FIVE CANTERBURY TALES GEOFFREY CHAUCER

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2: The Knight’s Tale When? Long ago Where? In Greece (Athens, Thebes) Who? Duke Theseus, The Amazons, Queen Hippolyta, Emely, Creon, Arcite, Palamon. What? Duke Theseus won the war with the Amazons and married their Queen, Hippolyta. Theseus, Hippolyta and Emely went to Athens. On their way they came to the city of Thebes. There they found lots of women crying because they couldn’t bury their relatives killed in the war with Creon. Theseus fought Creon and won the war.

What? Theseus’ men hurt two of Creon’s Knights: Arcite and Palamon (cousins). Arcite and Palamon became prisoners in Athens. They fell in love with Emely, so they became enemies. Arcite came back to Thebes free. Arcite went back to Athens because he loved Emely. Palamon escaped from prison and found Arcite in the forest. They started to fight. Theseus told them to go away and come back in a year with one hundred Knights. They fought and Arcite won but he is hurt and died. So, Palamon married Emely.

CHAPTER 3: The Wife of Bath’s Tale When? King Arthur’s Time Where? Camelot Who? Tarquin, Lucretia, King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, an ugly old woman What? Tarquin took Lucretia on a hill far from Camelot. King Arthur: “When a knight from Camelot treats a woman badly, he must die.” Queen Guinevere felt sorry for Tarquin, so she changed the punishment. Punishment: in a year he had to find the answer to this question “What do women want most of all? An ugly old woman told him the answer: “they want to rule their husbands”. Then, Tarquin must pay the old woman back so he marries her. When he kisses her she becomes a beautiful young woman.

CHAPTER 4: THE CLERK OF OXFORD’S TALE Where? Saluzzo (Italy) Who? King Walter, Griselda, Vera, Fidelio What? King Walter is sad because he had no wife and no son. He goes into town in dirty clothes to find a wife. He marries Griselda (from a poor family) because she is obedient to her father. King Walter tests her sending their children away. At the end King Walter brings them back.

CHAPTER FIVE: THE MERCHANT’S TALE Where? In Pavia (Italy) Who? January, Damian, May, Justinius What? January was a rich old knight that wanted to marry a young woman. He married May. His servant (Damian) and May fell in love. January became blind and very jealous of his wife. The god (Pluto) and the goddess (Prosperina) were angry with May because she is being unfaithful. They gave the sight back to January when May and Damian were hugging into the tree. Then May said to him: “an old woman told me to fight with a man in a pear tree and you were going to see again”.

CHAPTER SIX: THE FRANKLIN’S TALE Where? Brittany (France) Who? Arveragus, Dorigen, Aurelius, the magician What? Arveragus married Dorigen, but he left to a different country for some time. After the wedding they promised each other: “I’m always going to think well of you, and I’m never going to be angry when you say or do foolish things”. Aurelius wanted to invite Dori to his castle but she always said no because she loved her husband. One day she told him: “I will come when you take all the rocks away from the sea near Brittany”. It was a joke, but Aurelius hired a magician to do it. When the husband was back she told him the situation and Arveragus told her to go to the castle because she promised. Aurelius forgave her because he realised she was in love with her husband. The magician also forgave Aurelius and he didn’t accept the money. HAPPY HAPPY END