The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Introduce yourself to The Canterbury Tales The following work may be displayed on sugar paper in the classroom, to serve as an overview of the order of The Canterbury Tales, with details about dates and the journey taken. 1. Using an atlas or online map, find the following places visited by the pilgrims: 
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Sittingbourne Dartford Bob‐up‐and‐Down Boughton Canterbury Ospring Rochester Southwark Greenwich Deptford Add the above places to the outline map provided for you. LONDON © www.teachit.co.uk 2010
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The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
2. Now, estimate the length of the journey in miles. The journey taken by the pilgrims is believed to cover the dates: 
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17th April 19th April 18th April 20th April Now get yourselves into a group of four/five people. Each group (there should be four groups in total) will be given a piece of information to work on. The overall aim is to allocate your piece of information its appropriate date. Group one Immediately before ‘The Wife of Bath’s Prologue’ and ‘Tale’, a quarrel between the Friar and the Summoner breaks out. During this quarrel, the Summoner says he will tell some very strange stories about Friars before they reach Sittingbourne. By the end of the Summoner’s tale, they have almost arrived in Sittingbourne. 1. See if you can put a date to this information. 2. On your map, enter the date near the place they stayed overnight. 3. Using your answer to question 2, estimate how far the pilgrims had travelled from London. Group two The Squire promises to tell his tale without further delay because the time ‘is prime’, and in ‘The Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue’, he says they will stop for the night five miles before they reach Boughton. The Canon’s Yeoman clearly refers to the pilgrims leaving an inn that morning. In ‘The Manciple’s Prologue’, he refers to a small town on The Canterbury Way. The Cook has fallen asleep on the journey, owing to the fact that they started very early in the morning. Meanwhile, the Parson tells the reader and his fellow pilgrims that it is 4 o’clock in the afternoon. 1. See if you can put a date to this information. 2. On your map, enter the date where they stayed overnight. 3. Using your answer to question 2, estimate how far the pilgrims had travelled from London. 4. Find out what time was referred to as ‘prime’. 5. What is the likeliest place for the pilgrims’ overnight stay if they were ‘five miles before Boughton’? © www.teachit.co.uk 2010
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Group three ‘The Man of Law’s Tale’ is very informative about the time and date. This information, together with more detail from ‘The Monk’s Prologue’ tells the reader where the pilgrims spent one of the nights on their journey. 1. See if you can put a date to this information. 2. On your map, enter the date in the place where they spent the night 3. What is the time and the date referred to by the Man of Law? 4. Where does the Monk tell us the pilgrims spent the night? Group four The Miller refers to one of the places on your map, and the Reve tells us where they are at around 7.30 a.m. 1. See if you can put a date to this information. 2. On your map, enter the date where they stayed overnight. 3. Using your answer to question 2, estimate how far the pilgrims had travelled from London. 4. What places are referred to by the Miller and the Reve? Now share your group’s answers and reasons with the rest of the class who may well take notes. © www.teachit.co.uk 2010
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Finally, order the groups of pilgrims using the table below. (By writing down which pilgrims told their stories on each date.) 16 April 17th April 18 April 19 April 20 April th
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Groups of Pilgrims 1. ‘The Squire’s Tale’, ‘The Franklin’s Tale’, ‘The Second nun’s Tale’, ‘The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale’, ‘The Manciple’s Prologue and Tale’, ‘The Parson’s Prologue and Tale’ 2. ‘The Knight’s Tale’, ‘The Miller’s Prologue and Tale’, ‘The Cook’s Prologue and Tale’, ‘The Reve’s Prologue and Tale’ 3. ‘The Doctor’s Tale’, ‘The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale’, ‘The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale’, ‘The Friar’s Prologue and Tale’, ‘The Summoner’s Prologue and Tale’, ‘The Clerk’s Prologue and Tale’, ‘The Merchant’s Prologue and Tale’ 4. ‘The Man of Law’s Prologue and Tale’, ‘The Shipman’s Prologue and Tale’, ‘The Prioress’ Tale’, ‘Sir Thopas’, ‘The Tale of Melibeus’, ‘The Monk’s Prologue and Tale’, ‘The Nun’s Priest’s Prologue and Tale’. © www.teachit.co.uk 2010
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Answers to Question 4 1. 20th April 2. 17th April 3. 19th April 4. 18th April (Tabard Inn = 16th April) © www.teachit.co.uk 2010
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