Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales

Early life
- Born c. 1340
- Son of a prosperous wine merchant
- In mid teens, he was placed in the service of the Countess of Ulster (a page), so he could be schooled in court and
society life
- Thus, he have learned Latin and some Greek, French and Italian
- In, 1359 he was captured by the French while serving in English army during the Hundred Years' War; ransomed
by King Edward III a year later
- Chaucer joined the royal household and became a trusted messenger and minor diplomat

As a royal messenger
- Chaucer was frequently sent to the continent on secret business for the King
- Some of these trips were to Italy where he became acquainted with the works of the great Italian authors:
Boccaccio, Dante, Petrarch (the greatest Italian writers of the early Renaissance period)

Other Jobs Chaucer Held…and Learned From...

- Controller of Customs on Wools, Skins and Hides for the Port of London
- Clerk of the King’s Works in charge of construction and repairs of royal residences;
- Deputy Forester of the King’s Forests
- Representative of the Shire of Kent in Parliament
- In all these different posts he met rich, influential upper middle class, higher ranking church officials, many types of
businessmen, sailors, travelers, city folk and common laborers
- In the late 1360s, he married Philippa Roet, who served Edward III’s queen. They had at least two children
together.
- Money, provisions, higher appointments, and property eventually allowed him to retire on a royal pension in the
early 1390s.
- Died on October 25, 1400 of unknown causes – murder suspected
- Chaucer was one of the first writers to be buried in the Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.

Chauser’s literary legacy

- A very prolific author
- Often called the father of the English poetry
-He wrote in the vernacular or language of the commoners Now known as Middle English
- His writings can be classified in three literary periods:
 The French Period
 The Italian Period
 The English Period

The ‘French Period’:

Influenced by his translation of Romance of the Rose, 13th century popular French long dream allegory
“The Book of the Duchess” (an elegiac dream allegory, commemorating the early death of Duke of Lancaster’s
(John of Gaunt) first wife

The ‘Italian Period

Translates Boethius’ “Consolation of Philosophy”/ a favorite book in the Middle Ages/ based on the platonic doctrine
- the body is a prison-house for the eternal soul
“The House of Fame” – dream vision (Dante’s influence)
“The Knight’s Tale” (based on Boccaccio’s “Il Teseida” (“The Story of Theseus”))
“Troilus and Criseyde” (influenced by Boccaccio’s “Il Filostrato” (“The Love-Stricken”);
“Legend of Good Women” (accused of anti-feminism now writes about virtuous faithful women throughout history)
“The Parliament of Fowls” (dream allegory: birds choosing their mates symbolize different characters and their
understanding of love based on their social positions)
The ‘English period’:
The Canterbury Tales (ca. 1386)
Chauser’s masterpiece
one of the greatest works in the English language
a religious pilgrimage to display all segments of medieval England
17,000 lines
a story about stories (24 different tales set within the overarching tale of the pilgrimage)
Frame Story – a story within a story
 The Outer Frame Story is about the pilgrims meeting at the Tabard Inn preparing for a journey to Canterbury
 The Inner Frame Story would be all the stories told by the assembled pilgrims along their journey to and from
Canterbury

Chaucer’s Plan ...

- A Prologue followed by a series of stories and linking dialogues and commentaries
- Each character (29 + the author) would tell 2 stories going to and 2 stories coming home from Canterbury
- Originally he was planning 120 stories
- 22 complete stories + 2 incomplete ones

But why go to Canterbury?

One Answer: Religion
-It’s the Middle Ages (plagues and the high mortality rate; warfare; short life expectancy; harsh conditions for the
peasants)
- People of all classes went on pilgrimages to holy sites to ask for help with medical, financial or other problems
- Canterbury has always been an important religious center in England
- Monastery, today’s Cathedral, founded in 602 by St. Augustine

Also, Canterbury was a Pilgrimage Site

Tomas a Becket’s shrine
Becket was a trusted adviser and friend of King Henry II. Henry named Becket Archbishop of Canterbury
Becket’s outspoken style angered the King. One day, Henry complained, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome
priest?” Three knights rode to Canterbury where they found Becket at the altar of Canterbury Cathedral
Becket was murdered at the altar.
Three years after his death he was announced a saint.
Canterbury Cathedral became a site for pilgrims to offer prayers to St. Thomas.

So, let’s travel back to London, to the area called Southward, and stop at the Tabard Inn. This is the place where the
characters presented in the Caunterbury Tales meet and start telling their stories.

As the pilgrims prepare for their journey, the host of the Inn, Harry Bailey, sets a challenge: Each pilgrim tells two
stories on the way to Canterbury and two stories on the return trip. The person who tells the best tale will be treated
to a feast hosted by the other pilgrims.

The Canterbury Tales can be considered “estates satire”

The group is led by the Knight and followed by his son, the Squire (stitonosec) and his yeoman (a forester).
Then comes the Church: a fastidious Prioress (Igumanija), a Nun, a personal chaplain and three other priests; a
Monk who indulges in hunting; a Friar (a mercenary).
Middle class citizens: a Merchant (somewhat shifty); a bookish Oxford clerk; a Sergeant of the Law, and a Franklin
(rich country landowner).
Urban guildsmen: Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer and Tapicer.
Skilled tradesmen: the Cook, the Shipman, the Physician; a well-off widow with her own trade, weaving (the Wife of
Bath).
Two brothers: a Parson (selski svestenik) modest and honest and a Ploughman, a Manciple (ekonom) capable of
better things.
The renegades: the Reeve (upravnik), the Miller (dishonest), the Summoner (a court clerk) - lusty and violent; very
greedy Pardoner (prodavac na oprostnici)
Each character tells a story which adds to his/her portrait;
the tale speaks itself about the narrator moral character, his/her interests, profession;
it reflects his/her worldview, desires and wishes.
There are three different layers of analysis:
 the story itself;
 the teller and
 The attitude of Chaucer towards the teller and the tale (mildly satirize the various social estates of the
English society)
Almost all the characters are treated ironically
The irony never goes to sarcasm / full of understanding for the human soul/ not insulting
Only three characters are treated with respect:
The knight – representative of the ideal age of chivalry
The clerk – an ideal Christian, a poor country priest/never expects to be paid for what he does/ contributes to
people’s happiness
The ploughman- a very serious character/ dedicates his life to work

Chaucer uses the popular genres of his time when he creates the inner stories of the various pilgrims:
 Romances (tales of chivalry) The Wife of Bath’s Tale
 Fabliaux (short, humorous stories) The Miller’s Tale
 Sermons (the stories of saint’s lives) The Parson’s Tale
 Allegories (narratives in which characters represent abstract idea such as Pride or Honor) The Pardoner’s
Tale

The style of The Canterbury Tales

- Rhyming couplets = that every two lines rhyme with each other

- Iambic pentameter = in each line there are ten syllables, and a heavily emphasized (stressed) syllable follows a
less emphasized (unstressed) syllable:

[dah DAH] [dah DAH] [dah DAH] [dah DAH] [dah DAH]

Each [dah DAH] is an iamb, and there are five of them per line.

The story begins...