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04/10/23
Meredith College
Chaucer and Canterbury
An Introduction to The Canterbury Tales
Prepared by Professor Garry Walton
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Beginnings
If English 201 really began at the beginning of literature created in England, we would start with works in Latin or Old English, rather than with the Middle English of Geoffrey Chaucer.
For England in general and Canterbury in particular had important settlements by the Romans and the Saxons long before Chaucer created The Canterbury Tales in Middle English toward the end of the Middle Ages.
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Roman Canterbury
The Roman city of Durovernaum arose at the ford of the Stour River. The chief feature of this walled city was the largest amphitheatre in Roman Britain, remains of which survive today.
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Early Medieval CanterburyAfter its period of Roman rule, Canterbury remained an important town. It was the Saxon capital when St. Augustine arrived from Rome to found a monastery and cathedral in 597.
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Medieval CanterburyLike many medieval cities, Canterbury was walled. It was entered via narrow roads which passed through gated openings in its city walls.
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Church at FavershamFor pilgrims used to worshipping at local parish churches the
size of this one at Faversham, or even
smaller, the grand cathedral at Canterbury
must have seemed tremendously
impressive, inspiring, and ornate.
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Canterbury Cathedral
This early map of the city shows the cathedral’s geographical dominance in the town.
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Canterbury Cathedral
This painting shows even better how the cathedral dominated Canterbury in Chaucer’s lifetime.
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Canterbury Cathedral
A hundred years after Chaucer’s death the towers and porch depicted here were built. This is the southwest entrance, the main doorway into the cathedral.
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Meredith College
Canterbury Cathedral
Like many medieval cathedrals, Canterbury was designed in the form of a cross (as seen from heaven) and typically entered from the foot of the cross (the bottom left of the picture).
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The holy blissful martyrThousands of pilgrims came to Canterbury Cathedral each year to visit the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket. Becket, a political ally of Henry 2 in the king’s fight with the church, was named head of the Church of England after serving as Henry’s Chancellor. But the newly ordained Archbishop of Canterbury surprised and infuriated his king by becoming a staunch proponent of the church. After years of quarreling with Henry, Becket returned to Canterbury in 1170 after six years of exile, only to be murdered within his own cathedral by four knights responding to King Henry’s angry demand, “Who will rid me of this low-born priest?”
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Shrine to the martyrInside the cathedral is the present shrine to St. Thomas a Becket, murdered at the suggestion of his former ally King Henry 2 in 1170.
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Cloister path to Becket shrine
At the end of this long cloister is the entrance through which Becket would have passed on his way to martyrdom.
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The CryptBecket’s tomb in the crypt under the main cathedral became a shrine almost from the moment of his death in 1170 until 1220, when it was relocated.
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Trinity Chapel
In 1220 the shrine to St. Thomas was moved to the main level of the cathedral, in Trinity Chapel, at the far end of the enormous and beautiful span of the cathedral.
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Trinity Chapel
There it continued to draw thousands of pilgrims each year until its destruction in 1538, when King Henry 8 allowed the plundering of England’s cathedrals and monasteries.
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Pilgrim steps
Generations of pilgrim feet have worn down the stone steps leading up from the main floor of the cathedral to the chapel where the Becket shrine was located.
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Becket in stained glass
Early stained glass windows in Canterbury Cathedral, like this one, depict St. Thomas.
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St. Thomas heals
This window in Canterbury Cathedral depicts one of the miracles attributed to St. Thomas, as he appears to a leper and heals him.
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Becket memorialized in cathedral window
Becket’s life story is told in a wall of stained glass windows -- Becket and King Henry 2 are momentarily reconciled (top); Becket prays as the king’s men attack (bottom); a pilgrim visits the shrine after Thomas’ death (middle).
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Chaucer’s memorial to BecketMillions of people who have never been to Canterbury nevertheless know about its shrine to St. Thomas because of Geoffrey Chaucer, who in the late 14th century crafted a collection of tales supposedly told by a “company of sundry folk” on pilgrimage to England’s most famous holy site. Generations of scribes recopied and even illustrated this not entirely holy manuscript, keeping it alive until the printing press and the Internet made it easier and cheaper to share.
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The Ellesmere manuscript Probably the most
famous copy of The Canterbury Tales is contained in the 464-page Ellesmere manuscript -- notable in part because of its beautiful marginal illustrations completed around 1410 by an unknown artist.
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Early portrait of Chaucer This tinted woodcut
is based on an illustration in the margin of the famous Ellesmere copy of The Canterbury Tales. Early scribes not only hand-copied the Tales but illustrated them.
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The KnightChaucer begins the
introduction of pilgrims in The
Canterbury Tales with the highest
ranking traveler, the Knight. Note his
ramrod posture on his sturdy mount, his
medals, his tarnished chain-mail armor.
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The Squire
The Squire, son of the Knight, has neither his horse nor himself under tight control. Compare his clothing and face to his father’s. Note especially the curly hair and fancy embroidered gown of this young lover.
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The YeomanA medieval yeoman was a
freeholder -- an independent farmer who owned a bit of land. The
term also means an attendant or retainer to a
wealthy or powerful lord. The yeoman in Chaucer’s Tales serves the knight as a forester: note his tanned complexion, wardrobe all in green, and his care for
his bow, arrows, and blades.
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The PrioressDainty, elegant Madame Eglantine seems more like a medieval lady than a nun. As head of a nunnery she is described less in moral than in courtly terms, as beautiful, well mannered, tender hearted, and well accessorized with rich religious jewelry.
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The Second NunThe General Prologue
says almost nothing about those
accompanying the Prioress. In keeping
with her rank and reputation, the
Prioress does not travel alone but with
another nun, her “chaplain” or
secretarial assistant.
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The Nun’s PriestAlong with the second
nun, the Prioress is said to have been accompanied by three priests. But only one
appears in the remainder of The Canterbury Tales. Though we learn nothing
of him from the general prologue, he tells a most interesting tale that may
reveal his attitude toward the Prioress.
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The MonkLike the Prioress, the Monk is
highly placed in his order -- ready to take over as the
abbot. He is “a manly man” who spends little time cooped up in the monastery. He loves
to ride out to take care of the monastic lands -- and also to
hunt, as shown by his fat belly and fur-trimmed sleeves. His worship music is not the bells
of the monastic chapel, but his horse’s jangling bridle .
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The FriarBrother Huberd is licensed to beg for donations for the poor in a particular area. But he prefers ministering to young women, rich landowners, and tavernkeepers rather than to the poor or sick. He sings well and dresses very well for a man of his profession.
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The MerchantWith his forked beard and secretive ways, as well as his profession of profiting by trade and money-changing, this Merchant fits the medieval stereotype of a middle-class Jew.
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The ClerkThe Oxford clerk is as lean
as his swaybacked horse. He does not seek to profit from his vast learning and
has no interest in fine clothes or music. All his
money goes for books, each of which was
handcopied and might cost about as much as a small
house. He is quiet, thoughtful, philosophical.
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The Sergeant of LawsThis wealthy pilgrim is not only a lawyer but a high-ranking justice or judge. As his garb reveals, he is sometimes paid in rich robes, though he is careful not to appear too flashy or too idle. Then as now, a lawyer could sometimes seem busier than he really was. This pilgrim could recite relevant cases from memory.
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The FranklinThis is Chaucer’s Santa Claus figure -- red cheeks, white beard, ample belly, and jovial personality (as sanguine as the Reeve is choleric). This rich country landowner is generous with his wealth, regularly entertaining and feasting. He holds powerful positions as justice of the peace and Member of Parliament.
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The guildsmenChaucer depicts five tradesmen traveling together as members of professional guilds. All have occupations somehow related to England’s dominant “industry” -- textiles. They are a weaver, a dyer, a tapestry-maker (pictured here), a carpenter, and a haberdasher.
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The CookThe five guildsmen
were well off enough to travel with their own
cook. He was clearly very talented in the
kitchen, but note the careful attention both
Chaucer and the Ellesmere illustrator
pay to the pus-oozing sore on his leg.
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The ShipmanChaucer’s Shipman does not build boats; he sails them. No one knows more about ports, tides, and shipping lanes than he. He keeps careful watch on his cargo and often helps himself to it. He sends his enemies home “by water” and wears his dagger prominently. Can you think of another name for this dark, dangerous seaman?
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The Doctor of PhysicLike the Manciple, this pilgrim
is depicted as carrying something valuable in his hands.
In this case, it seems to be a golden potion (drugs were
expensive then as now, but in those days some medicines
actually contained gold!). No wonder folks suspected that
doctors and druggists were in cahoots. The doctor dresses very
well, in blood red. He has great knowledge of astrology and
medicine but little of the Bible.
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The Wife of BathPerhaps the most famous
pilgrim, this weaver is known by her town of
residence, Bath, and her frequent marriages (five!).
Also notable are her looks -- red face, gap teeth, wide hips
-- all signs of her lusty nature. The illustrator also
shows her hat as big as a shield and her spurs -- and
adds a whip. She is a veteran of many pilgrimages.
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The Wife of BathThis is one of the few
surviving illustrations of the pilgrims in the
Cambridge manuscript (Gg.4.27) of The
Canterbury Tales. Even then readers saw the
independent-minded Wife as a “man tamer,” complete
with whip -- but still wearing big hats!
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The ParsonThe Parson is poor financially, but rich in holy thought and work. (Note his devout posture and golden halo-crown.) He ministers to a far-flung parish, whatever the weather or the wealth or rank of the parishioner. He epitomizes the perfect local minister, striving always to set a good example to his flock.
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The PlowmanIt is not clear whether Chaucer means that the Plowman is literally the brother of the Parson, but they are clearly spiritual twins. This pilgrim does the hard manual labor of agriculture without complaint, and helps his neighbors without thought of profit.
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The MillerWho could forget the
noisy Miller? With his brawny, “no-neck” build,
his blue hood and “golden thumb” to mark his
profitable profession, his foul mouth full of off-
color stories, and the blaring bagpipes with
which he led the pilgrims out of town, he makes an
indelible impression.
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The MancipleA Manciple is a
steward or purchaser for an institution like a school. This one is the
business manager for a community of lawyers.
Note the resemblance of this picture of the
Manciple to the illustration of the Doctor of Physic.
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The ReeveChaucer depicts the Reeve (farm overseer) as slender
and choleric (ill-tempered, because his dominant “humour” is
choler, or yellow bile). He is clever at managing
his lord’s estate and profiting for himself. His
horse is dapple gray, his blade rusty ( a sign of his age?); he rides at the rear
of the group.
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The SummonerOne of Chaucer’s least favorite pilgrims is the employee of the church who summons to court those suspected of civil crimes.
Summoners in Chaucer’s day had
worse reputations than today’s police or private
detectives. This one seems guilty of
blackmail, drunkenness -- and fornication,
despite his red, scabby face and garlic breath.
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The PardonerJust as the Miller and Reeve
make a humorous pair -- short and tall, loud and quiet -- so
do the foul Summoner and the beautiful Pardoner, both
corrupt church employees. The Pardoner sports long
blond hair, a smooth beardless face, and a high
voice -- not like the manly Monk. He carries a jeweled
cross and a heap of fake relics with which to win
contributions.
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ChaucerThis is probably the most famous illustration of England’s first great poet. The unknown artist responsible for the Ellesmere manuscript offers this picture of Chaucer. Though the son of a wealthy middle-class wine merchant, the poet served three English kings as soldier, ambassador, Justice of the Peace, Member of Parliament, Controller of the port of London, and Clerk of the King’s Works.
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ChaucerHis early influences were
Latin and French. Perhaps it was while traveling in Italy
that Chaucer encountered the works of his Italian
contemporaries Petrarch and Boccaccio, who proved such
major influences on his work. Nevertheless, Chaucer’s
greatest achievement was to write energetically in English.
