Medieval English ballad.Queen Eleanor’s Confession.
Workshop.

Medieval English Ballad. Peculiarities
Let me introduce you the Medieval English Ballad and its peculiarities.
The ballads were composed in the XII-XIV centuries and written down in the XV-XVII centuries.
Now you hear the music of Medieval English ballad performed with the Medieval musical instruments.(music files)

Characteristics of a ballad are:

 A ballad tells a story.n
 A ballad focuses on actions and dialoguen rather than characteristics and narration.
 A ballad has a simple metricaln structure and sentence structure.
 A ballad is sung to a modal melody.n
 A ballad is of oral tradition, passed down by word of mouth. Therefore, itn undergoes changes and is of anonymous authorship.

Queen Eleanor 1122-1204, Duchess of Acquitaine

Who was Queen Eleanor and why did the English bards compose a ballad about her?
She was the most famous Lady of the High Middle Ages and:
-the grand-daughter of the first Troubadour,William the 9th of Acquitaine
-the wife of King Louis VII of France and Queen of France,
-the participant of the Second Crusade in 1147,
-the wife of Henry II Plantagenet, Queen of England,
-the mother of King Richard the Lion Hearted(Coeur de Lion),
-the reason of Hundred Years War ,
-the person whose heired Lion was brought into English coat of arms.
She was beautiful,smart,intelligent and inventive.

Second Crusade 1147 (King Louis VII, Saint Bernard and Queen Eleanor) (slide)

King Louis VII of France, King Henry II of England (slide)

Kingdom of Henry II Plantagenet
The vast territories in France which were heired by Eleanor.The united territories of England and Eleanor’s domain were called State of Anjou.

Queen Eleanor and Lady (Fair) Rosamond Clifford (slide)
The legend says that Queen Eleanor poisoned the lover of her husband Lady Rosamond Clifford,but as a matter of fact Lady Rosamond was not poisoned.

Richard the Lion Hearted (Coeur de Lion)(slide)
Son of Eleanor,Troubadour and Crusader.

Queen Eleanor’s Confession
Sample of the Medieval English Ballad. It is written in Middle English. Please,be ready to speak about the ME spelling (presentlie,twa,spake, dee, Henrie,faen,eer and etc.)
The Rhyme pattern is abcb.Devices: repetitions(anaphora,anadiplosis and etc), similie, repetition of stanza and etc.

QUEEN ELEANOR'S CONFESSION

The Queen's faen sick, and very, very sick,
Sick, and going to die,
And she's sent for twa friars of France,
To speak with her speedilie.
The King he said to the Earl Marischal,
To the Earl Marischal said he,
The Queen she wants twa friars frae France,
To speak with her presentlie.
Will ye put on a friar's coat.
And I 'll put on another,
And we 'll go in before the Queen,
Like friars both together.
"But O forbid." said the Earl Marischal,
"That I this deed should dee!
For it I beguile Eleanor our Queen,
She will gar hang me hie."
The King he turned him round about,
An angry man was he;
He's sworn by his sceptre and his sword
Earl Marischal should not die.
The King has put on a friar's coat,
Earl Marischal on another,
And they went in before the Queen,
Like friars both together.
"O if ye be twa friars of France,
Ye 're dearly welcome to me;
But if ye be twa London friars,
I will gar hang you hie."
"Twa friars of France, twa friars of France,
Twa friars of France are we,
And we vow we never spoke to a man
Till we spake to Your Majesty."
"The first great sin that eer I did,
And I 'll tell you it presentlie,
Earl Marischal got my maidenhead,
When coming oer the sea."
"That was a sin, and a very great sin,
But pardoned it may be;"
"All that with amendment," said Earl Marischal,
But a quacking heart had he.
"The next great sin that eer I did,
I 'll tell you it presentlie;
I carried a box seven years in my breast,
To poison King Henrie."
"O that was a sin, and a very great sin,
But pardoned it may be;"
"All that with amendement," said Earl Marischal,
But a quacking heart had he.
"The next great sin that eer I did,
I 'll tell you it presentlie;
I poisoned the Lady Rosamond,
And a very good woman was she.
"See ye not yon twa bonny boys,
As they play at the ba?
The eldest of them is Marischal's son,
And I love him best of a';
The youngest of them is Henrie's son,
And I love him none at a'.
"For he is headed like a bull, a bull,
He is backed like a boar;"
"Then by my sooth," King Henrie said,
"I love him the better therefor."
The King has cast off his friar's coat,
Put on a coat of gold;
The Queen she's turned her face about,
She could not's face behold.
The King then said to Earl Marischal,
To the Earl Marischal said he,
Were it not for my sceptre and sword,
Earl Marischal, ye should die.

Words:
 Friar-монахn
 Sworn(swear)-клястьсяn
n Scepter-[septe]-скипетр
 Sword-[sod]-мечn
 Beguile-[bi’gail]-обманыватьn
 Gar – делать, причинятьn
 Vow-[vau]-давать обетn
n Maidenhead-девственность
 Amendment-поправка, исправлениеn
n Quack-биться
 Bonny-здоровый, цветущийn
 Bar-решеткаn
 Boar-кабан,n вепрь
 By my sooth-воистинуn
 Behold-выдержатьn

Analysis of the poetical text. Scheme.

 Define the poem theme(idea,problem).n

Theme Illness of Queen Eleanor

Idea Faith and infidelity

Problem King Henry promised not to punish Earl Marishal

 Define the type of poem:narrative,lyric,ballad.n

Ballad

 Is the poem titled or untitled?How is the title connected with the poemn itself?

Titled. Names the main theme.

 Who is the poem addressed to?n

Reader,Listener

 Define the rhyme pattern.n
-a-b-c-b

• Is it a poem with well-defined rhythm?
No

 Define the stylistic devices used in the poem: epithet, metaphor, similie,n exaggeration, personification, repetition, alliteration, others.

 Define the style:high,neutral,ironic,sarcastic.n

High and neutral

Queen Eleanor. Modern Reconstruction for the computer game.(slide)