The Canterbury Tales By: Geoffrey Chaucer “And specially from every shires ende of Englelond to Canterbury they wende…”

Geoffrey Chaucer: Geoffrey Chaucer was an English author and poet. He Is best remembered for his literary work, The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer drew on real life and real people for Inspiration in his texts, most especially, The Chaucer is credited by some scholars with standardizing the London dialect. “And specially from every shires ende of Englelond to Canterbury they wende…”

Medieval Social Structure The figure to the left demonstrates the social structure during the Medieval Time period. It is important to observe the placement of each social class especially in relation to reading The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer uses his textual authority within The Canterbury Tales to comment on corruption within some of the higher ranking social classes, most especially the members of the clergy. “And specially from every shires ende of Englelond to Canterbury they wende…”

Middle English Modern English How do you do? What’s Up? Whan that April, with his shoures soote The droughte of March hath perced to the roote, And bathed every veine in swich licour, Of which vertu engendred is the flour; Whan Zephyrus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne, And smale fowles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open eye- (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages When in April the sweet showers fall That pierce March's drought to the root and all, And bathed every vein in liquor that has power To generate therein and sire the flower; When Zephyr also has with his sweet breath, Filled again, in every holt and heath, The tender shoots and leaves, and the young sun His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run, And many little birds make melody, That sleep through all the night with open eye (So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage) Then folk do long to go on pilgrimage, “And specially from every shires ende of Englelond to Canterbury they wende…”

Why Canterbury?? In Medieval times it was customary for people to make a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral, largely in part, to visit the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket. Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury before his untimely murder in 1170. After his murder, Becket was venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church as well as the Anglican community. Miraculous stories of Becket’s remains sprang up soon after his death and the site became a popular attraction for religious pilgrims. The ultimate pilgrimage site was Jerusalem. “And specially from every shires ende of Englelond to Canterbury they wende…”

The Canterbury Tales For Chaucer, these characters represented the stereotypes of people one would have seen traveling on pilgrimage during Medieval times. Some of the pilgrims include a chivalrous knight and his loyal squire, a morally repugnant pardoner, the promiscuous Wife of Bath, and the corrupt summoner. Each of these characters in some way epitomize for Chaucer the corruption which ran rampant through medieval Society “And specially from every shires ende of Englelond to Canterbury they wende…”

The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales is one large text which is divided into several smaller texts. The Canterbury Tales chronicles the journey of 22 diverse and seedy characters or pilgrims as they travel on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. Throughout the journey, each pilgrim tells a tale to entertain the other travelers. “And specially from every shires ende of Englelond to Canterbury they wende…”

The Knight’s Tale: The knight’s tale is the first tale from The Canterbury Tales. The knight’s tale features many of the aspects associated with the medieval court such as courtly love and dueling for honor. The knight’s tale tells a story of two brothers, Arcite and Palamon who both fall in love with the same girl, Emily, while imprisoned in Athens. After deciding to duel for her hand, the two brothers are interrupted by Thesseus, the Duke of Athens, who challenges the brothers to a mass judicial tournament to win Emily. In the end, Arcite wins the battle but is killed as his horse falls on him, thus, Palamon claims Emily as his bride. This tale ushers the reader into the world of knighthood during the Medieval ages. “And specially from every shires ende of Englelond to Canterbury they wende…”

The Miller’s Tale: The Miller’s tale is the second of Chaucer’s tales in The Canterbury Tales. The miller’s tale is a requite to the knight’s tale. The miller claims that his tale is indeed noble though he is quite drunk as he recounts his tale for the other pilgrims. The miller’s tale of Nicolas and his corrupt attempts to sleep with his Lord’s wife directly refer to the corruption of the leaders in the Catholic Church during the Middle ages. The miller tale’s serves as Chaucer’s commentary on the corruption of the Catholic Church. A miller is someone who operates a mill to grind grain to make flour. “And specially from every shires ende of Englelond to Canterbury they wende…”

Why read The Canterbury Tales in 2010? In Conclusion: The Canterbury Tales is a frame narrative which offers a first-hand view into the lives of people living during the Medieval time period. The Canterbury Tales provides for rich and fertile ground in the literary process of character analysis. Chaucer’s 22 unabashed and outspoken pilgrims represent various Medieval stereotypes which allow the modern day reader to join the pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. Why read The Canterbury Tales in 2010?

Your Assignment: Choose from the list of approved characters from The Canterbury Tales and using Digital Photostory 3, create a presentation in which you assume the identity of your character. For the presentation you have been asked to introduce yourself as a character from The Canterbury Tales to a group of modern day English students. Tell your story and provide valid pictures to correspond with your character.

References: The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Middle Ages. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt & M.H. Abrams. W.W. Norton & Company. New York. 8th Ed. Vol. A. 2006. pp. 218-315 Picture on Slide 6: http://english.basd.k12.wi.us/mocarski/englishliterature/Lit1/lydgate.gif Picture on Slide 7: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Canterbury_Tales.png Picture on Slide 9: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Monselice_z21.JPG