The Canterbury Tales

Or

An Amazing Study

of Middle English Stereotypes!

What was the community like in 14th century England?

Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales depicts a 14th century England populated by peasants, tradesmen, knights, and clerics, most of whom appear to be healthy and well fed.

But the 14th century in which Chaucer lived was one of plague, rebellion, and corruption. Between 1349 and 1350, England lost nearly half its population to the Black Death. This enormous loss of life only exacerbated (vocab word!) the shortage of farm labor and intensified the growing class conflict that resulted in the violent rebellion known as The Peasant's Revolt in 1381.

In England, the Catholic church suffered from political conflict with Rome and the presence of corruption throughout its lower ranks. This did little to help the people the Church was supposed to serve.

Geoffrey Chaucer, author

In a framed story, the poet is in control. For many years, The Canterbury Tales was considered a collection of stories that Chaucer had heard.

Chaucer parades before us a catalog of the human condition, and we marvel at his insight into human nature and the poetic skill he uses to express it.

It all matters! Framed story: a group of smaller works put

together in a framework. Each has a relationship to others. The piece is hooked together with important themes. Characters tell the stories in forms appropriate to them, using different verse forms.

Setting

A pilgrimage on a spring day in April from Southwark (across the Thames from London) to Canterbury (50 miles) to the burial site or shrine of St. Thomas Beckett, martyred in 1170.

Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest? In 1162, King Henry II appointed

Thomas Becket to be Archbishop of Canterbury, thinking that his friend and royal chancellor might take his side in disputes between church and state.

Becket refused to budge. As tensions grew, Henry exclaimed, "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" His staff took his words literally. Knights killed Becket while he prayed in the cathedral. The murder of the powerful archbishop was an outrage.

►Not long after Becket’s assassination in 1170, miracles Not long after Becket’s assassination in 1170, miracles began occurring in the cathedral, prompting the pope to began occurring in the cathedral, prompting the pope to canonize Becket. Pilgrims hoped that, by coming to this holy canonize Becket. Pilgrims hoped that, by coming to this holy site, they could decrease their time spent in purgatory after site, they could decrease their time spent in purgatory after death. death.

Metaphorically, pilgrimage = lifeHardship of pilgrimage = hardship of life

The five-day journey itself brings spiritual enlightenment

Beginning of the tales,

All are gathered at the Tabard Inn on the night before the pilgrimage is to begin.

Narrator

1st person speaker, a fictional character, telling the story. He, like the other characters, has a point of view.

The speaker is NOT Chaucer. The speaker simply tells what he knows, but does not necessarily understand it.

Host

Harry Bailey

Suggests that they tell two tales going and two coming back.

30 x 4 = 120, but there are only 24 tales

The number of pilgrims is a problem. The narrator says there are “nine and twenty.” There are actually 30, not counting the narrator and the Host.

Chaucer as a fictional character

A brief portrait of the fictionalized, pilgrim Chaucer is presented by the Host. The fiction suggests that Chaucer is an observer of the scene, who accurately records the

the appearance, the stories and the conversations of the company. He is not responsible for what is said, nor how it is expressed.

Characters on the journey Familiar and fairly popular journey People did combine with strangers into

traveling companions for safety Highly unlikely that such a varied group as

Chaucer describes would have existed Each character is described as a

representative of his or her own social group, which covers the social spread of 14th-century England

No representatives of either the aristocracy or the true peasantry, an unskilled land-worker

Characterization We will explore how Chaucer presents these

characters through direct and indirect characterization

Direct: author states character traits directly (“a nice guy”) NOT PHYSICAL TRAITS

Indirect: What a character says or does, or what others say about him, indicates character (What does a nice guy DO?)

Chaucer’s innovation to use such a

diverse group of narrators, whose stories are interlinked by characters talking with each other, revealing much about themselves

Purpose of prologue

To introduce the characters Remember, a group of very different folks

are on this pilgrimage together Where are they going? Their personalities matter as the tales

progress

Historical periods

Anglo-Saxon

Renaissance

Middle English

Old English 449-1066 Use of Runes, symbols

Modern English 1500-present

Middle English 1066-1500 French influence CTales is in Middle English

English language development

Medieval/Middle Ages Between classical period (Greek, Roman

accomplishments) and modern (Renaissance)Term was coined after the time periodPeak of literature Peak of feudalismBy the end of this time period, feudalism breaks down. Middle class emerges.

Written 1387-1400, unfinished Chaucer wrote the Tales intermittently,

adding new tales, revising others and re-using poems he had written earlier, until he died

The work is unfinished The precise order and, in some cases, speaker, of the Tales is open to debate

THE CHARACTERS

The Knight By the 14th century, after the

last Crusades, knighthood had fallen low from the great days of chivalry

Chaucer gently rebukes knights of his time with this character

►However, there still remained a However, there still remained a number of the old-fashioned knights, number of the old-fashioned knights, members of the aristocracy, whose members of the aristocracy, whose careers were devoted to military careers were devoted to military service and the cause of Christendomservice and the cause of Christendom

The Squire Under the feudal system, a

knight’s education began when he was sent to the court of a lord to become a page. As a young boy, he was trained in

riding and the arts of warfare, while riding and the arts of warfare, while attending the ladies and learning the attending the ladies and learning the graces of the court – dancing, singing, graces of the court – dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, reading and playing musical instruments, reading and writing.writing.

As a teen, he became a squire, mastering As a teen, he became a squire, mastering the gentle and courtly arts and the gentle and courtly arts and intensifying his military skillsintensifying his military skills

The Yeoman

A yeoman was a free man, generally in service to a knight

Many were expert in the use of the long bow from Robin Hood’s day on (12th century); legendary Robin Hood was based on Robin of Sherwood

The Prioress: Madame Eglantyne

A prioress was a nun in charge of a convent During the Middle Ages, families of substance

placed their young, unbetrothed daughters in nunneries to provide them with a secure and gracious way of living

Nuns: forbidden to leave their cloisters or go on pilgrimages, pets forbidden, interest in fashion frowned upon, by bishop’s orders forehead covered by wimple (veil), only beads worn were to be the rosary

The Monk A monk divorced himself from the world

around him, entering a religious order to spend his life worshipping God

Chaucer’s monk is a member of the Benedictine order, founded by St. Benedict, who shocked by the worldliness of Rome, became a hermit

According to his rule, his monks were to do whatever physical work was required to keep them alive and spend the rest of their time in the worship of God and the study and copying of religious writings

Three Vows Members of the clergy took three vows:

poverty, that they would give up all the worldly goods and pleasures; obedience, that they would obey the rules laid down by the order’s founders; and chastity, that they would not allow the love of a woman to distract from the love of God

Friar Hubert A wanton and merry man, the Friar exemplifies the corrupt nature of many low- level clergymen of the times. His behavior is certainly

not in accord with the selfless moral teachings he is supposed to espouse. He is a snob, corrupted by greed, and acts in very un-Christian ways, clearly a man of low moral standards.

He possesses a level of social grace far above his station in life. He is supposed to make a living by begging, living without a roof over his head.

Often the younger sons and daughters of nobles who could not be provided for entered the clergy, not because they felt a divine calling, but simply because that is what was expected of them.

Merchant He sports a forked beard and wears fine clothes.

He is extremely pompous in his manners and opinions. He is so clever that nobody could see he was actually in debt.

Readers see the Merchant as an aloof figure, who sits upright on his horse, talking of nothing but his profits, and re-investing to such an extent that he has cash-flow problems.

It may surprising when he tells us in his tale’s Prologue that, after only being married for two months, he is fed up with his wife, who has turned out to have `hye malice and to be a shrewe.'

The Cleric A clerk was a member of the clergy or a student

preparing for holy orders In this case, the Clerk is a scholar at Oxford

University, headed eventually for the priesthood but meanwhile indulging himself in the study of philosophy

Philosophy: the study of the nature of the universe 14th cy slang: the pursuit of alchemy, a pseudo-

science based on the search for the “philosopher’s stone” which would turn base metals into gold, heal all illnesses, and give the possessor eternal life

The Sergeant of the Law This was one of the most respected legal officers, and there

were very few of them at a given time, chosen from respectable barristers with at least 16 years of practice

They served as judges of the King’s courts and presided over the sessions (meetings) of the Justices of the Peace in the counties

These men held a vast knowledge of both aspects of English law -- common and statuary -- and sentences

The Franklin

A franklin was a free man, a landholder Some authorities place them among the

minor nobility below the rank of baron Others say that they were of free, not noble,

birth In this instance, the Franklin is obviously a

man of great wealth and influence, and a companion of the Sergeant-at-Law

The Five Guildsmen

Medieval guilds: trade or craft associations, also formed for religious or social purposes

These men (and their wives) are from the rising middle class

The Cook This man is the owner of a cook shop There were many such shops at which

one could buy prepared food either to eat there or take out

The cook, Roger Hodge, also called Hodge of Ware, was actually based on a real London cook known to Chaucer, a Roger Ware. Chaucer obviously intended for his London readers to recognize this poor cook with the sore on his knee.

Another description of his abilities occurs in the Cook's prologue to his tale, but is not complimentary. The host accuses Roger of not only selling warmed over and stale pastries, but of having so many flies in his shop that they often end up in the food. His poor, stubble-fed geese were so badly prepared that the host tells him, "From many a pilgrim hast thou Christ's curse."

Skipper from Dartmouth

A jolly fellow and an able seaman, he could read the stars and is also a good fighter. However Chaucer suggests that he is not completely moral and has no qualms about stealing wine from the merchant whose casks he is transporting.

Doctor Clad in red and blue, no one can match him in

speaking about medicine and surgery. He knows the cause of every illness, what humor engenders them, and how to cure them.

He is a perfect practitioner of medicine, and he has apothecaries ready to send him drugs and mixtures. He is well-read in the standard medical authorities, from the Greeks right through to Chaucer's contemporary Gilbertus Anglicus. The Doctor, however, has not studied the Bible.

Chaucer suggests that this good doctor is motivated by greed more than anything else and has a special fondness for gold.

The Wife of Bath, Dame Alice(wife = housewife)

This jolly woman is a widow, who comes from a suburb of the old city of Bath in Somersetshire, a town noted for weaving

This middle class woman has traveled a lot Marriages at the court door refer to the

custom of a two-part ceremony: vows at the church door, nuptial mass at the altar

The Parson

A parish priest, a simple man of the lower free classes, but still a “clerk,” an educated man

In this portrait, Chaucer says, in effect, “There are good men in holy orders, despite the abuses that we see around us.”

Too many priests of this time accepted their parish income, but spent their days in London, enjoying easy living

The Plowman Chaucer's plowman is a decent lower-class pilgrim who

treats his neighbor fairly and pays his church tithes and taxes. He represents simplicity, with wisdom and strength for stamina.

The Parson’s brother, he lives in peace and perfect charity. He would thresh, carry dung, dig, and make ditches to help a poor neighbor. He loves God with all his heart and promptly pays his tithes to the Church.

Chaucer’s Plowman follows both of Christ’s commandments: to love God and to love one’s neighbor as one’s self.

The Plowman rides an inferior mare and is humbly dressed in a laborer’s coat.

The Miller His occupation should require little

explanation He ran a gristmill to which farmers brought

their grain to be ground into flour His payment consisted of a portion of the grain, a

percentage that this Miller multiplies dishonestly His golden thumb is a reference to the proverb “an

honest miller has a golden thumb” Chaucer presents this man as representative of all

in the trade

The Manciple A manciple was a steward, much like the

modern manager of a club or the housekeeper of a boarding school

He planned the meals, bought the food, and supervised the servants who did the daily work

This Manciple looks after one of the Inns of Court in the Temple District of London, belonging to a legal society and serving as a clubhouse where members lived, took their meals and conducted business

Inns served as law schools for training of young attorneys

The Reeve The Middle English reeve acts as the manager of a manor estate, overseeing the protection and maintenance of the pastures, fields, and woods belonging to the lord of the estate.

He collects rents in goods and services from those who lived and farmed on the estate.

Chaucer's reeve is old and thin. Despite being rich, he does not care about his appearance.

In Middle English culture, status was important in society. The reeve violates laws in order to increase status and monetary yielding. The reference to a "Scot" (632) indicates that perhaps he was of Scottish origin, and the Scottish are historically known to be frugal.

“Choleric" refers to his violent temperament. It indicates that he possesses a shrewd wit and sharp tongue.

A member of the upper class, Chaucer's reeve is good at his job with an element of control over the entire manor, and better in financial matters than his own lord. However, he uses any means possible to keep those beneath him who know of his scam from spreading it to the lord.

The Summoner A summoner was a petty officer of

the church (ecclesiastical) court where certain abuses were tried and punished by the church, rather than the state

His job was to haul into court those who had broken church laws such as blasphemers or those who engaged in illicit intercourse such as adulterers. He also collected fines for “immoral” behavior.

Notice how his looks reflect his personality

The Pardoner A pardoner was a clergyman authorized by

the Pope to sell indulgences or forgiveness for sins that had not as yet been performed

Pardoners often carried relics of saints, bits of bone or clothing, with which they performed miracles

Some pardoners were sent from church-supported hospitals. These hospitals, often the repository of relics used in curing the sick, commissioned pardoners to take these relics on tour and to offer indulgences to anyone who was moved by their belief to donate money toward the upkeep of the hospital.

The practice of offering indulgences grew corrupt. Selling indulgences became a means for the Church to be able to finance special projects, such as the construction of the Vatican in the 16th century.

As early as 1212, the Church acknowledged the corrupt practices of many pardoners.

Pardoners also tended to exaggerate the power of their indulgences—that is, they sometimes pretended to have the authority to release the buyers from hell or purgatory.

The concept of purgatory started in the 13th century and was enforced by the 15th cy. The Council of Trent (1545-1563) states, "We constantly hold that purgatory exists, and that the souls of the faithful there detained are helped by the prayers of the faithful."

Chaucer wrote his Tales between 1381-1386, addressing issues that later led to the Reformation

Martin Luther wrote the Ninety-Five Thesis on the Power of Indulgences in 1517; these are widely regarded as the primary means for the Protestant Reformation. Luther used these Theses to display his unhappiness with the Church's sale of indulgences, and this eventually gave birth to Protestantism.

It especially defied the teachings of the Church on the nature of penance, the authority and power of the Pope and the efficacy of indulgences.

Let’s begin the pilgrimage! Look at your gold handouts Review due dates Please turn to page 97