The Canterbury Tales
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Transcript The Canterbury Tales
Do Now
#1 – Storytelling
Why do we tell stories? In what situations? What
makes a good story?
#2 – Medieval Times
What do you know about the medieval period?
What was life like? What role did the church play in
people’s lives? What problems did people face?
#3 – Love and Marriage
What do you think most women want? Most men?
Is it something different? Was it the same hundreds
of years ago?
Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer
Known as the father of English literature
Born between 1340 and 1345
Father was a wealthy wine merchant
Chaucer received a well-rounded
education.
Chaucer’s father secured him a position at
court in the household of Elizabeth,
Countess of Ulster, who was the wife of
King Edward III’s second son.
Important opportunity for a medieval youth
Would have secured him a successful future
Geoffrey Chaucer
Favored by the monarchy for his diplomatic
work
Sent to Italy
Most likely where he became acquainted with the works
of Petrarch and Dante, which influenced his writing
Published 4 works between 1370 and 1386
The Book of the Duchess
The Parliament of Fowls
The House of Tame
Troilus and Criseyde
First poet buried in the “Poets’ Corner” of
Westminster Abbey
Supervised construction of this monument
Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer’s
masterpiece, was never completed
Began in 1387
Ended with Chaucer’s death on October 25, 1400
Background
Kings and nobles had all power politically.
The Catholic church had all power spiritually.
Most were poor farmers struggling to survive.
Corruption abounded in government and the
church.
Labor shortage due to The Plague
The Canterbury Tales was well-received by
the public.
The work departed from the norm.
The belief existed that all good literary work was
modeled off of something already in existence.
Important works were usually written in Latin or French;
Chaucer wrote in English
Background
29 pilgrims plus Chaucer, who is the
Narrator, and the Host
Leaving from The Tabard Inn outside
London
Traveling to the shrine of St. Thomas à
Becket
Homework
Read The General Prologue and The
Knight’s Tale, Part 1 and answer
corresponding questions.
Do Now
What is love? What makes for a good
relationship?
Courtly Love
The Art of Courtly Love
Andreas Capellanus
Eleanor of Aquitaine
Certain rules
Love comes into a person through the eyes
Not a meeting of the minds
Exclusively based on adultery
Love is always increasing and decreasing
Jealousy is a good thing
Go-betweens are used
Chivalry and Honor
Women are on a pedestal
Constantly tested
Loosely connected with the Church
Fighting for the Crusades
Loyalty to your lord
Carrying yourself
Must look good
Brave and selfless
Fight in someone’s name
Strong sense of ethics
Generous
Not usually what happened – persona
Medieval Romances
Idealized images of how people in the
higher classes behave, especially in love
and war
Love is inspired by perfect beauty and
virtue.
All characters deal with one another in
completely chivalrous ways.
The settling of a quarrel through a test of
combat
Everyone is perfect
Fictionalized version of good people
Creates communities
Nationalism
The General Prologue
Describe the variety of occupations, the
degree of wealth, the level of education,
and the beginnings of political power
represented among the pilgrims.
Contrast a corrupt clergymen from the
Prologue with the Parson.
Select three characters from the Prologue
whom Chaucer seems to be satirizing.
The Knight's Tale Part 1
What do you think of how the two men fall
in love with Emily? Why do authors use
love at first sight in stories?
Why is the Knight the first person to tell
his tale?
Classwork
Complete worksheet.
Homework
Read The Knight’s Tale, Parts 2, 3, and 4
and answer corresponding questions.
Do Now
Have you ever had to fight for something
you loved or felt passionate about? How
did it turn out? Did you feel the ends
results were fair? Explain why or why not.
Fortune's Wheel
Rota Fortunae
The goddess Fortuna
spins the wheel at
random
Found in Dante’s
Inferno and The
Canterbury Tales
Used to educate
illiterate masses
Found in medieval art
and in windows of
cathedrals
Regno
I reign
Regnabo
I shall
reign
Regnavi
I have
reigned
Sum sine
regno
I am without
a kingdom
The Knight's Tale
Parts 2, 3, and 4
Explain the features in this tale which
characterize it as a romance.
How did the Knight seem to define love?
How does the Knight’s story fit with what
you know about him from the Prologue
and with what he values?
What role do the gods play in this tale?
Classwork
With a partner, look for instances of
where Fortune’s wheel is found in The
Knight’s Tale thus far. Discuss its
purpose in the story.
Homework
Read The Miller’s Prologue and Tale and
answer corresponding questions.
Do Now
Is revenge ever sweet? Does it ever have
any purpose? Or does it only create more
trouble?
The Miller's Prologue and Tale
Fabliau
A short tale, usually vulgar, with a quick funny
ending.
The Merchant’s Tale is also an example of this.
The Miller’s Prologue and Tale
Contrast The Knight’s Tale with The
Miller’s Tale.
Fully describe the character Absalom.
Classwork
Contemplate Chaucer’s reason for
including such a crude tale and the
response medieval audiences may have
had to the story.
Homework
Read The Nun’s Priest’s Prologue and
Tale and answer corresponding questions.
Do Now
Why have authors used animals to teach
lessons in literature? What can they
accomplish that human beings perhaps
cannot?
The Nun’s Priest Prologue and
Tale
Allegory – an extended metaphor in which
a person, abstract idea, or event stands
for itself and for something else
It usually involves moral or spiritual concepts which
are more significant than the actual story.
Examples
Milton’s Paradise Lost
George Orwell’s Animal Farm
Parody – a humorous or satirical imitation
of a person, event, or serious work of
literature designed to ridicule in
nonsensical fashion or to criticize by
clever duplication
The Nun’s Priest Prologue and
Tale
With the treatment and role of women
being an important theme throughout The
Canterbury Tales, explain why it’s
appropriate that Chaucer would tell this
tale.
Explain how the Nun’s Priest’s Tale fits
the requirements for a beast fable.
“Woman is man’s joy” (Page 159)
Reference to Adam and Eve (Page 161)
False flatterers (Page 162)
Fortune (Page 164)
Classwork
This tale could be looked at as a parody or
an allegory. With your group, take a
stance and back up your position with
examples from the book.
Homework
Read The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and
Tale and answer corresponding questions.
Do Now
Make a list of words that you feel
adequately describe the Wife of Bath.
The Wife of Bath’s Prologue
and Tale
What religious attitudes about women are
attacked by the Wife of Bath?
What is ironic about her anger against
these attitudes?
The Wife of Bath’s Prologue
and Tale
Argues that it is not possible to remain a
virgin, and also support marriage (Page
167)
Argues the use of sexual organs (Page
168)
Doesn’t condemn virginity, but says it’s
not for her (Page 169)
The Wife of Bath’s Prologue
and Tale
A contradiction
She uses the same arguments that men use to
degrade women.
Says women are good liars (Page 170)
Nags her husband (Page 174)
Suffers “through his lust and pretend enjoyment” for
“profit” (Page 174)
Is she a stereotype or is she an
empowered woman?
Says that all women truly want is control
over their husbands (Page 187)
Classwork
Examine the debate over the Wife being a
stereotype of women or an empowered
female character. With your group, look
for specific examples of how the Wife fits
your side of the argument. You will then
write your findings on the board and share
with the class.
Homework
Read The Friar’s Prologue and Tale and
answer corresponding questions.
Do Now
How often do you encounter people who
are not what they seem? Have you ever
had someone like this in your life? What
were the repercussions and consequences
of this person’s influence? Did the person
ever experience hardship because of his
or her actions?
The Friar's Prologue and Tale
Medieval exemplum – a dramatic part of a
sermon that illustrates the central idea; a
tale of immoral behavior with a moral
ending
Common theme of a corrupt political
official getting what he deserves
The Friar's Prologue and Tale
In what ways can this tale be considered
an example of a fabliau?
Why is it ironic that the Friar accuses the
Summoner of avarice?
“Nothing good can be said about a
summoner.” (Page 193)
Uses spies (Page 194)
Could be bought and bribed (Page 195)
“Despised” title (Page 196)
Agrees to terms with the devil (Page 199)
Summoner is taken to hell (Page 201)
Classwork
Write your own version of The Friar’s Tale,
attacking a modern day celebrity or
political figure for their actions.
Homework
Read The Summoner’s Prologue and Tale
and answer corresponding questions.
Do Now
In your day to day life, you most likely
encounter hypocrisy in some form or
another. How do you deal with such
things? Do you find hypocrisy especially
rampant in a particular area (a profession,
a group of people, etc.)?
Lollardy
Also known as Wycliffism
Medieval heresy
Attacked the idea that religious power came
through hierarchy
Piety was what mattered
A holy layperson had as much power as a priest
True community was about the community of the
faithful
Originated in the 1370s or early 1380s in
Oxford with the followers of John Wycliffe
Lollards were persecuted after The
Peasants’ Revolt in 1381
Lollardy
Was considered a threat to the
government and the church
Protests against the wealth, the power,
and the pride of the clergy
Discredited transubstantiation
The belief that the Eucharist actually changes into
the body and blood of Christ
Favored consubstantiation
The belief that the body and blood of Christ exists
alongside the Eucharist (bread and wine). The
bread and wine does not become the body and
blood.
The Summoner's Prologue and
Tale
Based on the definitions you’ve received
so far (fabliau, exemplum, allegory,
parody, etc.), what genre do you think
this story fits into? Why?
What has happened to the friendly feud
between the Summoner and the Friar?
Classwork
Work with a partner to list other instances
of political or social movements that grew
out of distrust for the social climate.
Think of history, throughout the world and
in America. How did these upheavals end?
Was change granted? Or was the
movement shut down by the people in
power?
Homework
Read The Merchant’s Prologue, Tale, and
Epilogue and answer corresponding
questions.
Do Now
The tales we’ve read deal a lot with
relationships, namely love and marriage.
In your experience, what are some of the
issues/events that can doom a
relationship? Are there certain things that
can doom a relationship from the start?
The Merchant’s Prologue, Tale,
and Epilogue
This story is another example of a fabliau.
A short tale, usually vulgar, with a quick funny
ending.
Love triangles
The Knight’s Tale
Emily is compared to a lily and a rose.
Page 22
The Miller’s Tale
Alison is compared to honey and apples.
Page 67
The Merchant’s Tale
May is compared to the month of May.
Page 255
The Merchant’s Prologue, Tale,
and Epilogue
Why would the Wife of Bath approve of
May’s behavior?
Do you feel sorry for January in the end?
Was he better off not knowing the truth?
What does this tale tell you about the
standards of beauty in Chaucer’s time?
Classwork
Compare and contrast the love triangles
found in each story in your group. You will
write your findings on the board and share
with the class.
Homework
Read The Franklin’s Prologue and Tale
and answer corresponding questions.
Do Now
What does it mean to have honor? How
important is a person’s word in our day
and age? Is it still important?
The Franklin’s Prologue and
Tale
How does Dorigen fit into the medieval
concept of womanhood?
Why would the Franklin, a member of the
middle class, tell the story of the nobility?
Classwork
Contrast the description of marriage in
The Franklin’s Tale with the description of
marriage in The Wife of Bath’s Tale.
Homework
Read The Pardoner’s Introduction,
Prologue, and Tale and answer
corresponding questions.
Do Now
In our current society, greed can be hard
to define. What do you think some of the
fundamental differences are between
being greedy and merely being ambitious?
Is there any difference at all, or is the
want to be successful just a natural
human inclination?
The Pardoner’s Introduction,
Prologue, and Tale
Explain in detail the moral lesson
conveyed in The Pardoner’s Tale.
Give a full character description of the
pilgrim Pardoner.
Classwork
This tale warns against such vices as
avarice, gluttony, sloth, and most notably
greed. Write a modern day exemplum
that places money as the root of all evil.
Include characters, dialogue, and make
the moral lesson clear.