1. The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer

2. Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London c. 1343 into a prosperous wine merchant family. At the age of 16, he took part in a military expedition to France, a part of the Hundred Years' War. He was held prisoner, captured by the French. The English king and Chaucer's friends paid the ransom for his release. In his late 20s, between 1370 and 1387, Chaucer was sent on diplomatic missions throughout Europe. For this, he gained status and wealth having been granted privileges and incomes by the king. This was also the period of his greatest creativity as he produced most of his best poetry. Chaucer did not begin The Canterbury Tales, regarded his greatest work, until he was in his early 40s. It was left unfinished when he died. The Canterbury Tales is made up of 24 stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury Cathedral. Geoffrey Chaucer, although considered the greatest of English Medieval poets, was greatly influenced by contemporaneous French and Italian writers. His poems are remarkable for their narrative sense, humor, and the strength characterization. He died on October 25, 1400, at the age of 57.

3. The Canterbury Tales In the late Middle Ages, a group of English men and women from different walks of life gather at the Tabard Inn outside London for a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas â Becket in Canterbury, England. The Host of the Tabard proposes that the pilgrims pass the time on the journey by telling stories; he offers to accompany the group, judge the best story, and award the winner a meal, paid by all, when the group returns to his inn. The pilgrims agree and begin telling tales, each of which reflects the interests and personality of the teller. In the sampling of tales presented in In choosing such a wide variety of characters, Chaucer was able to explore a large number of themes, using the different statuses and occupations of his fictional characters. The themes of romance, courtly love, greed, treachery and religious corruption are all explored through the eyes of the different pilgrims.

4. Character Types in Canterbury Tales Chaucer included character types in The Canterbury Tales. – The Knight, The Cook, The Shipman, The Monk, The Physician, The Clerk Think about culture and society today, what are some character types that would be observed?

5. Assignment Choose one such character type and write at least two paragraphs describing him or her. Consider what this character type looks like as well as his/her positive and negative personality traits. Just as Chaucer was known for his use of indirect characterization, students should be sure to utilize both direct and indirect characterization in their character sketch.

6. The Prologue In the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer introduces the speaker of the poem as a man named Chaucer, who is traveling from London with a group of strangers to visit Canterbury, a borough to the southeast of London. This group of people is thrown together when they travel together on a trip to the shrine of Saint Thomas à Becket, who was murdered in Canterbury in 1170. The Prologue gives a brief description of the setting as they assemble at the Tibard Inn in Southwark to prepare for their trip. It describes each of the pilgrims, including ones who were meant to be discussed in sections of the book that were never written before Chaucer died. After the introductions, the Host, who owns the inn that they gather at and who is leading the group, suggests that they should each tell two stories while walking, one on the way to Canterbury and one on the way back, to pass the time more quickly. He offers the person telling the best story a free supper at the tavern when they return.Geoffrey Chaucer

7. Character Snap Shot Complete a short snap shot of each character in the prologue – Knight: was chivalrous (truth, honor, generous, courteous), been to battle, distinguished, wise, modest, just home from service, on the pilgrimage to render thanks – Squire: son of the knight, 20, agile, strong, valiant, some service with cavalry, sings, writes poems, draws, courteous, serviceable, looking for love

8. Prologue Characters Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Nun(nun, 3 priest), Monk, Friar, Merchant Oxford Cleric, Serjeant at Law, Franklin, {Haberdasher, Dyer, Carpenter, Weaver, Carpet-maker}, Cook, Skipper, Doctor, Woman, Parson, Plowman Miller, Manciple, Reeve, Summoner, Pardoner, Host