The Canterbury Tales Background informa8on on the Middle Ages Dee Auvil
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Canterbury Tales •  Wri<en by Geoffrey Chaucer -­‐ father of English poetry (born about 1342) •  First person to write in the Vernacular middle English •  Insight into all walks of life during the middle Ages Dee Auvil
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The Tales (cont) •  26 pilgrims actually described; 29 referenced.
Chaucer is one of the pilgrims for total of 30.
•  plan was to tell two tales each on the way to
Canterbury and two more tales on the way back (30
pilgrims x 4 tales=120 total tales planned)
•  a tale is often so well fitted to a pilgrim’s character
and opinion that the tale and teller illuminate each
other
•  The Tales are distinguished from other similar types
of the period because of the realism of the characters;
they are more than types.
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The Prologue •  Opening lines provide a setting and motivation
for the Canterbury pilgrimage
•  Prologue contains all levels of English life
•  The order of the introduction of each pilgrim is
important because it provides the social
standing of the different occupations; it begins
with the highest social rank and descends in
order.
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•  Chaucer used physical descrip8on as part of the characteriza8on of the Pilgrims. The more he described what they looked like, the worse they were. Dee Auvil
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Language •  Aristocracy-­‐ French •  Clergy-­‐La8n •  Commoners: English (Middle English) Dee Auvil
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Thomas Becke< •  Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by King Henry 2 •  King Henry hoped that Thomas would side with him over the pope •  The King’s plan backfired and Thomas ended up taking the side of the Church/pope over the King Dee Auvil
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Thomas Becke< •  Murdered in 1170 (Assassinated by followers of the King Henry in Canterbury Cathedral) •  Was canonized as both Saint and martyr following his murder •  The Shrine of Saint Thomas of Becke< became a popular des8na8on for religious pilgrimages during the Middle Ages Dee Auvil
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Canterbury Tales •  Wanted to educate the masses on the corrup8on in the Church •  Frame Tale •  Usually sa8rical •  Story begins in the Spring at Tabard Inn •  Pilgrims on a voyage to the Shrine of Thomas Becket (martyr) •  Each pilgrims tells 2 tales on the way and two tales back •  Host will judge stories Dee Auvil
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Chaucer’s England Social Structure •  Society was divided into 3 states: clergy, aristocracy, and the commons •  Posi8ons in the hierarchy were well defined •  Clergy-­‐responsible for people’s spiritual well-­‐
being •  Aristocracy-­‐ responsible for defending the na8on through military might. •  Commons-­‐ laborers and producers Dee Auvil
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Clergy • 
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• 
• 
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The clergy were expected to take vows of: Poverty Chas8ty Obedience Tuesday, November 12, 2013 6:56:38 AM CT
Feudal System •  Included aristocrats and commoners •  King owned all the land in the country •  King granted land holdings to aristocra8c tenants in exchange for military support •  Aristocrats would grant land holdings to commoners in exchange for labor services that would allow the lord to cul8vate and maintain the land Dee Auvil
Tuesday, November 12, 2013 6:56:38 AM CT
Religion •  Being apart of society in the middle ages meant being a part of the church •  Catholic Church-­‐ official church •  All Chris8ans in that part of the World were under the authority of the pope Dee Auvil
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The Black Plague •  1348 – Black Plague reached England and wiped out 1/3 of the popula8on (3.75 million to 2.25 million) •  The sudden collapse of the popula8on sent prices skyrocke8ng (increased the price of labor while decreasing the price of land) •  The overall effect of the Plague was to hasten the collapse of feudalism by crea8ng intense compe88on for labor and tenants Dee Auvil
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Chivalry •  Chivalry-­‐ system of ideals and behavior that governed both knight and gentleman •  Included things such as: -­‐ oath of loyalty to overlord -­‐ rules of of warfare -­‐adora8on of a par8cular lady (not necessarily one’s wife) Dee Auvil
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Compare and Contrast •  How was the society during the middle ages different from our modern-­‐day society? –  Religion –  Types of jobs –  poli8cs Dee Auvil
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Effects of the Black Plague •  Resulted in the Rise of the Middle Class •  Labor became more valuable then land Dee Auvil
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Courtly Love •  Courtly Love-­‐ Belief that ac8ng in the name of a lady would help a knight be more brave and successful Dee Auvil
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Sa8re •  Literary technique in which behaviors or ins8tu8ons are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society. •  What sets sa8re apart from other forms of social and poli8cal protest is HUMOR. •  Sa8rists use irony and exaggera8on to poke fun at human faults and foolishness in order to correct human behavior Dee Auvil
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Irony •  Verbal and situa8onal irony are ofen used for emphasis in the asser8on of a truth. •  Situa8onal-­‐ character/reader expects one thing, but something else happens •  Verbal-­‐ when a writer/character expects one thing, but means another •  TECHNIQUES: hyperbole, understatement, sarcasm Dee Auvil
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REVIEW – Middle Ages and Canterbury Tales •  Why did Chaucer write the Canterbury Tales in English? (Middle English) -­‐ What was Chaucer’s purpose for wri8ng the Canterbury Tales? Dee Auvil
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Review •  Which LITERARY device does Chaucer primarily use to get his point across? Dee Auvil
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Review What makes sa8re different from other forms of poli8cal or social protest? Dee Auvil
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Review •  Who was more powerful, the king or the pope? Dee Auvil
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Review •  Where are the pilgrims going? Dee Auvil
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Review •  Why was St. Thomas of Becke< murdered? Dee Auvil
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Review •  Which important historical events took place during the Middle Ages? Dee Auvil
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Review •  Bubonic Plague – What were the effects? •  Effects of Crusades: Poli8cal: helped undermine feudalism Social: allowed for roman8c adventure (Chivalry) Commerce/trade: opened up trade throughout Europe and created a constants demand for the transporta8on of both men and supplies Catholic Church: increased the wealth of the Catholic church and the power of the Papacy. Dee Auvil
Tuesday, November 12, 2013 6:56:38 AM CT
Canterbury Tales Prologue •  Prologue –STANDS ALONE •  Does not include the stories that the pilgrims tell. •  Describes all the pilgrims and gives the reader a picture into all walks of life during the middle ages. Dee Auvil
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The Canterbury Tales (in general) •  Chaucer presents the world as he sees it
•  Began to write it in 1387 (he had written a large
number of works prior to this)
•  Incomplete (Chaucer died in 1400). “The General
Prologue” and only 22 tales completed; there were
supposed to be 120 total
•  Shows a cross section of Medieval society
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The Prologue: Characters • 
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Commercial Wealthy class
Merchant (illegally makes his money from selling
French coins)
Sergeant of Law (used knowledge of law to buy up
foreclosed property)
Clerk (good manners, knowledge of books)
Franklin (made enough money to be a country
gentleman and push for a place of nobility)
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The Prologue: Characters Guildsmen
similar to specialized unions of craftsmen or guilds
Haberdasher (makes men’s accessories)
Dyer (dyes fabric)
Carpenter (works with wood)
Weaver (makes fabric)
Tapestry-maker (makes rugs/carpets/wall hangings
none of them tells a tale
Dee Auvil
Tuesday, November 12, 2013 6:56:38 AM CT
The Prologue: Characters Guildsmen
similar to specialized unions of craftsmen or guilds
Haberdasher (makes men’s accessories)
Dyer (dyes fabric)
Carpenter (works with wood)
Weaver (makes fabric)
Tapestry-maker (makes rugs/carpets/wall hangings
none of them tells a tale
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Tuesday, November 12, 2013 6:56:38 AM CT
The Prologue: Characters Virtuous poor or lower class
•  Parson
•  Plowman (very poor but represents all of the
Christian virtues)
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The Prologue: Characters • 
• 
• 
• 
• 
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Immoral lower class
Manciple (profits from buying food for the
lawyers in the Inns of Court)
Miller (vulgar, steals from his customers)
Reeve (tells dirty stories and cheats his trusting
young master
Summoner (corrupt, takes bribes)
Pardoner (corrupt: sells fake pardons and fake
relics)
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