1. Chaucer’s Canterbury tales
Honors English 12

2. chaucer
B in London, D 1400
Became a page for a Countess and then went on to a number of government positions
Strong education through these placements
Widely read; understood Latin, French, Anglo-Norman, and Italian
Traveled to France and Italy
Studied sciences including astronomy, medicine, psychology, physics, and alchemy
Idea for Canterbury Tales around 1386

3. The Canterbury Tales-The Manuscript
Chaucer left 24 tales, not all complete (intended many more)
Arranged by editors in what appears to be the right sequence judging by reference to dates and places, and the dialogues between tales
Only the first four are actually consecutive
Incomplete and unedited (inconsistencies)

4. The Canterbury Tales
Pilgrims were to tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and back
Pilgrimage takes up five days
Irony and satire throughout
Range of subject matter
Written in Middle English
Inconsistent spelling, as per the time period
Chaucer spelled phonetically
Original was in iambic pentameter

5. Content and sources Prologue: A portrait of all walks of life Tales
This and the frame narrative for the tales are Chaucer’s.
Tales
Actual tales come from all over Europe
Some come from oral tradition and some are more classical
End in some bit of wisdom
Storyteller’s job was telling, not actually writing, the story.
Chaucer created the pilgrims and their trip and modified each individual tale to fit the teller.

6. TO set the scene
April 1380s—Chaucer spends the night in the Tabard Inn in Southwark on the Thames in London
From there, planned to make a pilgrimage to Canterbury to visit tomb of Thomas Becket
29 other pilgrims show up with plans for a similar trip
Innkeeper (later named Harry Bailey) decides to join them, also lays out the rules:
Each pilgrim will tell tales there and back.
He will order and judge tales.

7. Thomas Becket B. 1118 in London Hired by Henry II as chancellor
H named him Archbishop of Canterbury, making him the head of the Christian Church in England (Henry wanted control via a friend)
Ended up clashing over policy issues
Becket went into exile in France
Eventually came back with support of the pope
Frustrated, King Henry made a comment in front of some knights, who in turn traveled to Canterbury and murdered Becket as he prayed.

8. Becket, the saint Stories about curings
Henry does pilgrimage to do penance
Canterbury was thereafter a popular pilgrimage destination and Becket named a saint
No name given in prologue—implied and inferred with “holy, blissful martyr” associated with Canterbury
Likely that Becket stood out to Chaucer who had his own issues with the British royalty (named to and dismissed from positions according to friendships)

9. 14th Century Christianity in England
Protestant Reformation hadn’t happened yet
Still Catholic
Pope leads through network of archbishops, bishops, and priests
Great Schism—French cardinals don’t like a new pope, so they elect their own.
(when Chaucer was writing) two popes
One of many issues with Church

10. The prologue
1. Introductory description-Spring 2. Gathering of the pilgrims 3. Descriptions of (most) pilgrims (by narrator, referred to as Chaucer) 4. Chaucer’s disclaimer: says he can’t be held responsible for content of tales and for correctly identifying the rank of the teller 5. Introduction of the host (innkeeper) 6. The next day—journey begins, along with first tale…

11. Pilgrims Knight Merchant Parson Squire (son of knight) Clerk Plowman
Yeoman (servant)
Sergeant of Law
Franklin
Miller
Prioress
Five Guildsmen (not described)
Manciple
Nun (not described)
Reeve
Cook
Nun’s Priest (not described)
Shipman
Summoner
Monk
Doctor
Pardoner
Friar
Wife of Bath
MIDDLE CLASS
CLERGY
RASCALS OF THE BUNCH
*Each teller’s tale is meant to fit his class, education, marital status, personal interests, and relationships with other pilgrims.

12. Before we get started…
The four humors
The seven deadly sins

13. Works Cited
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Ed. Peter G. Beidler. New York: Bantam
Books, Print.