The topic that I found to be the most interesting throughout this course was the elaborate piece of medieval art discovered in France, known as the Bayeux Tapestry. The eleventh-century piece vividly illustrates the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England. Tapestries were not rare during the time, but the size of this particular piece is a sign that it was important (Trueman). The first section shows that Harold, a nobleman, had been sent on a mission by King Edward. He eats with friends before crossing the sea. In addition, the second section shows the central scene: Harold’s coronation. Then, his death. Significantly, this beautiful piece of art is also one of most famous historical documents ever to exist!
The twenty-first century
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I sure have! And the answer; symbolism! Along the top and bottom of the tapestry are decorative borders with many animals. The main panel of the tapestry features a large bird being carried by people. Makra Peter writes: “Considering the fact that, apart from horses, very few animals are depicted in the main panel of the tapestry, the repeated occurrence of this bird deserves closer attention (Peter).” It is clear that this bird is either a hawk or a falcon. Another observer, Brunsdon Yapp concludes that the bird is indeed a hawk! In medieval falconry different types of birds were considered to be different ranks of society, says Makra (Peter). This has me question the tapestries political …show more content…
One could look at the Bayeux Tapestry and infer its events, but only a fellow artist knows to look for a larger image. Researching and observing other perspectives on this topic has allowed me to conclude that we may debate over certain topics in history, but we will never know the true motive or events that took place. For example, we will never unmask the true creator of this complicated artifact and we also cannot confirm that Harold’s death was caused by an arrow to the eye during the chaotic battle which was depicted in the tapestry. The evidence that is available to us has survived by chance or because it is valued and kept for all sorts of reasons. Because this astonishing artifact survived a very long time, it must have been important! A lot of history’s original information can be left behind and people often misinterpret some of the information that is available. Finding reliable sources can be problematic! In terms of a reliable source, the artifact may be unfairly influenced because it seemed to be created from William’s perspective and was probably produced from someone who was not a part of the great battle. All in all, the Bayeux tapestry serves as a medieval artifact that doubles as art, chronicle, political information, and visual evidence of eleventh-century life, all at a great scale.
King Edward I of England made a number of military campaigns during his reign, in two of which he captured modern-day Wales. In order to hold his gains he built a series of castles, which are said to still be some of the world’s greatest strongholds. But, over 3500 kilometres away a period of fascinating castle building took place prior to Edward’s as a result of the crusades. These constructions were designed by absorbing the constructive wisdom of the crusaders and those they came into contact with. The crusader castles were built faster, larger, and stronger, to create what are without a doubt, the world’s greatest strongholds. The crusaders designed their castles to provide the essentials needed for survival while developing design techniques capable of turning a castle into a stronghold that were mimicked throughout the medieval world. Once their castles were designed the crusaders displayed a construction ability and ingenuity that turned the designs into reality, taking any material they could obtain and use it to create anything they needed. So successful was their construction that attacking forces of incredibly larger numbers were needed to capture only a select few of the castles over a hundred year period, and often the circumstances of capture were not a fault of design but an unfortunate twist of fate. Through design, construction, and history, a picture emerges of a pioneering period of military construction that was never matched.
The tile of the poem “Bird” is simple and leads the reader smoothly into the body of the poem, which is contained in a single stanza of twenty lines. Laux immediately begins to describe a red-breasted bird trying to break into her home. She writes, “She tests a low branch, violet blossoms/swaying beside her” and it is interesting to note that Laux refers to the bird as being female (Laux 212). This is the first clue that the bird is a symbol for someone, or a group of people (women). The use of a bird in poetry often signifies freedom, and Laux’s use of the female bird implies female freedom and independence. She follows with an interesting image of the bird’s “beak and breast/held back, claws raking at the pan” and this conjures a mental picture of a bird who is flying not head first into a window, but almost holding herself back even as she flies forward (Laux 212). This makes the bird seem stubborn, and follows with the theme of the independent female.
A: Bayeux Tapestry is one of the famous pieces of tapestry in the medieval time period. This tapestry is now on display in Bayeux in Normandy, France. It showed the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It tells the battle of Hastings, Williams reasoning on why he invaded, the set-up for the battle, and the battle itself. The Bayeux Tapestry was important because of its size (Truman). There were 72 scenes and each one told a part of the story. It took 70 years to finish this tapestry with dimensions of 20 inches high and 250 feet long (Mr. Donn).
Through the texts and readings we covered this year, we saw many connections, through Beowulf, Poetry from the Exeter Book to Macbeth. Just with these few readings we can infer a lot. We do not read Macbeth or Beowulf and see acts or paragraphs describing the ways of politics and social beliefs of these people at the time, but through the stories and the fact that they are being recorded, can tell us a lot of what was important to them.
I navigated through six different websites that were created to locate original documents and speeches; it seemed impossible to find any other primary source for this astonishing twenty-first century piece! The only dated writing I could find was written by a John Simkin in 1997 and was recently updated in 2014. In his writing, he discusses Odo, the son of Herluin of Conteville and Herleva of Falaise (Simkin). In 1049, William of Normandy named Odo bishop of Bayeux and then, over the next few years, he planned the rebuilding of the Bayeux Cathedral (Simkin). One Norman historian claims that, when William decided to invade England in 1066, Odo of Bayeux provided 100 ships to William's navy (Simkin). After fighting in the Battle of Hastings, Odo was named Earl of Kent; then, after his crowning, William the Conqueror claimed that all the land in England now belonged to him (Simkin). In 1067 William the Conqueror appointed Odo as regent while he spent time in Normandy; and the next fifteen years he was second in power to William in England (Simkin). It was said that Odo may have created the Bayeux Tapestry. It is quite possible that he created it to prove that he should have been the one in power instead of William or maybe because he was jealous of William! We will never know the motive behind the
Near the Normandy coast of northern France, the village of Bayeux houses a remarkable treasure. The Bayeux Tapestry may be found in its own museum in the former Great Seminary of Bayeux. Also known as the Tapestry of Queen Matilda or the Cloth of the Conquest. This tapestry is unusual. Because it is a very long, narrow strip of linen measuring 70 meters by 50 centimeters. Or about 220 feet long. And only 20 inches tall. The tapestry is actually an embroidery of William the Conqueror's invasion and conquest of England in 1066. It consists of 51 scenes with over 1,500 figures. Including warriors, horses, other animals, ships, castles, weapons, and other objects. Latin words are embroidered on the scenes. To explain what is taking place at each
According to the tour guide, during the Middle Ages, the tapestry industry flourished and approximately one-third of the population in Brussels participated in this business. Individuals used tapestries to demonstrate their wealth and prestige. The tapestries on display depict various scenes of a unicorn. One tapestry illustrates the unicorn purifying the drinking water, which has been poisoned by a snake, with his horn. In another tapestry, several men with spears surround the unicorn and attempt to attack it. A virgin woman tamed the unicorn in a different tapestry. A further tapestry shows the unicorn constrained by a chain and a fence surrounded by wild orchids and a pomegranate tree to indicate the animal’s tameness. The guide suggested that this themes of these tapestries are marriage, procreation, righteous, and tameness. Moreover, the guide suggested that these tapestries and the unicorn frequently symbolize Christ. Overall, I found this exhibit the most fascinating because the historical significance of unicorns and their horns is not widely
The Battle of Maldon is a medieval text depicting a battle between English warriors and Danish invaders. Earl Byrtnoth was commanding the warriors in the name of King Æthelred. The poem portrays the heroism of the bravest warriors and the sheer cowardice of those that fled. Controversy over the aim of the poem is apparent as Sragg says that the poets “style of writing is so hyperbolic that it robs what little of trustworthiness there is.” On the one hand there is little doubt that the battle happened and in this sense the poem is accurate, however very little archaeological evidence has been found around that historical sight to consolidate the poems content. Another problem may well lie in the later translations of the text especially before 1725 and the Cotton Library fire. When copyists began to copy the text they may well have lost some of the meaning of the poem by the way they understand it, they are likely to translate the text to fit contemporary understanding.
Since the death of Richard III at Bosworth field in 1485, many historians, appointed officials, and playwrights, have written their histories, thoughts, and accounts of Richard III’s life for hundreds of years. If we think about all of the medieval kings, princes, and other historical figures who were reported as doing just as many, if not worse crimes during their reign, how come Richard III still gains attention for his? This debate continues to this day, because of the early written records that tried to prove his malicious nature. In addition, the plagiaristic tendencies of early historians further added to the debate because century after century, accounts of Richard’s life became more and more negative.
The birdcage represents how Mrs. Wright was trapped in her marriage, and could not escape it. The birdcage door is broken which represents her broken marriage to Mr. Wright. It also represents Mrs. Wright escaping her marriage from Mr. Wright. When the door is open it allows Mrs. Wright to became a free woman. At one point in time the cage door use to have a lock that locked the bird inside the cage. This represents how Mr. Wright kept Mrs. Wright locked up from society. Mr. Wright knew that by keeping Mrs. Wright locked up, she would never be able to tell anyone how he really acted. Mr. Wright was very cruel to his wife.
William Shakespeare represented King Henry V as a hero, however the accuracy of this perspective can be called into question, due to accounts of war crimes committed by the king in his campaigns in France. This investigation will look at the actual historical facts that can be established about King Henry V, the climate in which Shakespeare wrote, the differences his representation has with that of modern historians and also of course the actual details of his representation of King Henry V. However where would any debate of the accuracy of a literary representation be without the historical facts, free from any trappings of flavoured language.
Western Civilization II Guides. “Art Inspired by The French Revolution”. Wordpress, 2007. Web. 5th May 2013.
This a tale of an ancient tapestry and a young boy who was a victim of its curse.
What exactly is the Holy Grail? Does anyone really know why it is so significant? Why is this grail so important? These are all such questions that anyone could ask if one had no knowledge of either the Last Supper or the Arthurian age--two times in which the Holy Grail holds outstanding significance. Throughout the length of this research paper, one will come to know what the Holy Grail is, why it holds such a high amount of significance, its relationship to the Arthurian age and what the Holy Grail means now in the modern world. Let’s begin.
As far as assignments in this course, my absolute favorite was the definition essay and my least favorite the research essay. Figuring out exactly what lookism was, as I had never heard of it before, made this my favorite project, and writing style. Explaining ideas and processes is something I enjoyed, not only because it a form I will utilize in the future and have used in the past, it also taught me the meaning of something I would have never known had I not taken this