Canterbury Tales Projects
Choose one project below or create your own spectacular depiction of The Canterbury Tales. You may work individually or in groups. You will be given class time to work on this, so I advise you to use it wisely. All projects will be presented to the class.
Oral/Dramatic
1. Choose a scene from a tale—an especially important one—and memorize the lines and act it out.
Costumes should be included. If you wish to do this alone you may choose a part of a prologue.
2. Create a radio program or a soap opera of one of the tales. A condensed version, please— complete with Medieval-era commercials. Record for presentation or do it orally in class.
3. A talk show! Oprah, Ellen or Dr. Phil or ???? Have the Wife of Bath on with a psychiatrist perhaps, to discuss her relationship with her father? Be careful, this one needs to be well scripted in advance.
4. The People’s Court.
5. The Canterbury Tales, the Ultimate Game Show!
Artistic
6. Create a new tale. Film it.
7. Something else???
1. Research the geography of the pilgrimage. Draw a detailed map or build a model of what a pilgrimage from Southwark to Canterbury would look like.
2. Draw 2-4 significant scenes from one or more tales. Be ready to explain the significance and your interpretation of the scenes.
3. Create a visual representation of the procession of the pilgrims. Make sure to include every member of the procession, along with reasons for who is traveling with whom.
4. Research medieval-era clothing, and make several drawings of pilgrims in their outfits.
5. The Canterbury Tales paper dolls! Complete with clothes.
6. Make a collage of contemporary locations and events that might parallel the historical context of
The Canterbury Tales. Use magazines, newspapers, etc. Be sure there is an appropriate title.
6. Create a new tale. Draw it.
7. Other ideas?
Written
1. Design wedding invitations for one or more of the Wife of Bath’s weddings, and/or Chanticleer’s wedding. Include three poems in each.
2. The Canterbury Gazette. The front page and perhaps one other page of a newspaper. Add pages as you add people in your group.
3. Write a parody of one or more of the tales.
4. Write a contemporary, twenty-first century (shorter) version of one or more of the tales. Set in
Seattle?
5. Write three or four letters to and from various characters in the procession. Make sure their speech reflects their personalities.
6. Rewrite one or more of the tales as a nursery rhyme, adding pictures and/or illustrations.
7. Research the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas à Becket. Share your findings with us.
8. Create a new tale. Write it.
8. Anything I missed?
Project due Date: Friday, March 4