Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer• Born in 1340’s• Son of well-to-do family of wine

merchants in Ipswich• Work History:–Was a soldier, member of King’s household, a diplomat, custom house controller, justice of the peace, member of Parliament, forest official

• In spite of many careers –he found time to write thousands of lines of poetry–Translated works from French and Italian into English

The Canterbury Tales

• Most recognizable and important work

• Collection of stories told by group of pilgrims as they travel from London to Canterbury.–Uses framework to comment on social structure of his time–Pilgrims are cross-section of medieval society

• Presents reader with:–Millers–Knights–Priests–Con men–Merchants

• Only in the context of a pilgrimage would a diverse group such as listed above interact in the medieval world

Chaucer Quick Facts• Chaucer, the father of English

poetry, wrote in Middle English• His career in govt. advanced

through the patronage of John of Gaunt

• His most significant result of years of travel and service to the crown was his written observations of English people and their national character

• Chaucer’s 1st important poem was The Book of the Duchess• When writing The Canterbury

Tales, Chaucer was likely influenced by Boccaccio’s Decameron

The Prologue

• Introduction to the tales–Gathering at an inn outside London–Planning pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas a’ Becket in Canterbury

Original Plan

• Called for four stories from each pilgrim– 2 on the way to Canterbury– 2 on the journey back

• 30 pilgrims were supposed to make the trip

• Should have totaled 120 stories• Collection never reached 120

(unfinished)

What we have…

• We only have 24 of the proposed 120 stories–Some are serious–Some are humorous

Inconsistencies to Ponder• 3 priests in the company of the

Prioress= too many pilgrims– There was only 1

• Only 28 pilgrims are described in the Prologue– Chaucer says that the group he joined at

the Tabard Inn consisted of “wel nyne and twenty.” (= 29: this doesn’t include himself)

• Chaucer corrects his math when they are joined by Canon and his Yeoman– Neither is mentioned earlier

How long did they travel?

• Chaucer doesn’t tell the number of days the pilgrims were on the road or at what places they stopped for the night.–Trip from London to Canterbury = 55

miles•Usually took 1-4 days to make•Most travelors took 4 with stops in Dartford, Rochester, and Ospring–Intervals between stops = 15 miles leaving 10 miles to be traveled on the fourth day

Why Canterbury?

• Made popular with the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas a’ Beckett, in 1170.–Was a close friend of King Henry II– Gained his title of Archbishop after the

death of the prior Archbishop and King Henry used his influence with the Pope

– Thomas = most important religious leader in Britain

King Henry II’s Plan• Henry wanted to use Thomas’ status to

control the Church–Overturn canonical law • A church's/religion's laws, rules, and regulations, & written policies that guide the administration and religious ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church

•Henry wanted: priests and clerics accused of secular crimes be judged in a religious court–Making it impossible to bring law-breaking religious figures to justice

• Beckett refused to go along with the plan– Excommunicated (To deprive of the right

of church membership by ecclesiastical authority) the Bishops of London and Salisbury for supporting the King

Events that followed

• Enraged, King Henry demanded to know if “no one will rid me of this meddling priest?”–4 knights heard the king’s request

and immediately left for Canterbury

Death of the Archbishop

• The knights hacked the Archbishop Thomas Beckett to death in front of the Church’s altar– Act of blasphemy (the crime of

assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God)

– Made Archbishop Beckett a martyr (a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause)

Canterbury’s fame

• Miracles associated with his tomb quickly became reported

• Became the most popular pilgrimage destination in England.

Now For the Stories…

The Pardoner’s Tale

The Pardoner’s Tale

• Described in lines 689-734 of the Prologue, the Pardoner is the most memorable of the Pilgrims

What’s a Pardoner?

• A person licensed by the church to grant indulgences (documents forgiving people’s sins)– In theory only to people who showed

great charity– In practice, many sold pardons to make

money for the church or themselves

Bad Pardoners

• To “spur” sales (make them rise), unethical pardoners would threaten reluctant buyers with eternal doom

Chaucer’s Pardoner

• Encourages buyers with a story that illustrates the dangers of the love of money.

“The love of money is the root of all evil.”

-1 Timothy 6:10

Brief Summary

3 young men set out to find slay Death who’s killed a townsman. On the way they meet a man that points

them on Death’s path where they find 8 bushels of gold. As the plot

thickens, Death is crowned the victor in the end.

After the Tale

• A moral tale teaches a lesson about what is right and what is wrong in human behavior.– Good usually triumphs over evil– The outcome sends a message

• The Pardoner’s Tale teaches in Latin:– Radix malorum est cupiditas.– “the love of money is the root of all

evil.”

Your Challenge

Transform Chaucer’s “The Pardoner’s Tale” into a

children’s story.

Browse through a few children’s

books to get your ideas.

Use the rubric as a guide.

Use creativity to transform the adult

story into something a child could understand.

HAVE FUN WITH IT!!!

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

• The Wife of Bath’s Tale belongs to the “so-called” marriage group of tales–Pilgrims offer stories expressing philosophies of love and marriage–Set in the day’s of King Arthur–Medieval Romance

Brief Summary…

•A knight breaks the rules of chivalry and as punishment must undertake a quest.

VOCAB

1. Abominably2. Bequeath3. Concede4. Contemptuous5. Cosset6. Crone7. Dejected8. Ecstasy

9. Implore10.Maim11.Prowess12.Rebuke13.Statute14.Temporal15.Tribulation

The Nun’s Priest’s Tale

• The Monk has just given a serious of tragedies that has bored the pilgrims to death and depressed them.

• The Host has ordered the Nun's Priest to tell a tale that will get a better reception.

• There are at least seven possible interpretations of the Nun's Priest's Tale

1. Antifeminist Literature• much of which was written by church

fathers• The poor widow in the tale is in marked

contrast to the extravagant Prioress, who feeds her dogs better food than the widow eats.

• The tale is escapist literature for the Priest; – Chaunticleer is lord of the chicken yard, a

reversal or the Priest's position in the abbey– but he falls because of a woman when his

interest in Pertelote overcomes his own better judgment.

2. Tragedy

• Chaunticleer, lord of the chicken yard, is suddenly brought low because his pride leads him to fall for flattery.

• The fall is followed by sudden self-realization.

• The tale is a tragedy by both medieval and classical standards, but it is mock tragedy.

3. Allegory of Original Fall

• The fall of Adam is referred to in the story.

• Satan/serpent/fox tempts Chaunticleer by appealing to his pride.

• Adam and Chaunticleer both forget death, lured by worldly values.

• Both fall because of a woman. • The experience leaves Chaunticleer

somewhat wiser, but still in possession of Paradise, his chicken yard.

4. Beast Fable

• Beast fables always have a didactic purpose, religious or moral

• they always degrade man. • If animals can be like people, then

people must be somewhat like animals.

5. Metrical Romance

• The barnyard is like a castle, – Chaunticleer like a king– Pertelote a queen

• Names and descriptions are typical of metrical romances– a genre brought into English literature

from French– with plots involving knights, battles,

and courtly love.

6. Mock Heroic Epic• Epic conventions are parodied in the

tale: – long speeches– boasts and challenges– epic catalogues– heroic battles– epic simile– digressions– journey to the underworld– machinery of the gods– dream of warning remembered too late

7. Sermon on Flattery

• The tale itself is a showing of:– how one fell to flattery– learned his lesson–will not be caught again

• The Nun's Priest's Tale exhibits a number of distinctively medieval qualities

• Among the most obvious are: –the love of debate–quoting authorities (especially authorities on dreams and medicine)–the tone or overall outlook– superstition