Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer

Chaucer’s Life and Family Tangenberg PowerPoint 5/14/2018 Chaucer’s Life and Family Born in 1343 Chaucer belonged to the upper middle class. He had a wife and children. He was well-travelled Read English, Latin, Italian, and French Well respected among peers and held in high esteem by king; received annual wine supplies, which later increased in size Little is known of his life beyond official duties and achievements. He died in 1400 (October 25?).

Tangenberg PowerPoint 5/14/2018 Chaucer the man Positions held: Esquire of the royal court Controller of customs for the port of London Soldier - Hundred Years’ War Diplomat Poet Justice of the peace Member of Parliament

Tangenberg PowerPoint 5/14/2018 Celebrated Author His work was popular, considered the father of English poetry & the greatest English poet He was praised for making English suitable for poetry Wrote in the vernacular Introduced iambic pentameter No one except Shakespeare has surpassed him First writer buried in Westminster Abbey (famous cathedral in London, England)

The Writing of the Tales Begun: 1387 - This was a 13-year project:  bulk written 1392-95  latest tales 1396-1400 Planned: 120 tales Completed: 22 and 2 fragments Remaining: 80 manuscripts Pilgrimage as a framing device for tales Conventional springtime opening

The Canterbury Tales Ranks as one of the world’s most famous works Provides the best contemporary picture we have of 14th century England Introduces 29 pilgrims traveling the roads to Canterbury Cathedral Journey begins at Tabard Inn Frame story (story within a story) All 29 pilgrims are introduced in the Prologue

About The Canterbury Tales Tangenberg PowerPoint 5/14/2018 About The Canterbury Tales The characters tell stories that reflect “everyman” in the universal pilgrimage of life. The pilgrimage is a quest narrative that moves from images of spring and awakening to penance, death, and eternal life. Told as a game to make the journey less tiresome and grueling, and to see who tells the best tale. Brings together in this work the three classes of Medieval society: nobility, clergy, & commoners Many different storytellers—some rough, vain, or materialistic; others wise, pious, or noble. Therefore, many different tales...

Pilgrimage Very popular to go on pilgrimage Pilgrims often went to Rome, Mecca, or Jerusalem To seek out Arch Bishop Thomas Beckett of Canterbury Cathedral Reasons Hope of heavenly reward Penance People went in groups for safety

Tangenberg PowerPoint 5/14/2018 Structure and Themes A prologue precedes each character’s tale The prologue introduces the character personally The tale reveals more through the character’s chosen subject and treatment of that subject Major themes include morality and genuine vs. false pilgrimage

Structure and Themes All of the tales are told in rhymed couplets or in stanzas of seven except The Tale of Melibeus and The Parson’s Tale All tales are in iambic pentamenter (5 metrical feet in each line)

The Travelers to Canterbury

The Travelers to Canterbury

The Travelers to Canterbury

Chaucer’s Snapshot of the Middle Ages Population

Tangenberg PowerPoint 5/14/2018 The Characters Knight Squire Yeoman Nun or Prioress Second Nun 3 Priests Monk Friar Merchant Oxford Cleric Sergeant at Law Franklin

Tangenberg PowerPoint 5/14/2018 More Characters Haberdasher Dyer Carpenter Weaver Carpet Maker Cook Skipper Doctor Wife of Bath Parson Plowman

More Characters Miller Manciple Reeve Summoner Pardoner

The Text in Verse: Prologue Tangenberg PowerPoint 5/14/2018 The Text in Verse: Prologue “Here bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunterbury. Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,. . . Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne. . . Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,…”          Source: http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/gp-par.htm

The Knight Was an honorable warrior who fought for Christianity against the heathens. Appropriate that he is the first pilgrim to be introduced because he stands at the top of the social hierarchy, thus is the most socially prominent person on the journey. Tells the first story; many offer him compliments. All of the battles mentioned that he fought in were religious wars of some kind.

The Knight Prologue’s description: Worthy man Loved the following Chivalry Fidelity Honor (good reputation) Generosity courtesy Honored for his worthiness in war

The Knight Prologue’s description: Fought in many battles/ had “been at many a noble expedition” Alexandria Prussia Lithuania/Latvia Russia Grenada at siege of Algeciras to Belmarye (north Africa) Morocco The Mediterranean Tiemcen Turkey

The Knight Prologue’s description: Even though he was brave, he was prudent Deportment: “meek as a maid” Never said any rude word in all his life to any person Horses were good Clothing/dress Not gaudily dressed Tunic of coarse cloth, stained with rust from his chain mail suit Has just returned from an expedition

A Knight’s Tale Probably adapted from Boccaccio’s Teseide Tale of ideal love and chivalry. Would be a popular type of tale in Chaucer’s day.

A Knight’s Tale Premise: Two Thebian knights, Palamon & Arcite, fall in love with the same woman, Emelye, whom they see only from their prison window in Athens. Their life-long friendship is immediately disrupted by their rivalry for Emelye. In time Arcite is released from prison on the condition that he never again set foot in Athens. Palamon eventually escapes years later.

A Knight’s Tale The men meet by chance in a grove hear Athens and are about to fight when Theseus and his company interrupt them. After forgiving the knights for their past, Theseus schedules a tournament (50 weeks later) for the hand of Emelye. Arcite wins the tournament, but scarcely has had time to claim his fair prize when the misaligned planet Saturn causes him to fall from his horse and die shortly afterward.

A Knight’s Tale Palamon forgets his ill feelings toward Arcite and retires to Thebes, where he mourns his former friend. Several years later, Theseus summons Palamon, who is still mourning and wearing black, and gives him Emelye in marriage. Makes of two sorrows one “parfit joye, lastynge everemo.”

A Knight’s Tale Not much action in the romance. Two knights are almost the same Both Make speeches declaring their love Curse their destiny Pray to their respective gods Conflict that a story about medieval knights and their customs would be set in ancient Greece.