Essays and Research Papers on Medieval Times

(5 pp) Mankind loves stories and their heroes. Some of our first romantic heroes appear in Sir Thomas Malory's (1485) Morte d Arthur. And while Gawain may have survived in literature it is Lancelot that has survived in language. He has become a symbol of unbounded and illicit love. ...

An 8 page research paper that examines the significance of four works in Arthurian legend towards medieval literature in general, and also how each work might be utilized in a high school classroom. These works are Layamon's Brut; Chretien de Troyes' Lancelot or The Knight of the Cart; The Sage of the Mantle and ...

A 5 page research paper that looks at Geoffrey Chaucer's use of humor in his comedic, medieval masterpiece The Canterbury Tales. The writer particularly focuses on the Miller's Tale as being exemplary of Chaucer's gift for comedy. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 15 page overview of the manner in which witchcraft was perceived and persecuted in the Middle Ages. Notes that thousands, if not millions of innocent people were executed as a manifestation of the Church’s desire to suppress any activity which it deemed heresy. Emphasizes that the Church’s view on witchcraft evolved from ...

A 7 page research paper that investigates whether or not the Pardoner can be seen as a Christian. Some critics say that the end of the Pardoner's Tale constitutes an indication that the Pardoner has mended his sinful ways. The write presents arguments pro and con and then argues that the Pardoner is as corrupt ...

A 4 page research paper that looks at the letters exchanged between Peter Abelard and his wife Heloise. The writer outlines their tragic story and then argues that the letters reveal a great deal about how marriage was changing in the Middle Ages. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

A 6 page discussion of vampires of legend and the threats which those vampires may present even today. Some contend they are simply folklore while other contend that they wander the earth even today as estranged souls, separated from the living by their own immortality. Fiction, fantasy, cultism, or reality? The author ...

A 5 page research paper/essay that contrasts and compares Geoffrey Chaucer's Miller Tale from his Canterbury Tales and the medieval mystery play The Second Shepherd's Play. The writer discusses the similarities and differences between these contemporary medieval works. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page research paper that investigates the life and mystical experience of Mechtild (also written as "Mechthild") of Magdeberg. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

21 pages in length. To define courtly love is to characterize the very essence of romance and chivalry, for both of these elements are indicative of the distinction between ordinary love and that which extols virtue, honor and courage by its very name. Famed writer C. S. Lewis defined courtly love as "Humility, Courtesy, ...

This 6.5 page paper gives an overview of the underlying causes of the Black Plague(Bubonic Plague) which broke out in Europe in the 14th Century. The economic, social and political ramifications as a result of the devastation from the plague are discussed and examples given. Bibliography cites 4 sources.

A 6 page research paper that examines how the characterizations in the General Prologue of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales offers the reader some of the best characterization in literature. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

A 5 page essay that examines the role that violence plays in Cretien de Troyes medieval Arthurian romances. The writer discusses how in his Arthurian romances, the worth of the hero, in this case, a knight, is largely based on his bravery in battle and his prowess as a warrior. Therefore, violence is intrinsically mixed ...

This paper examines some unique features about the English families during the Middle Ages, and compares these families to the United States families of the 21st century. Treatment of children in the two periods is also discussed. Bibligraphy lists 2 sources.

A 7 page essay that summarizes and discusses this work by medieval feminist De Pizan, who was a learned and scholarly author during an age (e.g. the fifteenth century) when the vast majority of women, including aristocratic women, were denied formal education. In this text, De Pizan sets herself the goal of teaching women, ...

A 5 page research paper that examines and discusses the Ellesmere Manuscript, which is in the Huntington Library in San Marino, California) is one of the earliest surviving manuscripts of Geoffrey Chaucer's medieval masterpiece The Canterbury Tales. The Ellesmere is also one of the most elaborately illuminated of the surviving manuscripts of The Canterbury Tales. ...

5 pages. During the Medieval period there were many great people who had an impact on the world that has lasted up through modern times. Three of these men are detailed in this paper. Ferdinand Magellan; Erasmus, and Luther. The accomplishments of these three men are varied but each in their ...

This 8 page paper considers the he portrayal given of conquerors Hernan Cortes and Christopher Columbus in both Bernal Diaz’s “The Conquest of New Spain” and A Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies by Bartolome de las Casas. The writer considers what both accounts to indicate what the impression of the men is ...

This 5 page paper discusses aspects of Spain during the 1500s. Spain's population was comprised of a much higher percentage of the peasantry, lower-classes, than was the rest of Europe but the population had strong values in terms of the aristocracy. Still, there were options for ambitious lower class members to change their social status. ...

A 5 page paper. When Charlemagne died in 814, he left an empire that had no legal or administrative structure. What little stability existing during his time was shattered with the invasion of the Vikings. The Christian Crusades began shortly, a noble goal that soon turned to a crusade for wealth rather than its original ...

A 9 page research paper that investigates the influence of Louis IX's Sainte-Chapelle on Henry III's Westminster Abbey. The writer discusses the French influence on the Abbey, in general, sums up what is known about Sainte-Chapelle and the Abbey, and concludes that while the French influence on Westminster is definitive, the specific influence of Sainte-Chapelle ...

A 7 page research paper that contrasts and compares the topic of heroism in Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. The writer concludes that by the time that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was recorded, the cultural paradigm had changed from one stresses the warrior ethos to a Christian perspective. No longer ...

A 9 page research paper that summarizes the political theory of John of Salisbury, the most influential political theorist of the twelfth century and relates it to his time. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 3 page essay that explores the ramifications of the ceremony that makes the young Lancelot into a full knight. Because the ceremony is performed by two different people -- Guenevere and Arthur -- the writer argues that this divides Lancelot's allegiance and makes the subsequent events of the saga more consistent with the image ...

This 3 page paper outlines plans for a medieval game, based upon the historical medieval game Nine Men's Morris. This paper provides a description of the game, the board, the goals of the game, etc. Bibliography lists no sources.