“The Canterbury Tales”
th
and the History of 14
Century England
Including the biography of
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400)
Medieval Social Theory
 England
was made up of three
“estates” or classes (similar to that
of the feudal system)
–The Nobility
–The Church
–The Commoners
The Nobility
Composed
of a small
hereditary aristocracy
Mission on earth was to “rule
over and defend the body of
the politic” (people).
Usually had most of the
money and land ownership
The Church
Look
after the spiritual
welfare of the people.
Usually divided amongst the
people, but Christianity
comprised most of the religion
of the people.
The Commoners
Provided
the work and labor
to sustain the society.
Agricultural workers
Fishermen
Merchants
Social Change at the end of the
14th Century
World
changing more rapidly
Different social classes were
intermarrying
Some merchants becoming richer
than land owners
Brought about economic, social,
and political change.
Emergence of the “Middle Class”
Hundred Years War
 Takes
place between France and England
from 1337-1453 (116 years all together)
– Times of peace in between, but roughly 100 years
of warfare between the two.
 English
Kings were descendants of the
French Kings (Invasion of England by the
Normans in 1066).
 French kings upset that English kings had
more land then them, so the went back
and forth about who could control which
lands and how much.
“The Black Death”
 Also
called the “Black Plague” or “Bubonic
Plague of the 14th Century”
 Killed nearly one-third (1/3) of Europe’s
entire population from 1347-1351 A.D.
 Caused upheaval against various religious
and social groups including: Catholics,
Jews, Muslims, Foreigners, Beggars, etc.
 Slowed the progress of the Hundred Years
War
Geoffrey Chaucer
 Born
in London, 1343, son of a wine
merchant
 Grew up in “London Vintry,” where ships
docked with wines from France and Spain
 Grew up during the Hundred Years War &
Black Death Pandemic
 Chaucer grew up around various people
from different walks of life.
 Learned new languages: French & Latin
Geoffrey Chaucer
 Chaucer
becomes apprenticed to nobility
–Fine Schooling at the Count of Ulster
–Learned etiquette and manners
–Followed a strict Christian practice.
 Worked on keeping books during the
Hundred Years War for Edward III.
 Becomes ambassador and travels to
Spain, France, Italy, etc. and learns more
languages and skills.
Pilgrimage to Canterbury
The pilgrimage from Southwark (Southern part of London) to Canterbury took
10-14 days depending on weather conditions and number of travelers.
The Canterbury Tales
Idea contrived originally in 1386
 Story was to be a collection of 120 stories that
were told by various pilgrims on a pilgrimage.
(30 pilgrims: 2 stories on the way there, 2
stories on the way back).
 Published version: 24 stories (2 in prose, 22 in
verse)
 Pilgrimage was for Thomas à Becket
– Archbishop of Canterbury that was murdered
at his cathedral in 1170 A.D.
 “Odd assembly on purpose”

The Canterbury Tales
 Tales
were told by characters from different
“walks of life”—stories told in social order.
 Idea was to give the readers a perspective
with respect to values & characteristics
ascribed to particular social or economic
groups (middle class, religious officials, etc.)
 Stories are competitive, follow various
formats, different tones, different narrators,
etc.
 Stories reflect the values of the characters
that orated them.
“General Prologue”
 Introduction
of the story
 Introduction of the characters
–Special emphasis placed on
characterization
 Physical appearance, clothing, accessories,
behaviors, etc.
 Understanding
their place with regard to
social status is indicative of what kind of
story they are likely to produce.
 Allows reader to establish moral judgments.
Seven Deadly Sins

One of the underlying motifs in the tales is the
use of the Cardinal Sins
– Wrath
• Through elaborate
characterization, nearly all of
– Pride
Chaucer’s pilgrims were seemingly
– Envy
guilty of one or more of these sins.
– Greed
• Emphasis of sin was based on
physical appearance, behavior,
– Gluttony
monetary situation, and/or allusion
to sexual perversion.
– Sloth
– Lust
Are you a sinner?????