READ ALOUD PLAYS - Mr. Derrick Stalbaum -...

READ ALOUD PLAYS:

TheMiddle Ages

by Jeannette Sanderson

N E W Y O R K • T O R O N T O • L O N D O N • A U C K L A N D • S Y D N E Y

M E X I C O C I T Y • N E W D E L H I • H O N G K O N G

S C H O L A S T I C

BPROFESSIONAL OOKS

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Dedicated to Glenn, Catie, and Nolan

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to Virginia Dooley, Jean Greenough,

Lisa Hall, and the staff of the Field Library in Peekskill, New York,

for their contributions to this book.

Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the designated reproducible pages from this book for classroom use. No other part of thispublication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write toScholastic Inc., 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Cover design by Laura BoragaraInterior design by Solutions by Design, Inc.

Interior illustrations by Mona Mark

ISBN 0-590-76993-6

Copyright © 1998 by Jeannette SandersonAll rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

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Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The Song of Roland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Teaching Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Bisclavret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Teaching Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Robin Hood Helps a Sorrowful Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Teaching Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

The Making of the Magna Carta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Teaching Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

The Divided Horse Blanket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Teaching Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Joan of Arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Teaching Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Patient Griselda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Teaching Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Teaching Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

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W elcome to the Middle Ages. Theeight plays in this book aredesigned to bring you and your

students into the exciting period betweenancient and modern history that spanned the one thousand years from about 500 to1500 A.D.

The plays have a variety of sources. Six ofthem (The Song of Roland, Bisclavret, RobinHood Helps a Sorrowful Knight, The DividedHorse Blanket, Patient Griselda, and SirGawain and the Green Knight) are adaptationsof stories told during the Middle Ages. TheMaking of the Magna Carta is a retelling ofthe events that led to the creation of one ofthe most important documents in history.And Joan of Arc is a dramatic account of thelife of one of the most famous persons wholived during the Middle Ages. The plays arein rough chronological order, based on whenthe events in each actually or imaginativelytook place.

Each play is followed by a teaching guideto help you and your students get the mostout of your reading. The teaching guides aredivided into two sections: Background andMaking Connections.

The first section, Background, enhancesyour class’s reading and understanding of theplay with additional information about theplay’s subject and, if applicable, the originalstory’s author. It also contains a list of Wordsto Know, a list of words from the play whosemeaning your students should know to helpthem get the most out of their reading.

Making Connections contains questionsto use as discussion starters or writingprompts and extension activities to helpstudents further appreciate the play, itssubject, and the time period. The cross-curricular activities emphasize discussion,

writing, research, and cooperative learning.The Further Reading sections feature bookswhich can be used to learn more about thesubject of a particular play or as a steppingstone for research into the time period.

Prepare for the reading of each play byasking what, if anything, students alreadyknow about its subject. Then review thespecial vocabulary. Share the backgroundinformation from the teaching guide withstudents. If time allows, you may want toassign related background reading.

The plays can be read aloud or acted.Most plays have a large number of charactersso that many students can have a chance toread or perform. The majority of roles aremale. Point this out to students. Then, afterdiscussing what this says about medievalsociety, tell students that any student canplay any role, regardless of gender. Encourageall students to participate in the reading oracting of the plays.

Readings can be done just with your classor can be shared with other classes. Afterrehearsing the play, you might considerperforming it for the school, parents, orcommunity.

Enjoy!

Introduction

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Characters (in order of appearance):

NARRATOR

KING MARSILE: pagan ruler of Spain

BLANCANDRIN: one of King Marsile’s knights

PAGANS: King Marsile’s men

KING CHARLES: Charlemagne, King of the Franks

FRANKS: Charles’ men

ROLAND: Charles’ brave warrior nephew

GANELON: Roland’s stepfather

DUKE NAIMES: one of Charles’ counselors

AELROTH: one of King Marsile’s men

OLIVER: one of Charles’ counts, Roland’s friend

ARCHBISHOP TURPIN: one of Charles’ men

The Song of Roland

A French Epic

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ACT ISCENE 1:

Late summer, 778 A.D. Saragossa, Spain.

NARRATOR: King Charles had been inSpain for seven years. During that time,he conquered every castle and city exceptSaragossa. That city on a hill, where KingMarsile made his home, was Charles’s nexttarget. King Marsile knew that.

KING MARSILE: Charles has come to thiscountry to destroy us. My army cannotmatch his in battle. Tell me, counselors,how to avoid death and shame.

NARRATOR: There was a long silence.Then one of Marsile’s wisest men spoke.

BLANCANDRIN: You are not yet

defeated, my king. Promise Charles yourfriendship and service. Offer him greatriches. Tell him you will follow him toFrance at Michaelmas and receive theChristian faith there. Tell him you willsend hostages to guarantee it.

NARRATOR: The group of pagans gasped.

BLANCANDRIN: Wait. Then Charles willreturn to France. He will hold a greatfestival in expectation of your arrival. Butyou will not come.

PAGANS: But what of the hostages?

BLANCANDRIN: Charles will surely havethem beheaded. But better for them tolose their heads than for us to lose our fairland of Spain.

KING MARSILE: You speak wisely,Blancandrin. Go to King Charles with thisoffer. Take my finest men, and carry olivebranches in your hands.

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NARRATOR: Blancandrin did as the kingordered.

SCENE 2:The following day. At King Charles’

camp at Cordoba.

NARRATOR: King Charles sat in a gardenwith some of his most loyal vassals.Blancandrin and his men arrived onhorseback, bearing olive branches.

BLANCANDRIN (dismounting): We greetyou with love and goodwill. King Marsilehas a message for you.

KING CHARLES: What is it?

BLANCANDRIN: My king wishes toconvert to Christianity and to give you alarge portion of his wealth.

NARRATOR: King Charles bowed his headto think and pray.

BLANCANDRIN: You have been in thiscountry a long time. There is nothing left toconquer. If you go back to France, my kingpromises to follow you there at Michaelmas.

KING CHARLES (looking up): KingMarsile is my sworn enemy. How do Iknow you tell the truth?

BLANCANDRIN: He offers you hostages. Iwill even send my own son.

KING CHARLES (hopeful): Your kingmight yet be saved.

NARRATOR: The king rose and walkedover to a pine tree. He called for hisbarons to join him.

KING CHARLES: My lord barons, I askyour guidance. You have heard KingMarsile’s message. Am I to believe him?

NARRATOR: The king looked at his men.His eyes settled on his nephew, Roland.

ROLAND: If you believe Marsile you willregret it. Do you remember the last timehe sent you pagans with olive branches?He had your return messengers beheaded!

NARRATOR: King Charles and his mennodded, remembering.

ROLAND: My king, wage war as you set outto do. Saragossa will soon be yours.

NARRATOR: The king bowed his head inthought. Then Roland’s step-father spoketo the king.

GANELON: If King Marsile wishes tosurrender, we should listen with open ears.This war has lasted long enough.

DUKE NAIMES: There is sense in CountGanelon’s words. You have alreadydefeated King Marsile by taking all hiscastles and cities, save one. It would be asin to proceed since he asks for yourmercy, especially since he offers hostagesas assurance.

FRANKS: The duke has spoken well.

NARRATOR: All nodded, save Roland.

KING CHARLES: Then we shall acceptMarsile’s proposal and stop the war.Whom shall we send to him with word ofour acceptance?

ROLAND: Although I disagree with yourdecision, as your nephew and servant, Iam prepared to go.

KING CHARLES: No, I want you herewith me. Someone else must go.

ROLAND: Then I nominate Ganelon.

FRANKS: He is well suited for the job.

NARRATOR: Ganelon looked at Rolandwith unhidden anger.

GANELON: You fool! If God grants that Ireturn from Saragossa, I will cause youtrouble for the rest of your life.

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KING CHARLES: Come forth, Ganelon.You have been nominated by the Franks.

GANELON: This is Roland’s doing. If Ilive, I will never lose any love for him.

KING CHARLES: You have an evildisposition, Ganelon, but still you shallgo. It is my command.

NARRATOR: Ganelon quickly turnedaway. He went to his tent and donned hisarmor. He mounted his war horse and rodeto where Blancandrin and the othersawaited him. Then they rode off toSaragossa, with Ganelon clearly miserable.

GANELON (to himself): Roland will yet beshamed by his action! (to Blancandrin)Roland loves the emperor. For him he willconquer lands from here to the Orient.

BLANCANDRIN: I have heard of Roland’smany conquests. He is a brave anddangerous man.

NARRATOR: Ganelon thought for a fewmoments. Then he smiled to himself.

GANELON: If anyone were to kill Roland,we would all have peace.

NARRATOR: Blancandrin smiled as helooked at Ganelon.

BLANCANDRIN: I sense that you do notlike Roland.

NARRATOR: Ganelon did not have to say aword. The hatred on his face spoke for him.

BLANCANDRIN: Do you also want peace?

GANELON: I do.

BLANCANDRIN: Then let us bring aboutthe death of Roland.

SCENE 3:Late that day. Back at Saragossa.

NARRATOR: Upon his return,Blancandrin went straight to see KingMarsile. He brought Ganelon with him.

BLANCANDRIN: We carried your messageto Charles, my lord. He has sent CountGanelon, one of his own noble barons, toshow that he accepts your proposal.

NARRATOR: Count Ganelon nodded tothe king.

KING MARSILE: And now I must sendhim the riches I promised, along withtwenty hostages. (He sighed.) Tell me,Count Ganelon. Will Charles ever tire ofwaging war?

GANELON (shaking his head): Never.

KING MARSILE (outraged): Perhaps weshould continue this fight, and start bybeheading this noble Frankish baron!

BLANCANDRIN: Wait, my lord. CountGanelon also wants this war to end. He hasgiven me his word he will help our cause.

KING MARSILE (to Ganelon): How canyou help us?

GANELON: Charles will never tire of wagingwar as long as his nephew Roland lives.There is no man like Roland, and Charlesfears nothing as long as Roland is alive.

KING MARSILE: Then we must bringabout Roland’s death, but how?

GANELON: Do as you said you would. Givethe king the great wealth and hostages youpromised. Tell him again that you willfollow him to France and become aChristian. The king will then leave.

KING MARSILE: Where will Roland be?

GANELON: I will see to it that he is

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stationed in the rearguard of the king’sarmy. You can attack the rearguard whenit is in one of the narrow passes.

NARRATOR: The king nodded.

GANELON: You must send one hundredthousand of your men to fight againstRoland. He is very brave. There will bemany losses amongst your men, butRoland will not escape.

NARRATOR: King Marsile kissed Ganelon.He gave him a gold, jewel-encrusted swordand fine necklaces for his wife. Then, inaccordance with his false agreement, hehad seven hundred camels loaded with goldand silver for King Charles. He gatheredtwenty of his best young men for hostages.

KING MARSILE: Present this treasure andthese hostages to King Charles along withmy word that I will follow him to Franceat Michaelmas. Then have Rolandappointed to the rearguard, where I shallengage him in mortal combat.

GANELON: I will do as you ask. Now Imust be going, I have stayed too long.

NARRATOR: Ganelon climbed onto hisgreat horse and, leading the train ofcamels and hostages, rode away.

ACT IISCENE 1:

The following day. Back at King Charles’ camp.

NARRATOR: Count Ganelon arrived backat camp the next day at dawn. KingCharles was waiting for him.

GANELON: My mighty king, I bring youmuch from King Marsile: great riches,twenty hostages, and his word that he will

follow you into France and receive thefaith you hold.

KING CHARLES (lowering his head):Thanks be to God. (looking at Ganelon)You have done well, Count Ganelon. Yourreward will be great.

NARRATOR: Count Ganelon bowed hishead to hide his deceitful eyes.

KING CHARLES (to his men): Sound thebugles! We shall break camp and return toFrance!

NARRATOR: A thousand bugles weresounded, and the Franks loaded their packhorses.

KING CHARLES: Lord barons, there aremany narrow passes in these mountains wemust cross. We need a strong vanguardand rearguard. Who shall lead thesedetachments?

GANELON: I nominate my stepson to leadyour rearguard. He is your most valiant man.

ROLAND: I know not your reasons,Ganelon, but I accept your nomination. Iwill protect my king in the rearguard, Iwill not let him down.

KING CHARLES: Fair nephew, I shall giveyou half my army for your task.

ROLAND: Rightful emperor, I need onlytwenty thousand of your most fearlessFranks. We shall protect you to the end.You need fear no one in my lifetime.

NARRATOR: King Charles lowered hishead. He stroked his beard and twisted hismustache. Something did not feel right,and tears fell from his eyes.

KING CHARLES (looking up): Take whatyou need, nephew. And may God be withyou.

NARRATOR: Roland rounded up his men.Among them was Oliver, his companionand one of Charles’s best men. They fell to

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the rear as Charles and the others rode on.

KING CHARLES: Something weighsheavily on my mind.

DUKE NAIMES: What is it?

KING CHARLES: I am remembering adream I had last night. A man came andbroke my lance.

DUKE NAIMES: Who was the man?

NARRATOR: Tears fell down the king’scheeks.

KING CHARLES: It was Ganelon, whonominated my nephew to the rearguard. Ido not know what I would do if I lostRoland!

NARRATOR: The king and his men rodeon in silence with a deep feeling of dreadfor Roland.

SCENE 2:August 15, 778. At the pass at

Roncesvalles.

NARRATOR: Roland and his men were inthe pass at Roncesvalles when they heardthe noise of a thousand pagan’s trumpets.

OLIVER: Lord, companion, I think we mayhave a battle.

ROLAND: And may God grant it to us. Wewill serve our king and prove that thepagans are wrong, and the Christians areright. And we shall fight so that no onewill ever sing a shameful song about us.

NARRATOR: Suddenly, a huge army ofpagans came into view.

OLIVER: Ganelon has betrayed us! I havenever seen so many pagans. There are somany of them and so few of us. CompanionRoland, blow your horn. Let Charles knowhe and the army should turn back.

ROLAND: I will not blow my horn in

cowardice and lose my good name.

OLIVER: Blow your horn! Charles will hearit and turn the army around.

ROLAND: Heaven forbid that any manalive should say that pagans made meblow my horn to summon help.

OLIVER: I see no shame in calling for help.Their army is vast, and we have but a tinycompany of men.

ROLAND: The Franks are brave. They willstrike courageously. I shall strikethousands of blows with Durendal, mygood sword.

NARRATOR: The two men watched thehuge army hurtle towards them onhorseback.

OLIVER: If Charles were here, we wouldsuffer no harm. But you refuse to blowyour horn, and the rearguard is in greattrouble. (He shakes his head mournfully.)Those who are part of this rearguard shallnever form another.

ROLAND (angry): Do not speak such words!There is not a coward among our twentythousand men. I swear to you, Oliver, all ofthose pagans are condemned to die.

NARRATOR: Roland called to ArchbishopTurpin to bless the Franks before thebattle. Then Roland shouted to his men.

ROLAND: My lord barons, be brave! Thesepagans are heading for great slaughter!

NARRATOR: Aelroth, who led the pagans,mocked Roland.

AELROTH: Foolish Franks! He who shouldhave protected you has betrayed you. Theking is a fool to have left you in this pass.

NARRATOR: On hearing those words,Roland charged Aelroth and struck himdead.

ROLAND: The first blow is ours!

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NARRATOR: Within moments, theenemies were locked in heated battle.

SCENE 3:Later that day. At Roncesvalles.

NARRATOR: The battle continued. Thedead of both armies littered thebattlefield. But Roland’s army was clearlysuperior; so far, it had killed one hundredthousand pagans.

ARCHBISHOP TURPIN: No one onearth could have braver men than we.

NARRATOR: King Marsile arrived withhundreds of thousands of reinforcements.The Franks looked pleadingly toArchbishop Turpin, their spiritual leader.

ARCHBISHOP TURPIN: Be not afraid,my lords. We will soon be in holyparadise. And because we died fighting, noone will sing a shameful song of us.

NARRATOR: The Franks fought on. Many ofthem fell, but they felled even more pagans.King Marsile could not believe his eyes.

KING MARSILE: Mighty land of France,Mohammed curse you! Your men arebolder than all the others!

NARRATOR: As bold and brave as theFranks were, they could not last foreveragainst Marsile’s reinforcements. Soon,there were only a handful of Charles’s menleft alive.

ROLAND (to Oliver): Our battle is fierce. Ishall sound the horn and King Charleswill hear it.

OLIVER: Do not speak of that to me. It istoo late now. If you had heeded me earlier,my lord would be here now. We shouldhave fought this battle and won it. NowFranks are dead because of yourrecklessness.

NARRATOR: The Archbishop heard the twofriends quarreling and rode over to them.

ARCHBISHOP TURPIN: Lord Rolandand Lord Oliver, I beg you, do not argue.

NARRATOR: Roland looked at his horn.

ARCHBISHOP TURPIN: Blow the horn,Roland. It will not save us, but when theking hears it, he will return and avengeour deaths. He will see to it that we areburied on sacred ground.

ROLAND: Lord, you speak well.

NARRATOR: Roland put the horn to hislips. He blew so hard that his templeburst. Blood gushed from his nose, hismouth, even his ears. But the sound waslong and clear.

SCENE 4:At the same time. Near the front of

King Charles’s army.

NARRATOR: The sound of Roland’s horntraveled far. The king heard it.

KING CHARLES (upset): I hear Roland’shorn. He must be in battle.

GANELON: There is no battle. Rolandwould blow his horn if he saw a hare.

NARRATOR: The king heard the hornagain.

KING CHARLES: The sound is long anddrawn out. Roland is surely in battle.

GANELON: There is no battle. Who woulddare attack Roland the brave? Do not ...

DUKE NAIMES (interrupting): Roland is inbattle, my lord. And he who wants you tobelieve otherwise has betrayed him.

NARRATOR: The king called his servants.He pointed to Ganelon.

KING CHARLES: Seize this traitor! Guard

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him well. He has betrayed my household!

DUKE NAIMES: My lord, hear the distresscry which Roland sends. You must ride tothe aid of your noble household.

NARRATOR: The king had his trumpetssounded for war. The Franks armedthemselves and mounted their war horses.Then Charles led his huge army back toRoncesvalles.

ACT IIISCENE 1:

A short while later. Back at Roncesvalles.

NARRATOR: Roland, Oliver, andArchbishop Turpin were all that remainedof the Frankish rearguard. Still, theyfought on.

ROLAND: When Charles, my lord, comesto this field, he will not fail to bless us. Forevery one of us, he will find fifteen pagansdead. Come, let us fight to the end.

OLIVER: A curse on the slowest man!

NARRATOR: Shortly thereafter, Oliversuffered a mortal blow. He called toRoland with his last breaths.

OLIVER: Lord companion, come and fightby my side. We shall part in great sorrowthis day.

NARRATOR: When Roland reachedOliver, he was dead.

ROLAND: Lord companion, now that youare dead, it grieves me to remain alive.

NARRATOR: Overcome with grief andrage, Roland knocked twenty pagans downdead. Archbishop Turpin killed five. Thenthe air was shattered with the sound ofsixty thousand French bugles blowing.

ROLAND: Charles, who will avenge us, ison his way back!

ARCHBISHOP TURPIN: Let us strikewell to the end!

PAGANS: Their emperor is returning! Howsad that we were ever born. Let us cast ourspears and arrows at these Franks and flee!

NARRATOR: The pagans surroundedRoland and the Archbishop. They hurledtheir weapons and fled. The archbishopwas mortally wounded. Roland kneltbeside him.

ROLAND: Oh, noble man. May your soulknow no suffering and find the gates ofparadise wide open!

NARRATOR: Roland knew that his deathwas also near. He had suffered no woundsfrom the enemy, but the injury fromblowing his horn was killing him. He laydown on the green grass beneath a pinetree and turned his head towards Spain,the land of the enemy.

ROLAND: Oh, God, I confess my sins,protect my soul from evil.

NARRATOR: Roland held out his handand died.

SCENE 2:A short while later. At Roncesvalles.

NARRATOR: King Charles cried out inagony when he reached Roncesvalles. Theentire earth was covered with the deadbodies of Franks and pagans.

KING CHARLES: Where are you, fairnephew? Where are all my great men?

NARRATOR: There was no sound, savethat of tens of thousands of knights andbarons weeping at the sight of their fallensons, brothers, fathers, and friends.

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KING CHARLES: What sorrow I was nothere when the battle began.

DUKE NAIMES: Look, lord. In thedistance. It is the pagan army runningaway. Go after them. Avenge our sorrow.

KING CHARLES: One thousand men willremain here and guard our dead. Let us dowhat we must do.

NARRATOR: The king and his great armyrode after the pagans. When darknessbegan to fall, King Charles got off hishorse and knelt on the ground.

KING CHARLES: Dear God, hold back thenight so that I may avenge the deaths ofmy men.

NARRATOR: An angel appeared and toldKing Charles to ride on, that the sunwould remain where it was. Soon Charlesmet the fleeing pagans in battle. Those heand his men did not slay were driven tothe River Ebro and drowned. The sun didnot set until the battle was over.

SCENE 3:The following day. At Roncesvalles.

NARRATOR: Charles and his men returnedto Roncesvalles early the next morning.

KING CHARLES: Lords, let me go ahead. Iwould like to find my nephew.

NARRATOR: The king walked through thefield, past the corpses of so many of hismen. When he found Roland beneath thepine tree, he fainted.

KING CHARLES (coming to): BelovedRoland, may God have mercy on you. Youonce said that if you ever died on foreignsoil, your head would be turned towardsthe enemy’s land. You were, indeed, aconqueror until the end.

NARRATOR: King Charles sobbed andtugged at his beard.

KING CHARLES: I will know sorrow forthe rest of my days.

DUKE NAIMES: Lord, do not display suchbitter grief. Search the field for our men sothat we may take them to a proper placefor burial.

NARRATOR: King Charles rose andordered the field searched for his men, sothat they could be buried on hallowedground. Then he returned to France,where he had Roland’s stepfather tried fortreason. Ganelon was found guilty anddied a terrible death: After watchingthirty of his kinsmen hanged, he wasdrawn and quartered.

THE END

13

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14

Background

About the Play

T his play is based on the poem The Song ofRoland, which was written about 1100 A.D.

by an unknown French author. This story,about the greatest of the legendary knights toserve Charlemagne is the oldest existing epic

poem in French. There are several survivingmanuscripts, all of which appear to be derivedfrom a lost original.

The poem probably began as a popular songabout a bloody battle fought in 778 A.D. whenCharlemagne, King of the Franks, wasreturning from a military expedition to Spain.During the journey home, the rearguard of hisarmy was ambushed and annihilated by amountain people called Basques in

The Song of Roland

Teaching Guide

WORDS TO KNOW

baron: a nobleman; generally the tenant-in-chief of a property

count: a nobleman in rank above a baron

duke: a nobleman of highest rank

Franks: the people of the formerkingdom that contained what is nowBelgium, France, Luxembourg, theNetherlands, and part of West Germany

knight: a nobleman and soldier

lance: a steel-tipped spear carried bymounted knights

Michaelmas: the feast of St. Michael theArchangel, celebrated September 29

pagan: one who has no religion or is nota Christian

rearguard: a military detachment detailedto bring up and protect the rear of themain body

vanguard: the troops moving at the headof an army

vassal: a servant who has swornallegiance to an overlord

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15

Roncesvalles, a valley in the Pyrenees. Roland,Count of the Marches of Brittany, was thechief hero celebrated in these songs.

By the time it was written down, the legendlost much of its resemblance to actual events.For example, although it was the Basques whohad attacked Charlemagne’s rearguard, in thestory it became the Saracens, Muslims who hadinvaded parts of the Christian world from the600s to the 1000s. This change allowed theauthor to raise the clash to one betweenChristians and pagans. The author also tookother liberties with history, including turningCharles into an old man (he was actually just36 at the time of the Roncesvalles incident)and making Roland Charles’ nephew, which hewas not.

About Charlemagne: Charlemagne (742-814),the great emperor, referred to as King Charlesin The Song of Roland, was the most famousruler in the Middle Ages. Also known asCharles the Great or Charles I, Charlemagnewas King of the Franks from 768-814 andemperor of the West from 800-814.Charlemagne conquered much of westernEurope and united it under a great empire.During his rule, he established feudalism as thebasic political and military system of Europe;he increased the food supply; stimulated trade;supported justice and good government; andimproved education and culture, among otherthings. Although his strong empire fell apartafter his death in 814, the reforms andimprovements he implemented had lastingeffects on European life.

About Feudalism: Feudalism was the system ofpolitical organization in much of Europe fromthe ninth to about the fifteenth centuries.Simply put, this system was based on anexchange of promises between the owners ofthe land and their tenants. The powerhierarchy was shaped like a pyramid with theking, who owned all the land, on top. Under

him were the greatest barons and the bishops.These crown tenants, as they were calledbecause they held their lands on a grant fromthe crown, usually held great amounts of land,and, as a result, owed much to their lord, theking. To help ease the burden of their debt,they divided their land up among their ownvassals, and so on down to the base of thepyramid, which was supported by the peasants,both free and not.

In exchange for the lord’s grants of land andpromises of protection, vassals pledged theirloyalty, paid certain fees, and gave a specifiedamount of goods and services. Among theseservices was the tenant’s promise to fight for thelord when called on to do so. Tenants who did notwish to fight could pay a fee called scutage,meaning “shield money,” that would allow the lordto hire professional fighting men to take his place.

Making Connections

Responding to the Play

Making sacrifices: Early in the play,Blancandrin says the pagans should sendhostages to Charles. Ask students if they agreewith Blancandrin’s opinion that it is “Better forthem to lose their heads than for us to lose ourfair land of Spain”? Why or why not? What dothey think they would be willing to sacrifice fortheir country?

War or peace? Ask students to imaginethemselves in King Charles’s shoes whenBlancandrin presented King Marsile’s proposal.Would they have chosen war or peace? Why?

A sixth sense? Before the attack atRoncesvalles, King Charles had a premonitionthat something would happen to Roland. Onwhat was this premonition based? Do you thinkhe should have done something about thishunch? Ask students if they have ever had a

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16

premonition. Should people pay attention topremonitions? Why or why not?

Courage or foolishness? Oliver wanted Rolandto use his horn to summon Charles’s help.Roland thought it would be shameful to call forhelp. Ask students what they think. WasRoland being brave or foolish in refusing tocall for help? What do students think theywould have done in the same situation? Discusswith students what virtues, such as courage,bravery, honesty, and loyalty, seem to be mostimportant in The Song of Roland.

Extension Activities

Telling tall tales: Cut a story from the localnewspaper about an interesting and excitingrecent event. It could be the high schoolbasketball team’s amazing comeback win, therescue of a cat up a tree, or a foiled robberyattempt. (You might want to ask each studentto find and bring in one such article, which youcan sort through to find one for use with thewhole class.) Copy and share this article withthe class. Then ask each student to write andillustrate a one-page tall tale that somehowgets its start from the news article. Remindstudents that The Song of Roland is based on anactual event, but after years of retelling, itbecame so embellished that it possesses just agrain of historical accuracy.

Two sides of the story: Ask students to thinkabout the viewpoint of The Song of Roland. Askthem to think about how—if they had existedat the time—newspapers of France and Spainmight have differed in their account of thebattle at Roncesvalles. Then divide the class inhalf. Ask one half to compose a newspaperarticle about the battle from the viewpoint ofthe Franks, the other half to compose one fromthe viewpoint of the Spaniards. Read thearticles aloud. Ask students how they compareand contrast. Ask students if they thinknewspapers today contain biases, and, if so,

what that says about how they should be read.

Windows to history: Tell students that manyevents of the Middle Ages were illustrated inthe stained glass windows of cathedrals built atthe time. Ask students if they have seen stainedglass windows; if so, ask them to describe themto the class. If possible, show the class examplesfrom books. Then have each student “make” atracing paper stained glass window based on TheSong of Roland. After they choose the scene theywish to record, have them outline it in pencil.Then suggest that they use black markers for theoutlines and colored markers for the insides.When these “windows” are completed, youmight want to frame them with heavyconstruction paper and hang them on windows.

The Three Estates (Reproducible #1): Savethis reproducible (page 17) for use throughoutthis book. After reading the last play, you maywant to discuss why the distribution ofcharacters does not reflect the entire populationof the Middle Ages. Point out that, althoughmost people were peasants, there was very littlewritten about them, since most peasants couldneither read nor write. For this play, askstudents to place the names of the maincharacters—King Charles, Roland, Oliver, andArchbishop Turpin—in their proper estates.

Further Reading

For Students:The Middle Ages (History of Everyday Thingsseries) by Giovanni Caselli (Peter BedrickBooks 1993).

For Teachers:The Song of Roland by Glyn Burgess (Penguin1970).

The Knight in History by Frances Gies (Harper1984).

Medieval Europe: A Short History by C. WarrenHollister (Knopf 1982).

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The Three EstatesIn the Middle Ages there were three classes, or “estates,” of people.These were the churchmen and women, the nobles, and ordinary people.Although the people of the church and the ruling class were verypowerful, they only made up a small portion of the population. Most ofthe population—80 to 90 percent—was made up of ordinary people. Placethe names of the main characters from the play in their proper estates.

REPRODUCIBLE 1 17

Churchmen and Women Nobles

Ordinary People

Name _______________________________________________________________

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Bisclavret (The Werewolf)From the Lais of Marie de France

18


NARRATOR

BISCLAVRET

WIFE: Bisclavret’s wife

KNIGHT: a nobleman who loves Bisclavret’s wife

KING

COURTIERS 1-3: members of the king’s court

WISE MAN

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19READ ALOUD PLAYS: BISCLAVRET (THE WEREWOLF)

ACT ISCENE 1:

Early Middle Ages. At a nobleman’s home in Brittany, France.

NARRATOR: There once was a fine,handsome knight who was loved by all.We shall call him Bisclavret. This knightwas married to a pretty woman, whom heloved very much. She loved him, as well,but something was troubling her.

BISCLAVRET: My lovely wife, why are youso unhappy?

WIFE: My lord and dear love, something istroubling me. I would ask you about it, if Idared.

BISCLAVRET: My lady, go ahead and ask!

There’s nothing you could want to knowthat, if I knew the answer, I wouldn’t tellyou.

WIFE: My lord, on the days when you goaway from me, I am in such a state—so sadat heart, so afraid I’ll lose you—that Icould die.

NARRATOR: Each week Bisclavretdisappeared for three whole days. Neitherhis wife nor his men knew what happenedto him or where he went.

WIFE: Please tell me where you go, whatyou do. Is there another woman?

BISCLAVRET: There is no other woman.But, my dear, you must not ask me aboutthis. Harm will come to me if I answeryour questions.

WIFE: How will you be harmed by beinghonest with your wife?

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20 READ ALOUD PLAYS: BISCLAVRET (THE WEREWOLF)

BISCLAVRET: If I told you the truth, Iwould lose your love. And perhaps evenmy very self.

NARRATOR: Bisclavret had hoped thatthat was the end of the discussion, but hiswife would not stop questioning him.

WIFE: My dear, I love you so much. Itbreaks my heart that you should keepsomething from me.

BISCLAVRET: You do not really want toknow…

WIFE (interrupting): But I do.

BISCLAVRET (sighing): All right. If youmust know... (pausing) I become awerewolf.

NARRATOR: The wife was speechless.After several long moments she regainedher composure.

WIFE: A werewolf?

BISCLAVRET (sad): Yes. Now you know.

WIFE: But what do you do?

BISCLAVRET: I go off into the great forest,in the thickest part of the woods, and Ilive on the prey I hunt down.

NARRATOR: The wife was curious, despiteher fear and revulsion.

WIFE: Do you wear your clothes when youare a werewolf?

BISCLARVET (hanging his head): Wife, I gostark naked.

WIFE: Then where are your clothes?

BISCLAVRET: That I will not tell you, forif I were to lose them, I would stay awerewolf forever.

NARRATOR: The wife tried to hide herexcitement at learning this piece ofinformation.

WIFE (reaching for Bisclavret’s hand): Mylord, I love you more than all the world.

You must not hide anything from me.

BISCLAVRET: But I do not want thehiding place to be known. It is toodangerous.

WIFE (pouting): That does not seem like loveto me. What have I done for you to mistrustme? Do the right thing and tell me!

NARRATOR: The wife hounded Bisclavreton the matter.

WIFE: If you truly loved me, you would tellme.

NARRATOR: Finally, Bisclavret couldstand her protestations no longer.

BISCLAVRET: On the road beside thewoods, there is an old chapel. In front ofthe chapel is a big, hollowed out stone. Ihide my clothes there until I am ready tocome home.

NARRATOR: The wife nodded and quicklywithdrew her hand. Bisclavret reached forit again, but she flinched. She would notlet him touch her before he had to goaway again.

SCENE 2:Later that week. At Bisclavret’s home.

NARRATOR: As soon as Bisclavret left forthe forest, his wife sent for a knight whoshe knew loved her and would doanything for her.

KNIGHT: My lady, I am always at yourservice. What can I do for you?

WIFE: You must help me. My husband is awerewolf!

KNIGHT: How can that be?

NARRATOR: The wife told the knight thewhole story of how she had confronted herhusband about what he did when he wentaway and what he had told her.

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WIFE: I cannot stay married to such a man!

KNIGHT: What do you wish, my love? Doyou want me to take you away?

WIFE: No, I want you to stay with me. Butfirst, you must get rid of my husband byturning him into a werewolf for good.

KNIGHT: How?

NARRATOR: The wife explained to theknight that her husband needed hisclothes to turn back into a man.

WIFE: So all you have to do is go get myhusband’s clothes, and bring them back tome. If you do that, I will be yours forever.

KNIGHT: My love for you is greater thanmy fear of your husband the werewolf. Iwill do as you ask to make you mine.

NARRATOR: The knight went out andfound Bisclavret’s clothes in the hollowedout rock where he had told his wife he hidthem. The knight brought the clothes backto Bisclavret’s wife. The man Bisclavretnever returned. This saddened all but hiswife, who soon married the knight.

ACT II

SCENE:The following year. In Bisclavret’s forest.

NARRATOR: One day, the king wenthunting in the forest where Bisclavret thewerewolf was. The hunters and dogs foundBisclavret and were about to tear himapart, when Bisclavret saw the king andran to him.

KING: What is this?

NARRATOR: Bisclavret kissed the king’sleg and foot. The king called hiscompanions.

KING: My lords, come quickly! Look, thisbeast is humbling itself to me. It has themind of a man, and it is begging me formercy.

NARRATOR: Bisclavret grabbed the king’sstirrup and held on for his life.

KING: Chase the dogs away! Make sure noone strikes this beast.

NARRATOR: The dogs were called away.

KING: Let us leave this place. I shall extendmy peace to this creature. Indeed, I willhunt no more today.

NARRATOR: The king turned away, butBisclavret followed him. He stayed close tothe king all the way back to the castle. Theking let Bisclavret follow him inside.

KING: I have never seen such a wondrousbeast! He shall stay in the castle. He shallbe well cared for and kept from harm.

NARRATOR: Bisclavret was well-loved inhis new home. He was a noble and well-behaved beast. He followed the king, whomhe dearly loved, everywhere. Each night, heslept among the knights near the king.

ACT IIISCENE 1:

Several months later. At the king’s castle.

NARRATOR: The king was having a feast towhich all the lords in the land had beeninvited. Among the guests was the knightwho had stolen Bisclavret’s clothes andmarried his wife. As soon as this manentered the great hall, Bisclavret attackedhim.

KING (yelling to Bisclavret): Off, beast! Off!What are you doing attacking my guest?

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22 READ ALOUD PLAYS: BISCLAVRET (THE WEREWOLF)

NARRATOR: Bisclavret ignored the kingand knocked the knight to the ground. Hewas about to sink his teeth into the manwhen the king drove him off with a stick.

KING (to the knight): I am sorry. He hasnever acted this way before.

NARRATOR: The knight was pale andshaken. He looked at Bisclavret, who hadto be held back by two of the king’s men,with questioning eyes. Then he hurriedaway. Bisclavret calmed down after he was gone.

COURTIER 1: I have never seen this beastattack another man before!

COURTIER 2: He would not act that waywithout a reason.

COURTIER 3: Somehow or other, theknight must have mistreated him, andnow the beast wants his revenge.

SCENE 2:Not long afterward. In the countryside

where Bisclavret once lived.

NARRATOR: The king, with Bisclavret byhis side, went out hunting and spent thenight in a country estate. Upon hearingthat the king was in the area, Bisclavret’sformer wife went to pay him a visit. Shewas greeted at the door by one of theking’s courtiers.

COURTIER 1: May I help you?

WIFE: I come with gifts and greetings for myking.

COURTIER 1: He is in the great hall. Youmay go see him.

NARRATOR: Bisclavret, who had beensleeping by the king’s side, awoke as soonas his wife opened the door. When he sawthe woman who had betrayed him, helunged at her.

KING (shouting): Beast! Restrain yourself!Men, seize him!

NARRATOR: Several men immediatelysurrounded Bisclavret and were about tokill him when a wise man stopped them.

WISE MAN: Wait! (to the king) My lord,listen to me! This beast has never touchedanyone, or shown any wickedness, exceptto this woman and her husband.

KING: That is true.

WISE MAN: By the faith that I owe you, hehas some grudge against them both.

KING: Does that mean he has the right toattack them in this way?

WISE MAN: I know not. But this woman isthe wife of the knight you used to like somuch, and who has been missing for so long.

KING (sadly): We never could find whatbecame of him....

WISE MAN: Why not put this woman totorture and see if she will tell you why thebeast hates her?

NARRATOR: The king decided to take thewise man’s advice.

SCENE 3:The following day. In the castle’s torture

chamber.

NARRATOR: The wife entered the torturechamber and nearly fainted.

WIFE (panicked): Wait! I will tell youeverything.

NARRATOR: The wife then told all abouther husband and how she had betrayedhim by taking all his clothes away.

KING (shaking his head): So this beast is thehusband you betrayed?

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WIFE: Yes. I am quite certain that this beastis my husband.

KING (to his guard): Take this faithlesswoman away.

GUARD: Yes, my lord. (to himself) I willtake her to her prison cell, though I wouldrather feed her to the beast.

NARRATOR: The guard and wife werenearly out the door when the kingsuddenly thought of something.

KING: Wait! Woman, where are yourhusband’s clothes? What have you donewith them?

WIFE: I hid them at home.

KING (to his guard): Take her to show youwhere they are. But be sure to bring herback.

GUARD: Yes, my lord.

SCENE 4:The next day. In the castle’s great hall.

NARRATOR: The clothes were broughtback and placed in front of Bisclavret inthe great hall. Everyone stood andwatched to see what he would do.

COURTIER 2: He has not even moved.

COURTIER 3: I did see him twitch whenthe clothes were placed in front of him.

KING: Why does he refuse to put them on?

WISE MAN: My lord, you are not doing itright. This beast would never put hisclothes on in front of you. He is ashamedto dress here, in front of all these people.

KING: Yes. I suppose you are right.

WISE MAN: Have him led to yourchamber, and bring the clothes with him.

KING (to one of his men): Do as the wiseman says. (to all) We will leave him alone

and see if he turns into a man.

NARRATOR: A short while later the kingwent into his chamber. The knight—theman we call Bisclavret—was fast asleep onthe king’s royal bed.

KING (weeping for joy): It is he! My loyalknight is found.

WISE MAN (looking at drawing of beasthanging by king’s bed): Yes, though he wasnever truly lost.

NARRATOR: The king went to Bisclavretand hugged and kissed him. He gave himback all the lands that were once his andmore. As for his wife and her secondhusband, the king banished them from thekingdom.

THE END

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READ ALOUD PLAYS: BISCLAVRET (THE WEREWOLF)

Background

About the Play

B isclavret is adapted from one of the twelveshort romances and tales in the twelfth-

century Lais of Marie de France. The story usesthe folklore of lycanthropy (a person becominga wolf by witchcraft or magic), a subject ofdeep fascination to Europeans in the MiddleAges, as a backdrop for a morality tale. In thestory, love is found to be a socializing force,while its betrayal has the opposite effect.

About Marie de France

Marie de France is considered by many to bethe first woman novelist. Very little is knownabout her, except what can be learned from herwritings.

Marie was born in France (hence her name,de France), and lived during the late twelfth andearly thirteenth centuries. She was probably a

noblewoman: she traveled in the high circles ofone of noble birth, frequenting the court of KingHenry and Eleanor of Aquitane; the subjectsthat concerned her—morality and courtlylove—were subjects that would concernsomeone of higher birth; and she was welleducated—she knew French, English, and Latin.

Marie lived during a time of greatintellectual, social, and artistic growth. Shewrote for the English court, which in her daywas French-speaking as a result of the Norman conquest. Her works reached the first large and sophisticated, audience in medieval Europe.

Marie’s greatest work was the Lais, though

Bisclavret (The Werewolf)

Teaching Guide

24

WORDS TO KNOW

chamber: bedroom

courtier: a person in attendance at theroyal court


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she also wrote a collection of animal fables anda supernatural tale, St. Patrick’s Purgatory.Scholars say her literary activities probablydate to between 1160 and 1215.

About the Lais of Marie de France

Marie said she wrote the Lais for a “nobleking,” probably King Henry II. The tales,which Marie wrote in French verse, are likelybased on Celtic tales. They deal mostly withlove and sometimes with adventure. Marieprobably wrote the Lais between 1169 and1199, though the earliest known manuscriptdates from the mid-thirteenth century.

Making Connections


Taming the beast within: Tell students thatthe story of Bisclavret can be seen as anallegory that explores how to tame the beastwithin. Ask students if they agree that there isa beast lurking within all of us. If they agreethere is a beast, ask how they think we tame it.What causes it to emerge or enrages it? Askstudents what tames the beast in Marie’s tale(love and loyalty). What enrages it? (betrayal)

Better left unsaid...: Ask students if theythink that some things—like Bisclavret’sadmission that he was a werewolf—are betterleft unsaid, or do they think that honesty isalways the best policy? Ask them to supporttheir answers with real-life examples.

Villain or victim? Ask students why they thinkBisclavret’s wife acted they way she did. Whatwould they have done had they been her?


Minstrels: Explain to students that in theMiddle Ages, minstrels were musicians who

traveled from place to place, singing andreciting poetry to music. Invite students toperform this story as minstrels. Divide the classinto small groups and assign each group onepart of the play. Ask each group to turn theirsection into verse, the story’s original form.When they are done, ask students to eithersing the story or recite it with musicalaccompaniment—such as taped harp music orany classical piece—as minstrels did hundreds ofyears ago. Note: Rather than change the playback into verse, you might want to have studentsrefer to a translation of the original, such as theLais of Marie de France (Dutton, 1978).

Transformation tales: Tell students that thereare many stories from all over the world inwhich people are transformed into mythicalbeasts, such as werewolves, or real creatures,such as frogs. Other tales of transformationinclude Beauty and the Beast and The FrogPrince. Ask students if they are familiar withany such stories. Then tell students to imaginethat they have to turn into an animal. Askthem to talk about what animal they wouldchoose and why. Have them make a mask ofthat animal, using whatever craft materials youhave available, hold the mask in front of themwhile they tell the class what animal they areand why.

Women writers: Share the biographicalinformation about Marie de France with theclass. Tell students that she may have been thefirst woman novelist and that she was certainlyamong the earliest well known women writers.Invite each student to choose one womanwriter to research. Then ask students to write aone-page report on the author to share withthe class.

The Three Estates (Reproducible #1): Askstudents to go back to this reproducible andplace Bisclavret’s name in its proper estate.

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26

Robin HoodHelps a

Sorrowful KnightA Robin Hood Legend


NARRATOR

ROBIN HOOD: the legendary outlaw

LITTLE JOHNMUCH members of Robin Hood’s band of outlawsWILL SCARLET

SIR RICHARD: a knight

FRIAR TUCK: a member of Robin Hood’s band

ABBOT: the chief monk at St. Mary’s Abbey

SHERIFF: high justice of England

CELLARER: monk in charge of ale and wine at St. Mary’s Abbey

PRIOR: the second in command at St. Mary’s Abbey

PORTER: the monk stationed at the gate of St. Mary’s Abbey

}

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ACT ISCENE 1:

Late twelfth century. Deep inside SherwoodForest in Nottinghamshire, England.

NARRATOR: Robin Hood and his merryband of men rested in their favorite spot,beneath the greenwood tree.

ROBIN HOOD: My stomach tells me it istime to eat, but my mind says it is not.

LITTLE JOHN: Come, Master. We willhave fish and venison and spiced wine.

ROBIN HOOD (shaking his head): No. Icannot dine until I have a strange andunknown guest to dine with us.

LITTLE JOHN (grinning): A wealthy guest?

ROBIN HOOD (laughing): Of course! A

guest who can pay for the best!

LITTLE JOHN: Say no more, Master. I willgo with Much and Will Scarlet to findsuch a guest.

ROBIN HOOD: I shall have the banquetwaiting.

NARRATOR: Little John, Much, and WillScarlet grabbed their bows and arrows andleft the forest in search of a wealthy guest.

SCENE 2:Later that day. Beside a road outside

Sherwood Forest.

NARRATOR: Little John, Much, and WillScarlet hid behind some trees to watchthe road. They saw nothing but honestworking people—ploughmen, swineherds,quarrymen, shepherds, and the like—

27READ ALOUD PLAYS: ROBIN HOOD HELPS A SO RROWFUL KNIGHT

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28 READ ALOUD PLAYS: ROBIN HOOD HELPS A SO RROWFUL KNIGHT

returning home from a hard day’s work.They had been there for several hours.Evening was coming. It was getting coldand dark.

MUCH (shivering): How I long for thefireside and a good warm meal.

WILL SCARLET: I add my voice to yours.

LITTLE JOHN: And I add mine. But dutyis duty. Let us wait a while longer.

NARRATOR: A fine rain began to fall.

MUCH: Let us go before we are soakedthrough.

LITTLE JOHN (whispering): Wait. Lookthere. Down the road. Someone onhorseback. Perhaps it is our guest.

NARRATOR: The three outlaws watched aman ride toward them in the fading light.He wore a knight’s clothes—though theywere quite worn—and rode a worn-outhorse. It was impossible to see the man’sface: he hung his head and rested his chinon his chest.

MUCH (softly): Is that a knight?

WILL SCARLET: If so, he is trulysorrowful.

MUCH: I know not which is sadder, hisragged clothes or his ragged horse.

LITTLE JOHN: Let us bring him back todine with us. If appearances deceive, wewill all be richer before long. If not, thenthis man needs a good meal and his horsea good rest.

NARRATOR: Little John stepped out frombehind the tree and grabbed the knight’shorse by the bridle.

SIR RICHARD (lifting his head, startled):Who are you? What do you wish from me?

LITTLE JOHN: Welcome, sir, to thegreenwood. And greetings from my master.

SIR RICHARD: Who is your master?

LITTLE JOHN: Robin Hood.

SIR RICHARD: I have heard much aboutRobin Hood.

LITTLE JOHN: Now you shall get to meethim. You shall dine with us tonight inSherwood Forest.

NARRATOR: Little John began to lead SirRichard, by his horse, into the forest.

SIR RICHARD: Wait! I am a poor guest.Poor in spirits. (to himself) Poor in worldlygoods.

LITTLE JOHN: That is no matter.

WILL SCARLET: Besides, you and yourhorse are cold and wet.

MUCH: You must also be hungry. RobinHood will generously feed both horse andrider.

SIR RICHARD: But....

LITTLE JOHN (interrupting): The matter issettled.

NARRATOR: Sir Richard hung his head asLittle John, Much, and Will Scarlet led himdeeper and deeper into Sherwood Forest.

SCENE 3:A short while later. Under the

greenwood tree.

NARRATOR: Robin Hood stood to greethis men and his guest.

ROBIN HOOD: Welcome to SherwoodForest. Come, the feast is spread. My menwill take care of your horse.

SIR RICHARD (dismounting): I am SirRichard of the Lea. You must be RobinHood.

ROBIN HOOD: You have heard of me?

SIR RICHARD: Yes.

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ROBIN HOOD: Some call me a goodfellow. Some call me a thief.

SIR RICHARD: Right now, I only know tocall you Robin Hood.

ROBIN HOOD: That is true enough. Now,come dine with me.

NARRATOR: Robin Hood, Sir Richard,and Robin’s men feasted on roast venison,eels boiled in oil, and roast boar. Fordessert they had cheese, nuts, apples,plums, and peaches. They washed it alldown with spiced wine. Sir Richard smiledat Robin Hood when he finished.

SIR RICHARD: Thank you, sir. I have noteaten so well for a long time.

ROBIN HOOD: I am glad you enjoyed it. Forit is our custom here to make guests payfor their meals. Now, Sir Richard, pleasetell me what money you have about you.

SIR RICHARD (blushing): I should not beashamed, but I am. I tell you the truth,that I have but ten shillings. And that isall the money that Sir Richard of the Leahas in all the world.

ROBIN HOOD: By your leave, Little Johnhad best have a look all the same.

NARRATOR: Robin Hood nodded at LittleJohn, who stood to perform this familiarritual. He checked their guest’s purse, hiscloak pockets, and his saddlebags. Tenshillings was all he found.

ROBIN HOOD: You are an honest knight.But how did you come to be so poor? Haveyou no castle, lands, or cattle?

SIR RICHARD: A year ago I had. But illluck befell me.

ROBIN HOOD: Perhaps I can help you.Will you tell me more?

SIR RICHARD (with a heavy sigh): I have ason. He is just twenty years old. Last yearhe accidentally killed man in a joust. My

son was not to blame. But the man hekilled had been powerful. His kinsmenhad my son thrown into prison. I paid allthe money I had to ransom him, and stillthe sheriff said it was not enough. Ineeded four hundred pounds more.

ROBIN HOOD: What did you do?

SIR RICHARD: I went to St. Mary’sAbbey, in York. I knew the Abbot there.

FRIAR TUCK: A man ungodly, greedy, andproud.

SIR RICHARD: Yes, but wealthy. Theabbey swims in gold.

ROBIN HOOD: Did the Abbot give youthe money? Is your son free?

SIR RICHARD: Yes. And Yes. But ....

ROBIN HOOD: Go on.

SIR RICHARD: The Abbot’s terms wereharsh. He gave me a year to repay the fourhundred pounds, or he would take all Ihave—my castle, my lands, and my cattle.

ROBIN HOOD: And now the year is up?

SIR RICHARD (hanging his head): Yes, but Icannot pay. When your men stopped me, Iwas on my way to St. Mary’s to beg theAbbot for a few month’s grace. But I fear Ishall not win it.

FRIAR TUCK (shaking his head): You neverwill. I know that Abbot well. He does nothave a kind bone in his body.

WILL SCARLET: Have you no friends whowill help you?

SIR RICHARD: While I was rich, I hadmany friends. But no more. Now I have nofriends.

ROBIN HOOD: Many have found RobinHood a friend in their troubles. (He turnsto Will Scarlet.) Go to the strong box,Will, and fetch four hundred pounds. Andfind a horse and armor and suit of clothing

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fit for our good friend’s station. He willneed them in the morning.

NARRATOR: Will went to do as he was told.

SIR RICHARD (moved): I can hardly speakmy thanks. (He pauses.) Tell me, whenwill I pay you back?

ROBIN HOOD: Twelve months from today.Here, under my greenwood tree.

SIR RICHARD: In a year then, my friend.

FRIAR TUCK (clapping): To sleep now,everyone to sleep. It is late, and we mustget up early to see our friend off.

LITTLE JOHN: But he cannot rideunattended! Whoever heard of a knightwithout a squire?

ROBIN HOOD: You are right, Little John.And the job shall be yours.

LITTLE JOHN (grinning): Imagine a squiresix feet seven inches tall!

NARRATOR: Everyone laughed as theyfound their sleeping places for the night.

ACT IISCENE 1:

The next morning. Under the greenwood tree.

NARRATOR: Will Scarlet brought SirRichard the four hundred pounds, newclothes, and a strong, handsome horse.

SIR RICHARD: Thank you. I will ride thishorse with joy on my long journey.

NARRATOR: Sir Richard put the money inhis saddlebags. Then he wrapped the goodclothes in a bundle and put them on hishorse.

WILL SCARLET: Will you not wear thefine clothes?

NARRATOR: Just then, Little John andRobin Hood joined them.

SIR RICHARD: I would rather travelpoorly clad.

WILL SCARLET: But why?

SIR RICHARD: I want to test the Abbot’scharity before I pay my debt.

LITTLE JOHN (slapping his thigh): That is awonderful idea! Let me put on some old,ragged clothes. Then we will be off.

NARRATOR: While Little John changed,Sir Richard and Robin Hood said theirgood-byes.

SIR RICHARD: I will forever rememberyour kindness.

ROBIN HOOD (clasping Sir Richard’s hand):Go, good and gentle knight. I lookforward to seeing you again in twelvemonth’s time.

NARRATOR: Sir Richard and Little Johnset off on their long journey to York andSt. Mary’s Abbey.

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SCENE 2:Three days later. At St. Mary’s Abbey.

NARRATOR: A merry feast was takingplace inside the abbey.

ABBOT (clasping his fat, dimpled hands):Today is the day Sir Richard’s lands willbecome mine!

SHERIFF: And what a fine estate it is!

CELLARER: Are you sure, Lord Abbot,that he will be unable to pay his debt?

ABBOT: Yes! I have secretly watched SirRichard this past year and I know he hasno money to repay me.

PRIOR (meekly): I think…

ABBOT (impatient): What is it? Speak up!

PRIOR: I think your wrong Sir Richard toseize his castle and his lands and humblehim so.

ABBOT (angry): You fret me like a flea inmy beard. Save your breath. (He looks outthe window.) I wonder, will he keep his day?

PRIOR: He may arrive here yet. It is still anhour until noon.

SHERIFF: He will not come. But never fear.We will find a way to get his lands from him.

SCENE 3:A short while later. At the abbey gate.

NARRATOR: Sir Richard and Little Johntied their horses to an iron ring in theabbey wall. Then they knocked on thegate. The porter answered.

PORTER: Yes?

SIR RICHARD: I would like to see theAbbot.

NARRATOR: The porter looked the tworagged men up and down with distaste.

PORTER: If it is food and shelter youwant…

SIR RICHARD (interrupting): Please tellthe Abbot that Sir Richard of the Lea ishere to see him.

PORTER (surprised): Sir Richard?

NARRATOR: The porter stood in disbeliefuntil Little John took a step closer to him.

PORTER: Come with me.

NARRATOR: Sir Richard followed theporter into the main hall.

SCENE 4:Moments later. Inside the main hall.

NARRATOR: Sir Richard walked directlyup to where the Abbot was sitting and fellto his knees.

SIR RICHARD: Lord Abbot, I am here tokeep my day.

ABBOT (roughly): Have you brought mymoney?

SIR RICHARD: Alas! I have not so muchas one penny upon my body.

NARRATOR: The Abbot did not try tohide his smile.

ABBOT: Then your land, your castle, andyour cattle all belong to me!

SIR RICHARD (blushing): My good LordAbbot. I ask a few month’s grace. I havehad bad luck. My....

NARRATOR: The Abbott slammed downhis silver goblet so that wine splashed allover the table.

ABBOT: Not even a half-day more!

SIR RICHARD: I ask your mercy. Please do

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not strip me of my lands and reduce a trueknight to poverty.

NARRATOR: Sir Richard looked aroundthe room pleadingly. His eyes rested onthe sheriff.

SIR RICHARD: You are a man of law.Won’t you help me in my time of need?

SHERIFF (nudging the Abbot): This is nobusiness of mine, but maybe I can help. (tothe Abbot) Will you not ease some of hisdebts, Lord Abbot?

ABBOT (sighing): Pay me three hundredpounds, Sir Richard, and I will give youquittance of your debt.

SIR RICHARD: You know, Lord Abbot,that it is as easy for me to pay fourhundred pounds as three hundred. Won’tyou give me more time to pay my debt?

ABBOT: No! Not another day!

SIR RICHARD: You will do no more for me?

ABBOT (angry): Enough! Either pay yourdebt or release your land and be gone frommy hall.

NARRATOR: Sir Richard, who had beenkneeling all this time, rose to his feet.

SIR RICHARD: Abbot, you are a false,lying priest! You and your monks befoulyour habits and the holy name you bear.

ABBOT (rising): Get out of my hall or I willcall my man!

SIR RICHARD: Do not bother. I will callmy man instead.

NARRATOR: Sir Richard raised a horn tohis lips and blew. Little John lumberedinto the room carrying a large, leather bag,which he handed to Sir Richard. Theknight turned it over and emptied a pile ofgold money onto the table in front of theAbbot.

SIR RICHARD: Remember, Lord Abbot,

that you promised me quittance of mydebt for three hundred pounds. I will notgive you one penny more.

NARRATOR: The Abbot’s head droopedand his face sagged as he watched SirRichard count out three hundred pounds.

SIR RICHARD: Now, Lord Abbot, I havepaid my dues. I will leave this place.

NARRATOR: Before they left, Little Johnlooked long and hard at the Sheriff andthe Abbot’s men.

LITTLE JOHN: Now I know your faces aswell as your hearts. I hope we meet againin Sherwood Forest.

NARRATOR: Fear filled the hall as LittleJohn followed Sir Richard out of the abbey.

ACT IIISCENE 1:

One year later. Outside Sherwood Forest.

NARRATOR: Little John, Much, and WillScarlet were once again looking for a guestto bring back to the greenwood. The roadwas quiet.

MUCH: I wonder if we shall see Sir Richardpass this way on his way into the forest.

WILL SCARLET: I hope this year has beengood to him.

LITTLE JOHN: Hush! I see our guest, andit looks like he can pay us well.

NARRATOR: The men watched as a monkapproached leading seven packhorses andguarded by fifty men.

LITTLE JOHN: Loosen your swords.

MUCH: We are only three. I fear we willmeet disgrace.

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LITTLE JOHN (ignoring him): Bend yourbows. That monk that leads the band, Imet him at St. Mary’s Abbey.

NARRATOR: Little John, Much, and WillScarlet stepped in front of the Cellarerwith their bows drawn.

LITTLE JOHN: Stop, you false monk. Orwe will let these arrows fly.

NARRATOR: The Cellarer stopped andquickly looked for help. But his guards,upon seeing Robin Hood’s men, had fled.

LITTLE JOHN: Come. My master iswaiting for you.

NARRATOR: The Cellarer was toofrightened and angry to speak. He letLittle John and the others lead him andhis packhorses into Sherwood Forest.


greenwood tree.

NARRATOR: Little John led the monk toRobin Hood.

LITTLE JOHN: I have brought you a guestfrom St. Mary’s Abbey.

ROBIN HOOD: Welcome! So, you are fromSt. Mary’s? What is your office?

CELLARER: I am the cellarer. I look to theale and the wine.

ROBIN HOOD: High Cellarer, I welcomeyou. Come. Eat. Drink. I think you willenjoy our wine.

NARRATOR: The monk’s trembling didnot prevent him from gobbling a goodamount of food and washing it down withplenty of Robin Hood’s best wine.

ROBIN HOOD: You have eaten well. Now,let us settle our accounts.

CELLARER (choking on his wine): Whataccounts?

ROBIN HOOD: Surely you are here tosettle Sir Richard’s debts.

CELLARER: I know not what you aretalking about!

ROBIN HOOD: What have you, sir, in yoursaddlebags?

CELLARER: I’ve twenty marks, to see methrough my journey.

ROBIN HOOD: If that is all, I shall nottouch one shilling. But if you have lied,High Cellarer, your deceit shall cost youdear.

NARRATOR: Robin Hood nodded at LittleJohn, who emptied the monk’s saddlebagson the ground. They contained eighthundred pounds of silver and gold.

ROBIN HOOD (clapping his hands): Thankyou, High Cellarer. Now go in peace. Tellyour Abbot that he has paid Sir Richard’sdebt twice over.

CELLARER: But....

ROBIN HOOD: If you had told the truth,he need have paid it only once. Now go.

NARRATOR: The Cellarer started to speakagain but thought better of it. He climbedback on his horse and, leaving all he hadbrought with him behind, was led back tothe highway.


greenwood tree.

NARRATOR: The sun was setting when SirRichard came to Sherwood Forest. Theknight found Robin Hood and his mensitting under the greenwood tree.

SIR RICHARD: I come to pay you four

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hundred pounds, the money I borrowedone year ago this very day.

ROBIN HOOD: Keep your money. You oweme nothing. It has been paid—withinterest—by the High Cellarer of St.Mary’s.

NARRATOR: Robin Hood then went on totell Sir Richard of the day’s first guest.

SIR RICHARD: That is a wonderful story.But are you sure you will not take my gold?

ROBIN HOOD: No. I could not take themoney twice.

NARRATOR: Robin Hood looked at thewagon Sir Richard had brought with him.It was piled high with bows, bowstrings,and arrows.

ROBIN HOOD: What are these hundredbows and arrows?

SIR RICHARD: They are my humble giftsto you. One hundred bows of the finestyew with bowstrings twisted by my wifeand her maids. One hundred leatherquivers. And, inside each quiver, a scoreof shafts feathered with the plumes ofpeacocks.

NARRATOR: Robin Hood pulled one ofthe bows from the wagon and admired it.

ROBIN HOOD: I accept your gift with allmy heart.

NARRATOR: Robin Hood and Sir Richardlooked at each other in silence.

SIR RICHARD: I must return before mylady begins to worry.

ROBIN HOOD: If ever you need a friend,you have one in the greenwood.

SIR RICHARD: That I know. And if everyou are in need, come to me and my lady.The walls of Castle Lea shall be battereddown before I will let harm befall you.

NARRATOR: Robin Hood nodded his

thanks. Then he and each of his menpicked up a flaming torch to light SirRichard’s way out of the forest. At theedge of Sherwood, Sir Richard kissedRobin upon the cheeks.

SIR RICHARD: I am one who says RobinHood is a good fellow.

NARRATOR: Robin clasped Sir Richard’shand. The knight smiled at his friends,turned onto the King’s highway, and wasgone.

THE END

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READ ALOUD PLAYS: ROBIN HOOD HELPS A SO RROWFUL KNIGHT

Robin HoodHelps a

SorrowfulKnightTeaching Guide

35

Background

About the Play

R obin Hood Helps a Sorrowful Knight isadapted from what scholars believe may

have been the first of the many stories aboutthe legendary English outlaw Robin Hood.The story of Robin Hood, the knight, and theAbbot of St. Mary’s was first recorded in TheGest of Robin Hood, a long poem composed inthe fifteenth century, perhaps as early as1400. This is one of the first written versionsof the story. Scholars believe, however, thatstories about the legendary prince of thieveswere first told about 200 years earlier.

About the Legend of Robin Hood

Scholars believe the legend of Robin Hood,the English outlaw who stole from the rich

WORDS TO KNOW

abbey: a monastery, or house for persons under religious vows, such asmonks and nuns

abbot: the superior of a monastery formen

cellarer: the official in charge ofprovisions, i.e., food and drink

joust: a match fought with lances bytwo knights

kinsmen: relatives


porter: a doorman

prior: the second in charge, after theabbot, of a monastery

squire: the shield- or armor-bearer ofa knight

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and gave to the poor, began in the 1300s.The first written reference to Robin Hood isin the long poem Piers Plowman, writtenabout 1377, and the oldest surviving versionsof the stories—five poems or ballads and afragment of a play, which include the Gest—date from the fifteenth century and later.

Who was Robin Hood? Some scholarsthink that the character is based on a realperson, though they cannot agree on whom.Some think Robin Hood was Robert Fitz-Ooth, the Earl of Huntingdon, born 1160,while others think he was a contemporary ofEdward II, who lived in the early fourteenthcentury. Then there is the intriguingreference to “Robertus Hood fugitivus” inYorkshire records dated 1230. The problem isthat there are no records from that timeshowing knowledge of Robin Hood or hisdeeds. It is this that causes a good manyscholars to doubt that there ever was a realRobin Hood. They believe that the characteris entirely fictional, although parts of thelegend may be loosely based on stories aboutother, real, thirteenth century outlaws. In theend, it doesn’t seem to matter whether or notRobin Hood was a real person. The characterhas survived for more than six hundred yearsas a hero in ballads, poems, books, plays, andmovies, regardless of his authenticity.

Why has the legend lasted so long? Fromthe beginning, the story was very popular.Three of its main elements—the sheriff, theforest, and archery—were of great interest toEnglish people in the Middle Ages. Thesheriff, along with such characters as theAbbot of St. Mary’s, symbolized a majorproblem of the Middle Ages—the corruptionof and exploitation by men who had powerand wealth. Robin Hood’s duping androbbing the rich and powerful made him areal hero, especially with common people.The forest was something nearly everyoneknew—during the thirteenth century, nearly

half of England was still covered with thickforest. And the appeal of archery was far-reaching—it was a skill shared by all socialclasses and, sometimes, both genders.

Because the story was so popular, it spreadquickly. The earliest surviving versions of thestories begin with such phrases as, “Lithe andlistin, gentilmen,” indicating that the storieswere recited to an audience. Thus the storiesspread from family to family and village tovillage by word of mouth. The teller of thetales was often a minstrel, a medievalentertainer who traveled from place to place,bringing his songs and stories with him. Thepopular legend traveled far and wide, andfast. By the end of the fifteenth century,Robin Hood was known in a wide range oftowns in northern and southern England, aswell as in Scotland. When printing wasinvented, the stories were written down.Today, they are known all over the world.

Making Connections


Good fellow or thief? Remind students thatin Act I, Scene 3, Robin Hood says to SirRichard, “Some call me a good fellow. Somecall me a thief.” Ask students if, based onthis play, they would call Robin Hood a goodfellow or a thief? Why? Do they think it ispossible to be both? Ask them to explaintheir answers.

Do two wrongs make a right? Invite studentsto discuss if they feel Robin Hood wasjustified in robbing the cellarer to, as he putit, pay Sir Richard’s debt. Why or why not?

Appearances deceive: Ask students whatthey would expect an outlaw living in theforest to be like. What would they expect anabbot to be like? How do Robin Hood and

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the Abbot of St. Mary’s differ from theirexpectations? Are people always what theyappear? Ask students to share examples oftimes when they have been deceived by aperson’s appearance.

A friend in need...: Review with studentsthe scene in which Will Scarlets asks SirRichard, “Have you no friends who will helpyou?” (Sir Richard replies, “When I was rich,I had many friends. But no more.” Act I,Scene 3.) Discuss the meaning of friendship.Ask students if they think Sir Richard’sfriends were real friends. Why or why not?

Making a legend: Ask students to think aboutwhy Robin Hood, if he ever existed, hasbecome a legend. What made him so popularthat his stories would be told for more thanfive hundred years? Ask students if they canthink of anyone today who has the potentialto become a legend. If so, who, and why?


Picture this: Divide students into smallgroups and ask each group to make a posteradvertising the play Robin Hood Helps aSorrowful Knight. Each group should try tocreate artwork and a tagline that convey thesubject of the play. Display the completedposters. Ask students to look at them andthink about the differences and similaritiesin the ways they and their classmates visuallyrepresented the play. Ask students whatabout each poster makes them want to seethe play. Why? You may want to extend thisto a discussion of advertising in general; whatworks to get students’ attention and whatdoes not?

Pass it along: This activity—a variation ofthe game “telephone”—will help students seehow a story can and does change as it ispassed from one person to the next. First, aska volunteer to write a brief story about

something funny that happened to him orher. Then ask that student to read the story toanother student. Ask that student to tell thestory to another student, and that student totell it to another student, and so on untileveryone in the class—including you—hasheard the story. Ask the final listener to writedown the story. Then read both versionsaloud to the class. Students will probablyhave a good laugh over how the storiescompare. Point out that stories of RobinHood were passed along orally for twohundred years before they were written down.Ask them to think about how the storiesmight have changed through the years.

Rhyme time! Ask each student to research alegendary hero from American folklore (forexample, Davy Crockett, Johnny Chapman/Appleseed, Pocahontas). Ask each student tocompose a ballad (a rhyming story suitable forsinging)—the form of some of the first storiesabout Robin Hood—about his or her hero.The ballad can be about the hero’s entire life,or just about a portion of it. Invite students toshare their ballads with the class.

Money matters: Ask students to calculatehow much money Robin Hood “made” on hisloan to Sir Richard (400 pounds). Moreadvanced students can figure out how muchinterest he made (100 percent).

Further Reading

For Students:Robin and His Merry Men: Ballads of Robin Hood(Walck 1970).

Some Merry Adventures of Robin Hood byHoward Pyle (Scribners 1954).

Robin Hood: His Life and Legend by BernardMiles (Checkerboard 1989).

Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest by AnnMcGovern (Scholastic 1991).

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The Makingof the

Magna CartaA Dramatization

38


NARRATORS 1-2

ARCHBISHOP WALTER: Archbishop of Canterbury

KING JOHN: King of England

BARON

BARON’S WIFE

PEASANTS 1-3

WARDEN: one of King John’s men

PRIOR

ARCHBISHOP LANGTON: Archbishop of Canterbury, after Archbishop Walter

ROBERT FITZWALTER: a baron

BARONS 1-2

WILLIAM MARSHAL: one of King John’s advisers

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39READ ALOUD PLAYS: THE MAKING OF THE MAGNA CARTA

ACT ISCENE 1:

May 27, 1199. Inside Westminster Abbey,London, England.

NARRATOR 1: After the death of hisbrother, King Richard, John quicklypresented himself to be crowned king. Theyoungest son of King Henry II stoodbefore a crowd of English nobles andchurchmen and took his coronation vows.

ARCHBISHOP WALTER: Do you, John,swear to love and protect the Church ofRome.

KING JOHN: I swear it.

ARCHBISHOP WALTER: Do you swear tolove and protect your people?


ARCHBISHOP WALTER: Do you swear tosee that true justice is carried out in yourkingdom?


NARRATOR 1: John made these promiseswith ease, but not sincerity. While hewanted the power of the throne, he didnot concern himself much with itsresponsibilities.

SCENE 2:Early 1204. Inside an English

nobleman’s castle.

NARRATOR 1: Soon after John becameking, he prepared to sail for France. TheFrench king, Philip, was trying to captureEnglish possessions on the Continent.

NARRATOR 2: John called his barons tocome fight with him. He was using the

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40 READ ALOUD PLAYS: THE MAKING OF THE MAGNA CARTA

feudal custom that said, when called uponby their overlord, men must fight or pay forprofessional soldiers to fight in their place.

NARRATOR 1: But many of John’s baronsrefused to go, saying that their feudalobligations did not extend to fightingacross the Channel. This angered Johngreatly, and he set off to fight with less of aforce than he would have liked.

NARRATOR 2: John’s fight wasunsuccessful. By 1204, he had lost much ofthe land held by his ancestors. Johnblamed the barons who had refused tofollow him into war for this defeat. Andhe expressed his anger toward them withgreed and cruelty.

BARON: I am afraid I have bad news fromWestminster, dear.

BARON’S WIFE: What is it? Has KingJohn increased our taxes yet again?

BARON: Yes, but it is more than that. Theking has demanded that I surrender ourson to him as a hostage.

BARON’S WIFE (shocked): A hostage? Butwhy?

BARON: To ensure my good behavior.

BARON’S WIFE: I do not understand.What have you done to offend him?

BARON: The king is taking many sonshostage. He is punishing all the baronswho did not go to France with him.

BARON’S WIFE: You gave him a large sumof money to excuse you from that battle,did you not?

BARON: Yes, but he now says that was notenough. He is sure there is some sort ofconspiracy against him.

BARON’S WIFE: Is there?

BARON: There are many disgruntledbarons. This king’s taxes are high and hisfees are unreasonable. But more than that.

He persecutes as he pleases, seizingproperty and person without regard to thelaw. And now, this hostage-taking….

BARON’S WIFE (crying out): I will not lethim have our son!

BARON: I am afraid we must. If we do not,he will take our lands and brand me anoutlaw. There will be a price on my head.

NARRATOR 1: The wife put her face inher hands and wept bitterly.

NARRATOR 2: The baron’s hearthardened against the king. With theconstant struggle for power in the MiddleAges, the alliance between a king and hisbarons was seldom an easy one. KingJohn’s actions made it worse.

SCENE 3:A summer day during King John’s rule.

In a rural English village.

NARRATOR 1: Like most men of theMiddle Ages, King John loved to hunt. Hehad all of the royal forests at his disposal,for these forests were reserved for the king.Common people were strictly forbidden tohunt there.

NARRATOR 2: There were many villageswithin the royal forests. The villagerswould often surround the fields theyfarmed with ditches and hedges to keepforest animals from eating their crops.

NARRATOR 1: John often showed hiscruelty by putting his pleasure above hissubjects’ survival. This following was notan uncommon occurrence during his reign.

PEASANT 1: Look! Smoke! Over on theedge of our neighbor’s wheat field!

NARRATOR 1: The peasant and his sonran toward the burning hedge. They weremet on the way by several other villagers.

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PEASANT 1: What is happening?

PEASANT 2: The king’s warden and hisforesters are setting fire to our hedges!

NARRATOR 1: The peasants ran to thewarden and stood, dumbstruck, staring atthe flames consuming their protectivehedges. One of them finally spoke up.

PEASANT 3: Why have you set fire tothese hedges?

WARDEN (angry): Who are you to questionthe actions of an officer of the king?

PEASANT 1 (meekly): Can you not at leasttell us why?

WARDEN: The impudence! I should arrestyou for it, were you not to be punished inanother way soon enough. Now be offwith you. I must finish preparing for theking’s hunt.

NARRATOR 1: With that, the wardencontinued his destruction, and thepeasants knew the reason for it. The kingwas coming to hunt in the nearby forest.And he wanted his game fattened—ontheir crops—before he came.

NARRATOR 2: The peasants took turnswatching the fields and trying to drive offthe forest animals that came to grazethere. They saved a good deal of grain thatway. But it didn’t matter much in the end.During the hunt, the king and his mentrampled the peasants’ tall grain fields.John and his men gave nary a thought tothe hunger that would be the result oftheir carelessness.

SCENE 4:July, 1205. Canterbury, England.

NARRATOR 1: When John first becameking, there was another powerful ruler inEngland. His name was Hubert Walter,

and he was Archbishop of Canterbury,head of the Church of England. As theArchbishop, Walter had much power. But he had even more because John’spredecessor, King Richard, had often lefthim in charge of the country during hislong absences.

NARRATOR 2: John resented ArchbishopWalter’s power and was delighted to getnews of the Archbishop’s death in July,1205. King John rushed to Canterbury. Hecouldn’t wait to fill the position withsomeone who would do as he was told.

KING JOHN (to the monks and prior ofCanterbury): I demand that you elect JohnGrey, Bishop of Norwich, as your newArchbishop.

NARRATOR 1: John’s demand was metwith silence.

KING JOHN: Have you ears?

PRIOR: Yes, Sire. But I am afraid we cannotdo as you ask. We have already electedReginald, one of our own.

NARRATOR 1: The king flew into a rage.

KING JOHN: How dare you? I will let thePope know of your treachery. And I willsee to it that John Grey is given this office!

NARRATOR 1: Both King John and theprior of Canterbury sent messages to thePope, Innocent III, who settled the matterby appointing another person entirely. Hischoice for the job was Cardinal StephenLangton, an Englishman teaching at theUniversity of Paris.

NARRATOR 2: John erupted in a furywhen he learned of Pope Innocent’saction. He expelled the prior and monksfrom Canterbury and seized the churchand its holdings there. He vowed that theonly person he would accept forArchbishop was John Grey.

NARRATOR 1: When the Pope learned of

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John’s actions, he placed England underan interdict. That meant the churcheswere closed. There were no masses, nomarriage blessings, no last rites. This hurtthe common people much more than thenonreligious king.

NARRATOR 2: In fact, John saw theinterdict as an excuse to seize more churchproperty. The battle between King John andthe Church continued for a number ofyears. It wasn’t until John heard that thePope was encouraging King Philip of Franceto invade England that John decided tomake amends with the church. He did thisby agreeing to accept Stephen Langton asArchbishop of Canterbury in 1213.

ACT IISCENE 1:

August 25, 1214. At St. Paul’s Church,London.

NARRATOR 1: Stephen Langton, the newArchbishop of Canterbury, had heardmuch about King John’s rule that hadtroubled him while he was in France.Once he was back in England, he wasdetermined to do something about it.

NARRATOR 2: Langton thought thereshould be a form of written contractbetween a king and his subjects. Hegathered a group of nobles to discuss hisideas.

ARCHBISHOP LANGTON: It gives mehope to see so many of you. Do you knowwhy I have called you?

ROBERT FITZWALTER: I have heardthat you wish to help us settle ourgrievances with the king. There are many.

ARCHBISHOP LANGTON: What arethey?

BARON 1: He taxes and fines us beyondreason. In the 15 years since he becameking, John has taxed us more often that hisfather did during his entire 35-year rule!

BARON 2: It is true his greed knows nobounds. He sold my daughter to aFrenchman because he bid the highestprice for her!

BARON 1 (sadly): Your daughter may bewith a Frenchman, but at least you knowshe is safe. John has taken my son, alongwith the sons of many of us here, ashostages to ensure our good behavior. Ifear what will become of them. (quietly) Ifear what he will do if he learns of thismeeting. There is no justice....

ROBERT FITZWALTER (interrupting): Nojustice save that which can be bought!

NARRATOR 1: Archbishop Langtonlistened to the barons express their rageand frustration with King John’s rule.After a while, he spoke again.

ARCHBISHOP LANGTON: We mustrestore to England an orderly governmentunder the law. Otherwise, there will becivil war.

BARON 1: I am ready to fight.

BARON 2: As am I.

NARRATOR 1: Many of the baronsshouted their willingness to take up armsagainst the king. Archbishop Langtontried to calm them.

ARCHBISHOP LANGTON: I wish tohelp you, but the Church’s goal is peace.

BARON: How are we to have peace underJohn’s rule?

ARCHBISHOP LANGTON: I have founda charter of Henry I. By this charter youmay, if you wish it, recall your long-lost

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rights and your former condition.

NARRATOR 1: Archbishop Langton wenton to describe, in detail, the libertiesgranted in King Henry’s charter more thanone hundred years before.

ARCHBISHOP LANGTON: The charterspeaks of the king’s obligations to you andto all his subjects. It also speaks of yourrights, including your right to stand up forwhat is due you.

NARRATOR 1: The barons were quiet forsome moments after Archbishop Langtondescribed the charter.

ARCHBISHOP LANGTON: If you acttogether, you can bring the king to restorethis charter.

NARRATOR 1: The barons began talkingexcitedly among themselves. Then theyaddressed the archbishop.

ROBERT FITZWALTER: Before you, weswear that we will stand up for these rights.

BARON 1: We will fight for them. Ifnecessary, we will die for them.

ARCHBISHOP LANGTON: And I willsupport you, so long as your demandsremain just.

NARRATOR 1: Over the next severalmonths, Langton worked with the baronson a list of demands to present to KingJohn. He tried to get them past pettydemands and toward requests that wouldmean justice for all.

SCENE 2:January 6, 1215. At the Temple in London.

NARRATOR 1: When the barons werefinally ready to present their demands tothe king, he only reluctantly agreed tohear them.

KING JOHN: What manner of address isthis, from vassals, to demand an audiencewith your king?

ROBERT FITZWALTER: We mean nodisrespect, Sire. We only ask for our lawfulright that you hear us out.

KING JOHN: Lawful! I decide what islawful!

ROBERT FITZWALTER: Yes, Sire, but....

KING JOHN (interrupting): Need I remindyou that I will use force to put down anytreasonous activity.

ROBERT FITZWALTER (boldly): Forcecan be met with force, Sire.

NARRATOR 1: King John pretended hedidn’t hear FitzWalter’s remark.

KING JOHN: Well then. What is it youwant?

ROBERT FITZWALTER: We want you toconfirm the good laws of Edward theConfessor, reissue the charter of libertiesgranted by Henry I, and restore all ourancient liberties.

NARRATOR 1: John reddened as he triedto control his rage against these men andtheir demands. Control it he must,though, for he knew that losing his tempercould lead to a revolt.

KING JOHN: Your demands are a matter ofimportance and difficulty. I must havetime to study and review them.

ROBERT FITZWALTER: We have alreadywaited many years for these liberties. Howmuch longer must we wait?

KING JOHN: I will give you my answer theMonday after Easter. I need that time todetermine how to satisfy your grievancesas well as the dignity of my crown.

NARRATOR 1: The barons reluctantlyagreed to wait.

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NARRATOR 2: King John did not turn hisattention to the barons’ demands, however.Instead, he prepared for civil war. He spentthe time the barons gave him putting all ofhis castles in a state of defense.

SCENE 3:April, 1215. At Stamford.

NARRATOR 1: Easter came and went, andthe barons still had no word from theking. So they and their men-at-armsbegan assembling at Stamford.

NARRATOR 2: When John learned of thebarons’ activities, he sent WilliamMarshal, one of his closest advisers, andArchbishop Langton to Stamford. He washoping to avert civil war once more.

ARCHBISHOP LANGTON (addressing thebarons): It is the king’s desire that yourgrievances be settled peaceably.

ROBERT FITZWALTER: We, too, desire apeaceable settlement.

WILLIAM MARSHAL: Have you a list ofthe exact reforms you want granted?

NARRATOR 1: The rebels handed Marshala list. It asked that the old laws andcustoms be restored.

WILLIAM MARSHAL: This is it?

ROBERT FITZWALTER: Yes. And wetrust that the king will immediately puthis agreement to these demands in writingand affix his seal to it.

WILLIAM MARSHAL: And if he does not?

ROBERT FITZWALTER: Then we shallhave no choice but to seize his castles,lands, and goods.

NARRATOR 1: Langton and Marshalbrought the list of demands back to theking. John exploded after Langton and

Marshall read him the long list of demands.

KING JOHN (furious): Why, amongst theseunjust demands, did not the barons ask formy kingdom also?

NARRATOR 1: King John refused thebarons’ ultimatum, and the civil war began.

NARRATOR 2: The rebels launched theiropening attack on the royal castle atNorthampton. They quickly learned thatJohn was a tough opponent and weredriven back in fifteen days.

NARRATOR 1: King John did not havelong to gloat over this easy victory.Within weeks of their defeat, the rebelswent on and took London. Because therich citizens of the city had also sufferedunder John’s harsh rule and were ripe forrebellion, the city fell easily.

NARRATOR 2: The loss of London ledJohn to conclude that he must reach anagreement with the rebels. He askedArchbishop Langton to set up aconference with the rebel leaders andarrange for a truce until then. Themeeting was set for June 15, on a littlemeadow on the bank of the Thames Rivercalled Runnymeade.

ACT IIISCENE:

June 15, 1215. Runnymeade.

NARRATOR 1: With each side’s army visiblein the distance, the king and his men metwith the rebels on the appointed date.

NARRATOR 2: As Robert FitzWalterapproached his king, all watched to see ifhe would kneel. He did not. He simplyhanded John a piece of parchment.

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ROBERT FITZWALTER: Here, Sire, arethe demands which you have indicatedyou are willing to grant us.

NARRATOR 1: King John dared not showhis humiliation over his subject’s refusal tokneel before him. He held his head highas he accepted the piece of parchment.

KING JOHN: It is true that, for the sake ofpeace and for the good of my kingdom, Iam willing to grant certain laws andliberties. But I would never grant you suchliberties as would make me your slave.Therefore, these matters must beconsidered by my advisers who are herewith me today.

NARRATOR 1: With that, John turnedand went into the tent that was set up fordeliberations. Leaders from both sidesfollowed him inside.

NARRATOR 2: Each demand was read anddiscussed. After many objections, KingJohn finally agreed to nearly all of thebarons’ demands.

NARRATOR 1: The Articles of the Barons,as they were first called, were agreed uponand sealed by the king on June 15. Clerksspent the next three days fine-tuning theGreat Charter, or, in the Latin in which thedocument was written, the Magna Carta.

NARRATOR 2: On June 19, 1215, theMagna Carta was complete. ArchbishopStephen Langton asked King John toplace his hand on the Bible.

ARCHBISHOP LANGTON: Do you,John, King of England, swear that theconditions of this charter shall be kept ingood faith and without evil intent?


NARRATOR 1: Archbishop Langton thenadministered a similar oath to the barons.When they were finished, they kneltbefore King John and once again swore

their loyalty to him. The charter, whichgranted liberties “to all the free men of thekingdom,” was copied and sent to everycathedral and major city in the country.

NARRATOR 2: As with other oaths he hadmade, however, King John had nointention of keeping this one. Nine weeksafter he placed his seal on the MagnaCarta, he convinced Pope Innocent todeclare the charter null and void. ThePope did so on the grounds that thebarons had violated the fundamentalprinciple of feudal loyalty to an overlord.

NARRATOR 1: Civil war broke out again.The French, taking advantage of theweakness caused by the civil war, tried toinvade England. When King John died thefollowing year, in 1216, the war was stillundecided. King John’s former advisers,including William Marshal, knew thatthey had to unite the country against theforeign enemy. They reissued the MagnaCarta in the name of the new king, John’snine-year-old son, Henry.

NARRATOR 2: The charter was confirmedand reissued throughout England’s history.Eventually, the Magna Carta became partof the fundamental law of England. It hasalso become part of the basic law ofdemocratic countries around the world.

THE END

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READ ALOUD PLAYS: THE MAKING OF THE MAGNA CARTA46

The Makingof the

Magna CartaTeaching Guide

Background

About the Play

T his play is a dramatization of the eventsleading up to the creation of the Magna

Carta, the document that was to become thefoundation of the British Constitution (not awritten document, simply all the principlesthat underlie British law) and the law of manydemocratic nations, including the UnitedStates. Most of the events in the play actuallytook place, although there is little or no record

WORDS TO KNOW

archbishop: the religious head of aprovince, ranking after the pope and the cardinals

baron: a nobleman; generally the tenant-in-chief of a property

charter: a written contract

feudal: relating to feudalism, the systemof political organization prevailing inEurope from about the ninth to thefifteenth centuries, which is based on therelationship between a lord and a vassal.

interdict: a church judgment of

condemnation that forbids mostsacraments and Christian burial from anarea

overlord: a supreme ruler

peasant: a member of the class ofpersons that works the land

prior: the second in charge, after theabbot, at a monastery

vassal: a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he has vowedhomage and loyalty

warden: the guard of the royal forests

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of conversations that occurred.

About the Magna Carta

In form, the Magna Carta was much like othermedieval charters: It was handwritten in Latinon parchment and authenticated by the king’sseal. (Royal charters were not signed butsealed.) It was different in that most previouscharters had granted rights to special groups ofpeople, but this one granted rights “to all thefree men of the kingdom.” The Magna Cartaasserted the principle of the Rule of Law: Allmen are bound by law; no man—king, baron,or peasant—is above the law.

The Magna Carta came about primarilybecause many people in the late twelfth andearly thirteenth centuries felt that King Johnhad stretched his liberties too far and hadinfringed on the liberties of the clergy, thenobles, even the peasants. John’s treatment ofthe nobles—persecution of his enemies,seizures of properties, taking sons as hostages toensure fathers’ obedience, and heavy taxes andfines—made them ripe for rebellion. Under theguidance of Stephen Langton, Archbishop ofCanterbury, their rebellious spirit waschanneled and used to meet Langton’svisionary goal of a written contract betweenthe king and his subjects that explicitly statedthe rights and obligations of all. Langton’s goalwas achieved with the sealing of the MagnaCarta on June 15, 1215.

At King John’s request, Pope Innocentcanceled the Magna Carta before summer’send. The charter was later upheld by John’sson, Henry III, and later English kings. Iteventually came to be recognized as part of thefundamental law of England. Several of itsprinciples regarding legal and political rightswere carried to other countries. The MagnaCarta strongly influenced the framework of theUnited States Constitution.

There were 63 articles in the Magna Cartaof 1215. While many of these quickly became

obsolete, others have formed the basis for lawsthat we have with us to this day. These includean article that says the king will not sell, deny,or delay justice; another that says that no freeman shall be imprisoned, deprived of property,exiled, or destroyed, except by the lawfuljudgment of his peers or by the law of the land.

Of the many copies of the Magna Carta thatwere sent throughout England in 1215, onlyfour survive today. Two of the originals are inthe British Library in London, one is inSalisbury Cathedral, and one is in LincolnCathedral.

Making Connections


Rule of law versus rule of man: Compare anddiscuss the terms “rule of law” and “rule ofman.” Explain that rule of law, a conceptupheld in the Magna Carta, means that thegovernment is based on laws, and all persons—kings, presidents, and common people—mustobey those laws. The rule of man implies thatgovernment—whether it’s run by one person ormany—is above the law. Ask students findexamples in the play of ways in which KingJohn thought that he was above the law. Whatwere some of the consequences of his behavior?Ask students: Is the United States governmentbased on rule of law or rule of man? What aresome things that King John did that thepresident of the United States couldn’t do?

Do rights and responsibilities go together?Tell students the saying, “To whom much isgiven, much is expected.” Ask them what theythink it means. Do they agree with it? Howdoes it apply to King John? Did he welcome hisresponsibilities to his subjects as much as hewelcomed his power over them? Ask studentswhat the expression means in their lives. Ifthey have a lot of anything—talent,

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intelligence, money—should they be expectedto give more in return than someone who doesnot have as much? Why or why not?

Old laws in modern times: Discuss how someold laws have become outdated while othersremain valid in modern times. Ask students tobrainstorm rules and laws that they follow todaythat would have been valid during the MiddleAges (i.e., you do not take what does not belongto you). Then ask them to think of rules andlaws that would have meant nothing to peoplehundreds of years ago (i.e., stop at red lights).


The Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution:Write the following provision from the MagnaCarta on the board so that students can read it:“No freeman shall be taken or imprisoned ordisseised of an freehold or liberties or customsor outlawed or banished, or in any waydestroyed, nor will we go [march] against him,…except by the lawful judgment of his peers,or by the law of the land.” Ask students toresearch and find which of the first tenAmendments to the United StatesConstitution is derived from this provision(the Fifth Amendment) and to copy it onto apiece of paper. As a class, discuss ways in whichthe Fifth Amendment protects U.S. citizens.

Chart it out: If you haven’t already done so, thismight be a good time to draw up a set ofclassroom rules, or a class charter. Worktogether to come up with a list of rights andresponsibilities for all class members. Askseveral students to take notes during discussions,and one student to write the final draft.

Latin roots: Ask students if they know whatMagna Carta means. Tell them it means “GreatCharter” in Latin, the language in which thedocument was written. Explain that, untilmodern times, Latin was the dominantlanguage of school, church, and state in

Western Europe. Tell students that, althoughwe rarely use Latin today, the language is stillwith us in that many of our words have Latinroots. Ask each student to brainstorm a list often or twenty words and then look up theirroots. How many words have Latin roots? Youmight want to ask one or two students to tallythe class total and calculate the fraction orpercentage of words with Latin roots.

Sealed with a...: Explain to students thatcharters in the Middle Ages were not signedbut sealed. Ask each student to design a sealthat they think would be appropriate for theirletters. For inspiration, you might share withstudents examples of different seals and coat ofarms from Kings and Queens. As they designtheir seals, remind them that a seal will printbackwards—for example, a “b” will print “d”—so they should take this into account in theirdesigns. If you have older students, you mightlet them carve their seals out of a potato thathas been cut in half. Students can then try outtheir seals on a soft substance such as modelingclay or use a stamp pad and paper.

The Three Estates (Reproducible #1): Askstudents to go back to this reproducible (page17) and place the names of these characters intheir proper estates.

Further Reading

For Students:Magna Carta by William F. Swindler (Grosset& Dunlap 1968).

Magna Carta by C. Walter Hodges (Coward-McCann 1966).

Medieval People by Sarah Howard (Millbrook1992).

First Facts About the Middle Ages by FionaMacDonald (Peter Bedrick Books 1997).

The Middle Ages (Cambridge Introduction toWorld History series) by Trevor Cairns(Cambridge University Press 1972).

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The Divided Horse

BlanketA Medieval Folktale

49


NARRATOR

HENRY: an old peasant

GEOFFREY: Henry’s friend

GILBERT REEVE: the reeve, or village overseer

JOHN: Henry’s son

AGNES: John’s wife

THOMAS: John’s and Agnes’s son

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ACT ISCENE 1:

Late summer, 1300 A.D. In the fields of a small English village.

NARRATOR: It was late morning thesecond day of Lord Elton’s harvest. Thepeasants, who had been required toharvest the lord’s fields before harvestingtheir own, were sitting in the fieldsenjoying the traditional dinner feastsupplied by the lord of the manor.

HENRY: I have never seen a man eat as youdo, my friend.

GEOFFREY (with a mouthful of food): I eatwhen there is food.

HENRY: Lord Elton has provided much foodfor us this day.

NARRATOR: Geoffrey nodded as hecontinued to eat. Then he pointed toHenry’s untouched loaf of bread.

GEOFFREY: You, too, should eat whilethere is food in front of you.

HENRY: I shall, though first I must rest a bit.

GEOFFREY: Are you ill?

HENRY: No. I am simply tired—tired andold.

NARRATOR: Henry sighed and tore off achunk of bread.

HENRY: I only hope I have strength to threshmy own fields after I have fulfilled my laborservices to Lord Elton.

NARRATOR: Geoffrey washed his breadand cheese down with a long drink of ale.Then he shook his head with disapproval.

GEOFFREY: Old men should not berequired to labor for the lord.

50 READ ALOUD PLAYS: THE DIVIDED HO RSE BLANKET

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51READ ALOUD PLAYS: THE DIVIDED HO RSE BLANKET

HENRY: But I am an unfree tenant, a villein,and all villeins owe the lord week-work.

NARRATOR: Geoffrey thought as he tookanother long drink of his ale.

GEOFFREY: You have a son. Have youthought to give him your holding inexchange for his promise to maintain you?Then the obligations to the lord—workservice, rent, and fees—would be his. Hewould also get the land, which wouldallow him to marry.

HENRY: I have thought of that. But a manwants to be master of his own cottage,however humble.

NARRATOR: The reeve began shouting inthe fields.

GILBERT REEVE: Back to work, all of you!This is not a holy day, but a harvest day!

NARRATOR: Geoffrey quickly stood andstuffed as much food as he could up hissleeve. Henry was still sitting when thereeve reached them.

GILBERT REEVE: Lord Elton wants thisfield harvested by sundown. (He looks atHenry.) Can you do the work, old man, orwill you hire someone to do it for you?

HENRY (indignant): I can do it!

GILBERT REEVE: Try to move a littlefaster than you did this morning, then.

NARRATOR: After the reeve continued onhis way, Henry struggled to his feet. Geoffreyput his hand on his friend’s shoulder.

GEOFFREY: Consider what we talked about.

HENRY: I will.

SCENE 2:That evening. In Henry’s cottage.

NARRATOR: Henry and his son, John, saton benches at the trestle table in their

small cottage and ate their supper of darkbread, turnips, and ale. The hall was quietsave for the crackle of the fire, for theylived alone. Henry’s wife had died givingbirth to John, their only surviving child.

HENRY: You have been a good son, John.You have the gentle nature of your mother.You work hard, you do not complain.

JOHN (softly): What do I have to complainof? My life is like most others.

HENRY: Do you not want to marry?

JOHN: I cannot marry without land, and Iwill not have land until....

NARRATOR: John was afraid to finish hissentence, so Henry finished it for him.

HENRY: Until I die? You can say it. Is thatnot how I got this land, upon my ownfather’s death?

NARRATOR: John nodded.

HENRY: Perhaps you will not have to waitfor that day.

JOHN: What do you mean, Father?

HENRY: I have decided to transfer myholding to you now, while I live. The landwill be yours, as will the obligations ofwork service, rents, and fees.

NARRATOR: John did not know what to say.

HENRY: In exchange, you must promise tomaintain me here as a free boarder for aslong as I live.

JOHN: Certainly I will take care of you,Father. Everything will be as it is now. Youwill keep your room, I will continue tosleep in the loft. And when you havearranged my marriage, my new wife willsleep in the loft with me.

HENRY: Good then, it is settled. After weharvest our own fields, I will go to themanor to make the transfer official. Thenwe will find you a good, hard-working wife.

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SCENE 3:The following week. Outside the walls

of the manor.

NARRATOR: Henry went to the manorand transferred his property to John. Onhis way out of the walled grounds, he sawGeoffrey, coming to grind his wheat.

HENRY (calling out): My friend! Thank youfor your good advice. I have just been tothe manor to transfer my holdings to John.

GEOFFREY: I am glad for you. You will nothave to work so hard. And John? Heagrees to keep you?

HENRY: Of course. He is a good son.

GEOFFREY: Have you a written contractgiving the terms of your agreement?

HENRY: No. None of us can read or write,and I will not pay one more fee to LordElton to have one written for me. Besides,I have John’s word. I know he would neverharm me.

GEOFFREY: What about when he marries?What if his wife is not so good as he?

HENRY: Have you not heard? Agnes Est willbe his wife, her parents have agreed to it.

GEOFFREY: They must all be glad,especially she. With two older brothers tofight over a small plot, she stood littlechance of marrying.

HENRY: That is in part why I chose her.She appears very grateful, which is a trait Iwant in a daughter-in-law who is to helpprovide my keep.

GEOFFREY: May she be as grateful after themarriage ceremony as before.

HENRY: She will be. And I will expect tosee you at the ceremony.

GEOFFREY: Do you promise food and ale?

HENRY (laughing): You will have your fill,my friend.

GEOFFREY: Then I will be there.

NARRATOR: John and Agnes weremarried several weeks later. After a feastin the village tavern, Henry, John, andAgnes returned to their cottage. John tookAgnes up to his loft and left the one roombeside the hall to his father, as he hadpromised. At first, Agnes did act grateful.But it turned out to be only an act.

ACT IISCENE:

One night several months later. Inside Henry’s cottage.

NARRATOR: In no time, Agnes hadclaimed the cottage as her own. Shetreated Henry more and more like anunwelcome guest. When she saw thatJohn was too meek to stand up to her, shegot bolder and bolder. Henry was in hisroom one night, when he heard thisargument between Agnes and John.

AGNES: You must ask your father to quit thatroom. He is but one person, we are two.

NARRATOR: There was a long silence.Henry wanted not to listen to the wordsthat followed, but he could not help it.

AGNES: Well, man. Are you deaf anddumb? Do as I say.

JOHN (meekly): I cannot. I promised myfather that room when he transferred theholding to me.

AGNES (angry): You were wrong to do so!You must go and tell him that, as themaster of this cottage, that room isrightfully yours.

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NARRATOR: Henry held his breath duringthe long silence before his son’s reply.

JOHN: Where would he sleep then?

AGNES: He can have the flea-ridden loft.

JOHN: He is an old man. He will not beable to climb the ladder to reach it.

AGNES: Then let him sleep in the corner ofthe hall.

JOHN (sighing): But he is my father.

AGNES (loudly): And I am your wife!

NARRATOR: Again there was a long silence.But this one was followed by footsteps.Henry turned his face away from his sonwhen the younger man entered his room.

JOHN: Father?

NARRATOR: Henry refused to answer.

JOHN: Father, please look at me. I knowyou must have heard the words that werejust spoken. I am sorry, Father. There isnothing I can do. Agnes wants this room.

NARRATOR: Henry still did not answer. Hedared not move, not even to brush away thetear that fell from his eye. John returned tothe hall, where Agnes awaited him.

AGNES: Well? Did you do as you shouldhave?

JOHN (to himself): I think not.

AGNES: I cannot hear you!

JOHN (louder): I did as you wanted.

AGNES (smirking): Then we will sleep inour room this night.

JOHN: No, we will sleep in it on the morrow.Let my father have it this last night.

AGNES (angry): Then I shall go to the loftnow, alone. You can sleep in the hall.

NARRATOR: With that, Agnes climbed upto the loft and John lay down on the cold,packed dirt by the fire and tried to sleep.

ACT IIISCENE 1:

Nine years later, during the fall harvest.Inside Henry’s cottage.

NARRATOR: Just after sunrise, John wentout to the village well to fetch water.While he was gone, Agnes began shakingHenry violently, trying to wake him. Hereight-year-old son, Thomas, sat by the fireand watched her.

AGNES (shouting): Get up, lazy old man!

NARRATOR: Henry struggled to sit up,coughing all the while.

AGNES: You will not sleep while we do allthe work in the fields. Get up and get out.

NARRATOR: John walked back into thecottage while Agnes was shouting atHenry. He winced to see how his wifetreated his father. He felt powerless to stopher, yet he tried.

JOHN (pleading): Let him be, Agnes. He isold and sick. Can you not let him be?

AGNES: I will grant that he is old. But sick?He coughs so as to avoid work and stay bythe fire all day and torment me.

JOHN: Agnes, he truly is sick. He coughs upblood. Surely you have noticed.

AGNES: He is coughing up ale for all I know.Now get him out of here. He will not liearound all day while all of us, even youryoung son, work to bring in the harvest.

NARRATOR: Henry, John, and Thomasstared at Agnes. Henry was too sick tocare what happened to him. John was tooafraid to argue with Agnes. Thomas justwatched how his parents treated eachother and his grandfather.

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AGNES: What are you waiting for? Get out,all of you, we have fields to harvest.

NARRATOR: John went and helped hisfather get up.

JOHN (softly): Come, Father. The fresh airwill do you good.

NARRATOR: Agnes went and stuck herface in John’s.

AGNES: He is not to be lying around in thefield, either. He will glean with Thomaswhile you and I cut and bind the wheat.

JOHN: Yes, Agnes.

NARRATOR: The family headed out totheir fields.

SCENE 2:A short while later. Out in the fields.

NARRATOR: John cut the tall stalks ofwheat and Agnes followed behind him,binding them. Henry and Thomas followeda ways behind her, gathering any wheatthat she missed. The young boy movedquickly and Henry could not keep up.

THOMAS: You are too slow, Grandfather!

HENRY (coughing): I was once like you,young and agile. But now I am old and sick.

THOMAS: And useless, my mother says. Ihope I am never like you.

NARRATOR: Henry looked at this boy, hisgrandson, and feared that he had hismother’s cold heart. Pain and sadness toreat him. He sat down to rest.

THOMAS: You had better hope Motherdoes not see you resting.

NARRATOR: Henry dismissed the youngboy with a wave of his hand.

THOMAS: I am going to tell her you arenot doing your share.

NARRATOR: Thomas ran ahead. Henrystruggled to his feet to continue gleaning.His friend Geoffrey saw him from his fieldand came over to speak with him.

GEOFFREY (hugging Henry): My friend!You are but skin and bones. Does yourfamily not feed you?

NARRATOR: The question was meant as ajoke, but Geoffrey could tell from the lookon Henry’s face that he had struck close tothe truth.

GEOFFREY: Is it as bad as that then?

NARRATOR: Henry looked away andstarted coughing. Geoffrey saw the bloodHenry’s coughs brought up.

GEOFFREY: You are ill. You should not beworking.

NARRATOR: Henry kept his eyes averted,his shame at how his family treated himwas so great.

GEOFFREY: I am sorry for you, my friend. Isthere anything I can do for you?

NARRATOR: Henry shook his head andwalked away. He continued to pick up bitsand pieces of wheat until he reached John,Agnes, and Thomas, who were finishingtheir dinner in the field. Agnes stoodwhen he reached them.

AGNES (to Henry): All your resting andtalking caused you to miss dinner. (to Johnand Thomas) Back to work! I want thisentire field harvested today.

SCENE 3:That night. Inside the cottage.

NARRATOR: Henry slept fitfully whileAgnes and John argued in their room. Theold man heard their words as if they werepart of a bad dream.

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AGNES: You saw how poor the harvest was.He must go.

JOHN: It is not so bad as that. We havesurvived leaner years.

AGNES: Barely! And now we have agrowing boy to feed and another on theway. Will you let our young son and thisbaby who is coming starve so that an oldman might live?

JOHN: I cannot turn my father out.

AGNES: So you choose your father overyour children?

JOHN (pleading): Please do not ask me toturn my father out. He would surely die.

AGNES: He is going to die anyway. Bettersooner than later, so that we do not wasteany of the little grain we have on him.

NARRATOR: There was a long silence.

AGNES: Think of your son. Think of thisunborn child.

JOHN (to himself): May God forgive me. (toAgnes) I will do as you wish.

SCENE 4:Early the next morning. Inside the cottage.

NARRATOR: John climbed up to the loftand woke Thomas.

JOHN: I need your help today.

THOMAS: Are you going to the fieldsalready?

JOHN: Yes, but that is not what I want youfor. I need you to do something here.

THOMAS: What is it?

NARRATOR: John turned from his son. Helooked down to the hall below where hisfather lay sleeping. Then he looked backat his son.

JOHN: I want you to stay with yourgrandfather....

THOMAS: Must I watch him all day?

JOHN (shaking his head): No. When hewakes you are to see that he eats his fill.Then I want you to....

NARRATOR: John’s throat seemed to closeon his words. His eyes filled and he turnedas if to leave. But then he heard his wife’sheavy footsteps down below and forcedhimself to continue speaking.

JOHN: I want you to take your grandfatheraway. Perhaps to Geoffrey Richardson’scottage, by the river. Geoffrey is an oldfriend.

NARRATOR: Thomas looked at his fatherwith a mixture of pity and contempt.

THOMAS: I will do as you ask.

NARRATOR: John nodded then climbeddown from the loft. He went to cover hisfather with the blanket that had fallen offof him but stopped when his wife yelled.

AGNES: Come now! You have wastedenough time this morning.

NARRATOR: John hurried out the cottagedoor after his wife. A short while later,Thomas climbed down from the loft towake his grandfather.

THOMAS: Wake up, old man!

HENRY (to himself): I had the most awfuldream.

THOMAS: Come, Grandfather, eat. I havework to do.

HENRY: What is the hurry?

THOMAS: You must go away.

HENRY: Away? Where?

THOMAS: It does not matter. Whereversomeone will have you.

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NARRATOR: A look of recognition cameover Henry’s face.

HENRY (sadly): Ah. Then it was not a dream.

THOMAS: Will you eat, old man?

NARRATOR: Henry shook his head.

THOMAS: Come then. Father said youmight go to Geoffrey Richardson’s cottage.

NARRATOR: Henry did not answer.

THOMAS: Go then. I must help my motherand father in the fields.

NARRATOR: Henry struggled to his feet.

HENRY: I am going.

THOMAS: If they ask, where shall I say youhave gone?

NARRATOR: Henry did not answer. Hethrew his old horse blanket over hisshoulders and walked out the door.Thomas followed.

THOMAS: Grandfather, wait!

NARRATOR: Henry stopped, but he didnot turn around. Thomas hurried up tohim and lifted the horse blanket off of hisshoulders.

HENRY (bitterly): Will you not even giveme this old horse blanket?

THOMAS: Hush. You will get half.

NARRATOR: Then Thomas neatly torethe blanket in two. He gave one half tohis grandfather, who silently continued onhis way.

SCENE 5:A short while later. In the fields.

NARRATOR: Thomas was still carrying thehalf a horse blanket when he reached thefields. When his father saw him coming,he looked away. His mother ran to him.

AGNES: Did you do it?

THOMAS: I did.

NARRATOR: Agnes smiled. Then shenoticed the horse blanket John was carrying.

AGNES: Good child! You even saved theold horse blanket.

NARRATOR: John looked at his son.

JOHN: You sent him off without even ablanket?

THOMAS: I gave him half a blanket.

JOHN (questioningly): Half?

THOMAS: I am saving the other half foryou, when you are an old man.

NARRATOR: John put down his sickle andshook his fists in anger. His wife and sonstepped back, for they had never seen himlike this.

JOHN: Where did you take your grandfather?

THOMAS: I took him nowhere. He wentalone.

JOHN (defiantly): I am going to find himand bring him back, to his home.

NARRATOR: John searched everywhere,but never did find his father. The onlytrace of Henry was his half of the horseblanket, which John found floating in theriver.

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READ ALOUD PLAYS: THE DIVIDED HO RSE BLANKET 57

The DividedHorse Blanket

Teaching Guide

Background

About the Play

T he Divided Horse Blanket is based on oneof the many versions of the classic Middle

Ages story of the same name. The story wasmeant to warn parents about what mighthappen to them if they handed their land overto their children without safeguards such as awritten contract. Many peasants seemed totake the story’s warning to heart andtransferred holdings to their children with veryspecific written contracts that were enteredinto the manorial court rolls.

About Peasants in the Middle Ages

The majority of people in the Middle Ageswere peasants. This group had few rights andmany obligations, primarily to their lord, whomight be a member of the nobility or theclergy. Two things that determined a peasant’s

status were whether or not he was free and theamount of land he held, with the lattercarrying the most weight. Villeins—peasantswho were unfree—owed the lord substantiallabor services, rents, and fees, based on theamount of land they held from him. But even

WORDS TO KNOW

boarder: a person who is providedwith regular meals and lodging

glean: to gather grain or otherproduce left by the reapers duringharvest

manor: the lord’s estate

peasant: a member of the class ofpersons that works the land

reeve: the village overseer; the personin charge of seeing that villagersperform their duties for the lord

villein: an unfree peasant

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though a peasant may not be free, if he held afair amount of land, he was better off than afree cotter—a peasant who owned little or noland and relied on day work to eke out a living.Regardless of their status, however, mostpeasants’ lives were very much alike. Free orunfree, landed or not, most peasants spenttheir days toiling in the fields for their lordsand for themselves.

The peasants survived on food and drinkmade from the grain they cultivated in thefields. They ate little meat or fish, since all thegame on the manor belonged to the lord.Winter and early spring, when the previousyear’s grain supplies began to run low, werelean times for peasants. Peasants also had toface intermittent crop failures, which made ahungry world even hungrier.

Most peasants lived in insubstantialthatched-roof houses or cottages of timber-frame and wattle-daub construction (the spacesbetween the framing were filled with oak orwillow wands covered with mud and straw).The number of rooms in the house varied fromone to several, depending on the peasant’swealth. The hall was the main living quartersof the house. It had an open hearth in itscenter where a wood or peat fire burned all day,keeping water, milk, and porridge simmering.The room was usually thick with smoke, as theonly ventilation was provided by a hole in theroof, a few shuttered windows, and open doors.The floor of packed-dirt was usually coveredwith straw or rushes. If there was anotherroom, it might be the master’s and mistress’sbedroom. There might also be a loft wherechildren slept. There was little furniture. Atypical village home had a trestle table thatwas disassembled at night, a couple of benchesand stools, a chest for storage, straw mattresses,and perhaps a bed.

Peasant marriages, like those of the nobility,were always arranged. A man often did notmarry until his father died or until his father

turned his land over to him. A woman wasexpected to bring a dowry of money and/orother goods. Most marriages took place whenthe couple was in their twenties. Families weregenerally small due to necessity andcircumstances: necessity because a familyholding could feed only a limited number ofpeople, circumstances because infant mortalitywas high and many adults died young.

Life expectancy in the Middle Ages wasabout thirty-three years of age. This does notmean that there were no old people, however,as the life expectancy was brought down byhigh infant mortality. While peasants generallyhad only a vague idea of their age (they neverrecorded their births and seldom had reason totell their ages), research shows that about tenpercent of the population in certain Englishvillages was over fifty years old, the age whichscribes at the time began to call a person senex,or old. Caring for the aged was often a problem,as the elderly generally consumed more thanthey produced. Many old people made writtenmaintenance agreements with their children toguarantee their basic needs in retirement.These agreements were not always made legal,and sometimes the parent suffered as a result ofthem, as in The Divided Horse Blanket.

Making Connections

Responding to the PlaySealed with a ...: Ask students when theythink an agreement can be sealed with ahandshake and when they think it should bemade legally binding. Discuss Henry’s reasonsfor not making his agreement with his sonlegally binding. What do students think theywould have done in his shoes? Remind studentsthat this story was told as a warning to parentsnot to count on the continued support of theirchildren. Ask students if they can imaginechildren treating their parents like that.

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Like father, like son: Ask students what theythink prompted Thomas to tear the horseblanket in two and tell his father he was savingone half for when he was an old man. Discusshow actions speak louder than words.

The last straw: Review the end of the storywith students and ask them what they thinkfinally made John stand up to his wife, Agnes.What do they think life in John’s cottage waslike after he found his father’s half a blanketfloating in the river? What can be learned fromJohn’s behavior in the story? Invite students tolook at the decisions John made during the playand discuss what he could have done differently.

The working class: An eleventh-centurybishop of Laon said of peasants, “Not one freeman could live without them.” Ask studentswhat they think he meant by this statement.Ask student what contributions peasants madeto the economy and if they think the peasantswere fairly compensated.

Matchmaker: Discuss arranged marriages withstudents. Do they think they are a good idea?Why or why not? Ask students to think aboutwhat they would look for in a husband or wifeif they were a parent arranging their child’smarriage. Ask them how this would differ fromwhat the son or daughter might be looking forin a potential mate.


Say it with pictures: Remind students thatmost people during the Middle Ages couldneither read nor write. As a result, stories hadto be told in other ways. One way was withpictures. Stories might be painted onto churchwalls, poured into stained glass windows, orwoven into tapestries. Ask students to usepictures to tell the story of The Divided HorseBlanket. Read through the play a second timewith the class to determine what scenes needto be illustrated. Then divide the class into

that number of groups. Have each group worktogether to illustrate their scene. Wheneveryone is done, hang the illustrations in aplace where other students in the school cansee and enjoy the story.

Practice what you preach: Have studentsbrainstorm types of behavior adults in theirlives try to teach them. Ask each student tochoose one type of behavior from the list. Passout sheets of drawing paper and have eachstudent draw a horizontal line across themiddle of the paper. Ask students to draw anexample of how adults positively reinforce thebehavior on one half of the paper, andnegatively reinforce the behavior on the otherhalf. For example, parents tell children not tosmoke. They reinforce this positively by notsmoking or by quitting smoking; they reinforceit negatively by smoking. You might want touse this activity as a springboard to discussionson how role models positively and negativelyinfluence our lives, and how children can bepositive role models for others.

Maintenance contract: As an exercise inhelping students think about the give-and-takeof the world, students might enjoy makingtheir own maintenance contracts. Ask studentsto make a list of their needs—affection, food,shelter, clothing, transportation,entertainment. Then ask them to write downwhat they can and do give in return for havingthese needs met. Finally, ask them to combinethese lists in a maintenance contract betweenthem and their parents. Ask students if this isan agreement that they think they need tomake legally binding. Why or why not?

The Three Estates (Reproducible #1): Askstudents to go back to this reproducible (page17) and place the names of the two maincharacters—Henry and John—in their properestates.

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60

Joan of ArcThe Story of Her Life


NARRATORS 1-2

JOAN: the peasant girl who was to become the patron saint of France

HAUVIETTE: Joan’s friend

ROBERT DE BAUDRICOURT: Governor of Vaucouleurs

JACQUES D’ARC: Joan’s father

JEAN DE METZ: one of Baudricourt’s squires

CHARLES: dauphin, then king, of France

CHURCHMAN

COUNT DUNOIS: one of Charles’ loyal supporters

ARCHBISHOP OF REIMS

GUILLAME DE FLAVY: commander of Comiègne

BISHOP CAUCHON: a high-ranking French Bishop with English loyalties

ASSESSORS 1-3: priests at a church trial

PRIEST

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ACT ISCENE 1:

1425. A family garden in Donrémy, France.

NARRATOR 1: Thirteen-year-old Joand’Arc was alone working in her father’sgarden when the church bells startedringing. Joan stopped what she was doingand fell to her knees to pray. As she didso, she saw a bright light and heard avoice coming from the direction of thechurch. She heard a voice tell her to be agood girl and to go to church often.

NARRATOR 2: Joan heard the voiceidentify itself as St. Michael. As Joanshaded her eyes from the light, she saw theroyal patron saint. Joan felt as if she werein a dream and didn’t hear her friendcalling her.

HAUVIETTE: Joan, Joan. (She sees her onthe ground.) Oh, there you are. Are yousleeping? I’ve been calling you.

NARRATOR 1: Joan looked up at herfriend. Hauviette quickly stepped back.

HAUVIETTE: Your eyes! They are sobright! Have you got the fever?

JOAN (smiling): No, I am very well.

HAUVIETTE (uncertain): Are you sure?

JOAN: Yes.

HAUVIETTE: Then let us go play.

JOAN: No. I must go to church.

HAUVIETTE: You went this morning.

JOAN: I must go again.

NARRATOR 1: Joan went to church tothank God for St. Michael’s visit. She didnot know that she would receive manymore visits from St. Michael, and from St.Catherine and St. Margaret, too.

61

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62

SCENE 2:Three years later. A secluded chapel in the

woods near Donrémy.

NARRATOR 1: Joan was alone prayingwhen she had another vision. She heard avoice telling her that she must drive theEnglish out of France and bring the king tobe crowned. The voice urged her to go,telling her that God would come to her aid.

NARRATOR 2: France was in the middleof a war with England (now called theHundred Years War) that had been ragingon and off for decades. The English werequickly gaining ground with the help oftheir ally, the Duke of Burgundy. Andthere was no strong leader to stop them.

NARRATOR 1: Before his death, the madFrench king Charles VI signed a treatypassing the French crown not to his son,as was traditional, but to his daughter’sson, instead. Since his daughter wasmarried to the king of England, this meantthat the French crown would one day passto the king of England.

NARRATOR 2: The rightful heir, CharlesVII, was known as the dauphin (eldest sonof the king), and not the king because hewas never crowned. This was due to thefact that Reims, where coronations hadtaken place for hundreds of years, was inenemy territory.

NARRATOR 1: At first, Joan did nothing,feeling she knew nothing of war. She alsoknew her parents would never let herleave. But the voices she heard becamemore and more insistent.

NARRATOR 2: Again, she heard a voicetelling her to go to Vaucouleurs to see thegovernor, Robert de Baudricourt, and toask him to send her to the rightful king.

SCENE 3:Later that year. Inside the Governor’s

Mansion at Vaucouleurs.

NARRATOR: Joan found that she could nolonger ignore the voices she heard. Sheran away to Vaucouleurs and gotBaudricourt to grant her an audience.

ROBERT DE BAUDRICOURT: What is ityou wish?

JOAN: It is the will of my Lord that thedauphin be made king and have the realmin his command.

ROBERT DE BAUDRICOURT: Who isyour lord?

JOAN: The King of Heaven.

ROBERT DE BAUDRICOURT (laughing):Is that so? (to one of his men) Take her hometo her father. Tell him to box her ears.

NARRATOR: Joan went home feelingfoolish and discouraged.

SCENE 4:Fall, 1429. Back in Donrémy.

NARRATOR 1: After Joan returned home,much happened to make her even moreaware of her country’s need for help.

NARRATOR 2: In October, Burgundiansattacked Joan’s town of Donrémy.Although most of the town’s inhabitantsescaped unharmed, much of Donrémy wasburned to the ground.

NARRATOR 1: At around the same time,the English laid siege to Orléans, one ofthe most important cities remaining incontrol of France.

NARRATOR 2: Joan’s voices became moreinsistent than ever, this time urging her to

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go and relieve the siege of Orléans.

NARRATOR 1: Joan’s parents worried astheir daughter kept more and more toherself. Joan’s father spoke to her abouthis fears.

JACQUES D’ARC: I dreamed that youwould go off with soldiers. If I thought sucha thing could happen, I would drown you.

NARRATOR: Joan did not answer until herfather had walked away.

JOAN (softly): Had I one hundred fathersand one hundred mothers, I still would go.

ACT IISCENE 1:

Early 1429. Back in Vaucouleurs.

NARRATOR 1: Joan went back toVacouleurs.

JOAN: I have come to see Robert deBaudricourt.

JEAN DE METZ: He refuses to see you.

JOAN: Yet I must go to the king, even if Ihave to walk my feet off to my knees.

JEAN DE METZ: Is it not necessary that theking should be driven from the kingdomand that we should become English?

JOAN: No. But I must help him. My Lordwants me to.

JEAN DE METZ: Who is your lord?

JOAN: It is God.

NARRATOR 1: Joan’s fierce belief wonover the knight.

JEAN DE METZ (placing his hand in Joan’s):I promise that, God willing, I will take youto the king. When do you want to go?

JOAN: Rather now than tomorrow. Rathertomorrow than later.

NARRATOR 1: Shortly thereafter, word ofthe girl from Donrémy reached the royalcastle at Chinon. Charles sent for Joan.

NARRATOR 2: The people of Vaucouleursgave Joan a tunic and leggings so that shecould travel more comfortably. They alsogave her a horse. Joan sat on this horse atthe gates of Vaucouleurs. Joan, Jean deMetz, his squire, an archer, the royalmessenger, and three servants were settingoff to Chinon.

ROBERT DE BAUDRICOURT (to Joan):Are you not frightened? It is a longjourney, and there are many enemysoldiers about.

JOAN: I am not afraid. God, my Lord, willclear the road for me to go to the dauphin.I was born for this.

ROBERT DE BAUDRICOURT: Go then,come what may.

NARRATOR 1: With those words, Joanand the others set off on their longjourney to Chinon.

SCENE 2:February, 1429. At the Royal Court

in Chinon.

NARRATOR 1: Several days after herarrival, Joan was summoned to the court tomeet the dauphin. He hid himself, but Joanwent straight to him and fell to her knees.

JOAN: God give you life, gentle Dauphin.

CHARLES: How did you know me?

JOAN: I should know you well from all theothers.

CHARLES: What is it you wish?

JOAN: I have come and am sent by God to

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bring aid to you and your kingdom.

CHARLES: What will you do?

JOAN: I will raise the siege of Orléans. AndI will take you to be crowned andconsecrated in the city of Reims.

NARRATOR 1: For a king to be properlycrowned, the French believed theceremony had to take place at Reims,where the first Christian king of Francehad been crowned in 496.

NARRATOR 2: But Reims was deep interritory held by the English and theBurgundians. This made it difficult, if notimpossible, for Charles to be crownedthere.

CHARLES: How will you do these things?

JOAN: With the help of God. And you. Iwill need troops, arms, and horses.

CHARLES: I must talk to my advisers.

JOAN: Do not delay. You must use mequickly. I will last but a year, scarcelymore.

NARRATOR 1: Charles’ advisers suggestedhe send Joan to Poitiers to be investigatedby learned men of the Church to makesure she was sent by God, not the devil.

SCENE 3:March, 1429. At a hall in Poitiers.

NARRATOR 1: Joan sat in front of thechurchmen at Poitiers.

CHURCHMAN: Do you know why you arehere?

JOAN: Yes. But your questions wastevaluable time.

CHURCHMAN: We must test you tolearn....

JOAN (interrupting): I know not A from B,

but I come on behalf of the King of Heavento raise the siege of Orléans and lead thedauphin to Reims for his coronation.

CHURCHMAN: Can you show us clearsigns you are from God?

JOAN (angry): I have not come to Poitiersto make signs! Take me to Orléans and Iwill show you the signs for which I havebeen sent.

NARRATOR 1: The investigation draggedon for weeks. Finally, after muchquestioning and a thorough backgroundsearch, the churchmen reached theirconclusion.

CHURCHMAN: We pronounce Joan of Arca good Christian and a good Catholic.The ready wisdom of her responses andthe goodness of her life weigh in favor ofher mission being a divine one.

NARRATOR 1: When Charles heard thecommission’s report, he gave Joanpermission to prepare for battle.

NARRATOR 2: On April 27, 1429, Joanand an army of 4,000 marched forOrléans, led by a company of priests.

ACT IIISCENE 1:

May 4, 1429. Orléans.

NARRATOR 1: Joan was anxious to begindriving out the English from the momentshe arrived in Orléans on April 29, butshe was told by the army’s officers to wait.She waited. Finally, on the afternoon ofMay 4, she jumped up from a nap andknew she could wait no more. She quicklycalled Jean de Metz.

JOAN: In God’s name, my counsel has told

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me I must attack the English.

NARRATOR 1: Joan and Metz quicklyarmed themselves, mounted their horses,and road to Orléan’s Burgundy Gate. Joanheld her battle standard high.

NARRATOR 2: As they road, they passedmany wounded Frenchmen running backto the city. Without telling Joan, theFrench army had launched a surpriseattack on the English fort of St. Loop. Theattack had gone poorly, however, and theFrench army was in full retreat as Joan andMetz approached the fort.

JEAN DE METZ: It appears the Frenchhave already lost this battle.

NARRATOR 1: Joan held her standardhigher.

JOAN: Not yet. (shouting) Turn back in thename of the Lord.

NARRATOR 1: The French troops ralliedwhen they saw Joan’s banner. Theycheered and turned back with avengeance. The English quicklysurrendered. It was the first time duringthe seven-month siege that the Frenchhad captured an English fort.

SCENE 2:May 7, 1429. Outside Orléans.

NARRATOR 1: Joan got up before dawn toattend mass before setting out with thearmy to attack Les Tourelles (the littletowers), the strongest English fort formiles around. She spoke with Jean deMetz before the battle.

JOAN: Keep close to me today, because Iwill have much to do, and I will bewounded above the heart.

NARRATOR 1: Joan was wounded, just asshe had foretold, when an arrow pierced

her shoulder. Many French had fallen, andthe army was making little headway incapturing the fort. Several commanderswanted to end that day’s fighting. Joanrefused to quit.

JOAN: In the name of God, you will soonenter the fortress. Never doubt it.

NARRATOR 1: The soldiers hesitated.

JOAN: Rest for a while. Eat. Drink.

NARRATOR 1: The soldiers did as theywere told. Joan, whose wound was dressed,found a quiet spot to pray. After 15minutes, she came back and mounted herhorse. She held her standard in her goodarm and summoned the troops.

JOAN: Go boldly in the name of the Lord.

NARRATOR 1: The French troops stormedthe towers of the fort with renewed energy.Les Tourelles was taken. The next morning,the English abandoned all the forts in thearea. In just days, Joan helped end England’sseven-month occupation of Orléans.

SCENE 3:July 17, 1429. The Cathedral at Reims.

NARRATOR 1: After her victory atOrléans, Joan pursued the second goal hervoices had given her: to take Charles to becrowned at Reims. It was a dangerousjourney and, at first, Charles was reluctantto make it. Joan convinced him that Godwas on their side and they made thejourney—as much military advance asroyal procession—safely.

NARRATOR 2: Charles entered the hugeGothic cathedral amid the cheers of hispeople. He proceeded to the altar to kneelin front of the Archbishop. Joan, holdingher standard high, stood by his side.

ARCHBISHOP: Do you, Charles, swear to

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defend the Church, preserve your people,and govern them with justice and mercy?

CHARLES: I do.

NARRATOR 1: The Archbishop anointedCharles with sacred oil. Then he placedthe royal crown on his head.

ARCHBISHOP: I now pronounce you kingby the grace of God.

NARRATOR 1: Joan knelt before the king,embraced his legs, and wept.

JOAN: Gentle King, now is done God’spleasure. You are the true king and thekingdom of France belongs to you.

NARRATOR 1: The audience cheered andtrumpets blared.

ACT IVSCENE 1:

May 23, 1430. Compiègne.

NARRATOR 1: Things went downhill forJoan after Charles’ coronation. She wantedto reclaim all of France for her king, butCharles wanted to wait and see what couldbe worked out diplomatically. He gaveJoan very little support when she tried toreclaim Paris, and she lost the battle.

NARRATOR 2: Still, Joan’s voices told herto continue her fight. And Joan listenedto the voices she heard. She knew thatwhile Charles waited, more and more ofFrance was being lost. When Joan learnedthat the Burgundians had laid siege toCompiègne, a town that had always beenloyal to Charles, she immediately gatheredtroops and went there.

GUILLAME DE FLAVY: Welcome! Wehave prayed for help. Duke Philip has just

taken Margny, the town across the river.

JOAN: My men rode all night. After theyrest, we will attack Margny, and drive theBurgundians back.

NARRATOR 1: Later that day, Joan ledabout 400 knights out the town’s gate andover the drawbridge toward Margny. Butthe Burgundians saw them coming andcalled for reinforcements. As Burgundianforces poured in from all directions, theFrench began to panic and turn backtowards Compiègne.

JOAN (shouting): Do not turn back! God iswith us! We shall be victorious!

NARRATOR 1: Few heard or heeded Joan’s words as they retreated back toCompiègne. Commander Flavy watchedfrom his post inside the town as Frenchknights poured back into the city, withBurgundians in hot pursuit.

GUILLAME DE FLAVY: Quick! Take upthe drawbridge! Close the town’s gates!

NARRATOR 1: Most of the French hadmade it safely back inside the town. ButJoan, who as leader had taken the mostdangerous position at the rear of theretreat, did not.

NARRATOR 2: An archer grabbed Joan’scloak and yanked her off her horse. Shewas captured. As Joan had told Charles,she had lasted less than a year.

SCENE 2:February-May, 1431. Rouen, France.

NARRATOR 1: The English weredelighted to learn of Joan’s capture. Whilethe French believed Joan was workingwith God, the English believed she wasworking with the devil. The English paidthe Burgundians a kingly ransom of10,000 francs to make Joan their prisoner.

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NARRATOR 2: The English then turnedJoan over to the local pro-English churchto try her for witchcraft, among otherthings. They hoped the trial would get ridof Joan and make Charles look bad at thesame time.

NARRATOR 1: Although church trialswere usually held in Paris, Joan was orderedtried in Rouen, the most English city inFrance. She was thrown into a filthy prisoncell in the English castle at Rouen.

NARRATOR 2: On the first day of hertrial, Joan was brought before two judgesand dozens of priests, called assessors. Thechief judge was Bishop Cauchon.

BISHOP CAUCHON: Do you swear to tellthe truth throughout the trial?

JOAN: Concerning most matters I willwillingly swear to tell the truth.

BISHOP CAUCHON: Most matters? Not all?

JOAN: I have been told by my secretcounsel to reveal my visions to nobody.

BISHOP CAUCHON (angry): You mustanswer us fully and truthfully.

JOAN: I have a greater fear of displeasing myvoices than I have of not answering you.

NARRATOR 1: Cauchon looked at theother judge, then decided to proceed.

BISHOP CAUCHON: Let us begin ourquestioning.

ASSESSOR 1: As a child, did you have agreat desire to defeat the Burgundians?

JOAN: I had a great desire that my kingshould have his kingdom.

ASSESSOR 2: Does God hate the English?

JOAN: As for the love or hate God has forthe English, I know nothing. But I knowthey will be driven out of France.

ASSESSOR 3: Why were you chosen to leadthis fight?

JOAN: It pleased God to use a simple maidto drive out the King’s enemies.

NARRATOR 1: The trial lasted for months.Cauchon and his supporters had troubleproving Joan was a witch. But, given Joan’sindependent spirit, they had no troublefinding a charge that would stick.

BISHOP CAUCHON: We believe yourvoices are evil.

JOAN: But they come from God.

ASSESSOR 1: Only a church official,inspired by God, is capable of determiningthe origin of such voices.

BISHOP CAUCHON: And we say yourscome from the devil.

JOAN: But everything good I have done, Ihave done by command of the voices.

BISHOP CAUCHON: You say you owesubmission to God. But do you believe youowe submission to God’s church on earth?

JOAN: Yes. But God shall be served first.

NARRATOR 1: The churchmen foundanother example of her disobedience.

BISHOP CAUCHON: It is a crime againstGod for a woman to wear men’s clothes.

JOAN: These clothes do not burden my soul.

BISHOP CAUCHON: You are disobeyingyour church when you wear those clothes.

JOAN: I am obeying my God.

BISHOP CAUCHON (angry): You mustsubmit to the decisions of the church!

JOAN: In my opinion, God and the churchare one. Why do you make suchdifficulties?

NARRATOR 1: Of the twelve formalcharges made against Joan, the mostserious was that Joan would not submit tothe church on earth, but to God only.

NARRATOR 2: After making the charges,

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the churchmen tried to make Joanconfess. But she would not say she waswrong, even when they took her to thecastle’s torture chamber.

NARRATOR 1: Joan did make one short-lived confession, when she was first showna stake where she could burn if she did notrecant. But Joan withdrew her confessionwithin days, saying she was wrong toconfess just because of her “fear of the fire.”

NARRATOR 2: On May 28, 1431, BishopCauchon pronounced Joan a relapsedheretic and sentenced her to death.

SCENE 3:May 30, 1431. The town square at Rouen.

NARRATOR 1: Shortly after dawn, Joanwas taken in the executioner’s cart to thetown square. There, on a high platformthat all could see, was a scaffold with astake and wood ready for burning.

JOAN (crying out): Oh, I had rather beseven times beheaded than burned!

NARRATOR 1: Joan was led to a platformwhere Bishop Cauchon was waiting for her.

BISHOP CAUCHON: We cast you forthfrom the church as an infected limb andhand you over to secular justice.

JOAN: Bishop, I die through you.

BISHOP CAUCHON: You die because youreturned to your former evil-doing.

NARRATOR 1: Joan fell to her knees topray but was quickly seized by theexecutioner and tied to the stake.

JOAN (pleading): Will someone give me across?

NARRATOR 1: An English soldier quicklymade a small cross out of sticks and

handed it to Joan. She kissed it and held itto her breast.

JOAN: I ask one more thing. I wish to lookat the crucifix from the church.

NARRATOR 1: One of the churchmenwent to the church and brought back thecrucifix. He held it high in front of Joan.

JOAN (calling out): Forgive me as I haveforgiven you!

NARRATOR 1: Joan died crying out to hersaints and her God.

AFTERWORD

NARRATOR 2: The English were finallyforced out of most of France in 1553, 22years after Joan’s death. In 1556, the Popedeclared Joan innocent and her trial nulland void. And in 1920, the RomanCatholic church made Joan of Arc a saint.

THE END

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Background

About the Play

J oan of Arc tells the life story the Frenchnational heroine who became a Roman

Catholic saint. Much of the dialogue in theplay is taken from historical records of her life.Because of the religous aspects of the story,

you’ll need to use discretion when reading theplay with your class. You may want to focusexclusively on the historical elements of Joanof Arc’s story and her connection to theHundred Years War.

About Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc—or Jeanne d’Arc, as she wasknown in France—was born in 1412 in the

Joan of ArcTeaching Guide

WORDS TO KNOW

archbishop: the religious head of aprovince, ranking after the pope andcardinals

assessor: an official who helps a judge

audience: an opportunity to be heard

battle standard: banner or flag

bishop: a clergyman ranking above apriest, below an archbishop

consecrated: inducted into office with areligious ceremony

counsel: advisors

dauphin: the eldest son of the king

heretic: one who disagrees withestablished church beliefs

relapsed: fallen back into a former worsestate

secular: not religious

siege: a military blockade of a place to tryto force it to surrender

squire: a knight’s shield- or armor-bearer

submission: the act of agreeing to acceptthe authority of another

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village of Donrémy. The peasant girl spentmost of her early years helping on the familyfarm with her brothers and sisters and learningto be a devout Catholic. Like most peasants ofher time, she did not go to school and did notknow how to read or write.

When Joan was 13, she began havingreligious experiences in which she believed St.Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret weretalking to her. At first, these voices simply toldher to be a good Catholic. But by the time shewas 16, they were telling her that God hadchosen her to drive the English out of France,where they had been fighting on and off fordecades. They also told her to take Charles VIIto be crowned at Reims.

Joan reluctantly went to Vaucouleurs to askthe military commander there for an escort totake her to Charles in Chinon. Thecommander, Robert de Baudricourt, laughed atJoan and sent her home. Joan was discouraged,but she kept hearing the voices. And they grewmore insistent as reports of enemy activitybecame more alarming. Two events in the fallof 1428 helped Joan pay heed to her voices.First, Burgundians (French citizens whosupported the English) attacked Joan’s villageof Donrémy. Although most of the villagersescaped to a nearby walled village for safety,the Burgundians destroyed much of the town,including Joan’s sacred church. Then, theEnglish laid siege to Orléans, one of the mostimportant cities remaining in control ofFrance.

By January, 1429, Joan was back inVacouleurs. Although Baudricourt initiallyrefused to see her, she told her story to anyonewho would listen. She found many supporters,including Jean de Metz, one of Baudricourt’ssquires. Finally, word of this maid who wantedto save France reached the royal court atChinon, and Charles sent for Joan.

Joan, now dressed in a man’s tunic for easiertraveling, set off with Jean de Metz and several

others on the long journey to Chinon. Theytraveled hundreds of miles through enemyterritory before they reached Chinon. Legendhas it that Joan’s voices helped her findCharles, who was hidden in the crowd at theRoyal Court. The two spoke, and Joanconvinced Charles that, with the help of God,she could save France. It is uncertain whetheror not Joan gave Charles a sign to prove thatshe was sent by God. Some historians believethis to be so, but there is no clear record of it.

Charles supported Joan but his advisers werenot ready to trust the future of France to apeasant girl. Upon their advice, Charles tookJoan to the city of Poitiers where she wasinvestigated by learned men of the church.After several weeks of investigation andinterrogation, they pronounced Joan a goodChristian and Catholic and said that she wasindeed sent by God.

Charles gave Joan money, troops, horses,and supplies to go raise the siege of Orléans.On April 27, 1429, Joan set off for Orléanswith an army of 4,000. Two of Joan’s brothersjoined her on her way to the city.

Joan, holding her standard high, led thearmy in several battles in Orléans. The combatwas long and bloody, and Joan herself waswounded in the shoulder by an English arrow.Yet the French fought on. Within days, underJoan’s leadership and inspiration, they endedEngland’s seven-month siege of the city.

After the victory at Orléans, Joanconvinced Charles to proceed with hiscoronation at Reims. This was no easy task, asReims was in the part of France occupied byEnglish and Burgundian troops. Yet Joan ledCharles and his military escort safely throughenemy territory, winning several major battlesalong the way. And Joan stood beside Charleswhen he was crowned at the cathedral. ToJoan, Charles was now a true king. He wascrowned at the cathedral where Clovis, thefirst Christian king of France, had been

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crowned nearly 1,000 years earlier.Now that Charles had been crowned, Joan

wanted to press forward and reclaim all ofFrance, especially the English-controlled Paris,for its rightful king. Charles, who hoped towork things out diplomatically rather thanmilitarily, gave Joan only his half-heartedsupport when she set out to free Paris inSeptember, 1429. The attempt failed.

Joan was captured in May, 1430, whiletrying to defend the loyal town of Compiègnefrom attack by the Burgundians. She wasransomed by the English, who had her tried bya group of French clergy who were sympatheticto the English.

Joan was accused of many crimes, thegreatest of which was heresy. Joan remainedloyal to her king, her beliefs, and herselfthroughout the trial. When faced with deathby fire she recanted, but within days took herrecantation back.

Joan of Arc was burned at the stake before alarge crowd at the town square of Rouen onMay 30, 1431. Her ashes were thrown into theSeine River.

Joan’s family later pressed to have thecharges against Joan dropped. In 1456, PopeCallistus II pronounced Joan innocent. In1920, Pope Benedict XV declared Joan a saint.

About the Hundred Years War: This strugglebetween England and France for control ofFrance was actually a succession of wars withintermittent truces and treaties. The war beganin 1337. Initially, the English were verysuccessful. By the time Joan of Arc first set offfor Vaucouleurs in 1428, England had takenover much of northern France. Joan helpedturn the war around with her defeat of theEnglish at Orléans in 1429. The patriotisminspired by Joan, and her death, helped theFrench continue to win battles. The Englishwere finally driven out of all but a small part ofFrance in 1453, 22 years after Joan’s death.

Making Connections


Both sides of the story: Ask students to thinkabout how the French saw Joan compared withhow the English saw her. Ask, how could oneperson be considered an agent of God by someand an agent of the devil by others? Discusshow different beliefs and goals can makepeople see the same thing differently. Askstudents to try to think of other examples ofpeople who were or are praised by some anddisparaged by others (i.e., Susan B. Anthony,Galileo, Malcolm X, Christopher Columbus,etc.).

“The will to believe”: Tell students that whenJoan was asked at her trial how she knew it wasSt. Michael that spoke to her, she answered, “Ihad the will to believe it.” Discuss withstudents what they think Joan meant by this.Ask students what Joan’s voices gave her thathelped her drive the English out of France andsee Charles crowned king. How was Joan ableto convince others to follow her? You mightwant to tell students that one of the only waysa female with strong beliefs regarding publicevents could make herself heard in the male-dominated society in which Joan lived was toclaim some visionary experience or propheticpower.

A fair trial? Discuss Joan’s trial with students.Do they think it was fair? Why or why not?Ask students what makes a fair trial. Remindstudents that Joan had two powerful groupsagainst her—the English and the English-backed French clergy.


A good look at leaders: Tell students that Joanof Arc was the first woman of the people toassume a leadership role. She was a great

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leader, too. Joan, a peasant and a woman, gotsoldiers, captains, even a king to do what shewanted. Ask students what qualities Joan ofArc had that made her a good leader (self-confidence, courage, determination). Askstudents what qualities they think areimportant in a leader. Then ask students towork together to make a leadership collage.The collage should show—in words andpictures—what makes a good leader. It mayalso show pictures of people the studentsbelieve to be good leaders.

A saint or a witch? Divide the class, tellinghalf the students they are fifteenth-centuryFrench men and women and the other halfthey are fifteenth-century English men andwomen. Then ask each group to get togetherand make a list of arguments supporting thebelief that Joan is a saint (the French) or thatJoan is a witch (the English). Ask students todebate the issue and see if either side canconvince the other of their beliefs.

Designing a standard: Tell students that Joancarried a personal battle standard—a banneron a long pole. This standard was speciallydesigned for her before she set off for Orléans.Ask students to work together to design apersonal standard for Joan of Arc. You mightwant to divide the class into small groups andhave a design competition, in which otherclasses familiar with the story of Joan of Arcmake the final selection. Then have studentswork together to make the standard, usingwhite fabric and fabric paints or markers.When students have completed the project,tell them that Joan’s actual standard had apicture of Jesus and two angels painted onwhite silk. How does this compare to thestandard they made and designed?

It’s about time: Ask students to make a timeline of Joan’s life, based on information fromthe play. More advanced students might beencouraged to do additional research on Joanof Arc’s life to fill in the time line even further.

The Three Estates (Reproducible #1): Askstudents to go back to this reproducible (page17) and place the names of the main charactersfrom this play—Joan of Arc, King Charles, andBishop Cauchon—in their proper estates.

Map it out (Reproducible #2): Ask studentsto use this map when reading the play to findout where the major events in Joan’s life tookplace. Ask them to pay particular attention towhether the events took place in territory loyalto Charles VII or territory loyal to England andBurgundy. As an extension, you may wish tohave students calculate the distance Joantraveled on some of her most importantjourneys—from Donrémy to Vaucouleurs, fromVaucouleurs to Chinon, from Chinon toOrléans, and from Compiègne to Rouen, forinstance.

Further Reading

For Students:Beyond the Myth: The Story of Joan of Arc byPolly S. Brooks (Harper, 1990).

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Joan of Arc’s FranceThis is how France looked during Joan of Arc’s life. Look at the map andfind where the major events in Joan’s life took place.

Name _______________________________________________________________

REPRODUCIBLE 2 73

JOAN OF ARC’S FRANCE (1424)

Territory of England and Burgundy

Territory loyal to Charles VII

PoitiersPoitiers

N

Rouen

Donrémy

Chinon

Orléans

FRANCE

Paris

Margny

Loire River

ENGLISH C

HANNEL

ATLANTICOCEAN

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

ENGLAND

Seine River COMPIEGNEReims

Vaucouleurs

150 miles (about 226 kilometers)

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Characters (in order of appearance)

NARRATOR: Clerk of Oxenford

MAN 1-2 people of Saluzzo

WOMAN 1-2

MARQUIS: a noble ruler

GRISELDA: a peasant girl

JANICULA: Griselda’s father

ATTENDANT: the Marquis’ assistant

DAUGHTER AND SON: (non-speaking roles)

PatientGriselda

“The Tale of the Clerk of Oxenford”from The Canterbury Tales

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ACT ISCENE 1:

The late Middle Ages. Outside a castlein Saluzzo, Italy.

NARRATOR: A strong, handsome youngMarquis by the name of Walter ruledSaluzzo, a lovely plain in western Italy.The noble was a good ruler and was lovedby all his people. Their only complaintwas that he showed no interest inmarriage. One day, a group of his peopleapproached him with this complaint.

MAN 1: Oh, noble Marquis. We are heavyof heart.

MARQUIS: Why? Are you not happy withyour lord?

MAN 1: We do not know how we could be

happier, save for one thing.

MARQUIS: What is that?

MAN 1: We wish for you to take a wife.

MARQUIS: A wife? But why?

MAN 1: If you should die your lineagewould cease. And woe to us should astranger take your place.

MARQUIS (moved): I have enjoyed myliberty, dear people, but I trust yourwisdom. Therefore I agree to marry, assoon as possible. (The crowd cheers.)

MAN 1: Then we will quickly find you thenoblest and greatest wife in all the land.

MARQUIS: No. I will choose my own wife.And you must agree to worship and honorher, whoever she is, as if she were anemperor’s daughter. (The crowd quicklyagrees.) I pray now, speak no more of thematter.

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MAN 1: Please, Lord, just tell us on whatday this wedding will take place.

NARRATOR: The Marquis quickly set adate, whereupon his subjects fell upontheir knees and thanked him.

SCENE 2:The Marquis’ wedding day. In a village near his palace.

NARRATOR: There had been muchpreparation for the wedding. The Marquishad brooches and rings made for his bride-to-be. He had gowns made for her. Hispalace was made ready and filled with thebest food from throughout Italy.Everything was ready, except for onething. No one knew whom the Marquisplanned to marry!

MAN 1: It is the day of the wedding, andour lord has not yet chosen a bride!

MAN 2: Has he deceived us?

WOMAN 1: Will he never wed?

NARRATOR: As they spoke, a procession,led by the Marquis, passed by.

WOMAN 2: It is the Marquis and hiswedding party!

MAN 1: Look at their finery! The weddingwill surely take place today. But who willbe our lady?

NARRATOR: In this village lived a mannamed Janicula. He was considered thepoorest man in the village except in oneregard: He had a daughter, Griselda, whowas rich in beauty and goodness. TheMarquis had often seen her when he wasout hunting or hawking. It was Griseldahe intended to wed. The Marquis stoppedat the door of her cottage just as Griseldawas carrying in a bucket of water.

MARQUIS: Griselda.

NARRATOR: Griselda set down her waterbucket and dropped to her knees. TheMarquis got off his horse.

MARQUIS: Where is your father, Griselda?

GRISELDA: He is here, my lord.

NARRATOR: Janicula stepped outside. TheMarquis took the old man by the handand led him back into the humble cottage.

MARQUIS: Janicula, I can no longer hidethe pleasure of my heart. If you allow it,my faithful servant, I will take yourdaughter for my wife.

JANICULA (astounded): Lord, my will isyour will. Do as you think best.

MARQUIS: Then let us have a conference,just the three of us. You will be my witnesswhen I ask Griselda to be my wife.

NARRATOR: The crowd wondered whatwas happening as the Marquis called forGriselda to join him and her father in thecottage.

MARQUIS: Griselda, it pleases your fatherand me that I should wed you. I hope thatyou also wish it so. But first I must ask youthis question.

NARRATOR: Griselda stood pale and quietas the Marquis spoke.

MARQUIS: Will you agree to do whatever Iwish, even if it causes you pain, and nevercomplain? If so, I will swear my allegianceto you.

GRISELDA (trembling): Lord, I amundeserving of your offer. But I will do asyou wish. And I swear that I will neverdisobey you, even if it should kill me.

MARQUIS: That is enough, my Griselda.

NARRATOR: The Marquis walked out thedoor, followed by Griselda. He stopped toaddress the crowd.

MARQUIS: This is my wife that stands

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here. Honor her and love her, I pray, all ofyou who love me.

NARRATOR: The Marquis asked his ladiesto prepare Griselda for the wedding. Theybrushed her hair and replaced her ragswith a beautiful wedding gown. Then theMarquis carried her off to his palace, wherethey celebrated until the sun went down.

ACT IISCENE 1:

One year later. Inside the palace.

NARRATOR: The people celebrated whenGriselda gave birth to her first child. Theyhad quickly grown to love their newMarchioness and often praised theMarquis for his choice of wife. Listen towhat the villagers had to say.

MAN 1: Our lord wedded with honor andgood fortune.

MAN 2: A lady brought up in an emperor’shall could have no more grace than ourGriselda.

WOMAN 1: And now she has given theMarquis a daughter. Perhaps a son will benext.

WOMAN 2: She is a good wife to theMarquis.

MAN 1: And more. She is a good mistress toher people.

NARRATOR: The Marquis clearly hadnothing to prove to his people. But he felthe had something to prove to himself.Shortly after the birth of their daughter,the Marquis approached his wife in herchambers.

MARQUIS (looking troubled): Griselda, doyou remember the day I took you out of

poverty and put you in a state of highhonor?

GRISELDA: Yes, my lord.

MARQUIS (lying): Though you are belovedto me, my people are unhappy to be thesubjects of a peasant born into poverty.Since our daughter was born, they speaktheir unhappiness more openly. Since Idesire to live my life in peace, I must dowhat is best for your daughter, what mypeople think is best.

NARRATOR: Griselda listened in silence,never questioning the truth of what herhusband said.

MARQUIS: I ask that you now show me thepatience and obedience that you swore tome in your village the day we were married.

GRISELDA (quietly): Lord, my child and Iare your own possessions. Do as you will.

NARRATOR: The Marquis was gladdenedby Griselda’s words, but pretended he wassad at what he had to do. He left his wife’sroom and instructed his most trustedattendant to go in and take the baby.

ATTENDANT: Madame, you must forgiveme. The Marquis commands me to takethis child.

NARRATOR: The attendant then snatchedup the child as if he were taking her to bekilled. Though Griselda loved herdaughter, she neither wept nor sighed. Butshe spoke to the attendant.

GRISELDA: Please, may I kiss and bless mychild before she dies. (The attendant handsher back the child.) Farewell, my child! Iask God to take your soul, for tonight youshall die for my sake.

NARRATOR: Griselda handed the childback to the attendant.

GRISELDA: Go now, and do as my lordwishes. But one thing I ask. Unless mylord forbids you, at least bury this child in

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some place where neither animals norbirds will tear it to pieces.

NARRATOR: The attendant did not answer.He just walked away. When he found theMarquis, he reported Griselda’s words andmanner, which pleased the Marquis.

MARQUIS (smiling): Go now and take thischild to my sister, the Countess of Paniciaat Bologna. Tell her to raise her ingentleness and to hide whose child it isfrom all.

NARRATOR: The attendant did as he wastold.

SCENE 2:Four years later. In Griselda’s chambers.

NARRATOR: After sending their daughteraway, the Marquis watched his wife forsigns of disloyalty. But she kept herpromise. She never even spoke herdaughter’s name. Then Griselda gave birthto a son, and the people were delighted.But the Marquis still felt the need to testGriselda. He brought his lies to her again,when the boy was two years old.

MARQUIS: My people are especiallyunhappy since our son is born. They say,“When Walter is gone, the blood ofJanicula shall succeed and be our lord.”Their words break my heart. I must live inpeace. So, as I did what was best for hissister, I must do what is best for him. Ipray you be patient and not behavedistractedly in your grief.

GRISELDA: As I left my clothing at homewhen I came to you, so I also left my willand my liberty. I took your clothing. Imust accept your will.

NARRATOR: Again, the Marquis left witha sad face but a glad heart. Again, theattendant roughly took Griselda’s child.

And again, Griselda asked to kiss andbless the child.

ACT IIISCENE 1:

Eight years later. In the Marquis’ chambers.

NARRATOR: Over the years, the Marquiswatched his wife closely but never heard aword of complaint from her. She remainedas true and loyal to him as ever. And stillhe could think of nothing but testing her.When his daughter was twelve—ofmarrying age—he called once again on hisloyal attendant.

MARQUIS: Please bring this message to thePope in Rome. “I ask for permission todissolve this marriage that has caused somuch unhappiness among my people sothat I may take another wife.”

NARRATOR: The attendant took theMarquis’ message to Rome. The Pope, notknowing that it was not the truth, sent aletter back with the attendant. It grantedthe Marquis the dispensation for which heasked.

MARQUIS (smiling as he reads the letter):Thank you. Now I bid you to go to mysister. Ask her to send my two childrenhome in royal splendor.

ATTENDANT: Yes, my lord.

MARQUIS: Only it must be kept secretwhose children they are. It should only besaid that the maiden will soon wed theMarquis of Saluzzo.

ATTENDANT: Yes, my lord.

NARRATOR: The attendant carried hislord’s message to Panicia. Shortlythereafter, in great magnificence and

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joyful mood, the daughter and son,escorted by the Earl of Panicia and manylords, began their journey to Salerno.

SCENE 2:One month later. In the palace’s great hall.

NARRATOR: Griselda had heard rumors ofher husband’s decision to remarry, but hedid not speak to her of it until the partyfrom Panicia was just days away from thepalace.

MARQUIS (roughly): Certainly, Griselda, Iwas pleased enough to have you for my wife.But my people want me to take anotherwife, and the Pope has consented to it.

GRISELDA: I never considered myselfworthy in any way to be your wife. I havebeen and always shall be your humbleservant. I will go, as you wish.

NARRATOR: Griselda left the palace andwent home to live again with her father.Once there, she never spoke against theMarquis. Neither her words nor her facebetrayed feelings of ill treatment.

SCENE 3:Several days later. In the palace’s great hall.

NARRATOR: The Earl of Panicia and hisparty arrived, and the Marquis welcomedthem with much ceremony. He quicklysent for Griselda to be there, too.

MARQUIS (pointing to their daughter):Griselda, how do you like my new wife? Isshe not beautiful?

NARRATOR: Griselda did not recognizeher long-lost daughter in the beautiful andrichly attired young lady before her.

GRISELDA: I have never seen anyone

fairer, my Lord. (She pauses.) I only askone thing of you.

MARQUIS: What is it?

GRISELDA: Please do not torment thismaiden as you have done me. She wassheltered in her upbringing and could not endure as much as someone raised inpoverty.

NARRATOR: When the Marquis saw thislast example of Griselda’s patience andgood nature, he finally knew he need testher no more.

MARQUIS: This is enough, Griselda. I havethy faith and goodwill. I know it now. (Hetakes Griselda in his arms and kisses her.)Griselda, you are my wife. I have no other.

NARRATOR: Griselda looked as if she hadwoken from a dream.

MARQUIS: This is your daughter that youhave just supposed to be my new wife. Theother is your son, my heir. I secretly tookthem to Bologna. They are yours again.You have not lost your two children.

NARRATOR: Griselda fell in a swoon.Then she called both her children to her.They bathed in her tears as she embracedand kissed them.

GRISELDA: Oh, my dear children, my dearchildren. I thought cruel hounds or foulvermin had eaten you. But God, of Hismercy, and your good father kept you.

NARRATOR: Griselda’s ladies took her toher chambers. There they changed her outof her rags and into a gown of gold. Thenthey brought her back into the hall, whereeveryone honored her. They had a grandfeast that day—grander even than that ontheir wedding day—that lasted until thestars shone in the sky. And the couplelived happily ever after, for the Marquisnever tested Griselda again.

THE END

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Background

About the Play

P atient Griselda is adapted from “TheClerk’s Tale,” one of twenty-four tales in

Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.

About Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer has been called the greatestmedieval author, the first of the great Englishpoets. He was the first author to use English inall his major works; before him, most literatureintended for an educated audience was writtenin French or Latin.

Details of Chaucer’s personal life are

PatientGriselda

Teaching Guide

WORDS TO KNOW

attendant: one who attends another toperform a service

clerk: a churchman

countess: the wife or widow of an earl orcount, or a woman who holds one of thoseranks

dispensation: a release from a vow oroath

earl: a nobleman who ranks below amarquis and above a viscount

marchioness: the wife or widow of amarquis or a woman who holds the rank ofmarquis

marquis: a nobleman who ranks below aduke and above an earl

noble: a person of high birth or rank

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sketchy. He was born about 1340, the son of avinter (wine merchant). He held positions atcourt under Edward III and Richard II, servingat home and abroad in war and peace. His workand travels took him to France, Italy, andFlanders.

During his life, he translated and wrote anumber of stories and poems, the most famousof which is The Canterbury Tales. He also readstories, especially the works of such masterpoets and storytellers as Dante (1265-1321),Petrarch (1304-1374), and Boccaccio (1313-1375). Chaucer often used these masters’ storiesin his own works, translating them into his ownlanguage, often his own voice. This was anaccepted practice during Chaucer’s lifetime.Giving a story a wider audience was considereda good deed, not an act of plagiarism.

Chaucer spent the last years of his life inEngland. He died at his home in Westminsterin 1400. Because he lived on the grounds ofWestminster Abbey, he was buried in the southtransept of the building. That spot is nowknown as Poet’s Corner, and many otherfamous English poets have since been buriedthere.

About The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer’s masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, isa series of stories within a story written inverse. In it, Chaucer assembles thirty pilgrimsat the Tabard Inn, near London, to travel 70miles to the shrine of St. Thomas á Becket atCanterbury Cathedral. The choice of apilgrimage as a framework—a popular devicewith writers of his day—allowed Chaucer toassemble a great variety of people who in anyother setting would have had little or nothingto do with each other. Each pilgrim wassupposed to tell two stories going toCanterbury, two stories coming home. Withthe thirty pilgrims, and two late additions,there should have been 124 stories. Chaucernever finished this work, however, and only

twenty-four tales exist, some of which areunfinished fragments.

Although written in Middle English, TheCanterbury Tales is a timeless work. Chaucer’spowers of observation; his humor; hisintentional ambiguity; and his genial toleranceof humanity all combine to make TheCanterbury Tales as true and entertaining today as it was when it was written six hundredyears ago.

About “The Tale of the Clerk of Oxenford”

Chaucer based this tale on a story by theItalian poet Petrarch. Most scholars agree thatthe tale deals chiefly with ideals of Christianbehavior, not marriage. “The Clerk’s Tale” is areligious allegory showing the importance ofsubmission, loyalty, and goodness above all.

The religious bent of the story becomesclearer to modern-day readers when theyrealize that the teller of the tale, the Clerk ofOxenford, is a churchman. In the Middle Ages,the word “clerk” meant “churchman.” At thattime, churchmen were among the few whowere educated enough to do clerical jobs.

Making Connections


The story behind the story: Point out tostudents that a clerk in the Middle Ages was achurchman, and explain that most scholarsthink “The Clerk’s Tale” is allegorical—that ithas hidden spiritual meaning. Also remindstudents that during the Middle Ages, thechurch was very powerful and influential.Discuss with students what values they thinkthe story is trying to teach.

Then and now: Ask students why they thinkGriselda was so obedient to the Marquis. Point

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out that in the Middle Ages, women had toobey their husbands, their fathers, and theirlords; and peasants had to obey their lords. Askstudents to compare the marriage of theMarquis and Griselda to a marriage today. Askthem to look at such things as classdistinctions, the role of parents in agreeing to amarriage, and the relationship betweenhusband and wife.

Fool or hero? Ask students if they thinkGriselda was a fool or a hero for being sopatient with the Marquis. Ask if they thinktheir opinions of Griselda would differ fromthose held by people six hundred years ago. Ifso, why? If students were to write a modern dayversion of the tale, what would they change?How would Griselda behave?


Frame it! Explain to students that TheCanbterbury Tales has a frame story structure—it is a collection of stories told within theframework of a pilgrimage. Ask students tobrainstorm a frame they might use for acollection of stories written by the class. Thesecould include a class field trip, a classsleepover, or any other event when the entireclass is thrown together for an extended periodof time. Once students have agreed upon theframe, ask each student to write a story toinclude within the frame. When everyone isdone, read the stories aloud. Then collect themand collate them into a class book. As in TheCanterbury Tales, you might want to write anintroduction—or appoint one or more studentsto do so—that establishes the frame andintroduces each student.

Pilgrimage: Ask students to find Great Britainon a world map. Then ask them to find Londonand Canterbury, to see where Chaucer’sPilgrims traveled. Next, ask students to look ata map of their own state. Ask them to find a

place they might like to visit that is within a70-mile radius—the distance from London toCanterbury Cathedral—of their home town.Point out to students that although they wouldprobably make their trips by car in a matter ofhours, most of Chaucer’s pilgrims either walkedor rode a horse on their journey, which lastedmany days. Challenge students to map out theroute they would use to get there. Then havethem calculate how many days it would take towalk the 70 miles and how long it would taketo get there by car.

Family trees: Tell students that family nameswere very important during the Middle Ages.Ask students to make a family tree for Griseldaand the Marquis that includes all the relatedcharacters in the play. Then ask students tomake their own personal family trees goingback at least to their grandparents, and further,if possible.

The Three Estates (Reproducible #1): Askstudents to go back to this reproducible (page17) and place the names of the main charactersfrom this play—Griselda and the Marquis—intheir proper estates.

Further Reading

For Students:Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer(Lothrop, 1988).

A Taste of Chaucer by Anne Malcolmson(Harcourt, 1964).

A Medieval Feast by Aliki. (Harper, 1983).

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NARRATOR

KING ARTHUR

GREEN KNIGHT

SIR GAWAIN: one of King Arthur’s knights

QUEEN GUINEVERE: King Arthur’s wife

PORTER: doorman at the castle

LORD: lord of the castle in the woods

LADY: wife of the castle’s lord

GUIDE

Sir Gawain and the

Green KnightA King Arthur Legend

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ACT ISCENE:

New Year’s Day, mid-1400s. At Camelot,King Arthur’s palace.

NARRATOR: King Arthur, QueenGuinevere, and many noble knights andladies were celebrating the new year atCamelot. The servants brought out thefood and all were seated to eat, save KingArthur.

KING ARTHUR: I cannot eat until I hearof or see some stirring adventure.

NARRATOR: Guinevere smiled at Arthur.She was familiar with this habit of his.

KING ARTHUR: Does not anyone herehave an exciting event to share with me?

NARRATOR: As if in answer, there came a

commotion at the entrance to the hall.All looked and gasped in horror at whatthey saw: A giant, green man on a greatgreen horse.

QUEEN GUINEVERE: My lord!

NARRATOR: Arthur, studying the strangerand his stallion, said not a word.

GREEN KNIGHT (bellowing): Where is thegovernor of this gathering?

NARRATOR: Arthur stepped forward.

KING ARTHUR (fearless): Sir Knight,welcome to Camelot. I am Arthur, head ofthe household. Pray tell me what youwish.

GREEN KNIGHT: Your praises are sung farand wide. If you and your knights are sobold and brave as men tell, you will grantthe game I ask of you.

KING ARTHUR: What game shall I giveyou?

84 READ ALOUD PLAYS: SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT

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85READ ALOUD PLAYS: SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT

NARRATOR: The Green Knight held up ahuge ax.

GREEN KNIGHT: I wonder if there areany so hardy here in this house that willexchange with me one strike for another.

KING ARTHUR: Who is to take the firstblow?

GREEN KNIGHT: I will. Provided that Imay give one in return in a year’s time.

NARRATOR: The stranger stared at themen in King Arthur’s court, waiting to seewho would accept his challenge. After afew minutes, he shook his huge head indisgust.

GREEN KNIGHT (laughing loudly): Is thistruly Arthur’s house, renowned forfierceness and fearlessness?

NARRATOR: Arthur, refusing to beshamed, quickly spoke up.

KING ARTHUR: Your loud words do notfrighten us. You have spoken in folly, andyou will get as you deserve. Give me your ax.

NARRATOR: The Green Knightdismounted from his horse and handedArthur his ax. Meanwhile, Arthur’snephew, who had been seated beside thebeautiful queen, rose and spoke to Arthur.

SIR GAWAIN: My lord, let me take thyplace. My life, if lost, would be leastmissed.

NARRATOR: Arthur talked this over with his court. They advised him to accept Gawain’s proposal. Arthur calledhis nephew to his side and handed himthe ax.

KING ARTHUR: Son of my sister, teachthis man his lesson with one cut.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain approached theGreen Knight.

GREEN KNIGHT: Let us tell ouragreement, sir knight, before we gofurther.

SIR GAWAIN: I, Gawain, will strike theenow. You will have a turn with me intwelve months time.

GREEN KNIGHT: I am pleased, SirGawain, that you who understand shouldstrike this blow.

SIR GAWAIN: Tell me, where will I findthee in a twelvemonth?

GREEN KNIGHT: I will tell you after Ihave taken the blow.

QUEEN GUINEVERE (whispering): I praythat he is unable to do so.

NARRATOR: The Green Knight kneeledand rested his great head on the ground.He lifted his green hair to lay his greenneck bare.

GREEN KNIGHT: I am ready.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain raised the ax andstruck straight through the Green Knight’sneck, causing his head to roll across thefloor.

QUEEN GUINEVERE: Surely he is dead!Gawain is free from the bargain.

NARRATOR: But much to the queen’s—and the entire court’s—horror, the GreenKnight ran across the room and picked uphis head. Then he hopped on his horseand held his head so that its eyes metGawain’s.

GREEN KNIGHT: Get ready, Gawain, todo as you promised. Go north to theGreen Chapel. You have earned a sharpblow next New Year’s day.

NARRATOR: With those words, theheadless Green Knight galloped off.Arthur, having met a marvel, sat down toeat, beckoning Sir Gawain to come eat athis side.

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ACT IISCENE 1:

The following November. At Camelot.

NARRATOR: A year slipped swiftly past.After feasting All Saint’s Day, Sir Gawainknew it was time to head north.

SIR GAWAIN: My lord and uncle, I mustbeg your leave. I must set forth in themorning to answer my part of last NewYear’s bargain.

KING ARTHUR: I grant you leave, goodGawain. May God guide you to the GreenKnight and safely home again.

NARRATOR: Gawain rose early the nextmorning and heard Mass. Then, dressed inhis shining knight’s armor, he took leaveof King Arthur and his court.

KING ARTHUR: God be with you.

SIR GAWAIN: Farewell.

NARRATOR: Gawain mounted hisgroomed horse, Gringolet. He took hisshield with its five-pointed star, orpentangle. It was proof that Gawainpossessed the five virtues: fellowship,nobility of mind, courtesy, restraint, andobedience to God. Then Gawain spurredhis horse and sped away.

SCENE 2:The next eight weeks. North of Camelot.

NARRATOR: Gawain rode through cold,snow-covered forests and over icy hills.Everywhere, he asked the same question.

SIR GAWAIN: Do you know of the GreenKnight, or the Green Chapel?

NARRATOR: Always the answer was the

same: no. Gawain prayed for guidance asGringolet galloped on. When Gawainhadn’t yet found the chapel on ChristmasEve, he prayed harder than ever.

SIR GAWAIN (on his knees): Please give mesome place where I might hear Masstomorrow, on Christmas day.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain got back onGringolet and had not traveled far beforehe saw a palace through the trees.

SIR GAWAIN (taking off his helmet): Thankyou. My prayers are answered.

NARRATOR: Gawain galloped to thecastle’s gated entrance.

SIR GAWAIN (calling): Greetings!

NARRATOR: A porter hurried to the gate.

SIR GAWAIN: Good sir, will you go askyour lord if I may stay and pray here?

NARRATOR: The porter rushed off butquickly returned and opened the gate.

PORTER: You are most welcome here.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain rode his horseinside the gates. Servants hurried out tostable his horse; lords and ladies came outto welcome Gawain. They escorted himinto a huge hall, where the lord awaitedhim by a roaring fire.

LORD: I welcome you, Sir Knight, to dwellhere as you wish.

SIR GAWAIN: I give you my great thanks.

NARRATOR: The men embraced. Thenthe lord brought Gawain to a chamberwhere he was stripped of his cold, wetgarments and dressed in warm, rich robes.

LORD: Come now. You must eat.

NARRATOR: The lord led Gawain back tothe great hall, where a fantastic feast wasawaiting him. As Gawain ate, the lordasked him his name.

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SIR GAWAIN: I am Gawain, of KingArthur’s court.

LORD: Sir Gawain! I am very glad you aremy guest for Christmas. I have heardmuch that is good about you.

NARRATOR: After Gawain had eaten hisfill, the lord led him to his chapel to hearMass. His lady joined them, along with avery ugly old woman whom Gawain laterlearned was Morgan the Fay.

LORD (to his wife): My love, this is SirGawain, nephew of King Arthur of theRound Table. He will be our guest forChristmas.

LADY (smiling): Welcome, Sir Gawain.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain answered hersmile. As he did, he thought to himselfthat he had never seen anyone of greaterbeauty, not even his queen, Guinevere.

SCENE 3:Three days later. At the castle’s great hall.

NARRATOR: The Christmas celebrationwas a long one. On the third day,Gawain’s thoughts turned to the reason hewas away from Camelot.

SIR GAWAIN: My lord, you have been sogood to me, I am sorry to go. But I mustleave on the morrow.

LORD: Your presence brings me such prideand pleasure. I do not wish to see you go.What drives you away during the holidays?

SIR GAWAIN: I must find the GreenChapel by New Year’s morning. I agreed toa tryst there. And I have but three fulldays to find it if I leave on the morrow.

LORD (laughing): If that is it, then you muststay! The Green Chapel is hardly twomiles from here. You shall be shown yourway there on New Year’s morn.

SIR GAWAIN (relieved): My goal is gained!I thank you a thousand times. I will gladlystay on here, and do as you wish.

NARRATOR: The lord thought for a fewmoments.

LORD: You must stay and rest to recoverfrom your long travels. My wife will keepyou company at my castle each day while Itake my other guests hunting.

SIR GAWAIN: Whatever you wish, I willdo as you ask.

LORD: One thing more. Let us agree thatwhatever I win in the wood shall be yours,and whatever you harvest in myhousehold you will give in return.

SIR GAWAIN (smiling): I agree to that.

LORD: Let us drink our wine to seal thebargain!

ACT IIISCENE 1:

The following day, December 29. Inside Sir Gawain’s room.

NARRATOR: While Gawain slept, the lordand many of his guests got up early for thehunt. Gawain was finally wakened by thesound of his door opening. He peekedthrough the bed curtain and saw the ladyof the house stealing into his room. Heclosed his eyes to feign sleep, but openedthem wide when the lady sat on the bedbeside him.

LADY: Good morning, Sir Gawain! You area careless sleeper if one can creep up onyou so!

SIR GAWAIN: Good morning, graciouslady.


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NARRATOR: Sir Gawain was in anawkward position. It would be rude of himto ask his hostess to leave. Yet it wasunseemly for him to entertain her alone inhis room.

SIR GAWAIN: If you would grant me leave,lovely lady, I would dress myself to betterentertain you.

LADY: Nay, fair sir. Do not budge from yourbed. I want to speak with my prisoner.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain laughed at thelady’s description of him.

LADY: Sir Gawain, you are praised by all.Now we are alone, I offer you my praises.

SIR GAWAIN (embarrassed): I am anunworthy knight, madam.

LADY: Nay! If I were to choose a husbandanew, no lord alive would I want before you.

SIR GAWAIN: In truth lady, you did better.But I am proud of the praise you give me.

NARRATOR: They went on like this forsome time, with the lady professing herlove for Sir Gawain, and the knightpolitely rebuffing her. Finally, the ladyrose from the bedside.

LADY (flirtatious): I will leave now. But Ican hardly believe you are truly Gawain,prince of chivalrous love and virtue.

GAWAIN (upset): Why? Have I offendedyou in some way?

LADY: Surely, that knight would crave atleast one kiss out of courtesy.

GAWAIN: If a kiss is what you wish, it is mycourtly duty to obey.

NARRATOR: The lady leaned over andkissed Gawain on the cheek.

SCENE 2:That evening. In the castle hall.

NARRATOR: The host called for Gawainwhen he returned from the hunt.

HOST (pointing to a pile of deer carcasses):How do my spoils please you?

SIR GAWAIN: Truly, this is the finestvenison I have seen in seven winters.

HOST: I give all to you, Gawain, accordingto our agreement.

SIR GAWAIN: And I gladly give you whatI’ve gained, sir, a kiss.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain kissed him.

LORD (smiling): Thank you. Now, tell me,where did you win that wealth?

SIR GAWAIN: I will not tell. That was notpart of our agreement.

NARRATOR: They laughed and went offto dinner, promising to keep theagreement for another day.

SCENE 3:The next morning. In Gawain’s room.

NARRATOR: Again, Gawain slept whilethe lord and his company went off tohunt. And, again, he was awakened whenhis hostess came in his room and sat uponhis bed.

SIR GAWAIN: Good morning, lady.

LADY: Good morning, Gawain, if that iswho you truly are.

SIR GAWAIN: What do you mean?

LADY: Have you forgotten what I taughtyou yesterday? If you were a true knight,you would have claimed a kiss already.

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SIR GAWAIN: I shall kiss at your command.

NARRATOR: The lovely lady leaned overand kissed him. Then, as she did the daybefore, she tried to woo the good Gawain.

LADY: You are known as the most nobleknight. Since my lord and master is out inthe woods, far away, surely you couldteach me about love.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain thought quickly.

SIR GAWAIN: My lady, it is you who couldteach about love. You are much moreskilled than I.

NARRATOR: The lady laughed. Then shecontinued testing and trying him,tempting him to sin. But, careful not tooffend her, he continued to refuse. Finally,the lady gave up.

LADY: I must go now. But I will kiss you again.

NARRATOR: The lady kissed Gawain forthe second time that day and left.


NARRATOR: The host greeted Gawain andpresented him with the huge head of theboar he had hunted and killed that day.

HOST: What think you of my hunting skillsnow?

SIR GAWAIN: Never have I seen so big aboar!

HOST: It is yours, as we agreed.

SIR GAWAIN: And here are my winnings.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain clasped his host’sneck and kissed him twice.

HOST: Two kisses!

SIR GAWAIN: Yes, and now we are quits.

HOST: Until the morrow.

SCENE 5:The next morning. In Gawain’s room.

NARRATOR: For the third time, Gawainslept while his host went off to hunt. And,also for the third time, the lady crept intoGawain’s room while he was sleeping. Thegood knight, in a deep dream about theGreen Knight, did not hear her enter.

LADY: How can you sleep on such abeautiful morning?

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain shook his head ashe crept up from the depths of his dream.The lady laughed and kissed him.

SIR GAWAIN: Good morning, fair lady.

LADY: You call me fair lady, yet you do notlove me.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain knew not whatto say. He did not want to be discourteousto his hostess. Yet he also did not want tosin or deceive his host.

LADY: Is there someone you love better?

SIR GAWAIN: I have no beloved yet and Iwish for none.

LADY (upset): Those words hurt me morethan any could. Give me now a graciouskiss and I will quickly depart.

NARRATOR: The lady quickly kissedGawain, but could not yet bring herself toleave.

LADY: Dear knight, do me this pleasure.Give me something of yours to comfortme. Even your glove will help meremember you when you are gone.

SIR GAWAIN (shaking his head): How can Igive you a glove, you who deserve theloveliest thing I possess? Yet, alas, I cameon this journey with no gifts to give.

LADY: Noble knight, though I have nothing

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of yours, I still wish to give a gift to you.

NARRATOR: The lady took off a rich rubyring and held it towards Gawain.

SIR GAWAIN: Nay. I will have no giftsfrom you as I have none to give in return.

LADY: Do you refuse this ring because it istoo rich? Take then this silk belt I wear.

NARRATOR: The lady unbound a greenembroidered silk belt from around her hips.

SIR GAWAIN: My lady, please. I cannottake any gift when I have none to give.

LADY (ignoring him): Is this belt too poor foryou? It may not look as valuable as thering, but it is even more so. Whoeverwears it close about him will be kept safefrom harm.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain then thoughthow the belt would help him in his match.When the lady pressed the belt upon hima second time, he did not refuse it.

LADY: Remember me by it, and keep italways. But do not tell my husband I gaveit to you, for it would anger him.

NARRATOR: The lady then kissed Gawaina third time and left.


NARRATOR: When the lord returned fromthe hunt Gawain joyously greeted him.

SIR GAWAIN: I will be first to pay tonight!

NARRATOR: Then Gawain clasped thelord’s neck and kissed him three times.

LORD: Three kisses! All I have got for youis this fox’s pelt.

SIR GAWAIN: It is enough. Thank you.

NARRATOR: The two men went off to dine.Not a word was said about the silk belt.

ACT IVSCENE:

The next morning. Outside the castle.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain, astride his horseGringolet, left the castle early the nextmorning. The knight wore full armor. Andunderneath it, wrapped around his hips,he wore the green silk belt. A guide fromthe castle rode beside him into the deep,dark forest.

GUIDE: Let us stop here, sir.

SIR GAWAIN: Have we reached the GreenChapel?

GUIDE: No, though we are near thatnotorious place.

SIR GAWAIN: Let us go forth to find it then.

GUIDE: Nay. Pray listen to what I say. Youare a lord I love dearly. I do not wish tosee you harmed. Yet the man you go to seeis monstrous. He shows no mercy.

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SIR GAWAIN: But I said I would meet himthis day a twelvemonth ago.

GUIDE: Please, Sir Gawain, go away withoutseeing him. I will keep secret your flight.

SIR GAWAIN: I thank you for seeking tosave me, but I cannot flee in fear. To do sowould make me a coward.

GUIDE: If you wish to lose thy life, I cannotstop you. But I will not go one step further.

SIR GAWAIN: Tell me, then, where is theGreen Chapel?

GUIDE: Take this same rough track to thebottom of the valley. You will soon see theGreen Chapel you seek.

SIR GAWAIN: Thank you.

GUIDE: God go with you, noble Gawain.

NARRATOR: The guide turned and gallopedaway while Gawain followed the trackdown the dark, overgrown valley. He lookedall around until he spotted a green moundover a hollow cave. He rode over to it.

SIR GAWAIN (loudly): If this is the GreenChapel, where is the master of this place?It is Gawain, come to meet him.

NARRATOR: Gawain heard a loudgrinding noise, like the sharpening of anax. Then the Green Knight came out ofthe cave carrying a huge gleaming ax.

GREEN KNIGHT: Welcome to my place,Gawain. You have kept your agreement.Now take off your helmet and have yourpayment. And give no argument, as I gavenone.

SIR GAWAIN: I will do as you ask.

NARRATOR: Gawain took off his helmetand bravely bent his head. The GreenKnight then lifted his ax and swung. Ashe did so, Gawain glanced up and cringedat what he saw. The giant jerked back theblade.

GREEN KNIGHT: Such cowardice! Arethee truly Gawain, who never showed fear?

SIR GAWAIN: I flinched once. I will notflinch again.

NARRATOR: The Green Knight hoistedhis ax once again. This time he let the axfall hard. But he let it fall, not on Gawain,but on the ground next to the good knight.

GREEN KNIGHT: Ho! Ho! Now I haveyour attention. I shall strike my hardest!

NARRATOR: The Green Knight lightlylifted his weapon and let it fall. But heguided it so that it just nicked the knight’sneck. Gawain quickly jumped to his feet.

SIR GAWAIN: Enough! I have taken myblow. If you continue, I will match youblow for blow.

NARRATOR: The Green Knight leaned onhis ax and smiled at Gawain.

GREEN KNIGHT: Do not be so fierce,fearless knight. I will strike thee no more.You gave me all your winnings, except forthe green silk belt, and for that I justnicked you.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain looked towardshis hips, where the belt remained wellhidden.

GREEN KNIGHT: I also know of thy kissesand thy courteous ways with my wife.

SIR GAWAIN (confused and upset): Your wife?

GREEN KNIGHT: Yes. I planned her visitsto you myself.

SIR GAWAIN (in disbelief): You sent her tome?

GREEN KNIGHT: Yes. I sent her to testyou. And you seem truly a most faultlessknight. Your first two blows were intendedmisses, for the two promises you kept, theexchange of kisses.

SIR GAWAIN: And the third blow?

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GREEN KNIGHT: You did fail on the thirdday. You did not give me the green beltyou wear, though it belongs to me. Forthat you spilled some blood.

SIR GAWAIN (ashamed): I confess, sir. Iwas wrong to accept the belt. I am at fault.

GREEN KNIGHT: Your loyalty to yourhost was not total, but that was not forwickedness or wooing. Rather, it was forlove of your life, which is lessblameworthy.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain took off the beltand flung it at the Green Knight’s feet.

SIR GAWAIN: Forgive me. Let me gainyour grace anew.

GREEN KNIGHT: You have acknowledgedyour mistake. You are forgiven. But keepthe belt that is green like my gown so thatyou may always remember this contest.

SIR GAWAIN: I will take this belt toremind me of my failing.

NARRATOR: Sir Gawain picked up thebelt.

SIR GAWAIN: Now tell me, if you please,your true name.

GREEN KNIGHT: I am Bertilak. Morganthe Fay, the old woman you saw at thecastle, used the magical arts she learnedfrom Merlin to transform me into whatyou see.

SIR GAWAIN: Why did she do so?

GREEN KNIGHT: She wanted to test thereputation of the knights of the RoundTable.

SIR GAWAIN (hanging his head): And Ihave failed.

GREEN KNIGHT: Nay, you are a trueknight. I have met none truer. Now comeback to my home and we will celebratethe new year.

SIR GAWAIN: No, I must return toCamelot. (He pauses.) Please commendme to your wife, and beg her to forgiveme.

GREEN KNIGHT: I will, good Gawain, Iwill.

NARRATOR: The two men exchangedkisses and went their separate ways.Gawain returned to Camelot. Arthur wasdelighted to see Gawain again. Helistened to Gawain’s story and was proudof how the knight handled his task. ButGawain took little comfort in Arthur’spraise. He felt he had failed.

THE END

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READ ALOUD PLAYS: SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT 93

Background

About the Play

T his play is based on the poem Sir Gawainand the Green Knight, which critics call

one of the great masterpieces of medievalliterature in general and Arthurian writing inparticular. The poem, written by anunknown author in about 1375, is a romantictale about King Arthur’s nephew, SirGawain. In the story, Gawain is courageousand constant in the face of terror andtemptation. He emerges from a series of testsas the model of knighthood.

The 2,531-line poem has an alliterativemeter, in which two or more words in oneline have the same initial sounds, and waswritten during what is now known as theAlliterative Revival of the fourteenthcentury. (Alliterative poems had been verypopular in the centuries before the NormanConquest.) It was written in Middle Englishin the regional dialect of the West Midlands.

The language, though rich and colorful, wasconsidered less accessible by Londoners andothers in the populous Southeast England atthe time. As a result, the poet never had afraction of the audience that, for instance,his contemporary Chaucer had.

Like Chaucer, the poet combinedborrowed and original material in his work.The story’s beheading game was borrowedfrom an eighth- or ninth-century Irishlegend. The temptation of the knight’schastity dates back to early French romances.

Sir Gawainand the

Green KnightTeaching Guide

WORDS TO KNOW

All Saint’s Day: a Christian feastcelebrated on November 1 in honor ofall saints

chivalrous: marked by honor,generosity, and courtesy, especially towomen


porter: a doorman

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The author tied these together with whatappears to be an original idea, the exchangeof the winnings.

There is only one existing earlymanuscript of Sir Gawain and the GreenKnight, and it is in the British Museum. Thepoem, along with three others believed to beby the same author, is written in fourteenth-or early-fifteenth-century hand on velum.

About the Author

J.R.R. Tolkien, in the introduction to histranslation of Sir Gawain and the GreenKnight, says “educated men of the fourteenthcentury were shockingly incurious aboutauthors as persons.” As a result, all that isknown about the author of Sir Gawain and theGreen Knight is what can be learned from theexisting manuscript and the four poemscontained in it. For example, based on hisdescription of dress, the author, now generallyknown as the “Gawain poet,” was probablywriting in the late 1300s. His descriptions oflife at court and the hunt show that he waswell acquainted with courtly life. That,combined with his knowledge of Latin andFrench, make it likely that he was a memberof the gentry. And his dialect places him inthe West Midlands—Lancashire orsomewhere farther north.

About the Arthurian Legends

Poets and writers have been telling storiesabout King Arthur for almost one thousandyears. No one knows if these stories have anybasis in fact, if there ever was a real Arthur.Scholars say that, if there was, he lived in thesixth or seventh century, may or may not havebeen of royal blood, and was an acclaimedhero and leader. Whether fact or fiction, thelegend of King Arthur was first transmittedorally and later written down by many greatauthors, including the author of Sir Gawain

and the Green Knight. In nearly all theretellings, Arthur is shown as a defender ofthe faith and the ruler of a kingdom based onlaw and order. His nephew, Sir Gawain, one ofthe greatest of his knights, appears in many ofthe stories. As in Sir Gawain and the GreenKnight, Gawain is famous for his courtesy andbravery, and is always successful in his quests.

Making Connections


The moral of the story is...: Ask studentswhat morals they find in this story. Discussloyalty, bravery, and honesty. You might askstudents if they know any stories—old orcontemporary— that contain similar morals.For example, if students have read The Songof Roland, they might compare and contrastRoland and Gawain.

Testing, one, two, three: Ask students tothink about the three tests Gawain’s host putto him. Ask, what made Gawain pass the firsttwo tests? (his determination not to sin orbetray his host) What made him fail thethird test? (his love of life) Ask students ifthey think they would have passed the thirdtest. Why or why not?

Success or failure? Ask students whetherthey think Gawain proved himself to be atrue knight in this story. Why or why not?Who in the story shares their belief? (Arthur, his court, and the Green Knightthink Gawain succeeded; Gawain thinks hefailed.)

All about Arthur: Ask students what theyknow about the legend of King Arthur. Discusswhat virtues King Arthur and the Knights ofthe Round Table are known for. Then askstudents what, if anything, they have everheard about Sir Gawain. Explain that the play

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is one of the many King Arthur legendswritten over the past one thousand years.


A little alliteration: Tell students that theoriginal Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is analliterative poem. Explain that alliteration isthe repetition of the initial consonant soundsin two or more neighboring words or syllables(as in creepy crawlers in deep, dark drawers).Then tell students they are going to write analliterative poem together. Choose a topic,then ask for a volunteer to write the first lineof the poem, using alliteration. Then ask forvolunteers to continue adding alliterativelines to the poem, making sure to call oneveryone in class. You might want to printyour poem and share it with other classes.

Picture perfect: Ask each student to imaginewhat the Green Knight looks like, then todraw a picture of him. Then ask students toimagine that they are publishers about toprint a copy of Sir Gawain and the GreenKnight, and ask them to select the drawingthey think they would use on the cover oftheir books. Discuss why they chose thecover they did.

Who wrote it? Ask each student to write oneparagraph about something that is importantto him or her—you might write one as well—but tell them not to put their name on it.Then read all or a sampling of the paragraphsaloud, to see if students can guess eachparagraph’s author. Explain that very little isknown about the author of Sir Gawain andthe Green Knight, except what has beenconjectured from the poem itself. You mightwant to discuss books students are currentlyreading and ask what they can guess aboutthe author based on the book. Students canthen research the author to find out howaccurate their guesses were.

The Three Estates (Reproducible #1): Askstudents to go back to this reproducible (page 17) and place the names of the maincharacters from this play in their properestates.

In Other Words (Reproducible #3): In thisactivity, students will do a word search tofind the modern English word for someMiddle English words. Those who find all thewords will get a bonus—a piece of triviaabout the legend of King Arthur. (Dependingon the level of your students, you may wantto provide students with the list of modernEnglish words.)

Answers: 1-armorer, 2-clattering, 3-cousin,4-deep, 5-dimple, 6-medicine, 7-here, 8-no,9-nozzle, 10-rushed, 11-fool, 12-stream, 13-you, 14-there, Bonus-Excalibur is the nameof King Arthur’s magic sword.

Further Reading

The Challenge of the Green Knight by IanSerrailler (Walck, 1967).

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In Other Words…Look at the list of words below. Do they look familiar? They might, sincethey are in Middle English—the language from which our modern Englishdeveloped. Find and circle the modern English word that means the samething as each Middle English word in the word box. (Words can go up anddown or across. No word completely overlaps another word.) Then writethe modern English words on the lines. (You’ll find clues for a few words.)

Name _______________________________________________________________

96 REPRODUCIBLE 3 READ ALOUD PLAYS: SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT

Middle English words

1. armoyer __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 8. nay __ __

2. clatterande __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 9. nozle __ __ __ __ __ __

3. coz __ __ __ __ __ __ 10. rusched __ __ __ __ __ __

4. depe __ __ __ __ 11. simpkin __ __ __ __

5. dimpul __ __ __ __ __ __ 12. streem __ __ __ __ __ __

6. fisyk __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 13. thee __ __ __

7. hither __ __ __ __ 14. thither __ __ __ __ __

C L A T T E R I N G

O Y O U I S U T O H

U E S N A M S E O D

S F T K F I H E R E

I A R M O R E R N E

N G E A O R D T H P

U R A S L T H E R E

D I M P L E M A G I

C S N O Z Z L E W O

R D M E D I C I N E

Word Box

Excalibur __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

__ __ __ __ __ __’ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.

Bonus: When you are done,write the remainingletters on the linesbelow to answer thequestion:

What is Excalibur?

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