Geoffrey Chaucer and the The Canterbury Tales Unit 1: from Legend to History Mrs. Green/British Literature

The Life and Times of Geoffrey Chaucer

Early Life Born c. 1340 Son of a prosperous wine merchant In his mid-teens, he was placed in the service of the Countess of Ulster so he could obtain more education and be schooled in court and society life Thus, he would have learned Latin and some Greek as well as perhaps some French and Italian

Early Life (continued) In 1359, he was captured by the French at the siege of Reims during the Hundred Years' War while serving in the English army; ransomed by King Edward III a year later Chaucer joined the royal household and became a trusted messenger and minor diplomat

As a Royal Messenger Chaucer was frequently sent to the continent on secret business for the King. Some of these trips were to Italy where he became acquainted with the works of the great Italian authors: Boccaccio, Dante, Petrarch These 3 were the greatest Italian writers of the early Renaissance period

Other Jobs Chaucer Held… and Learned From... Controller of Customs on Wools, Skins and Hides for the Port of London Here he would meet many types of businessmen, sailors, travelers, city folk and common laborers Clerk of the King’s Works In charge of construction and repairs affecting the royal residences; here he would meet many guildsmen as well as court officials Deputy Forester of the King’s Forests Away from the city, he met peasants, foresters, local clergy and other country folk Representative of the Shire of Kent in Parliament Here he met the rich, the influential and the upper middle class as well as the higher ranking church officials

Chaucer’s Guided Tour of Medieval Life and Literature

In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer wrote about the people he had met along the way. If you were doing the same thing today, think about the variety of types of people you know and have encountered.

Describe them by: Their job The type and color of their clothing Their “accessories” (jewelry, pets, other portables) The way they act Their income Their “secrets” Their status in society as a whole The way they speak / their slang or accent Their mode of transportation

The Journey Begins During the Medieval Period, traveling became somewhat of a pastime. Chaucer uses this fact to set his story, The Canterbury Tales, in motion. The Canterbury Tales begins with a Prologue, in which the narrator (presumably, Chaucer) meets 29 other pilgrims at the Tabard Inn, located in a London suburb. As the pilgrims prepare for their journey, the Inn’s host, Harry Bailey, sets a challenge to make the journey more entertaining.

The Host’s Plan Bailey’s challenge: On the journey to and from Canterbury, each pilgrim must tell four stories: two on the way, and two on the return trip. The person with the best tale will be treated to a feast hosted by the other pilgrims. The pilgrims accept this challenge, and Bailey decides to join them and judge the competition. This frames the rest of Chaucer’s work, as each of its sections consists of one of the pilgrim’s tales. Chaucer’s Tales, then, is essentially a story about the twenty-four stories told on the pilgrimage.

London

But why go to Canterbury?

One Answer: Religion Canterbury has always been an important religious center in England. St. Augustine (seen in stained glass from the Canterbury Cathedral) was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to establish the Catholic faith in the country Religion played an important part in medieval life.

Why was religion important? It’s the Middle Ages Plague Warfare High Infant Mortality Rate Short Life Expectancy …and if you were a peasant, you lived your whole life in harsh conditions About the best thing that you had to look forward to was dying and going to heaven

England was divided among very strict class/economic lines Thus, heaven was often described as a white shining castle in the sky.

Also, Canterbury was a Pilgrimage Site People of all classes went on pilgrimages to holy sites to ask for help with medical, financial or other problems.

The Shrine of St. Thomas à Becket

Becket was a trusted adviser and friend of King Henry II Becket was a trusted adviser and friend of King Henry II. Henry named Becket Archbishop of Canterbury.

Becket’s outspoken style angered the King Becket’s outspoken style angered the King. One day, Henry complained, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” Three knights rode to Canterbury where they found Becket at the altar of Canterbury Cathedral.

Becket was murdered at the altar.

The death of Becket angered the peasants who felt his Saxon heritage made him one of them.

Canterbury Cathedral became a site for pilgrims to offer prayers to St Canterbury Cathedral became a site for pilgrims to offer prayers to St. Thomas.

Today, a modern cross made from swords marks the site of the martyrdom.

Snapshots of an Era In the Prologue, Chaucer provides a brief but vivid description of each pilgrim, creating a lively sense of medieval life and pealing back the curtain on much of medieval culture. Begins with the courtly world, which centered around the nobility. Proceeds to the middle ranks of medieval society, which was comprised of learned professionals and wealthy businessmen. Includes the lower class, which was made up of craftsmen, storekeepers, and minor administrators. Various ranks within the Church, a cornerstone of medieval society, is also represented.

Snapshots of an Era Unique to Chaucer’s Prologue is the way in which he presents his characters and their ranks as real people, individuals who defy categorization. As a result, Chaucer’s work often exposes—and obliterates—common stereotypes of medieval life and society, providing the reader with keen insights into the true realities of the medieval world.

A Literary Tour Popular genres in Chaucer’s day: romances (tales of chivalry), fabliaux (short, bawdy, humorous stories), stories of saints’ lives, sermons, and allegories (narratives in which characters represent abstractions such as Pride and Honor). Within each pilgrim’s tale in Chaucer’s Tales, a major literary form of medieval literature is represented.

A Literary Tour Chaucer wrote much of his work using his own form: the heroic couplet (a pair of rhyming lines with five stressed syllables each). This important poetic innovation, along with several other literary achievements, earned him the title “the father of English poetry.”

The fact that Chaucer wrote in English (Middle English), rather than French or Latin like many of his fellow writers, meant that ordinary folk could enjoy The Canterbury Tales and their vivid characters.

The Endless Road Traveling with Chaucer’s pilgrims, a reader may feel that the world is a big place but that, somehow, all of its pieces fit together. Chaucer’s Tales reminds us that every journey from here to there is filled with stories that are waiting to be told.

So, let’s travel back to London, to the area called Southward, and stop at the Tabard Inn.

We’ll meet the characters and (maybe) hear some of their stories.

The story begins... Turn to page 94 in your green textbook. Read pages 94 – 95, paying specific attention to the definitions for direct and indirect characterization, as well as the vocabulary list at the bottom of page 95. Turn to page 96 and follow along as we read the Prologue of The Canterbury Tales. Fill out the chart for each character as you read the description given in this section. What is Chaucer saying about each of these travelers? What is he NOT saying?