Geoffrey Chaucer
And the Canterbury Tales
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale”
“The Pardoner’s Tale”
Chaucer and Language
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Canterbury Tales is his
most famous work
(more on that soon)
This work is written in
middle English.
Between Old and
Middle English is the
largest change in the
English language (both
in terms of sound and
appearance).
Watch the prologue read in Middle English
Chaucer Background
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Called the father of
English poetry
He was both a gifted
poet and politician
Geoffrey Chaucer was
born between 13441348, the exact date is
not known.
Chaucer’s rise to fame
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Chaucer fought with
Prince Lionel in France
during the Hundred
Years War (war fought
between England and
France over the
throne. Joan of Arc
fought in this war)
During this war,
Chaucer was taken
prisoner and was
ransomed by King
Edward III
Chaucer’s Literary Break
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Chaucer is commissioned by
nobility to write one the first
publicly presented poem in English
(French was the natural language
since both the King and Queen
spoke it.)
Chaucer is appointed to Controller
by the King (an accounting officer
in charge of taxes). This is a very
prestigious position. This was the
beginning of several noble
positions bestowed on Chaucer
during his life.
This steady income allowed
Chaucer leisure time to write.
The Canterbury Tales
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With his life and fortune
stable, Chaucer began
work on his most famous
work, The Canterbury
Tales.
Chaucer pens this great
work between 13871400. He dies before it
is finished.
The Story
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The story is a collection of tales.
It tells the story of a pilgrimage (a
trip to visit a holy site for contrition).
The group included over 20 people
from different walks of life (a
knight, to a preacher, to a miller).
During the trip to the holy site, the
pilgrims tell stories to pass the
time. Each character was
originally envisioned to tell two
stories. Chaucer dies before this is
finished.
Major Themes of Selected Tales
Class System– Both tales that you will read in class with examine
different inequities of the class system in Medieval England

“The Wife of
Bath’s Tale”

“The Pardoner’s
Tale”
Types of Tales
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There are four types of tales that the
pilgrims tell as well as a prologue (an
introduction to the tale with conversations
between the pilgrims.)

bawdy- this is a tale that is usually considered
“inappropriate.” It may contain lewd content or
present ideas that go against the social norm.
These are usually presented for entertainment.
Examples of these stories are The Wife of
Bath’s Tale and The Miller’s Tale
Types of Tales Continued
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satirical- these tales have an obvious target and are told
in the hope of inciting change. The most notable of these
tales is The Knight’s Tale
allegorical- this is a tale in which is one thing may
represent another. These tales may be understood on
more than one level (example of an allegory: The Lord of
the Rings series is an allegory about the World Wars. The
story makes sense when read on its own as the battle for
middle earth, but it also makes sense as representing the
world wars.) In many cases, more familiar characters may
be substituted to tell the story. The Pardoner's Tale is an
example.
Tales

morally instructive- this last type of tale
is one which teaches a lesson. The most
notable of these tales is The Pardoner’s
Tale
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
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One of the only reasons
that she is able to continue
her story is because of her
class.
The Pardoner’s Tale
After Reading
Elements of the story to consider…
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Irony
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Chaucer’s message
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Sermon Form
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Class system
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Pardoner’s profession and
pilgrimage person
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Allegory
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The Old man (How do we
interpret him?
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Is this Pardoner more educated
than he seems?
Pardoner’s Tale Animated