Poynte in Troilus and Criseyde
Poynte Book III of Geoffrey Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde is marked by attentive description of the clandestine first encounter of Trolius and Criseyde at Trolius' bedside. The narrator spares his audience few details in the portrait, recounting extensive dialogue and even the physical mannerisms of the two characters. Chaucer's carefully chosen language and integration of literary vocabulary "echo[es] the concern of the medieval author to elaborate his text by the use of the ornaments of rhetoric" (Burnley, 162). Chaucer's notable descriptive technique is defined by the literary term "pointing" (Burrow, 70) meaning to "describe in detail" (Davis, 111).
The word "poynte" is often classified among other words, like "devise, colour, peynte, and elumine," that share "poyntes" definition. The synonymous words are considered to be "figuratively related to those devises known by the rhetoricians as the flowers or colours of rhetoric, by which a work was given stylistic embellishment" (Burnley, 240). It is thought that Chaucer derived his use of the word "poynte" from Brunetto Latini who often utilized the word "devise" in his works. Devise has "strong associations of graphic visualisation, either unexpressed within the imagination, or expressed in circumstantial description or narration" (Burnley, 240).
The term "poynte" is a verb that "seems to be an Eastern French variant of the more common form peynte." Poynte is also a "familiar Latin metaphor, referring to the elaboration of a discourse by painting it with the colours of rhetoric" (Burnley, 174). Chaucer institutes the technique of "pointing" to vividly set the scenes between Pandarus and Criseyde in Book II and also...
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... in the literary sense.
The Oxford English Dictionarys (OED) definition of the word "paint" is more readily applicable to the meaning of "poynte" in Troilus and Criseyde. According to the OED paint means the following: to depict or describe in words; to set forth as in a picture; to present vividly in the minds eye, call up a picture of. Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde embodies the idea of a visual narrative and Chaucer's use of the duality of the word "poynte" only serves to brighten his audience's view of Troilus and Criseyde.
Works Cited
Burnley, David. A Guide to Chaucer's Language. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1983.
Burrow, J.A. Ricardian Poetry. New Haven: Yale UP, 1971.
Davis, Norman, ed. A Chaucer Glossary. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1979.
Elliot, Ralph W. V. Chaucer's English. London: Andre Deutsch Limited, 1974.
...Sheppard’s translation of the tragedy. It is clearly visible that the tone used in Fagles’ writing is much more vibrant, and carries a lot more emotion than his counterpart. The usage of dramatic tone paves a pathway to more successful and entertaining storytelling that Sheppard lacks. The choices of words and usage of literary devices also raise Fagle’s effectiveness in explaining Oedipus’ tragedy. Sheppard is also at a disadvantage as he does utilize Old English in his writing, and it is obvious the translation would appeal to a different audience than Fagles’. This disadvantage creates a less dramatic tragedy to a more modern reader as the reader will have to consider what is meant. It still is clear that Fagles wrote a more superior translation in comparison to Sheppard’s translation due to more powerful tone, choice of words, and utilization of literary devices.
In his Canterbury Tales, Chaucer fully explicates the cultural standard known as curteisye through satire. In the fourteenth century curteisye embodied sophistication and an education in French international culture. The legends of chilvalric knights, conversing in the language of courtly love, matured during this later medieval period. Chaucer himself matured in the King's Court, and he reveled in his cultural status, but he also retained an anecdotal humor about curteisye. One must only peruse his Tales to discern these sentiments. In the General Prologue, he meticulously describes the Prioress, satirically examining her impeccable table manners. In the Miller's Tale Chaucer juxtaposes courtly love with animalistic lust, and in various other instances he mentions curteisye, or at least alludes to it, with characteristic Chaucerian irony. These numerous references provide the reader with a remarkably rich image of the culture and class structure of late fourteenth century England.
code. With this and no windows it filled the area with smoke quicker ; given a less chance to get out.
...ates the text beneath it, but also adds to the story with dialogue in Middle English. The images assist young readers in teasing out the meaning of Chaucer’s language. Also, along the bottom of each page is illustrations of the pilgrims as they journey towards Canterbury. In addition to presenting images of the tale and the pilgrims, the margins of each page feature birds or other animals commenting on the tales as if they are reading along with readers.
old enough to get married and when she did it would be to someone she
JOHN FINLAYSON, ‘Definitions of Middle English Romance’, The Chaucer Review vol. 15 no. 1 (1980), pp. 44-62
against Germany at one point but jus tried to hold it off as long as
Severs, J. Burke. “The Tales of Romance”. Companion to Chaucer Studies. Edited by Beryl Rowland. Toronto: New York University Press, 1968. Pages 229-246.
Juliet and her Nurse who is also a close friend. She is more of a
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These three descriptions are the first things in Birney’s article that are beginning the ironic structure that Chaucer has carefully built.
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