Canterbury Tales

By Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer

Biography of Geoffrey Chaucer Born around 1300-1340 Financially secure family but not from

nobility – so had no title Sent to St Pauls’ Almonry for education 1357, squire for the royal court of

Elizabeth, countess of Ulster Making beds, carrying candles, helping

gentelmen get dressed As a result, met much of England’s Royalty

Biography of Geoffrey Chaucer 1359 joined the army to fight the

French in the Hundred Years’ War (1337 – 1453) – was captured and ransomed.

Returned as a squire Because he was intelligent and

witty, he rose in the ranks of the court

1367, valet for the King Edward II

Biography of Geoffrey Chaucer Edward III’s Son, John of Gaunt (the

Duke of Lancaster) took over ruling England when Edward III was too senile to rule.

John of Gaunt’s third wife was Catherine of Swynford.

Catherine of Swynford’s sister was Philippa de Roet

Chaucer married Philippa de Roet – which moved him up social standings

Biography of Geoffrey Chaucer Chaucer was sent on several diplomatic

missions, giving him a rare chance to see Italy and France

In Italy, he probably learned about Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio.

Two of Chaucer’s works are based on works of Boccaccio’s The Knight’s Tale (the first tale in TCT) is

based on Il Teseida Troilus & Criseyde is based on Il Filostrato

the famous frontispiece of the Corpus Christi College manuscript of Troilus and Criseyde.

http://wyclif.stockton.edu/index.php/LanguageInChaucer

Biography of Geoffrey Chaucer

He become more politically influential as he went from Comptroller of taxes on wools, skins and hides at the Port of London in 1347, Comptroller of petty customs in 1382, Justice of the Peace for the County of Kent in 1385, and Knight of the Shire in 1386

Biography of Geoffrey Chaucer In Dec 1386, John of Gaunt left for

a military expedition to Spain and Duke of Gloucester replaced him.

Without his distant relative in charge, Chaucer lost his political influence.

During this time of unemployment, Chaucer planned out and started writing The Canterbury Tales

Biography of Geoffrey Chaucer When John of Gaunt returned to

England in 1389, Chaucer regained his government post, and stopped writing The Canterbury Tales

He died on October 25, 1400 He was buried in Westminster

Abbey and was the first of the writers in the area known as the Poets’ Corner.

Canterbury Tales

Started in 1387 AD, published (as an incomplete work) in 1400 after his death

First book of poetry written in the English Language – before this, poets write in Italian or Latin. This meant poetry was only understandable to the wealthy, educated class.

Canterbury Tales Combines and discusses elements of all

classes. Unlikely that such a diverse group of pilgrims would ever travel together. There are three “estates” Nobility – small hereditary aristocracy, rule

over and defend “body politic” Church – look after “spiritual welfare” of

that body Commoners – do the work to provide for its

physical needs. (Norton p. 173)

The Canterbury Tales

Framing Tale – Boccaccio’s Decameron - ten

different narrators each tell a tale for ten days.

Estates Satire – sets out to expose typical examples of corruption at all levels of society.

The Canterbury Tales

Writing in rhyming couplets Writing in Iambic pentameter

Each line has unstressed, stressed, unstressed, stressed, unstressed, stressed, unstressed, stressed, unstressed, stressed

Any poem written in iambic pentameter AND rhyming couplets is said to be written in heroic couplets

Prologue Characters:

The Narrator: Geoffrey Chaucer, the author, who is never named

Harry Bailey: Host of the Tabard. He offers to be their guide and suggests the framing story/ tale competition.

The Knight: father of the squire, lord of the Yeoman Prioress: superior of a monastery of nuns; attended

by the nun, the monk, the friar and the priest Assortment of different people from all walks of life.

We’ll learn more about these as you do your presentations. In what order are they presented?

Prologue

Prologue begins with an announcement of Spring.

Just as nature has a predictable course through the seasons, so does to do humans want to end winter’s confinement and travel in the spring.

How does this set up the story for us?

Prologue

29 travelers meet in the Tabard Inn in London.

They are traveling to see the shrine of St. Thomas A Becket in Canterbury

Prologue – Romance of the Rose Some Chaucer critics argue that these

opening lines imitated French Romance of the Rose

Romance of the Rose is an allegorical dream vision about a young man’s effort to win a lady. (Schwartz, Polytechnic State Univ).

Chaucer focused on nature, not on human society, even though people expected to hear about Spring and love.

Romance of the Rose http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/canttales/gp/

Chaucer translated into English as The Romaunt of the Rose, one of his first surviving works:

That it was May thus dremed meIn time of love and jolliteThat al thyng gynneth waxen gayFor there is neither busk nor hayIn May that it nyl shrouded ben,And it with new leves wryen. These greves eke recoveren grene,That dry in wynter ben to sen,And the erthe waxeth proude withalFor swete dewes that on it falle . . .

And the birds begin to sing: To make noyse and syngen blythe

Than is blisful many sitheThe chelandre and popinjayThen yonge folk entended ayFor to ben gay and amorous