The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Background of these tales  Geoffrey Chaucer wrote this story in the late 1300’s but never finished it.  He wrote in the native language or vernacular of the Medieval period in Britain called Middle English.

Called “Father of English Literature” second only to Shakespeare in 1359, he fought in France he was an esquire to Edward III visited France as a diplomat worked as a controller of customs

Therefore, well-rounded—knew all levels of society from working class to aristocracy. Three distinct periods in his writing: French period—to 1372 (Book of Duchess) Italian period— (Troilus & Criseyde) English period—1385 (Canterbury Tales)

Changes that Chaucer brought about: Medieval tales were meant for minstrel recital; Chaucer was meant to be read, not necessarily aloud Medieval authors were objective and anonymous; Chaucer’s presence as an observer—more personal Folk beliefs, myth ritual—Chaucer takes from folk tales, but with a “let’s pretend” attitude; consciously uses literary sources, but makes significant changes Medieval, more allegory & symbolism; Chaucer less symbolism/allegory

Canterbury Tales written in HEROIC COUPLET: Rhymed pairs of iambic pentameter U/ U/ U/ U/ U/ Chaucer one of the first to use this; it won’t be popular again for about 300 years with Alexander Pope & John Dryden

Chaucer knew all types of people: From a middle-class family—father a merchant Worked in various levels of society Fought in battle Therefore, he gives us a clear representation of all walks of life in CT

Chaucer knew what people were supposed to be AND what they really were. He knew that life was not just a simple matter of black/white; right/wrong; Therefore, he gives us varying degrees of goodness:  He recognized the ideal, but accepted the real  Represents the pilgrims as they were: a panorama of human types

Five main types of tales: Courtly Romance (or Courtly Love)—Ideal of courtesy & chivalry; example—“The Knight’s Tale” Fabliau (plural, fabliaux)—humorous tale that satirizes human foibles; example—the Miller & Reeve’s Tales Beast Fable—animals become human & the story has a moral; example—“The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” Exemplum—part of a sermon to illustrate a moral; example—“The Pardoner’s Tale” Breton Lay—a romance recounting a love story that includes supernatural elements

CT = a “journey of life” motif—celebration of spring, exuberance of life All the characters are on a pilgrimage to Canterbury; not all are necessarily religious Chaucer had planned that each pilgrim would tell 4 tales; 30 pilgrims (counting Chaucer as narrator); therefore, he intended 120 tales. Actually wrote only 24—4 unfinished (these were written towards the end of his life; he believed he lost the ability to write shortly before his death.

The Story  Twenty nine people that represent all aspects of Medieval society go on a pilgrimage to the cathedral at Canterbury in southeast England.

 The cathedral at Canterbury is the main cathedral of the Church of England. The shrine to the martyr Saint Thomas a Becket is located at this cathedral.

The story format  Chaucer’s characters are going to pay respects to this shrine as a part of a religious pilgrimage. They all meet at a tavern to begin their journey.

 Saint Thomas a Becket was the archbishop of Canterbury, and in 1170 he was martyred by some knights of the king of England, Henry II, who was overheard complaining about Becket’s loyalty to the church at Rome over his loyalty to his king.

Some of the characters  The host of the tavern or innkeeper is the man who suggests that the pilgrims each tell a story on the way to entertain the group. Chaucer intended for each to tell 2 stories, but he only got to write one apiece.

The following characters are the wife of Bath and the pardoner

The following characters are the priest and the miller

And two more familiar characters are the knight and his squire

Format of the poetry  The Canterbury Tales are called a frame story, meaning that there are many stories “framed” in the larger story of the pilgrimage to Canterbury.

The arrangement & order that the pilgrims are presented: (within each group, usually move down either the social or moral scale)

Five groups of pilgrims: Group 1—Military Class  3 pilgrims: Knight, squire, yeoman Group 2—Clergy  3 pilgrims: Prioress, Monk, Friar

Group 3—Middle-class (largest group) Non-military, country gentlemen, representatives of commercial classes, learned professionals  12 pilgrims: Merchant, Clerk (cleric), Sergeant at Law, Franklin, The Guildsman (haberdasher, dyer, carpenter, weaver, carpet-maker), cook, doctor (physician), Wife of Bath (woman from Bath city)

Group 4—Humble Virtue (smallest group)  2 pilgrims—The Parson, & the Plowman (these two are the climax of virtue & humility— the best of the bunch, we hear about them right before the worst of the bunch, group 5)

Group 5—Churls & Rascals  6 pilgrims—Miller, Manciple, Reeve, Summoner, Pardoner, & Chaucer includes himself in the narrator persona

Chaucer’s devices for revealing character: Attention to clothing Physical appearance Physiognomy—belief in certain physical characteristics revealing character Selection of seemingly unimportant details, such as how the person is addressed or a description of his horse to illustrate the difference between what is & what should be (keep this in mind as we look at each pilgrim’s portrait.)

1: Whan that aprill with his shoures soote 2: The droghte of march hath perced to the roote, 3: And bathed every veyne in swich licour 4: Of which vertu engendred is 8: Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne, 9: And smale foweles maken melodye, 10: That slepen al the nyght with open ye 11: (so priketh hem nature in hir corages); 12: Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, 13: And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, 14: To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; 15: And specially from every shires ende 16: Of engelond to caunterbury they wende, 17: The hooly blisful martir for to seke, 18: That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke. 19: Bifil that in that seson on a day, 20: In southwerk at the tabard as I lay 21: Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage 22: To caunterbury with ful devout corage, 23: At nyght was come into that hostelrye 24: Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye, 25: Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle 26: In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle, 27: That toward caunterbury wolden ryde.

 Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote When April with its sweet-smelling showers 2 The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, Has pierced the drought of March to the root, 3 And bathed every veyne in swich licour And bathed every vein (of the plants) in such liquid 4 Of which vertu engendred is the flour; By which power the flower is created; 5 Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth When the West Wind also with its sweet breath, 6 Inspired hath in every holt and heeth In every wood and field has breathed life into 7 The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne The tender new leaves, and the young sun 8 Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne, Has run half its course in Aries, 9 And smale foweles maken melodye, And small fowls make melody, 10 That slepen al the nyght with open ye Those that sleep all the night with open eyes 11 (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages), (So Nature incites them in their hearts), 12 Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, Then folk long to go on pilgrimages, 13 And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, And professional pilgrims to seek foreign shores, 14 To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; To distant shrines, known in various lands; 15 And specially from every shires ende And specially from every shire's end 16 Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, Of England to Canterbury they travel, 17 The hooly blisful martir for to seke, To seek the holy blessed martyr, 18 That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke. Who helped them when they were sick.