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Chaucer and early British poetry

Study note

British poetry is among the oldest and richest in the world, stretching back well over a thousand years. One of the earliest works is Beowulf, an epic poem from the Anglo-Saxon period that tells of a hero's battles against fearsome monsters. It is one of the first great poems in the English tradition.

From the Middle Ages, two famous poems survive. Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories told by pilgrims travelling to Canterbury. The poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is set at the court of the legendary King Arthur. So for this topic, link Beowulf with the Anglo-Saxon period and the Canterbury Tales, written by Chaucer, with the Middle Ages.

Memory tip: Beowulf (Anglo-Saxon); Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and Sir Gawain (Middle Ages).

Practise this topic

Question 1 of 2

Who wrote the medieval poem the Canterbury Tales?

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Show all questions and answers for Chaucer and early British poetry(2 questions with explanations)

Chaucer and early British poetry: questions, answers and explanations

  1. 1. Who wrote the medieval poem the Canterbury Tales?

    • Geoffrey Chaucer
    • John Milton
    • William Wordsworth
    • William Shakespeare

    Correct answer: Geoffrey Chaucer

    Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales in the Middle Ages.

  2. 2. Beowulf is an early poem from which period of British history?

    • The Anglo-Saxon period
    • The 20th century
    • The Victorian period
    • The Enlightenment

    Correct answer: The Anglo-Saxon period

    Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon poem about a hero's battles against monsters.

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