The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Chaucer’s Canterbury Pilgrims (1810) by William Blake. Engraving.

Chaucer used the East Midland dialect of Middle English. This dialect was the most common colloquial language at the time and became the basis for modern English. The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Chaucer used several metrical forms and some prose in The Canterbury Tales, but the dominant meter is based on ten syllables, with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. We call this meter iambic pentameter. It is a rhythm that most closely matches the way English is spoken. You might hear this rhythm if you read aloud this line in Middle English. (Bathed is pronounced with two syllables; swich means “sweet.” U / U / U / U / U / And bathed every veyne in swich licour

Twenty-nine pilgrims are on their way to the shrine of Saint Thomas à Becket in Canterbury. The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer The time is April, and the place is the Tabard Inn in Southwark (SUTH erk), just outside London. Canterbury London

This yeoman wore a coat and hood of green, And peacock-feathered arrows, bright and keen indirect characterization Chaucer uses indirect characterization when he tells how each character The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Literary Focus: Characterization looks and dresses Her greatest oath was only “By St. Loy!” speaks and acts And gladly would he learn, and gladly teach. thinks and feels

The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Literary Focus: Characterization direct characterization, Chaucer also uses direct characterization, when he comes right out and tells us what a character’s nature is—virtuous, vain, clever, and so on. There was a Friar, a wanton one and merry, A Limiter, a very festive fellow. In all Four Orders there was none so mellow, So glib with gallant phrase and well-turned speech.

British Class Structure 1066 Knight Squire MonkFriar PrioressParson SummonerPardoner MerchantReeve Franklin Doctor Sergeant at Law Oxford StudentWife of Bath CookGuildsmen Manciple MillerSkipper Plowman Yeoman King Ruling Class Clergy Class Middle Class Trade Class Peasant Class

In The Canterbury Tales, the pilgrims’ journey is the outer story. frame story A frame story is a literary device that binds together several different narratives. It is a story (or stories) within a story. The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Literary Focus: Frame Story The tales the pilgrims tell are stories within a story. The tales themselves also have thematic unity.

Chaucer had twenty-nine characters to introduce, so he couldn’t develop any one character at great length. Instead, he provided a few well-chosen details that would make each character stand out vividly. The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Reading Skills: Analyzing Style: Key Details

As you read the Prologue, pay close attention to any details that help give you an immediate impression of a character. Note that some details contradict what the characters think of themselves (or want others to think of them). The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Reading Skills: Analyzing Style: Key Details Keep a pen and notebook handy to jot down key details of dress, appearance, and behavior.

CharacterPersonality Traits Outward Appearance Writer’s Attitude About the Character Knight Squire Yeoman Nun Monk

Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral from the southwest on a stormy November day

Canterbury Cathedral The 15th-century Gothic nave of Canterbury Cathedral, looking east

Canterbury Cathedral Stairs to the south ambulatory, worn down by pilgrim feet and knees

Canterbury Cathedral The Trinity Chapel, former site of the Shrine of St. Thomas Becket

Trinity Chapel

Previewing the Vocabulary agility agility n.: ability to move quickly and easily. eminent eminent adj.: high-standing; great. accrue accrue v.: increase over time. arbitrate arbitrate v.: settle or decide by listening to both sides of an argument. benign benign adj.: kind; gracious. guile guile n.: sly dealings; skill in deceiving. The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Vocabulary

Previewing the Vocabulary obstinate obstinate adj.: unreasonably stubborn. frugal frugal adj.: thrifty; careful with money. duress duress n.: pressure. The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Vocabulary

________ _______ 1.It was difficult to _________ the disagreement because Anna and Joe were both so _________. 2.Because Pat is _________, she has been able to _________ savings over time. 3.Under _________ the executives admitted that they had made their profits through _________ and deception. Vocabulary Activity: Vocabulary Activity: Sentence Completion Fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary words. frugal arbitrateguileaccrue duressobstinate arbitrate obstinate frugal duress The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Vocabulary accrue guile

Geoffrey Chaucer had two careers: He was not only a writer but also an important government official. Chaucer was so important, in fact, that when he was captured in France while serving as a soldier during the Hundred Years’ War, the king himself contributed to the ransom. More About the Writer The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Meet the Writer

Medal of St. Christopher and Hunting Horn