Structure in The Canterbury Tales Symbol Key Move

Structure in The Canterbury Tales

Symbol Key Move to the next page Move to the previous page Return to the home page

Home Heroic Couplet Lesson Frame Narrative Lesson Practice Quiz

What is a heroic couplet? A heroic couplet is made up of two things: Iambic pentameter Couplet You can use heroic couplets when writing poetry and music

Iambic Pentameter A line of verse that contains five iambs Iamb: one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable Listen to the General Prologue and notice the stressed and unstressed syllables: http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=QE 0 Mt. ENf. OMU

Couplet

Examples Take a look at the opening lines of the General Prologue in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales…

“Whan that april with his shoures soote, The droghte of march hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veyne in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; ” And so on!

Heroic Couplet Notice how the lines are couplets… Soote Licour roote flour Notice that when read aloud, the lines are written in iambic pentameter

Heroic Couplet The Canterbury Tales are written ENTIRELY in heroic couplets!!!

What is frame narrative? A story being told within another story The introduction goes into another story The other story returns to the original story This is used in many books and movies

Examples of Frame Narrative Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights Nicholas Spark’s The Notebook The movie The Princess Bride And…. Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales!

Frame Narrative In the case of The Canterbury Tales, there are many stories, or “pictures, ” within the main story, or “the frame” Examples: The Miller’s Tale The Pardoner’s Tale The Wife of Bath’s Tale

Practice Quiz

1. What are the two characteristics of a heroic couplet? iambic pentameter, alliteration two lines that rhyme, iambic trimeter iambic pentameter, two lines that rhyme iambic trimeter, alliteration

1. You are incorrect. Explanation: A heroic couplet is not written in iambic trimeter, and does not require alliteration. Try again!

1. You are CORRECT! A heroic couplet has two rhyming lines, each written in iambic pentameter. Next Question…

1. You are incorrect. Explanation: Heroic couplets are not written in iambic trimeter. Try again!

1. You are incorrect. Explanation: Heroic couplets do not require alliteration. Try again!

2. Which is an example of a heroic couplet? “And made forward erly for to ryse, To take oure wey ther as I yow devyse. ” “The chambres and the stabes weren wyde, And wel we weren esed atte beste. ”

2. You are CORRECT! Each line is written in iambic pentameter The two lines rhyme (they are a couplet) Next question…

2. You are incorrect. Explanation: Although both lines are written in iambic pentameter, the lines are not a couplet- “wyde” and “beste” do not rhyme. Try again!

3. Which is not an example of a heroic couplet? “And from shires ende, Of Englelond they wende. ” “And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye” “Bifil that in that seson on a day, In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay”

3. You are incorrect. This is not an example of a heroic couplet because a heroic couplet has two rhyming lines and is written in iambic pentameter. Try again!

3. You are CORRECT! BUT…. Why isn’t it an example of a heroic couplet?

4. “And from shires ende, Of Engelond they wende. ” This is not a heroic couplet because it is not a couplet- the two lines do not rhyme. This is not a heroic couplet because the lines are not written in iambic pentameter.

4. You are incorrect. This is an example of a couplet. Try again!

4. You are CORRECT! The lines are a couplet, but they are not written in iambic pentameter. Next question…

5. The Canterbury Tales has what structure? classical epic frame narrative short story

5. You are incorrect. Explanation: The Canterbury Tales is not short, and it is written in poetic verse. Try again!

5. You are incorrect. Explanation: The Canterbury Tales does not have characteristics of a classical epic, including the evocation of muses and a superhuman. Try again!

5. You are CORRECT! The Canterbury Tales is a frame narrative, as there are many stories told within the main story. Next question…

6. Which is not considered an example of frame narrative? The Notebook The Canterbury Tales To Kill a Mockingbird

6. You are incorrect. Explanation: This plot involves a detached story being told within the main story, so it is a frame narrative. Try again!

6. You are CORRECT! To Kill a Mockingbird is not a frame narrative.

CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve finished the practice! You may now either: Review heroic couplets Review frame narrative Or, take the quiz

QUIZ This quiz will consist of six multiple choice questions. Start…

1. What is the definition of a heroic couplet? two rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter two rhyming lines written in iambic trimeter three rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter

1. You are incorrect. Try again!

1. You are CORRECT! Next question…

2. What is the definition of frame narrative? a story told in which a character is framed a story told within a story that is split into multiple parts

2. You are incorrect. Try again!

2. You are CORRECT! Next question…

3. “Whan that april with his shoures soote, The droghte of march hath perced to the roote” is: an example of a heroic couplet not an example of a heroic couplet

3. You are incorrect. Try again!

3. You are correct Next question…

4. Does the Canterbury Tales qualify as a frame narrative? yes no

4. You are CORRECT!

4. You are incorrect. Try again!

GOOD JOB! You’ve now learned about structure in the Canterbury Tales!