The Canterbury Tales

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The Canterbury Tales
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Geoffrey Chaucer 1343-1400

• Son of vinter
• Held civil service positions
• Well-travelled
• Read English, Latin, Italian, and French
• His work was popular
• Made English suitable for poetry

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Turbulent Times

• The Black Plague took place in 1348-49, when
  Chaucer was just 5 years old
• The Norman invasion takes place in 1066 William
  the Conqueror brings the Feudal system to England
• Chivalry becomes the highest code of conduct for
  aristocracy
• The English language is influenced by the
  Latinate French
• Battles of the Hundred Years War between England
  and France were going on in his lifetime--in
  fact, Chaucer played a role in these wars
• During Chaucers lifetime, the rise of the
  middle-class had weakened the Feudal system in
  England

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The Tales

• Begun 1386
• Planned 120 tales
• Completed 22 and 2 fragments
• Remaining 80 manuscripts
• Most highly decorated Ellesmere Manuscript
• Variety of genres general prologue is estates
  satire
• Pilgrimage as a framing device for tales
• Conventional springtime opening
• Ernest and game instruction and entertainment

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III. Pilgrimage

• Very popular to go on pilgrimage
• Pilgrims often went to Rome or Jerusalem
• Canterbury Cathedral shrine to Thomas a Becket
• Reasons
• Hope of heavenly reward
• Penance
• Pubs
• People went in groups for safety

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The Canterbury Pilgrims
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What to look for when analyzing Chaucers
characters

• Take note of the symbolic qualities of the
  characters consider how this affects Chaucers
  satire.
• Take note of what sin(s) the pilgrim seems guilty
  of consider how this influences Chaucers
  satire.
• Finally, take note of how the pilgrim does or
  does not live up to the virtues (in the
  Aristotelian sense of the word) of his/her role
  in society what comment is Chaucer making about
  humanitys place?

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The Three Estates

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The Three Estates

• Those who workthe peasantry

The Miller
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The Three Estates

• Those who fightthe nobility

The Knight
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The Three Estates

• Those who praythe clergy

The Friar
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Pilgrim descriptions

• Show social rank
• Show moral and spiritual condition
• Include many of the following
• Physiognomy
• Clothes (array)
• Work
• Hobbies
• Food
• Humours

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Four Humours

• Black bile
• Cold and dry earth melancholy
• Blood
• Hot and moist air sanguine
• Yellow bile
• Hot and dry fire choleric
• Phlegm
• Cold and moist water phlegmatic

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Four Humours
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Four Humours
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Four Humours
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The First 18 Lines

• A tour-de-force of narrative descriptionone
  sentence that blends the forces of nature
  (spring) with human motivation.
• Yes, the rumors are trueyou will have to
  memorize the first 18 lines of The Canterbury
  Tales by the time of the exam (about 2 ½ weeks).
  You have two versions available, one in Modern
  English (Ill put some links online) and one in
  Middle English. You may memorize either one, but
  those students who not only memorize the Middle
  English version but perform that version for me
  orally (yes, all the lines, with the accent) will
  receive up to 10 extra credit points (above the
  18 points) on the written portion of the upcoming
  exam. You may do your performance at any
  timelunchtime, football games, etc.except the
  day of the exam (to be announced). How you
  memorize these lines is up to you I believe our
  library has a tape, local university libraries
  will probably have recordings, and there is an
  mp3 link on my website.
• The Canterbury Tales in Middle English and Modern
  English