English 12 - Mr. RinkaLesson #8

The Canterbury TalesThe Monk’s Tale

The Pardoner’s Tale

“The Monk’s Tale”http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Monk%27s_Tale&printable=yes

The Monk's tale to the other pilgrims is a collection of seventeen short stories, exempla, on the theme of tragedy. The tragic endings of the following historical figures are recounted: Lucifer, Adam, Samson, Hercules, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Zenobia, Pedro of

Castile, Peter I of Cyprus, Bernabò Visconti, Ugolino of Pisa, Nero, Holofernes, Antiochus, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Croesus. The Monk, in his prologue, claims to have a hundred of these stories in his cell but the Knight stops him after only seventeen saying that they have had enough sadness. The order of the stories within the tale is different in several early manuscripts,

and if the more contemporary stories were at the end of his tale it may be that the Knight has another motivation for interrupting than sheer boredom. In Line 51 of the General Prologue, it is said of the Knight that: "At Alisaundre he was, whan it was wonne". If the Knight was at the capture of Alexandria then he was probably part of the crusade organized by Peter I of Cyprus,

and hearing of the tragedy of his former military commander may have been what prompted him to interrupt. The form of tragedy depicted in The Monk's Tale is not argued in Aristotle's Poetics, but "the medieval idea that the protagonist is victim rather than hero, raised up, and then cast down by the workings of Fortune."

“The Monk’s Tale”

#8 LA 12 The Monk's Tale

Discussion

What is the role of fortune in these tragedies?Fortune can favor a person and then turn around and leave a person alone to suffer a cruel fate.

Discussion

What is the theme of this tale?No matter how much power and wealth a person has, there will eventually be a failure. The most proud of men will be humbled when their fortunes turn.

Discussion

Does this theme have validity today? It seems to be the universal plight of all humans to experience successes and failures throughout life. Life’s irony seems to be that extremes of both “highs” and “lows” are equal.

Discussion

What figures would a modern version of this tale include?CelebritiesSports StarsPolitical leadersIndustrial LeadersMilitary Leaders

The Pardoner’s Tale

http://quietube4.com/v.php/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS8a9FNhkxw&list=UU5If_Mb3oJeAFitfrRNCyZw&index=9

Assignment #1

Read “The Pardoner’s Tale”

#8 LA 12 The Pardoner's Tale

Assignment #2

Have a Socratic Seminar on “The Pardoner’s Tale.” Use the following questions as a guide for the seminar.#8 LA 12 Seminar Questions for Pardoner's Tale

English 12 - Mr. RinkaLesson #8

The Canterbury TalesThe Monk’s Tale

The Pardoner’s Tale