Canterbury Tales
The General Prologue
Canterbury Tales
► Written
around 1387-1400
► Written by Geoffrey Chaucer
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Soldier
Courtier
Royal emissary to Europe
Controller of customs
Justice of the peace
Member of Parliament
artist
Prologue
► Chaucer
has the idea to bring together 29
“sondry folk” in a pilgrimage (“by aventure
[chance]”)
 Represent a wide range of 14th century English
society
►Makes
comprehensive study of humans
►Perfect way to present his irony
Prologue
► Represent
society
a wide range of 14th century English
 3 Groups Represent:
► Agricultural
feudalism
 Landownership and service
► Knight’s yeoman
► Franklin
► Urbanization
 Change in feudal structure
► Doctor
► Guildsmen
► The
Church
 One of the most powerful elements in medieval soceity
► 9 of pilgrims belong to clergy
Prologue
► Each
pilgrim
 tell two stories on the way to Canterbury
 two stories on the way back
►Plan
Inn
► Teller
proposed by Harry Bailey, host of the Tabard
of best tale is rewarded at the end
 A dinner provided by his fellow pilgrims at the
Tabard
►Harry
Bailey is judge
Prologue
► Prologue
sets the scene and introduces
reader to the characters
► Between many of the tales Chaucer
expounds upon the personalities of the
pilgrims.
 Number of arguments that prepare for
subsequent tales
 Some pilgrims introduce a tale with a
commentary on his/her own personal life
Prologue
► Chaucer’s
project was never finished
 Only 24 tales exist
► Tales
were probably composed at various
times in Chaucer’s life
Prologue
► Begins
with a long, rhetorical sentence in
“high style” describing spring.
► Gradually descends into a more “realistic”
style of expository narrative.
Prologue
► Group
is on its way to the holy shrine of St.
Thomas ă Becket
 Archbishop of Canterbury
►opposed
Henry II over the balance between royal
and religious power
►was murdered in the cathedral
 Considered a martyr and later made a saint
 His blood was held to contain great curative qualities,
restoring health to the sick
The Knight
► Was
an honorable warrior who fought for
Christianity against the heathens.
► Appropriate that he is the first pilgrim to be
introduced because he stands at the top of the
social hierarchy, thus is the most socially
prominent person on the journey.
► Tells the first story; many offer him compliments.
► All of the battles mentioned that he fought in were
religious wars of some kind.
The Knight
► Prologue’s
description:
 Worthy man
 Loved the following
►Chivalry
►Fidelity
►Honor
(good reputation)
►Generosity
►courtesy
 Honored for his worthiness in war
The Knight
► Prologue’s
description:
 Fought in many battles/ had “been at many a noble
expedition”
► Alexandria
► Prussia
► Lithuania/Latvia
► Russia
► Grenada
at siege of Algeciras to Belmarye (north Africa)
► Morocco
► The
Mediterranean
► Tiemcen
► Turkey
The Knight
► Prologue’s
description:
 Even though he was brave, he was prudent
 Deportment: “meek as a maid”
 Never said any rude word in all his life to any
person
 Horses were good
 Clothing/dress
►Not
gaudily dressed
►Tunic of coarse cloth, stained with rust from his
chain mail suit
 Has just returned from an expedition
The Knight’s Tale
adapted from Boccaccio’s Teseide
► Tale of ideal love and chivalry.
► Would be a popular type of tale in Chaucer’s
day.
► Probably
The Knight’s Tale
► Premise:
 Two Thebian knights, Palamon & Arcite, fall in
love with the same woman, Emelye, whom they
see only from their prison window in Athens.
 Their life-long friendship is immediately
disrupted by their rivalry for Emelye.
 In time Arcite is released from prison on the
condition that he never again set foot in Athens.
 Palamon eventually escapes years later.
The Knight’s Tale
► The
men meet by chance in a grove hear
Athens and are about to fight when Theseus
and his company interrupt them.
► After forgiving the knights for their past,
Theseus schedules a tournament (50 weeks
later) for the hand of Emelye.
► Arcite wins the tournament, but scarcely has
had time to claim his fair prize when the
misaligned planet Saturn causes him to fall
from his horse and die shortly afterward.
The Knight’s Tale
► Palamon
forgets his ill feelings toward Arcite
and retires to Thebes, where he mourns his
former friend.
► Several years later, Theseus summons
Palamon, who is still mourning and wearing
black, and gives him Emelye in marriage.
► Makes of two sorrows one “parfit joye,
lastynge everemo.”
The Knight’s Tale
► Not
much action in the romance.
► Two knights are almost the same
 Both
►Make
speeches declaring their love
►Curse their destiny
►Pray to their respective gods
The Knight’s Tale
► Conflict
that a story about medieval knights
and their customs would be set in ancient
Greece.
► Knight
► Squire
► Yeoman
► Prioress
► Monk
► Friar
► Merchant
► Clerk
► Sergeant
► Franklin
► Guildsmen
► Cook
► Shipman
► Doctor
► Wife
of Bath
► Parson
► Miller
► Manciple
► Reeve
► Summoner
► Pardoner
► Poet
► Host
(innkeeper Harry Bailey)