The Middle English period, though the dates are estimated at 1100-1500, began with the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Norman Vikings brought with them an influx of French words and, eventually, French took over as the official language of government. For a short time, the English language was on a decline, until 1204 when King John lost Normandy to the French and English began to rise again. By the mid-14th century, at the time of Geoffrey Chaucer, The Hundred Years’ War was promoting nationalism in England and creating an even bigger divide between English and French. England did not want to be speaking the same language as her enemy. This, along with the Black Plague wiping out approximately a third of the population, promoted nationalism …show more content…
In 1476, William Caxton brought to England the most important element that would push towards Early Modern English – the printing press. When Henry VIII became king in 1485, the end of the war brought on by the War of the Roses effectively ended the Middle English period. He sparked the Protestant Reformation in the early 16th century which led to the rebirth of knowledge known as the Renaissance. Elizabeth I took the throne in 1558 and furthered this movement with the promotion of literature and science. It was during this time that William Shakespeare began writing his plays (1590-1611).
In order to adequately analyze both Chaucer and Shakespeare’s works, we first have to understand the culture in the times that they were writing, specifically in reference to obscenity and the people’s response to vulgarity. People of medieval England at the time of Geoffrey Chaucer did not share our
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After my research, I will make the case that both authors are using such language for characterization in order to relate to their audience, ultimately advocating that both authors clearly display an understanding of the human condition based on the characters they create. I will also explain why I chose Chaucer and Shakespeare. They are two of the most famous writers in English and while much has been published on them, I feel that their work transcends their respective time simply because they understand the human condition and expertly relate to their audience then and their readers