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Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales
Introductory Lecture Notes
Section 1: The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories told by a variety of speakers. The stories
are varied in tone, style and subject matter reflecting the diversity of speakers
represented, who feature from all walks of fourteenth century English life; a chivalrous
Knight, a plowman, a much married Wife and some potentially morally reprehensible
characters too.
Although from a wide social background Chaucer places all of these characters together on
a pilgrimage. In order to amuse themselves on what would have been a four day journey on
horseback, the pilgrims decide to tell each other tales, one each on the way there and on
the way back. Chaucer however did not complete this enormous task, his death coming in
1400 before he had completed this original plan.
The general prologue to the actual storytelling allows Chaucer the opportunity to set the
scene and describe his pilgrims in some detail. This prologue allows a first glimpse at the
pilgrims, displaying their virtues, vices, thoughts and appearances. Each pilgrim is of a
different occupation or background and has a distinct character. Through his description
Chaucer allows us to learn a little about the attitudes and thoughts of people in the
fourteenth century; he shows a microcosm of English society, hinting at its good and bad
points, allowing the reader to make up their own minds about each of the pilgrims’ way of
life.
The Canterbury Tales are written in middle English, an ancestor of the English we speak
now which was spoken between 1150-1500. After the Norman invasion in 1066 the English
language was heavily influenced by French and many French words became standard in
English.
The Canterbury Tales were probably written to be read aloud. Books were extremely
expensive and the oral tradition of story telling was very strong. Just as the pilgrims in
the stories like to tell and hear the stories so did people in Chaucer’s lifetime. He wrote
The Canterbury Tales mostly in rhyming iambic couplets, although some tales are written
in prose. This poetic structure helps the words to trip lightly along, making them
pleasurable to hear. Chaucer also uses rhyme and alliteration to add emphasis to some
parts and to link ideas together. Reading the text aloud will help you to spot such poetic
tricks.
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Section 2: Pilgrimage
What is a pilgrimage? Where and Why do people go on pilgrimages today? - Discuss with
class.
Chaucer’s pilgrims are going on a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral. This is where the
Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas a Becket was murdered in 1170 by followers of Henry
the second. They murdered him inside the cathedral itself. After this tragic event the
cathedral became a place of pilgrimage, a place thought have the power of miraculous
healing. It was decorated lavishly with gold and jewels and people would flock there in the
hope of being healed and to pray for their sins to be forgiven.
Pilgrimages were extremely popular in the 12th and 13th centuries. At this time Christianity
was extremely popular and people wanted to defend, spread and recognise the power of
Christianity. Shrines for pilgrimage were founded all over Europe and men even went on
crusades to the Holy Land, where Jesus lived and died, to spread the word and defend the
faith against those of other religions. People went on pilgrimages for genuine reasons of
faith, love and devotion - to seek forgiveness from God, to heal their sickness or ask
favours of the saints represented by the shrines they visited.
By Chaucer’s time, the late fourteenth century, pilgrimages had changed somewhat.
Pilgrimages were now a big money business. Travel guides were produced telling pilgrims
what to look out for, hotels were established to accommodate the pilgrims in style and
horse trade boomed. Shrines even started competing as to who had the best relics - two
places claiming to have the head of John the Baptist. Commercialism, which was sweeping
over the country had even touched religion and pilgrimage. Pilgrims could purchase
souvenirs of their visit, and many relics were thought to be forgeries designed to attract
crowds of money-spending pilgrims. As we shall see, Chaucer’s pilgrims have a variety of
reasons for completing their pilgrimage, but perhaps we shall see that the Knight
represents the old tradition of devotional pilgrimage, while the Wife of Bath is more of
the modern tourist. Through these two different characters Chaucer illustrates how his
society is changing - and perhaps not for the better.
Section 3: Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer was probably born around 1340 although we have no specific date. He
was born into a wealthy family of Londoners, who made their living through selling wine and
supplied the King and the court with wine. This allowed the young Chaucer to have a fine
education and mix in an elevated social circle. He read well and was educated expensively,
learning French and Latin.
In 1359 he went to fight in France. He was captured and put in prison. He was released
when a ransom was paid by the Duke of Clarence, the King’s son. Upon his return to England
he was given many other important jobs, including acting as a diplomat allowing him to
travel in style all around Europe.
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In 1360 he married one of the queen’s ladies in waiting. His new wife was a relation of John
of Gaunt, the powerful Duke of Lancaster. This was an important connection, as the Duke
became Chaucer’s patron giving him a pension. Chaucer even wrote The Book of The
Duchess about the Duke’s first wife. Although he had powerful friends, was respected for
his writing and well off, Chaucer was extravagant with his money. He spent unwisely and
was nearly arrested for debt a number of times. It was only his powerful friends which
spared him this embarrassment.
Chaucer had a large library, a great expense, and had read a great deal of writing in both
French and Italian, showing his great intellect. He read the bible, mythology, history,
poetry, philosophy. One writer he enjoyed was the Italian Boccaccio who had written a
book called the Decameron. The story of this book was of a group of wealth Italians who
were hiding in a country house while the town of Florence was ravaged by the plague. To
amuse themselves they told each other stories. This was seen as a great inspiration for
The Canterbury Tales.
Chaucer died in 1400 and was buried in Westminster Abbey, showing just how well
respected he was as a man and a writer.
Section 4: Society and History
In 1349 England was hit by plague, or the Black Death. This wiped out thousands of people
and caused a shortage of workers. This meant that labourers, previously the bottom of the
social ladder, could ask for more money as they were in great demand. They began to be
dissatisfied with their way of life and this led to the Peasants’ Revolt, which led to the
murder of another Archbishop of Canterbury and much bloodshed. Eventually the leaders
of the revolt were captured and executed, but the revolt had raised the status of the
lowest people in society changing society for ever.
There was also a growth in commerce. People were becoming rich through trade and hard
work as opposed to inheriting or being rich through birth. This meant that more social
boundaries were shifting. This can be seen in the character of the Franklin.
The authority of religion was also being threatened. At one stage there were two popes
which some people found hard to accept. As Chaucer shows us some Churchmen were also
seen as being corrupt, serving themselves rather than God, further undermining the
position of the church in the community. This is also shown in the pilgrimage itself
becoming more of a tourist trail. Religious characters shown to be problematic are the
Summoner, the Pardoner and to some extent the Prioress and the Friar.
Through The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer shows us that social boundaries are shifting. He
shows a gap between how people in certain occupations should behave and how they actually
do. He makes no comment on this himself, rather allows the reader or the listener to come
to their own conclusions. In this way he gives us a close, potentially critical study of
fourteenth century life.
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The General Prologue
by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Knight and the Squire
You have now studied the description of the Knight and the Squire in some detail. Although
they are father and son, there are a number of differences and contrasts between them.
Read through the descriptions again and then answer the following essay question:
Although father and son, the descriptions of the Knight and the Squire contrast
greatly. Examine these differences and then say which of the two pilgrims you find
the more likable.
Before starting to write your answer to this question, which should be approximately 2
sides of A4, complete the following task to help you gather your information. Include as
many quotations as you can.
1. How do the two pilgrims differ in their outward appearance? Consider their choice of
clothing, the quality of their clothing, their hairstyles.
2. What does their clothing tell you about their character?
3. What kinds of skills does each pilgrim have? What does this tell you about their
character?
4. How does each pilgrim behave? What are their personalities like?
5. What has each pilgrim achieved so far in their lives? Where have they travelled?
6. Why does each pilgrim choose their occupation? What does this tell you about their
priorities in life?
7. Can you find any similarities between the Knight and the Squire?
8. What words does Chaucer use when describing each pilgrim? Choose at least 3 and try
and find a simile he uses in his descriptions of each.
9. What do these words and similes tell you about each pilgrim?
Once you have answered these questions fully, begin writing your answer to the essay
question. Include plenty of quotations to back up your points, and remember to answer
both parts of the question.
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The General Prologue
by Geoffrey Chaucer
Pilgrim Presentation
Your next task in your study of The General Prologue is to prepare and present a detailed
study of one or two of the pilgrims.
Your presentation will be given to the class, focusing on character and language. You will
tell the group which parts of the text they need to underline, what notes they should make
in the margin and explain the more difficult words and phrases. You will then talk about
the character of the pilgrim in some detail. You may use notes to help you and give hand
outs to the class.
After you have been assigned your character/s I suggest you approach this task in the
following way.
1. Read through the passage which describes your pilgrim, checking difficult words or
phrases using the glossary. These will probably be bits you will have to explain so be
thorough.
2. Write a summary in modern English of the description Chaucer gives us. Make sure you
understand everything Chaucer has written. Ask for help if you need it. You could read
this to the class.
3. Compile a fact file about the pilgrim under the following headings:
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Occupation (describe exactly what this is and how good they are at it!
Outward appearance (clothing, hair, features)
Behaviour (anything good/bad/admirable - give examples)
Personality/Character (what is the pilgrim like?)
Social status (high/low - how can you tell?)
Chaucer’s description (is Chaucer being respectful/critical/ironic? - how can you tell?)
Key quotations/words/phrases which sum up the pilgrim
Your general impression of the pilgrim (give a personal opinion)
4. Work out which bits you will get the class to underline and what they should put in the
margin.
Your presentation will form part of your speaking and listening assessment, as well as
being an important exercise in really getting to grips with the General Prologue itself.
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