Background information on the Middle Ages The Canterbury Tales Background information on the Middle Ages

Canterbury Tales Written by Geoffrey Chaucer - father of English poetry (born about 1342) First person to write in the Vernacular middle English Insight into all walks of life during the middle Ages

Language Aristocracy- French Clergy-Latin Commoners: English (Middle English)

Middle English

Canterbury Tales Wanted to educate the masses on the corruption in the Church Usually satirical Story begins in the Spring at Tabard Inn Pilgrims on a voyage to the Shrine of Thomas Becket (martyr) Each pilgrims tells 2 tales on the way and two tales back Host will judge stories

Pilgrims The narrator Knight Squire Wife Of Bath The Pardoner The Miller The Prioress The Monk The Friar The Yeoman

Characters

Characters

Chaucer’s England Social Structure Society was divided into 3 states: clergy, aristocracy, and the commoners Positions in the hierarchy were well defined Clergy-responsible for people’s spiritual well-being Aristocracy- responsible for defending the nation through military might. Commoners- laborers and producers

Feudal System Included aristocrats and commoners Divided by Lords- owner of land, Vassals- those who rented the land/service to lord in exchange for protection Fiefs- name for land exchanged King owned all the land in the country King granted land holdings to aristocratic tenants in exchange for military support Aristocrats would grant land holdings to commoners in exchange for labor services that would allow the lord to cultivate and maintain the land

Clergy (1.5 %) No one was born into the clergy Aristocrats (upper levels) or commoners (lower levels) Regular clergy: (monks and friars) the regular clergy were male and were sworn to a life of celibacy and poverty Secular clergy- parish priests (parsons) and clerics. Nuns didn’t have the same rights as the male clergy

Clergy The clergy were expected to take vows of: Poverty Chastity Obedience

Aristocracy (1%) Warrior class or those descended from the warrior class. Titled nobility: Dukes, Counts, Barons, (Lords) Knights- lacked hereditary titles. Less than 1,000 in Chaucer’s England. A burdensome rank. Squires: the backbone of the English and French armies. Moderate landowners and men of gentle birth who were not knighted.

Feudalism

The Commons (97%) Most of England’s Population lived in the country side People in the commons were loosely ranked according to how much land they had 1) Franklins/Yeoman ( freemen who had more then 50 acres) 2) Husbandmen/Cotters (free or servile men who held 10 to 40 acres) At the bottom of rural society were those who held no land and were dependent upon their earnings as laborers (plowmen, herdsmen, etc)

Religion Being apart of society in the middle ages meant being apart of the church Catholic Church- official church All Christians in that part of the World were under the authority of the pope

The Black Plague 1348 – Black Plague reached England and wiped out 1/3 of the population (3.75 million to 2.25 million) The sudden collapse of the population sent prices skyrocketing (increased the price of labor while decreasing the price of land) The overall effect of the Plague was to hasten the collapse of feudalism by creating intense competition for labor and tenants

King Henry II 1133-1189 Arrogant King of England Married Eleanor of Aquitaine Appointed Thomas Becket as Arch Bishop of Canterbury Got in big fight… more to come

Thomas Beckett Appointed archbishop of Canterbury by King Henry 2 King Henry hoped that Thomas would side with him over the pope The King’s plan backfired and Thomas ended up taking the side of the Church/pope over the King

Saint Thomas a Becket

Saint Thomas a Becket

Thomas Beckett Murdered in 1170 (Assassinated by followers of the King Henry in Canterbury Cathedral) Was canonized as both Saint and martyr following his murder The Shrine of Saint Thomas of Beckett became a popular destination for religious pilgrimages during the Middle Ages

Crusades Occurred during the the 11th,12th, and 13th centuries A series of military campaigns called by the Pope GOAL of the crusades: to restore Christian control of the Holy Land Crusades had an enormous influence in Europe during the Middle Ages

Effects of the Black Plague Resulted in the Rise of the Middle Class Labor became more valuable then land

Chivalry Chivalry- system of ideals and behavior that governed both knight and gentleman Included things such as: - oath of loyalty to overlord - rules of of warfare -adoration of a particular lady (not necessarily one’s wife)

Courtly Love Courtly Love- Belief that acting in the name of a lady would help a knight be more brave and successful

Role of Women Peasant Women- clean, bear children, field work Higher Station- supervise housework A woman was always expected to be subservient to a male - regardless of relation No political rights

Satire Literary technique in which behaviors or institutions are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society. What sets satire apart from other forms of social and political protest is HUMOR. Satirists use irony and exaggeration to poke fun at human faults and foolishness in order to correct human behavior Can you guess at what might be some satirical targets

Common Satirical Targets Wealthy Greed Politics Vanity Writers Stupidity Vanity Hypocrisy Corruption Pursuits of idle wealthy Urban Congestion Arrogance

Irony Verbal and situational irony are often used for emphasis in the assertion of a truth. Situational- character/reader expects one thing, but something else happens Verbal- when a writer/character expects one thing, but means another TECHNIQUES: hyperbole, understatement, sarcasm

IMPORTANT REMINDERS Next Class (Friday 10/7) - Review notes/background Info from Middle Ages and Canterbury Tales We will start Canterbury Tales this Friday Next Wednesday 10/11 QUIZ over Middle Ages/Canterbury Tales POEM- visually appealing due WEDNESDAY 10/11

REVIEW – Middle Ages and Canterbury Tales Why did Chaucer write the Canterbury Tales in English? (Middle English) - What was Chaucer’s purpose for writing the Canterbury Tales?

Review Which LITERARY device does Chaucer primarily use to get his point across?

Review What makes satire different from other forms of political or social protest?

Review Who was more powerful, the king or the pope?

Review Where are the pilgrims going?

Review Why was St. Thomas of Beckett murdered?

Review Which important historical events took place during the Middle Ages?

Review Bubonic Plague – What were the effects? Effects of Crusades: Political: helped undermine feudalism Social: allowed for romantic adventure (Chivalry) Commerce/trade: opened up trade throughout Europe and created a constants demand for the transportation of both men and supplies Catholic Church: increased the wealth of the Catholic church and the power of the Papacy.

Canterbury Tales Prologue Prologue –STANDS ALONE Does not include the stories that the pilgrims tell. Describes all the pilgrims and gives the reader a picture into all walks of life during the middle ages.

Assignment Chaucer likes and dislikes certain characters. REMEMBER that he uses satire, so it may seem as if he likes some pilgrims, but he really does not. Each of you will be assigned a pilgrim. Read and take notes You will present your notes on your pilgrim to the class Everyone should take notes on EACH character.

Notes to take on your pilgrim: What does your pilgrim look like? Dress? Profession? (How well or inadequate) Are they wealthy? Mode of transportation? Does Chaucer like or dislike the character and why?