General Prologue (The Canterbury Tales)

Geoffrey Chaucer

1: Whan that aprill with his shoures soote 2: The droghte of march hath perced to the roote, 3: And bathed every veyne in swich licour 4: Of which vertu engendred is the flour; 5: Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth 6: Inspired hath in every holt and heeth 7: Tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne 8: Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne, 9: And smale foweles maken melodye, 10: That slepen al the nyght with open ye 11: (so priketh hem nature in hir corages); 12: Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, 13: And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, 14: To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;

Middle English version of TCThttp://www.unc.edu/depts/chaucer/zatta/prol.html

The poem opens with a passage about spring, the season when people long to get out and about after the rigors of winter. Chaucer does not only give the essence of the season itself, but a vivid realization of its effect on human beings:

The opening lines…

‘When April with his showers sweet with fruitThe drought of March has pierced unto the rootAnd bathed each vein with liquor that has powerTo generate therein and sire the flower;When Zephyr also has, with his sweet breath,Quickened again, in every holt and heath,The tender shoots and buds, and the young sunInto the Ram one half his course has run,And many little birds make melodyThat sleep through all the night with open eye…

The company of pilgrims (29+1)meeting together at the Tabard Inn in Southwark for the journey to Canterbury. The journey usually took 3-4 days, though it could be done in less. The shrine of St. Thomas, who had been murdered in 1170 and canonized three years later, was the major place of pilgrimage

And so they meet…

At the end of the General Prologue, Chaucer says that he has described the ‘estate’ of all the pilgrims and his prologue is not merely a collection of portraits, but something that goes much further

Chaucer, the gossip-monger

Literature that described the characteristics qualities and failings of the members of the various ‘estates’, the trades, professions and ways of life of fourteenth-century people

Estate Satire..

Thus, in describing the pilgrims, Chaucer was not merely inventing a group of interesting characters, or portraying actual people that he knew, but drawing upon a well-established but rather stereotyped mode of writing and transforming it, to give us the highly individualized group of people who make up the company assembled at the Tabard Inn

Social order going up…

In order to give a more comprehensive view of his society, Chaucer presents a very large company of pilgrims, and selected representatives from high up on the social scale (the Knight and his son, the Squire), and from both religious and secular life

He has women as well men, poor as well as rich, learned and ignorant, and simple countrymen as well as sophisticated, worldly pilgrims

So, who’s included?

Clothing

Attitude

The way a story is told

Response to other’s stories

The means Chaucer uses to describe the characters in his

TCT

So what do you think of this …

And this…

The knight = highest classThe most admirable member in the

societyFight for religious ideals rather than

personalDisregards the look of his

appearanceParticipate in 15 crusadesDescription shows Chaucer admires

him* Refer to the hardcopy of TCT

(General Prologue)

First in the list…

His steeds (horse) were good but he was not gay (merry)

He wore a short close-fitting sleeveless padded garment (jupon) made from cloth suitable for menswear (fustian) under his discolored sleeveless coat (habergeon)

Clothing indicated he comes straight away from battlefield to join pilgrimage

The knight’s appearance

The squire = the knight’s sonYoung lover, 20 years oldRomantic ideal rather than chivalryLoves dressing up, singing, dancing,

playing fluteHas high respect towards the father* Refer to the hardcopy of TCT

(General Prologue)

Who comes second?

The prioress (nun) = religious sectFemale superior in a conventBeautiful lady dedicated to worldly romanceCharming and courteous – has good table

manners, dresses well, speaks French, charitable, compassionate

Loves wordly material – wears a brooch inscribed “Love Conquers All Things”

* Refer to the hardcopy of TCT (General Prologue)

Next in order…

The monk is in the house!!!

Described as physically attractive – not gross and bloated

Loves good food but not a gluttonAdorns fine clothing and loves

hunting* Refer to the hardcopy of TCT

(General Prologue)

But Chaucer’s monk…

A trader = businessmanSecular group rather than religiousTraditionally associated with fraud

and dishonestyChaucer’s Merchant wears a “mask”

to hide the status of his dealings* Refer to the hardcopy of TCT

(General Prologue)

Let’s meet The Merchant

An admirable figureNot so attractive appearance – bony

lad, half-starved, ragged clothingNot concern of monetary mattersPrays for food and anyone who could

support his studiesEven his horse is not fed well* Refer to the hardcopy of TCT

(General Prologue)

A Scholar (clerk) he is…

A very experienced older woman but one who is still ready for love if anyone will give her a chance

A seamstress by occupationShe was married five times and had

many other affairs in her youth, making her well-practiced in the art of love

* Refer to the hardcopy of TCT (General Prologue)

The Wife of Bath(An English town on River Avon)

Which discussed women’s faults and failings and the appropriate attitudes towards them that men should adopt = hatred of women

Such writing often denounced women for pride and bad temper

Chaucer portrayed his elderly woman as knowing all about love

Misogynistic satire

After Chaucer has introduce all the pilgrims, he excuses himself in advance for any displeasure that he may cause by attempting to report accurately the uncensored words of his companions, and he also apologizes for not introducing the pilgrims in exactly the correct order.

The host, Harry Bailey is then introduced* Refer to the hardcopy of TCT (General

Prologue)

And so ends the Prologue…

The Master of CeremonyThe judgeThe arbitratorThe alarm clockThe rule setter for the contestThe prize giver* The one who draws the shortest straw,

shall tell be the first story-teller

The role of the host

Next class, we shall focus on…

SONNET