The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
• Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London c. 1343 into a prosperous wine
merchant family. At the age of 16, he took part in a military expedition
to France, a part of the Hundred Years' War. He was held prisoner,
captured by the French. The English king and Chaucer's friends paid the
ransom for his release.
• In his late 20s, between 1370 and 1387, Chaucer was sent on diplomatic
missions throughout Europe. For this, he gained status and wealth
having been granted privileges and incomes by the king. This was also
the period of his greatest creativity as he produced most of his best
poetry.
• Chaucer did not begin The Canterbury Tales, regarded his greatest work,
until he was in his early 40s. It was left unfinished when he died. The
Canterbury Tales is made up of 24 stories told by a group of pilgrims on
their way to Canterbury Cathedral.
• Geoffrey Chaucer, although considered the greatest of English Medieval
poets, was greatly influenced by contemporaneous French and Italian
writers. His poems are remarkable for their narrative sense, humor, and
the strength characterization. He died on October 25, 1400, at the age
of 57.
The Canterbury Tales
• In the late Middle Ages, a group of English men and women
from different walks of life gather at the Tabard Inn outside
London for a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas â
Becket in Canterbury, England. The Host of the Tabard
proposes that the pilgrims pass the time on the journey by
telling stories; he offers to accompany the group, judge the
best story, and award the winner a meal, paid by all, when
the group returns to his inn. The pilgrims agree and begin
telling tales, each of which reflects the interests and
personality of the teller. In the sampling of tales presented
in
• In choosing such a wide variety of characters, Chaucer was
able to explore a large number of themes, using the
different statuses and occupations of his fictional
characters. The themes of romance, courtly love, greed,
treachery and religious corruption are all explored through
the eyes of the different pilgrims.
Character Types in Canterbury Tales
• Chaucer included character types in The
Canterbury Tales.
– The Knight, The Cook, The Shipman, The Monk,
The Physician, The Clerk
• Think about culture and society today, what
are some character types that would be
observed?
Assignment
• Choose one such character type and write at
least two paragraphs describing him or her.
Consider what this character type looks like as
well as his/her positive and negative
personality traits.
• Just as Chaucer was known for his use of
indirect characterization, students should be
sure to utilize both direct and indirect
characterization in their character sketch.
The Prologue
• In the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer
introduces the speaker of the poem as a man named Chaucer,
who is traveling from London with a group of strangers to visit
Canterbury, a borough to the southeast of London. This group
of people is thrown together when they travel together on a
trip to the shrine of Saint Thomas à Becket, who was murdered
in Canterbury in 1170. The Prologue gives a brief description of
the setting as they assemble at the Tibard Inn in Southwark to
prepare for their trip. It describes each of the pilgrims,
including ones who were meant to be discussed in sections of
the book that were never written before Chaucer died. After
the introductions, the Host, who owns the inn that they gather
at and who is leading the group, suggests that they should each
tell two stories while walking, one on the way to Canterbury
and one on the way back, to pass the time more quickly. He
offers the person telling the best story a free supper at the
tavern when they return.
Character Snap Shot
• Complete a short snap shot of each character
in the prologue
– Knight: was chivalrous (truth, honor, generous,
courteous), been to battle, distinguished, wise,
modest, just home from service, on the pilgrimage
to render thanks
– Squire: son of the knight, 20, agile, strong, valiant,
some service with cavalry, sings, writes poems,
draws, courteous, serviceable, looking for love
Prologue Characters
• Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Nun(nun, 3 priest),
Monk, Friar, Merchant
• Oxford Cleric, Serjeant at Law, Franklin,
{Haberdasher, Dyer, Carpenter, Weaver,
Carpet-maker}, Cook, Skipper, Doctor, Woman,
Parson, Plowman
• Miller, Manciple, Reeve, Summoner, Pardoner,
Host