30-43 Does he know why he can't sleep? Does he guess or hint why?
44-61 What kind of book does he choose? Why?
62-75 He reads a story that opens with plenty of action--what happens?
76-94 How does Queen Alcyone feel?
95-100 How does the narrator feel about Queen Alcyone?
101-21 The queen prays to Juno for what?
122-30 What effect does this prayer have on Queen Alcyone?
131-52 What does Juno order her messenger to do?
153-65 Describe the landscape where the gods of sleep dwell.
166-77 Describe the gods of sleep.
178-83 How does the messenger wake up one of them?
184-91 Why doesn't the messenger here repeat Juno's entire message?
192-201 What does this god of sleep do?
202-11 The spectre of King Seys asks his wife to do what?
212-14 What does she promptly do instead?
215-20 Why don't we learn more details about Alcyone and Seys at this point?
221-30 What does the narrator say would have happened to him, had he not read this tale?
231-37 He wonders about the truth of what specific aspect of the tale? Why? (l. 237)
238-39 What emotional conflict does the narrator feel as he begins his prayer?
240-45 To whom does he pray for sleep?
246-69 What gifts does the narrator promise in his prayer?
270-75 What results from his prayer? How? (l. 272)
276-89 What two famous interpreters of dreams would have been unable to interpret what the narrator now dreams?
290-320 In his dream he is awakened at what time and place, in what condition, by what sort of sounds?
321-25 What is the physical condition of the windows where he wakes?
326-34 What two stories are portrayed on the glass?
335-43 What is the weather like outside? How can he tell?
344-47 What sound of the hunt does he first hear?
348-53 What else does he hear next? (Notice that hors has two different meanings, in l. 347 and l. 349.)
354-59 How does the dreamer feel about hunting? Where does he apparently stable his horse?
360-69 What kinds of people and dogs does he catch up with? What does he ask one of them (one of the people!), and what reply does he get?
370-86 What happens the first time a deer is spotted?
387-94 On foot now, the dreamer is approached by a puppy. How does he know it's friendly?
395-96 Why does the dreamer start walking into the woods?
397-404 He enters a clearing full of what?
405-13 The beauty of this clearing makes him think that earth is trying to outdo heaven in what way, in order that earth might forget what?
414-15 What makes the woods green?
416-26 How are the trees in this clearing arranged and proportioned?
427-33 What animals live in this clearing?
434-42 What point does the narrator make by mentioning the Arabic mathematician?
443-49 Finally, the dreamer notices the Man in Black. What is his first thought about that knight's state of mind?
450-57 What is the knight's physical appearance?
458-61 Why doesn't the knight see the dreamer? (two reasons)
462-74 Why doesn't the knight hear the dreamer approach?
475-86 Why is the knight mourning for his lady?
487-499 What medical explanation does the dreamer/narrator here give for the knight's sudden paleness?
500-513 Why does the knight not notice the dreamer's first direct greeting?
514-518 How does the dreamer greet him then?
519-521 For what does the knight apologize?
522-525 For what does the dreamer apologize?
526-527 What is the knight's polite response?
528-535 What is the dreamer's first impression of the knight's personality?
536-541 What does the dreamer say to lead the knight into conversation? Why does he want to converse?
542-543 How does the knight feel about hunting?
544-557 The dreamer now tries a blunt approach. Why, does he say, should the knight tell of his sorrow? (2 reasons)
558-597 Who all would be unable to heal the knight's sorrow? How else does he describe it? Why doesn't he die?
598-617 What kind of changes has the knight gone through?
618-649 What are some of Fortune's unpleasant characteristics? How does she resemble a scorpion?
650-669 What did Fortune do to him? (Be sure to note the meaning of fers.)
670-684 On what grounds does the knight forgive Fortune?
685-709 What more has he to say about his sorrow?
710-741 What point does the dreamer make by telling of those who dies for love? (ll. 740-41)
742-744 The knight's response indicates that the dreamer is failing to understand what?
745-758 In this dialogue, how might you characterize the knight? the dreamer?
759-774 How has the knight shown his devotion to Love?
775-784 In what way did he once resemble a white wall or tablet?
785-804 How has he by now become so well schooled in love?
805-816 In retrospect, why does he feel so ambivalent about Fortune?
817-834 In describing his first glimpse of his lady, to what all does he compare her?
835-845 How did he then feel about serving anyone but her?
846-854 What all did she do well?
855-877 What did her hair and eyes look like?
878-882 What sort of temperament did she have?
883-894 What sort of love had men felt for her? What sort had she felt for them?
895-918 What did her face look like? Why doesn't the knight describe it more precisely?
939-947 What did her neck look like?
948-951 Why was her name well suited to her?
952-960 What did the rest of her body look like? Was he sure?
961-984 How did she stand out in a crowd?
985-988 What about her morals?
989-998 What about her mind?
999-1014 What about her fidelity?
1015-33 What did she refrain from doing to men who wooed (read: propositioned) her?
1034-41 What all was she to the knight?
1042-53 The dreamer expresses admiration for the lady--but not enthusiastically enough to suit the knight, who chastises the dreamer for what? (Note the shifting emphasis in trowe and leve.)
1054-74 What point is the knight making by listing these heros?
1075-79 Why does he correct his own comment that he needed her?
1080-87 What point is he making by naming Penelope and Lucrece?
1088-101 When he and White first met, why was he not sure he was loving her the right way?
1102-7 The sight of her could raise his spirits for approximately how many hours?
1108-14 The dreamer now suggests that the knight could be absolved without repenting, for what?
1115-25 What point is the knight making by naming famous traitors?
1126-43 What two things does the dreamer ask to learn about?
1144-54 Why did the knight at first not tell White about his love?
1155-72 What did he do instead? Was he any good at it?
1173-82 What is he quoting in ll. 1175-80?
1182-93 Between what two fears was he pulled?
1194-1202 Why did he finally decide to tell White of his love?
1203-20 What kind of an emotional state was he in as he began to speak to her? What exactly did he say first?
1221-35 What did he say on his second try?
1236-49 What was her first reply? Did she elaborate? How did he feel?
1250-61 For about how long did he apparently wake up moping every morning?
1262-67 Why did White change her mind?
1268-74 What did she give him? Why do you think he hastily adds l. 1272?
1275-80 How happy was he?
1281-97 What was their life together like?
1298-1313 What information does the dreamer finally manage to understand?
1314-20 Where does the knight ride to?
1321-25 What awakens the narrator?
1326-34 What does he decide to do?