CORREZIONE VERIFICA 13/04/2012

1) "Lord Randall" is a typical English ballad. It tells about a member of aristocracy, Lord Randall, who has been poisoned by a fairy in a magic wood. His ballad shows one of the most common ideas of the Middle Ages. Women were considered dangerous. They could be wives, nuns or prostitutes. If they lived alone and were not married they were considered a danger and temptresses and were associated to the figure of Eve. Moreover women depended on men and in a family the oldest son became the owner of the whole property.

2) Ballads were a popular form of poetry. They dealt with tragic love stories, the battles on the border between England and Scotland or supernatural adventures. They were made up of quatrains and could involve only dialogue or dialogue and narration. Ballads were oral forms of poetry and, since they were handed down orally, they presents many figure of speech (repetition, incremental repetition, alliteration, assonance...) to help memorization. Since they were composed by common people, the language used is Old English with concrete, simple and matter of fact expressions. There is also a large use of Scottish dialect. Ballads were composed to make fun and to make people recognise themselves in the text.

3) Ballads perfectly describe Medieval life and society. They were set in England and on the border between England and Scotland, where common people were vexed by border battles. At the top of Medieval society there was the king, followed by members aristocracy and his vassals. Then there was the members of clergy and then common people. Peasants were at the bottom of society. Men had all the possessions and women depended on them. They gained independence only when they became widows. Religion ruled the whole life of people. The main aim was to gain salvation in the life after death. Besides religion, also supernatural elements had great importance because they were used to explain everything which was considered a mystery. 

4) After the Norman conquest three languages were spoken in England. The Normans brought French with them, which
began to be used in the courts and among the members of aristocracy. Latin was the language of clergy and lawyers while English was spoken only by common people.

5) A novel tells about actions which may happen in real life, while romances deal with great adventures of a knight which fights against supernatural forces.

6) The word "romance" means "written in a language derived from Latin", that is French or one of the other Latin dialects
(Spanish, Italian...). This word as then used to indicate the poems written in French which spread in the Late Middle Ages. Romances were about the adventures of knights who had to fight to undertake a quest, to rescue a lady or to claim their rights. Romances were composed in the courts and were read by members of aristocracy. These adventures where often characterized by the presence of supernatural elements, the knight usually did not know his origins and his identity is shrouded in mystery for most of the poem and at the end the knight's victory brings advantages to his group or to his people.

7) During his adventure a knight may fight to rescue his lady, undertake an adventure ordered by his king or to find something dealing with religion (Holy Grail).

8) Courtly love is a form of love which involves a knight and a lady. She usually has all the values described by the Church and may be associated to the figure of Virgin Mary. The knight serves her and defends his and her honour. Courtly love does not involve marriage and included a series of rules which were handed down by Andrea Cappellanus.