Canterbury Tales

1
Canterbury Tales

• The General Prologue

2
Canterbury Tales

• Written around 1387-1400
• Written by Geoffrey Chaucer
• Soldier
• Courtier
• Royal emissary to Europe
• Controller of customs
• Justice of the peace
• Member of Parliament
• artist

3
Prologue

• Chaucer has the idea to bring together 29 sondry
  folk in a pilgrimage (by aventure chance)
• Represent a wide range of 14th century English
  society
• Makes comprehensive study of humans
• Perfect way to present his irony

4
Prologue

• Represent a wide range of 14th century English
  society
• 3 Groups Represent
• Agricultural feudalism
• Landownership and service
• Knights yeoman
• Franklin
• Urbanization
• Change in feudal structure
• Doctor
• Guildsmen
• The Church
• One of the most powerful elements in medieval
  soceity
• 9 of pilgrims belong to clergy

5
Prologue

• Each pilgrim
• tell two stories on the way to Canterbury
• two stories on the way back
• Plan proposed by Harry Bailey, host of the Tabard
  Inn
• Teller of best tale is rewarded at the end
• A dinner provided by his fellow pilgrims at the
  Tabard
• Harry Bailey is judge

6
Prologue

• Prologue sets the scene and introduces reader to
  the characters
• Between many of the tales Chaucer expounds upon
  the personalities of the pilgrims.
• Number of arguments that prepare for subsequent
  tales
• Some pilgrims introduce a tale with a commentary
  on his/her own personal life

7
Prologue

• Chaucers project was never finished
• Only 24 tales exist
• Tales were probably composed at various times in
  Chaucers life

8
Prologue

• Begins with a long, rhetorical sentence in high
  style describing spring.
• Gradually descends into a more realistic style
  of expository narrative.

9
Prologue

• Group is on its way to the holy shrine of St.
  Thomas a Becket
• Archbishop of Canterbury
• opposed Henry II over the balance between royal
  and religious power
• was murdered in the cathedral
• Considered a martyr and later made a saint
• His blood was held to contain great curative
  qualities, restoring health to the sick

10
The Knight

• Was an honorable warrior who fought for
  Christianity against the heathens.
• Appropriate that he is the first pilgrim to be
  introduced because he stands at the top of the
  social hierarchy, thus is the most socially
  prominent person on the journey.
• Tells the first story many offer him
  compliments.
• All of the battles mentioned that he fought in
  were religious wars of some kind.

11
The Knight

• Prologues description
• Worthy man
• Loved the following
• Chivalry
• Fidelity
• Honor (good reputation)
• Generosity
• courtesy
• Honored for his worthiness in war

12
The Knight

• Prologues description
• Fought in many battles/ had been at many a noble
  expedition
• Alexandria
• Prussia
• Lithuania/Latvia
• Russia
• Grenada at siege of Algeciras to Belmarye (north
  Africa)
• Morocco
• The Mediterranean
• Tiemcen
• Turkey

13
The Knight

• Prologues description
• Even though he was brave, he was prudent
• Deportment meek as a maid
• Never said any rude word in all his life to any
  person
• Horses were good
• Clothing/dress
• Not gaudily dressed
• Tunic of coarse cloth, stained with rust from his
  chain mail suit
• Has just returned from an expedition

14
The Knights Tale

• Probably adapted from Boccaccios Teseide
• Tale of ideal love and chivalry.
• Would be a popular type of tale in Chaucers day.

15
The Knights Tale

• Premise
• Two Thebian knights, Palamon Arcite, fall in
  love with the same woman, Emelye, whom they see
  only from their prison window in Athens.
• Their life-long friendship is immediately
  disrupted by their rivalry for Emelye.
• In time Arcite is released from prison on the
  condition that he never again set foot in Athens.
• Palamon eventually escapes years later.

16
The Knights Tale

• The men meet by chance in a grove hear Athens and
  are about to fight when Theseus and his company
  interrupt them.
• After forgiving the knights for their past,
  Theseus schedules a tournament (50 weeks later)
  for the hand of Emelye.
• Arcite wins the tournament, but scarcely has had
  time to claim his fair prize when the misaligned
  planet Saturn causes him to fall from his horse
  and die shortly afterward.

17
The Knights Tale

• Palamon forgets his ill feelings toward Arcite
  and retires to Thebes, where he mourns his former
  friend.
• Several years later, Theseus summons Palamon, who
  is still mourning and wearing black, and gives
  him Emelye in marriage.
• Makes of two sorrows one parfit joye, lastynge
  everemo.

18
The Knights Tale

• Not much action in the romance.
• Two knights are almost the same
• Both
• Make speeches declaring their love
• Curse their destiny
• Pray to their respective gods

19
The Knights Tale

• Conflict that a story about medieval knights and
  their customs would be set in ancient Greece.

20

• Knight
• Squire
• Yeoman
• Prioress
• Monk
• Friar
• Merchant
• Clerk

21

• Sergeant
• Franklin
• Guildsmen
• Cook
• Shipman
• Doctor
• Wife of Bath
• Parson

22

• Miller
• Manciple
• Reeve
• Summoner
• Pardoner
• Poet
• Host (innkeeper Harry Bailey)