Transcript The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales
Background information on the
Middle Ages
Geoffrey Chaucer
• 1340-1400
• “Father of the English Language”
• Most influential writer in the history of the
English language
• First person to write in the Vernacular middle
English
• Insight into all walks of life during the middle
Ages
Geoffrey Chaucer
• Social Poet- Chaucer wrote about social
relationships. His focus was on the way people
interacted with one another and with their
God.
• The Canterbury Tales is unique in range of
character and variety of story
Geoffrey Chaucer
• Public Servant
-Soldier
-Ambassador
-Member of Parliament
-Served nobility
There is evidence that Chaucer had an income of
$40 a year, most likely from the king.
Geoffrey Chaucer
• Chaucer was fluent in French and knew both
Italian and Latin.
• Traveled all over Europe and made contact
with other European writers (Dante, Patarch,
and Boccaccio).
Language Development
England becomes trilingual:
• Clergy: Latin
• Aristocracy: French
• Commoners: English (Middle English)
Middle English
Why did Chucer Write the
Canterbury Tales?
• Wanted to educate the masses on the
corruption in the Church and the roles of the
three estates
• The Canterbury Tales provides the best
contemporary picture we have of 14th
century England.
Some Background on the
Canterbury Tales
• The story is about a pilgrimage to the
shrine of St. Thomas A’Becket (Martyr)
in Canterbury
• There are 29 pilgrims that represent all
aspects of Medieval society.
• Originally planned to write 124 tales
• Only 24 tales were completed
• Each character tells a tale on the
pilgrimage to the cathedral at Canterbury
Some Background on The
Canterbury Tales
• Story begins in the Spring at Tabard Inn
• Each pilgrim tells 2 tales on the way and two tales
back
• Host will judge stories
• Chaucer is the narrator of the story
Pilgrims
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The narrator
The Host
Knight
Squire
Yeoman
Prioress
Monk
Friar
Merchant
Clerk
Sergeant at Law
Franklin
Guildsmen
Cook
Shipman
Doctor
Wife of Bath
Parson
Plowman
Miller
Manciple
Reeve
Summoner
Pardoner
Chaucer’s England
Social Structure
Society was divided into 3 estates: clergy,
aristocracy, and the commons
• Clergy-responsible for people’s spiritual wellbeing
• Aristocracy- responsible for defending the
nation through military might.
• Commons- laborers and producers
Themes and Central Ideas
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Happiness and misfortune found in love
Relationship between people and their God
Corruption of the church
Competition
Society and class
Literary Terms
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Satire
Irony
Characterization
Frame narrative/story
Hyperbole
Satire
Literary technique in which behaviors or institutions are ridiculed
for the purpose of improving society.
• What sets satire apart from other forms of social and political
protest is HUMOR.
• Satirists use irony and exaggeration to poke fun at human
faults and foolishness in order to correct human behavior
• Because Chaucer specifically includes characters that
represent every facet of society except for the monarchy, The
Canterbury Tales is an example of estate satire
Common Satirical Targets
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Wealthy
Greed
Politics
Vanity
Writers
Stupidity
Vanity
Hypocrisy
Corruption
Pursuits of idle wealthy
Urban Congestion
Arrogance
Irony
• Verbal and situational irony are often used for
emphasis in the assertion of a truth.
• Situational- character/reader expects one
thing, but something else happens
• Verbal- when a writer/character says one
thing, but means another
• TECHNIQUES: hyperbole, understatement,
sarcasm
Characterization
• The method used by a writer to develop a
character. The method includes (1) showing
the character's appearance, (2) displaying the
character's actions, (3) revealing the
character's thoughts, (4) letting the character
speak, and (5) getting the reactions of others.
Frame Narrative
• The result of inserting one or more small
stories within the body of a larger story that
encompasses the smaller ones.
• In The Canterbury Tales, the overarching
frame narrative is the story of a band of
pilgrims traveling to the shrine of Thomas a
Becket in Canterbury. The band passes the
time in a storytelling contest.
Hyperbole
• Exaggeration or overstatement.
• Example:
I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
He's as big as a house.
Feudal System
• Included aristocrats and commoners
• King owned all the land in the country
• King granted land holdings to aristocratic
tenants in exchange for military support
• Aristocrats would grant land holdings to
commoners in exchange for labor services that
would allow the lord to cultivate and maintain
the land
Clergy (1.5 %)
No one was born into the clergy
• Regular clergy: (monks and friars) the regular
clergy were male and were sworn to a life of
celibacy and poverty
• Secular clergy- parish priests (parsons) and
clerics.
• Nuns didn’t have the same rights as the male
clergy
Aristocracy (1%)
• Warrior class or those descended from the
warrior class.
• Titled nobility: dukes, counts, barons
• Knights- lacked hereditary titles. Less than
1,000 in Chaucer’s England.
• Squires: the backbone of the English and
French armies. Moderate landowners and
men of gentle birth who were not knighted.
Clergy
The Regular clergy were expected to take vows
of:
• Poverty
• Chastity
• Obedience
The Commons (97%)
• Most of England’s Population lived in the country
side
• People in the commons were loosely ranked
according to how much land they had
• 1) Franklins/Yeoman ( freemen who had more
then 50 acres)
• 2) Husbandmen/Cotters (free or servile men who
held 10 to 40 acres)
• At the bottom of rural society were those who
held no land and were dependent upon their
earnings as laborers (plowmen, herdsmen, etc)
Religion
• Being apart of society in the middle ages
meant being apart of the church
• Catholic Church- official church
• All Christians in that part of the World were
under the authority of the pope
The Black Plague
• 1348 – Black Plague reached England and
wiped out 1/3 of the population (3.75 million
to 2.25 million)
• The sudden collapse of the population sent
prices skyrocketing (increased the price of
labor while decreasing the price of land)
• The overall effect of the Plague was to hasten
the collapse of feudalism by creating intense
competition for labor and tenants
Thomas Beckett
• Appointed archbishop of Canterbury by King
Henry 2
• King Henry hoped that Thomas would side
with him over the pope
• The King’s plan backfired and Thomas ended
up taking the side of the Church/pope over
the King
Thomas A’Beckett
• Murdered in 1170 (Assassinated by followers
of the King Henry in Canterbury Cathedral)
• Was canonized as both Saint and martyr
following his murder
• The Shrine of Saint Thomas of Beckett became
a popular destination for religious pilgrimages
during the Middle Ages
Chivalry
• Chivalry- system of ideals and behavior that
governed both knight and gentleman
• Included things such as:
- oath of loyalty to overlord
- rules of of warfare
-adoration of a particular lady (not necessarily
one’s wife)
Courtly Love
• Courtly Love- Belief that acting in the name of
a lady would help a knight be more brave and
successful
Role of Women
• Peasant Women- clean, bear children, field
work
• Higher Station- supervise housework
• A woman was always expected to be
subservient to a male - regardless of relation
• No political rights
REVIEW – Middle Ages and
Canterbury Tales
• Why did Chaucer write the Canterbury Tales in
English? (Middle English)
- What was Chaucer’s purpose for writing the
Canterbury Tales?
Review
• Which LITERARY device does Chaucer
primarily use to get his point across?
Review
What makes satire different from other forms
of political or social protest?
Review
• Who was more powerful, the king or the
pope?
Review
• Where are the pilgrims going?
Review
• Why was St. Thomas of Beckett murdered?
Review
• Which important historical events took place
during the Middle Ages?
Review
• Bubonic Plague – What were the effects?
• Effects of Crusades:
Political: helped undermine feudalism
Social: allowed for romantic adventure (Chivalry)
Commerce/trade: opened up trade throughout
Europe and created a constants demand for
the transportation of both men and supplies
Catholic Church: increased the wealth of the
Catholic church and the power of the Papacy.
Canterbury Tales Prologue
• Prologue –STANDS ALONE
• Does not include the stories that the pilgrims
tell.
• Describes all the pilgrims and gives the reader
a picture into all walks of life during the
middle ages.
Assignment
• Chaucer likes and dislikes certain characters.
• REMEMBER that he uses satire, so it may
seem as if he likes some pilgrims, but he really
does not.
• Each of you will be assigned a pilgrim.
• Read and take notes
• You will present your notes on your pilgrim to
the class
• Everyone should take notes on EACH
Notes to take on your pilgrim:
• What does your pilgrim look like?
• Dress?
• Profession? (How well or inadequate) Are
they wealthy?
• Mode of transportation?
• Does Chaucer like or dislike the character and
why?