Lesson video

Hello and welcome to the fourth lesson about The Canterbury Tales General Prologue.

My name is Ms. King, and today we'll be learning about the idea of chivalry and how this links to Chaucer's, presentation of the Knight.

For today's lesson, all you'll need is a pen and paper or something to write on and with.

please take a moment now to clear away any distractions, including turning off the notifications on any apps or conversations you have running.

If you know how to.

Finally, if you can, try to find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed during the lesson.

Okay so, when you're ready, let's begin.

First, let's recap what we learned last lesson.

Pause the video now and see if you can fill in the gaps, resume the video once you're finished.

Well done.

Let's have a look at some answers.

You might like to correct any mistakes you made and give yourself a big tick for all the ones you got right.

So, in the middle ages, people were divided into three estates, clergy, nobility and peasantry.

Examples of characters from The Canterbury Tales in each state are The Prioress, clergy, The Knight, nobility, and The Miller, peasantry.

Satire is making fun of someone's stupidity or bad behaviour to try and make them improve.

Some of the techniques often used in satire are humour, irony, ridicule, and exaggeration.

Okay so, now let's get started on today's lesson.

So today we will start by learning what chivalry is before moving on to look at how the Knight is described and which techniques are used to describe him.

At the end, you'll have the opportunity to put all your ideas together into an extended piece of writing before completing the quiz.

So, what is chivalry? Chivalry is the code of behaviour that knight's follow.

Chivalry is a noun and the adjective, the describing word, which comes from it is chivalrous.

So for example, we might say The Knight's behaviour was chivalrous.

The Knight followed the code of chivalry.

Pause the video now and write down the definition of chivalry.

Seeing if you can remember what the missing words are.

Resume once you're finished.

Alright, let's see if you've got that.

Chivalry is the code of behaviour that Knight's follow, Knights who follow the chivalric code of value, religion, glory, that means being recognised for the great things you've done and honouring women, treating women with respect.

So, which of these is not something that Knight's who follow the chivalric code would value? Knights would not value disrespect.

That's the opposite of honour.

Now, which of these is not an example of chivalric behaviour? The right answer was losing your temper.

That is not chivalric at all.

Okay next, let's explore how the Knight in The Canterbury Tales is described and see whether he lives up to what was expected of a night in the middle ages.

First of all, though, quick reminder of who the Knight was.

A man who served his Lord as a soldier, in armour, that's metal covering which you wear on your body in battle to protect you, and on horseback.

Now, can you remember, which estate does the Knight belong to? If you said the second estate, the nobility, well done.

Okay so, let's start by looking at what the Knight is like.

Firstly, surprise, surprise Knight is chivalrous.

It also tells us that there was a Knight, a most distinguished man, who from the day on which he first began to ride abroad had followed chivalry.

Truth, honour, generousness and courtesy.

Now there were a few tricky words here, so let's make sure, you know what they mean.

First, Chaucer says that the Knight is distinguished.

This means that he is successful and greatly respected.

Next, we learned that the night acts with honour, this means knowing and doing what is morally right.

And finally, we're told that the Knight values courtesy, that's being polite in your attitude and your behaviour.

All right, let's see if you've got all that.

Which word means knowing and doing what is morally right? It is honour.

Which word means being polite in your attitude and behaviour? The answer is courtesy.

And which word means successful and greatly respected? Well done, if you said distinguished.

Now, what else do we find out about the Knight? So the Knight has fought in many battles, Chaucer tells us when we took Alexandria, he was there.

He often sat at the table in the chair of honour, above all nations.

One in Prussia, in Lithuania he had ridden and in Russia.

No Christian man so often of his rank, when in Granada, Algeciras sank under assault, he had been there, and in North Africa, raiding Benamarin.

In Anatolia, he had been as well and fought when Ayas and Attalia fell, for all along the Mediterranean coast he had embarked with many a noble host.

In 15 mortal battles he had been and jousted for our faith at Tramissene, thrice in the lists and always killed his man.

So if you have a look at that map, you can see so many places that the Knight has been fighting.

Okay, and when he fights the Knight always fights bravely.

In 15 mortal battles he had been and jousted for our faith at Tramissene.

Thrice in the lists, and always killed his man.

Now jousting, is a type of combat on horseback with two Knights who both have lances, like Spears, as part of a tournament competition.

So whenever this Knight in The Canterbury Tales takes part in jousting, he always wins.

He always killed his man.

Okay next then, the Knight is modest.

The Chaucer says and though so much distinguished, he was wise and in his bearing modest as a maid.

All right, first of all, we've got that word distinguished again.

Can you remember what it means? That's right.

Distinguished means successful and greatly respected.

Now, the word maid here, means a young woman, not a servant.

And in Chaucer's time, it had connotations, it made you think of meekness, being quiet and doing what you're told.

So, even though the Knight is distinguished, even though he is successful and greatly respected, he's still modest.

So what do you think modest might mean? Someone who is modest, does not boast about their achievements.

I'd like you to pause the video now to write down the definition of modest, seeing if you can fill in the gaps, resume it once you're finished.

How did you do? Someone who's modest is someone who does not boast about their achievements.

Okay, and two final things we learn about the Knight.

The Knight has good manners, it also says he never yet a boorish thing had said.

In all his life to any, come what might; he was a true, a perfect gentle knight.

Now the word boorish means rude.

So if the Knight, has never, in his whole life, to anyone said anything boorish, he has never been rude to anyone in his life.

So he has a very, very good manners, he's very polite.

Right, finally then, the Knight wears simple clothing, he was not gaily dressed.

He wore a fustain tunic stained and dark with smudges where his armour had left mark.

Okay, so there are a couple of words here you might not be familiar with.

First of all, gaily, in the first line means attractively or showily.

And a fustian tunic, what the night is wearing is a simple robe, a bit like a long tee shirt made of sort of thick, rough fabric.

It wouldn't have been terribly comfortable to wear.

So what might this quotation suggest about the Knight? He's not wearing particularly attractive clothes? He's wearing a simple, quite uncomfortable tunic? which has actually got stains on it and smudges.

Does this description of the Knight, maybe link to something we've looked at before? It could show that he is modest because even though he's distinguished, he doesn't want to show off about it.

Now I'd like you to write down a summary of how the Knight is described.

You can use this sentence start to help you.

Pause the video to complete your task and resume it again once you've finished.

Well done.

So, how many of these did you include? Distinguished Honourable Courteous Successful in battle Brave and Modest Okay so, we know what the Knight is like, but which techniques are used to describe him? Let's look more closely at how Chaucer shows us what the Knight is like.

Now we're going to look at the techniques used.

Techniques are like the tools that a writer uses to create particular effects.

The first technique we're going to look at is a simile.

So a simile is using like or as to compare two different things and show a common quality between them.

So for example, the Knight was as brave as a lion.

Next we have listing.

That's a number of connected things.

One after the other.

For instance, the night was distinguished, honourable, courteous, and brave.

And last, you have repetition.

That's the act of repeating something, which has already been written.

So for instance, the modest, modest Knight would never boast.

Okay, let's see if you were paying attention.

Can you identify the technique? A number of connected things one after the other it is.

Listing.

Let's try another one.

What about the act of repeating something which has already been written? well done if you said repetition.

And the last one, using like or as, to compare two different things and share a common quality between them.

This one is called a simile.

Okay.

Now let's see if we can spot where Chaucer is using these techniques in his description of the Knight.

So, which technique is used here? Truth, honour, generousness and courtesy? So your options are on the right hand side of the screen.

Is that a simile, listing or repetition? Now this one is listing, because there are a number of adjectives, one after the other.

And the use of the list here helps to show the reader just how many amazing qualities the Knight has.

Okay.

What about this one? There was a Knight, a most distinguished man, and though so much distinguished, he was wise.

Think about the words in bold if you're not sure.

Okay.

This one is repetition because the word distinguished has been used twice.

This shows us just how keen Chaucer was to get across that the Knight is really successful and greatly respected.

Okay and one more.

In his bearing, modest as a maid.

That one is a simile because the Knight is compared to a maid, using the word as.

This shows us that he is as modest or as humble as a young woman was expected to be in Chaucer's time.

Okay, let's see if we can put everything we've learned today together by answering the question, How does Chaucer present the Knight? So this is your opportunity to show off all the fantastic learning that you've done today.

I'd like you to follow these steps, to write an answer to the question, how does Chaucer present the Knight? So first, you need to identify a technique used.

So for example, that might be simile, listing or repetition.

Secondly, give a relevant quotation, that means some words from the text, some of the words that Chaucer himself used to describe the Knight.

And thirdly and finally, you need to explain what this quotation suggests about the Knight, which might be that he's courteous, humble, or well-respected and most importantly why the quotation shows this.

And you can use these sentence starts to help you.

Pause the video now to complete your task and resume it again, once you've finished.

Okay, fantastic work.

Right so, let's have a look at some example answers.

You can use these to add to or to correct your own work.

Don't worry if yours are phrased slightly differently to mine or if you've chosen different techniques or quotations, that's fine.

So first, an acceptable answer.

Chaucer uses a simile to show us that the Knight is humble.

For example, in the general prologue it says in his bearing modest as a maid.

This shows that the Knight is humble because he does not brag about his achievements.

Now this is an acceptable answer because it identifies the technique, simile.

It gives a relevant quotation from the text, in his bearing modest as a maid.

And it explains what that quotation shows and why.

Notice that because in the final sentence.

All right then, let's have a look at a really good answer.

So, a good answer.

Chaucer uses a simile to show us that even though the Knight has fought in many battles, he is still humble.

For example, in the general prologue, it says in his bearing modest as a maid.

This shows that the Knight is humble because he does not brag about his achievements.

Now notice how already, even in the first page, this answer shows an awareness that the Knight does have quite a lot to show off about.

It's just that he chooses not to.

It's a bit more subtle.

Okay, second page.

In Chaucer's time, maids, young women, were associated with being quiet and humble.

So this simile shows us just how modest the Knight is.

Having qualities like modesty was an important part of the chivalric code, which nights were expected to follow in the middle ages.

Now, what this makes this answer really good is that it shows an understanding of how The Canterbury Tales, reflects the beliefs of people at the time when Chaucer was writing.

And it also explains in detail why it's a good thing for the Knight to be modest.

Okay, that brings us to the end of today's lesson.

I'd like to say a huge well done for all your hard work today.

Good job.

Now, before you go, I've got two final things I'd like you to do.

First, don't forget to complete the quiz.

And secondly, if you're able to, please take a picture of your work and ask your parents or carer to share it with your teacher so they can see all the fantastic things you've learned today.

Well, all that's left me to say is, thank you.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your learning for today.