taylor, Jack Straw and John Bull led the peasants revolt .The mob stormed Landon, but Richard II handled the situation very cunningly and got the leaders arrested and then beheaded.

Collards Movement: The medieval cleric was in Latin; very few people could understand what the priest was saying. Moreover, the clergyman had become corrupt undisciplined. John Wycliffe (1320-1384) was, the first Englishman to challenge the Catholic Church. He started what is called the collard’s movement .He translated the bible from Latin in to native tongue and sent his poor priest to all parts, of the country for spreading his message of simplicity causticity & purity .His movement was the beginning of reformation.

Revolutionized Language: Latin and French were the dominant languages in the 14th century in England. However, in lateral half of 14th century English came to its own because of the great works done by Chaucer, Langland and Wycliffe, who wrote in English. Extending from 1066 to 1485, this period is noted for the extensive influence of French literature on native English forms and themes. From the Norman-French conquest of England in 1066 until the 14th century, French largely replaced English in ordinary literary composition, and Latin maintained its role as the language of learned works. By the 14th century, when English again became the chosen language of the ruling classes, it had lost much of the Old English inflectional system, had undergone certain sound changes, and had acquired the characteristic it still possesses of freely taking into the native stock numbers of foreign words, in this case French and Latin ones. Thus, the various dialects of Middle English spoken in the 14th century were similar to Modern English and can be read without great difficulty today. The Middle English literature of the 14th and 15th centuries is much more diversified than the previous Old English literature. A variety of French and even Italian elements influenced Middle English literature, especially in southern England. In addition, different regional styles were maintained, in literature and learning had not yet been centralized. For these reasons, as well as because of the vigorous and uneven growth of national life, the Middle English period contains a wealth of literary monuments not easily classified.The Vogue of romance was passing and the realistic poetry was taking roots. In a way, the age of Chaucer stands, between the medieval and the modern life. Compton Racket Observers, “Chaucer’s world is medieval; but beneath the medievalism, the heaven of the Renaissance is already at work.