Geoffrey Chaucer c. 1343–1400 Wrote the great Canterbury Tales AKA The Father of English Literature Penned with great satirical tone. His characters were likely based upon real people. He revealed them through seemingly unimportant details and showing what they are by showing what they are not. He influenced Shakespeare in his use of Middle English, which was the common man’s language-rather than Latin.

We begin his life’s brief documentation in the household accounts of Elizabeth de Burgh, the Countess of Ulster, when he became the noblewoman's page through his father's connections. He was from a middle class family; his father was a wine merchant.

In 1360 Chaucer is captured during the Hundred Years War (between England and France) when he travels to France with Elizabeth’s husband as part of the English army. John, Elizabeth’s husband, helped pay the ransom, Chaucer was released, and returned to England.

The story begins with a man who becomes a saint

St. Thomas a Beckett advisor to King Henry II Henry made Becket the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162 – chief church leader in England. When this happened, Beckett changed his total allegiance from the King to the Pope and the Church, which is not what Henry expected. Henry expected full support from Beckett. there were many conflicts between Henry and Beckett history has it the four knights overheard Henry rage and took seriously his shout of “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?”

December 29, 1170, the four knights found Beckett kneeling at the alter. According to monk who witnessed it, Beckett refused to absolve the Bishops, ones Beckett had excommunicated, and told the knights that “for the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.” The knights welded their swords and ministered three blows to Beckett. Three days after Beckett’s death, there began a series of miracles attached to his martyrdom.

In 1173, Pope Alexander III made Beckett a saint. Pilgrims began to flock to the cathedral. In 1174, dressed in sackcloth and walking barefoot, Henry II was among them. (Guilt?) Imagine the monk procession in Monty Python’s Holy Grail. In 1538, Beckett’s shrine was destroyed by Henry VIII. In 1220, Beckett’s remains were moved from the crypt to Trinity Chapel

Chaucer’s Plan written sometime in the 1380s; first selection of short stories in English group of pilgrims who agree to tell stories as they travel together to Canterbury, site of shrine dedicated to Thomas a Beckett, martyred for his faith language is in the vernacular – Middle English a frame story – story within a story (Chaucer not the first to do this)

each pilgrim was to tell two stories going and two stories on the return total of 124 stories; only 24 because Chaucer died before finishing cross section of medieval society: feudal, ecclesiastical, urban (inspired Monty Python) Chaucer’s interest in middle class characters e.g. cook, lawyer, miller, merchant etc, reflects the rise of the middle class in the 14 th century travel from London’s southside to Canterbury about 70 miles

General comments about C.T. Those tales written are realistic and vivid. His descriptions of pilgrims in the Prologue is considered the best picture of life in 14 th century England by historians Chaucer, a man of the world, had a keen insight into human nature. shows a profound understanding of human motivation; comments on his characters and some of social problems of the day Tone – comic to ironic to satirical but always warmhearted person who has sympathy for his fellow man Written in verse, not prose, use of heroic couplet; poems constructed from a sequence of rhyming pairs of lines in iambic pentameter. Google Iambic Pentameter and know what it means.

Bifel that in that seson on a day, In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage To Caunterbury with ful devout corage, At nyght was come into that hostelrye Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle, That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde. GP I.20-27

cities and areas mentioned in Canterbury Tales

THE CANTERBURY TALES

Canterbury Cathedral

Sketch of an alter at cathedral

Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?

Stain glass window of pilgrimage

Bible window from Canterbury Cathedral

Pilgrims' badges were inexpensive souvenirs purchased by the faithful at holy sites as evidence of their journeys. This one is from the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. His murder in the cathedral in 1170 transformed him into one of the most venerated saints in Western Christendom, and his shrine instantly became a pilgrimage site. This badge shows the shrine before its plunder by Henry VIII's commissioners in The tomb, supported on four bays, contained an effigy of Thomas Becket in ecclesiastical vestments. Here, raised above, is the gable shrine, encrusted with jewels on a trellislike ground and surmounted by two ship models, one of which is damaged. To the right, another figure raises the cover of the shrine with ropes and a pulley.

The following slides are visual examples of a hand-written copy of the various tales about different characters in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

page from Ellesmere Chaucer most beautiful manuscript of C.T. Produced soon after parchment leaves of C.T. text written by 1 scribe in English style script 16” x 11”, very decorated

from Ellesmere Chaucer page with the Cook

KNIGHT

Miller

Reeve

Cook

Man of Law

Wife of Bath

Friar

Summoner

Clerk of Oxford

Merchant

Squire

Franklin

Physician

Pardoner

Shipman

Prioress

Chaucer

Monk

Nun’s Priest

Second Nun

Canon’s Yeoman

Manciple

Parson