Canterbury Tales Character Analysis

Canterbury Tales Character Analysis
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a collection of stories referring to a group of pilgrims on a journey to the Canterbury Cathedral.
Geoffrey Chaucer, the author was born in the year of 1343 in the beautiful city of London, and later died on October 25th in 1400. Geoffrey began his
adulthood fighting for england in the Hundred Years' War. After the war he pursued his passion in writing and English literature, beginning known as
the "Father of English". His favorite style was Vernacular Literature. He is also the first poet to be buried in Westminster Abbey's Poets Corner.
Throughout the Pardoner's Tale he preaches about greed, drinking, blasphemy, and gambling but in the Pardoner's Prologue he admits to committing
these sins himself. In the Tale itself the pardoner also condemns to people who drink and says, "Witness the Bible, which is most express/That lust is
bred of wine and drunkenness". Each character's tale is started with an introduction to the characters story, followed by their story, and then an
epilogue, which wraps the story up... The characters tell the other characters the theme they will be addressing, and then the conclusion they can draw
from that theme, Morality is a major theme present in these tales. The characters are introduced in a descending order of morality, where they are also
split into three classes: the clergy, the nobility, and the peasants and commoners. The reason Chaucer uses social commentary when describing the
characters in the prologue is for example the knights are supposed to be chivalrous and noble, but instead the chaucer describes his knights as such.
The reason 29 men are on there way to the Canterbury Cathedral is to visit the Shrine of St. Thomas Becket. During their voyage they all share
multiple stories, a bright idea is brought up to make a wager saying they will give a prize to the person who tells the best story.
Geoffrey Chaucer, reexamines those who play a more stereotypical role in the book than others and help re–create a new role for them to be twisted
into society with. Chaucer discusses different stereotypes and separates his characters from the social norm by giving them highly ironic and/or
unusual characteristics. Specifically, in the
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Summary Of The Canterbury Tales Essay
Summary of The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories set within a framing story of a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral, the shrine of Saint Thomas Г
Becket. The poet joins a band of pilgrims, vividly described in the General
Prologue, who assemble at the Tabard Inn outside London for the journey to
Canterbury. Ranging in status from a Knight to a humble Plowman, they are a microcosm of 14th– century English society.
The Host proposes a storytelling contest to pass the time; each of the
30 or so pilgrims (the exact number is unclear) is to tell four tales on the round trip. Chaucer completed less than a quarter of this plan. The work
contains 22 verse tales (two unfinished) and two long prose tales; a few are...show more content...
He was jealous and he kept her close to him.
The woman was fair skinned and her body was slim. She wore a stripped silken girdle. Her eyebrows were arched , black, and partly plucked to make
them narrow. The womans singing was loud and lively.
It so chanced that this gentle Nicholas fell in love with this young wife, while her husband was away, and suddenly he caught hold of her and said,
"Unless you will love me, sweetheart, I will die." And he held her tight around the waist. she jumped back and wiggled away. She
replied," I will not kiss you
Nicholas! If you don't let me go I will scream out Help!" But Nicholas began to beg and made offers to her that at last she granted him her love
and swore by St. Thomas that she would leave the Carpenter when she had a chance. She told him how jealous he was.
Then it fell on a holy day that this goodwife took her to the church to work on Christ's own works. At the church there was a clerk named Absalom.
He had curly hair, rosy cheeks, and his eyes were gray. Absalom, who was so pretty and fine, went on this holy day with a censor, trying to get the
goodwives of the city. He then noticed the carpenter's wife and he thought she was so neat and sweet. That night the moon was shining and Absalom
went to the carpenter's house and sang in the window. The carpenter woke up and asked the wife if she heard him singing and she

Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales, a book written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is full of many two faced pilgrims that go on a journey to Canterbury. The pilgrims in
this story come in many different types and tell many different tales from there of personal view. The medieval times were a time when the church is
corrupt, and generous people are seen by fewer. Aside from the Oxford Clerk. Inthe Canterbury tales, the Oxford Clerk is a two faced character with a
role in society that is very explicit, which Geoffrey Chaucer elucidates on, and communes an interesting tale. The Oxford Clerk is a two faced
character that has a very explicit role in society. Oxford University was among one of the only schools at its times. The other well–known one was
Cambridge University....show more content...
Walter was a king who loved his freedom dearly (40). On a day that Walter was least excepting, the delegation of lords came to Walter and told him
to seek a woman to be wed to. Walter was rushed into setting a date even though he didn't know who his wife was going to even be yet. The day of
the wedding and everything was set up. Walter has still yet to choose his bride. Nearby there was a poor man, named Janicula. He who had a
beautiful daughter named Griselda. Griselda then came to wed Walter that same day they met. Griselda made a promise to always obey his will
and to do so cheerfully even if it caused her pain. Griselda's kindness and virtue grew adequately. Her fame was spread throughout the land. People
came from all over just though be with her and her virtue. Soon after the marriage Griselda gave birth to the king's daughter. This was not
acceptable, and the people knew that she was not to bear a girl but to bear a son that would soon be king one day. Even though the baby was
sucking on its mother's breast still, it was to be taken away by courtiers to be terminated. The king's agents arrived and took the child and Griselda
did not say a word. She didn't want to show a loss of love in her husband (41). The days have passed and Griselda gave birth to her husband's son. The
town's folk were in shock to hear that the heir to the throne was born. A few years have passed and

Essay on The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales
3.The rioters in "The Pardoner's Tale" set our to kill Death because they are afraid to die themselves. They assumed if they killed Death, they
wouldn't have to die and also they would live in dignity because they have killed God's adversary. They believed a reward would be at hand given by
God to satisfy their lust for their personal desires from others. Also in their drunken rage, liquor had affected their judgment and behavior, and now
they believe being haughty and brave in the eyes of the public will spare them from death.
4. The character of the old man is included in "The Pardoner's Tale" because Death is usually represented by the old and the weak. The old man was
like a guardian of Mother Earth heaven...show more content...
5. No, I do not think the Pardoner's story will encourage pilgrims to buy indulgences because lust and desires are sins in the Christian world. If a
desire is satisfied, more desires will come. Man is a being with unlimited desires. The unfortunate part is man lives in a world with limited resources.
Mother Earth can only produce so much, and man cannot live out all of their desires. To live a life with indulgence will mean to take things from
others, so the others will not be able to survive without security. The emotion of greed and anger created will take place and create havoc. Man also
has another flaw; they cannot survive without security. The creation of havoc is the affects of sin. Pilgrims will not do anything to the account of
having sinned themselves because of the effects; therefore, will not buy indulgences.
6. I would describe the narrator's values as being straightforward, realistic, and fair because he portrays man as being lustful and desirous. Man is
desirous because he wants the security that he will survive in the world. Man desires to security by wanting more than his necessities. Wanting is a sin
because the world cannot accustom to everyone's demand and it will turn out that someone is left with everything and others with nothing at all. The
narrator's value of self–containment, sharing, and the love of God expresses the importance of morality in the lives of

The Canterbury Tales Essay
The Canterbury Tales, a masterpiece of English Literature, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a collection, with frequent dramatic links, of 24 tales told
to pass the time during a spring pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. The General Prologue introduces thepilgrims, 29
"sondry folk" gathered at the Tabard Inn in Southwark (outside of London). Chaucer decides to join them, taking some time to describe each pilgrim.
According to the Norton Anthology, "the composition of none of the tales can be accurately dated; most of them were written during the last fourteen
years of Chaucer's life, although a few were probably written earlier and inserted into The Canterbury Tales" (Norton, 80)....show more content...
The Prioress, Madame Eglantine, is a character full of denial. Though she is a nun whose duties should be pledged to God, she certainly considers
herself a lady first. She speaks bad French, ate and dressed very carefully, and wears a brooch that says "love conquers all." She also cares deeply for
animals, bringing several along with her on the pilgrimage. Her lady–like behavior seems to stand in direct contrast to the ways of a good Nun. This is
Chaucer's first criticism of religion, a theme he returns to throughout the poem.
Like the Prioress, the Monk is also an ironic characterization. The Monk loved to ride horses and hunt. He also eats well and dresses in nice clothes.
He even goes so far as to say that he prefers the outdoor life, hardly a statement one would expect from one whose profession entails sitting inside and
copying books.
The Friar is a bad guy. He is licensed to hear confessions and uses his position to beg for money, operating under the assumption that penance works
better through payment than prayers. He also has the reputation of getting girls into "trouble," then helping to marry them to others
GRAPH The Merchant knows a good bargain when he sees it. His very smooth behavior helps hide the fact that he is really in debt.
The Clerk is soft–spoken student of the thetoric arts. When he speaks, it is with such expression that people readily listen. He is one of the most admired

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer's Pardoner is unique within the group travelling to Canterbury. While the Parson, the Wife of Bath, the Clerk, and others would love to sway
the group toward their respective opinions and views, the Pardoner intends to swindle the group out of its money. His sermons are based on sound
theology, but they are rendered hollow by his complete lack of integrity in applying them to his own life. He is a hypocrite – his root intention is to
accrue money. Curiously, the Pardoner is openly honest about the nature of his operations. The portrait of the Pardoner in the "General Prologue" gives
an overture to this character by stating simply what he does. He targets simple (often...show more content...
The Pardoner's tale becomes a microcosm of the Canterbury Talesitself: an attempt to find a holy, didactic message within entertainment and baseness.
Further analysis of the Pardoner himself leads to the question of whether there is any good within him. The Pardoner makes it extremely clear to the
group (and, incidentally, to us as readers) exactly how he swindles common people. He then goes on to attempt the same actions against them after
telling his tale, a seemingly absurd act. Chaucer isn't simply being sloppy here in trying to convey the Pardoner's nature to us as readers – if Chaucer
didn't want the travelers to know how the Pardoner works, then he would have told us more discreetly. There must be some reason for the Pardoner's
indiscretion. Even while under the influence (however great or small) of alcohol, he wouldn't tell the group what he does unless he wanted to. It
remains, then, to explore further the Pardoner's character and the reasons for his actions. I stated earlier that the Pardoner's root intention is to accrue
money. This is the account that he offers himself. The Pardoner's lack of discretion, however, negates this root drive. If he only wants money, then his
presence in the pilgrimage is exclusively for swindling the others. He would not have complicated that goal by revealing his art – which he does. This
revealing, then, might be explained as a perverse game or challenge to his skills as a con artist. Perhaps the

Canterbury Tales Essay
Corruption in the Church      Chaucer lived in a time dictated by religion and religious ideas in which he uses The
Canterbury Tales to show some of his views. Religion played a significant role in fourteenth–century England and also in Chaucer&#8217;s
writing. His ideas of the Church are first seen in &#8220;The Prologue,'; and he uses seven religious persons to show the influence of the
religion in his writing. Although many of his characters appear to portray part of the corruption in the Church, he does give a small example in which
one can conclude that he is speaking in praise.      The Friar, who lived off begging, appears to live a lowly existence,
while Chaucer refers to...show more content...
The Monk is a lazy, disgusting man who lived a dishonest and imprudent life.      The Pardoner and Summoner appear
together in &#8220;The Prologue.'; They further illustrate an example of Chaucer&#8217;s awareness of a defiled Church. Chaucer provides
humor to his description of the Summoner in that &#8220;he&#8217;d allow &#8211; just for a quart of wine – /Any good lad to keep
a concubine'; (Chaucer 20.) This means that a person who disobeys the Church without seeking repentance can easily bribe the Summoner, in that he
will overlook the situation. Chaucer writes about the Pardoner that &#8220;by his flatteries and prevarication/ Made monkey of the priest and
congregation'; (Chaucer 22.) This is another direct insult to the Church at the time.      Although the Pardoner
represents the lowly side of the Church, Chaucer balances it out with a highly appraise of the Parson. He appears into the prologue before the
Pardoner and the Summoner, and he clearly is a perfect illustration of the Church, which should be followed over the other corrupt religious men.
Chaucer uses the Parson to show the Church&#8217;s power and majesty over this period in England. If not for him, it could be concluded that
Chaucer had no respect for the Church. However, the Parson allows

Analysis Of The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of twenty–four stories regarding numerous pilgrims and their pilgrimage to Canterbury written in Middle English
by Geoffrey Chaucer. The subjects of these tales range from knights to the clergy to government officials. The various tales in the Work are presented
in the manner of a contest at the Tabard Inn in London, in which the prize for the best story is a free meal upon their return. Chaucer's first impressions
of the Miller as a rude and sinful man continue to manifest as the tale progresses. After the Knight finishes his story and the Monk starts his, the Miller
interrupts him and begins his tale, much to the disapproval of the pilgrims. Even the Miller himself warns the others that his tale will...show more
content...
However, this ideal of behavior is contrasted with the human reality of a cuckolded husband and his wife, for the "Knight's courtly romance is
succeeded by the Miller's bawdy fabliau" (Popescu 32). These two tales being told in succession clearly shows the disparity between the human
reality and ideal expectations during this time period. The main conflict in this this fabliau is between a Church clerk Absolon, Oxford clerk
Nicholas, both of which exemplify the struggle between the ideal of the courtly lover and the reality of human sexuality. Both Absolon and Nicholas
are pining over the young woman Alison, who is married to a carpenter significantly older than she. Both men are determined to get her to sleep with
them, though they have very different approaches. From the very first lines, the Miller describes Nicholas as "skilled in secret love affairs" and who,
after meeting the carpenter's wife, "began with this young wife to fool and play" (Chaucer 242). While Nicholas is a very flirtatious man, Absolon, on
the other hand, approaches her from the more traditional and accepted route. Rather than stooping to Nicholas's vulgarity, he attempts to employ the
"medieval discourses" of the ideal man behavior: "Christian masculinity, courtly masculinity, and discourse of the intellectual male" (Forbes 3). In fact,
Absolon succeeds at many of these traits; he is a clerk of the Church, courts Alison respectfully, and is intelligent, as he can

"The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales" were told during a pilgrimage journey from London to the shrine of the martyr
St. Thomas a Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. This was approximately 70 miles to the southeast. These Tales were told by a group of 29 pilgrims, and
a Host who met up with them at the Tabard Inn. They left the Inn on the morning of
April, 11. The Nun's Priest Tale was the first story actually told, this was determined by whoever drew the shortest straw. The pilgrim who told the
best story would win a free dinner, and the loser's had to pay for his dinner.Geoffrey Chaucer who was without a doubt the greatest English poet of the
Middle Ages, wrote this great story "The Canterbury tales"....show more content...
The Miller was a very big and strong man, that , stated in The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, "Could win the ram at any wrestling show". He was
Broad, Knotty , and
Short–Shouldered. It also says he could "Heave any door off hinge and post, Or take a run and break it with his head."
The Millers' beard was red, and very big and thick, and his nose had a wart on the end, with red hairs protruding out of it. His nostrils were black and
very wide. He wore a sword and a buckler at his side, also the Miller wore a blue hood and a white coat. This is it for the physical traits of the
Miller, I think you know by now, that he was big, and he was strong. Now we'll talk about the Millers' personality.
The Millers' personality was very distinct, It matched his physical traits almost exactly. the Miller was very boastful in his ways, he would boast to
people about how he could bust any door down and off the hinges, or take a run and break it with his head, he was also a very greedy man,
He would steal from the poor, or the rich without even thinking twice. his thumb of gold was how he did this, meaning, he pressed on the scale with
his thumb to increase the weight of the grain that he sold to his customers, or so they thought he was selling them. The Miller also had a filthy mouth,
and told tavern stories quite often. Also, he liked to play the bagpipes, in fact he was the

Canterbury Tales Literary Analysis
Throughout the semester in class, we read a lot of short stories, and poems. One of the stories that stuck out to me the most to me, is The
Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer. This tale is based on the millers, which is the topic of my paper. When it comes to the millers,
there is a lot to know such as who they are, what they do, how the mills worked, their role in the Feudal system, how they make a living, what they
ate, where they lived, what kind of clothing they wore, how the millers are able to assure they can continue to make enough money to live on, and
so much more. To start with, a miller is someone who worked in a mill, especially a grain mill ("Medieval Miller"). A miller would work on alord's
estate and rented the mill from a lord for periods of a year at a time. A miller lived above their mills or in cottages very close to their mills, so they
could wake up and go straight to work. Millers wore Roman style tunics made of wool and they wore leather shoes. Sometimes the millers also wore
a leather apron and cap, that was on rare occasion. Millers had a special food diet, in which they ate similar to a serf, eating pottage, soup, bread, ale and
sometimes pork. miller's had better bread because they had better access to better grains. Unfortunately, millers did not get paid that well as they only
got one–twelfth or one–sixteenth of grains that they grew and ground up. Some millers stole their pay before they got paid so they received double the
pay.

Moral Of The Canterbury Tales
Now it is time to decide which tale in The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, rises above the rest. I stated at the beginning of our journey to
Canterbury that I would pick the tale that is "greatest moral teaching and in entertainment value" (17). After intently listening to all of your tales, one
stood out from the others. Though many of you told stories that were offensive to other pilgrims on the trip or told stories that had little moral
significance, I determined that there is one that most fully fulfills the requirements that I have set forth. I have decided that the Nun's Priest's Tale
teaches the greatest moral lesson while having great entertainment value, making the Nun's Priest the winner of our competition.
The Nun's Priest's Tale is a beast fable, an allegory that utilizes animals with human characteristic in order to illustrate the message. The tale follows
the story of Chanticleer, a beautiful rooster whose "voice was merrier than the merry organ that plays in church," (153). One day, a fox named
Russell comes into the yard and begins complementing Chanticleer on his singing talents, persuading him to stick out his neck and sing with his
eyes closed. Because Chanticleer is so entranced by Russell's flattery, he closes his eyes and begins to sing, allowing Russell to be able to bite his
neck and run with him into the woods. The moral of the Nun's Priest's Tale is clear: never trust a flatterer. Chanticleers capture is the "result of being
careless and

Through The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer is able to ironically portray the life friars lived throughout the 14th century. Geoffrey Chaucer was
born around 1345 and lived in London. (Strohm par 1). He grew up being trained as a civil servant and diplomat. Around 1366 Chaucer married
Queen Philippa of Spain (Encyclopedia of World Biography 483). Through being appointed to Parliament, he traveled to many different countries on
diplomatic missions and was influenced by the contrasting types of writing (Strohm par 3). These experiences helped Chaucer to gain knowledge
about diverse types of people and English writing, which influenced the way he wrote The Canterbury Tales(par 1). When Chaucer wrote, he often
mocked and satirized people...show more content...
Friars accepcted vows of poverty, and only supported themselves by begging. Their mission was ultimately to spread the word of God and to
relieve the pain of those affected by a disease (Rossignol 1). Friar's vows of poverty were to be absolute. The order itself owned nothing, and did
not accept any wages for labor. They relied purely on donors for clothing, food, and housing (Lambdin 81). Friars also gave confession and
collected alms to live off of (80). However, friars were not allowed to assemble anything for themselves (81). Many of the friars, therefore, lived in
the cities and towns, where there was a greater number of people living (80). A friar's capital goal was apostolic teaching. Friars also held their own
masses, maintained their own church, and buried patrons (81). However, in order to attain information on how to do all of these duties they had to
have a teacher.
It is believed that the more humble you are the easier it is for people to focus on what you are teaching. This is where the vow of poverty started to
emerge (84). Friars believed that the more humble they looked, the easier it would be for them to preach without disturbances (83). Friars, therefore,
wore long, loose–fitting wool tunics with hoods. The fabrics were very tawdry, which emphasized their poverty (Newman 133). Certain orders of friars
were also known to wear their own color, such as all black or all gray. Friars

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a story of a contest who can tell the best tale. The rules of the contest were as follows: Each pilgrim
would tell four tales for the trip to Canterbury, two on the journey there and two on the way back.. The tales will be judged by the Host for it's
entertainment and moral lessons. The winner of the contest will enjoy a meal paid for by the remaining pilgrims at the Host's Inn. "The Miller's
Tale" had fulfilled the criteria to win the contest. It was a shorter story, but it was entertaining and had a few lessons that can be learned from
hearing or reading it. This story is significant because it does a great job of pointing out of some of the problems in the church during that time as
well as how the morals of some people were not strong as well. The Miller's Tale is the story of a carpenter, his lovely wife, and the two younger
gentlemen who are in love with the carpenter's wife. The carpenter, John, is married to a much younger woman, Alison, who is considered a local
beauty. To make a bit of extra money, John rents out a room in his house to a poor but clever cleric named Nicholas, who has taken a liking to
Alison. The other man interested in Alison is a clerk named Absalon. Nicholas uses his astrological studies to convince John to prepare for a storm so
he and Alison could have the night alone. With Nicholas and Alison alone, Absalon tries to get Alison to like him by singing to her but she does not
find him attractive.

Canterbury Tales: An Analysis of Medieval Life by Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales is strongly considered one of the greatest works in
medieval literature. An admirer of Chaucer, and the author of Chaucer and the Fifteenth Century, H.S. Bennett describes Chaucer's unique style as, "No
detail was too small for him to observe, and from it he could frequently draw, or suggest, conclusions which would have escaped many." WhileThe
Canterbury Tales was originally intended to be an epic poem consisting of over 120 short stories, Chaucer's death came much sooner and he was only
able to finish 24. Even with a small fraction of his original goal completed, Chaucer's unique sense of language and ability to identify and establish
common stereotypes was second to none. The three characters I choose, The Knight, The Pardoner and The Parson all exemplify Bennett's quote and
demonstrate Chaucer's incredible ability to express every detail, while adding humor and irony. Chaucer uses The Knight to represent the highest social
class during the medieval era, the aristocrats and nobility. The Knight also highlights the ideals that every noble man strived to follow, along with
being a Christian such as possessing prowess, fidelity, reputation, generosity and refinement. He also possesses a humble and kind personality, which
allows him to become well admired by The Host and the narrator. Throughout the Prologue and in between stories The Knight always seems to possess
a

Essay on The Canterbury
The Canterbury
The Canterbury Tales begins with the introduction of each of the pilgrims making their journey to Canterbury to the shrine of Thomas a Becket. These
pilgrims include a Knight, his son the Squire, the Knight's Yeoman, a Prioress, a Second Nun, a Monk, a Friar, a Merchant, a Clerk, a Man of Law, a
Franklin, a Weaver, a Dyer, a Carpenter, a Tapestry–Maker, a Haberdasher, a Cook, a Shipman, a Physician, a Parson, a Miller, a Manciple, a Reeve, a
Summoner, a Pardoner, the Wife of Bath, and Chaucer himself. These travelers, who stop at the Tabard Inn, decide to tell stories to pass their time on
the way to Canterbury. The Host of the Tabard Inn sets the rules for the tales. Each of the pilgrims will tell two stories on the...show more content...
During their battle, Arcite indeed is victorious, but as soon as he is crowned victor, an earthquake occurs that kills him. Before he dies, he reconciles
with Palamon and tells him that he deserves to marry Emelye. Palamon and Emelye marry.
When the Knight finishes his tale, everybody is pleased with its honorable qualities, but the drunken Miller insists that he shall tell the next tale.
The Miller's Tale is a comic table in which Nicholas, a student who lives with John the carpenter and his much younger wife, Alison, begins an
affair with Alison. Another man, the courtly romantic Absolon, also falls in love with Alison. Nicholas contrives to spend a day with Alison by
telling John that a flood equal to Noah's flood will come soon, and the only way that he, Nicholas and Alison will survive is by staying in separate
kneading tubs placed on the roof of houses, out of sight of all. While John remained in this kneading tub, Nicholas and Alison left to have sex, but
were interrupted by Absolon, who demanded a kiss from Alison. She told him to close his eyes and he would receive a kiss. He did so, and she
pulled down her pants so that he could kiss her nether region. The humiliated Absolon got a hot iron from a blacksmith and returned to Alison. This
time, Nicholas tried the same trick, and Absolon burned him on the ass. Nicholas shouted for water, awakening John, who was asleep on the

The Canterbury Tales and the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages were not only a time of unstable economies, political unrest, significant changes in social structures, but also a time when Geoffrey
Chaucer wrote a collection of short stories. According to Keira Stevenson on EBSCO host, Geoffrey Chaucer had a good childhood and through
family influences, he became a page (knight in training), in 1357. After fighting against France, getting captured and then released, he went back home
and began writing. In 1387, the same year his wife died, he began working on The Canterbury Tales. He worked on this poem for several years but
never finished it. The Canterbury Tales were approximately 17,000 lines and begins with 30 pilgrims beginning their trip on horses towards Thomas a
Becket's shrine in Canterbury. (Stevenson 1–2) Each pilgrim tells a story to pass the time on the long journey. The pilgrim characters come from all
types of life, so the stories that they tell demonstrate the ways and beliefs of a large section of middle age society. The Canterbury Tales represents the
middle class through the pilgrims who lived during the Middle Ages. (Canterbury Tales)
The Canterbury Tales: Summary The Canterbury Tales is a frame story that comes from The Arabian Nights and The Decameron. According to Collins
on his website for British Literature I, Geoffrey Chaucer actually used some of the stories from The Decameron, but he changed them by describing the
storytellers in detail and using the

The Canterbury Tales is a story that incorporates a multitude of stories told by a multitude of characters. Written by Geoffrey Chaucer, he devises a
novel in which each character has to narrate a total of four stories as part of a competition; on their way to visit Saint Thomas Becket, the characters
would tell two stories going and two stories returning from the journey. The perspective changes through each story, and each story is introduced by a
general, opening, third person prologue. Though many of the characters got to share some ideas, Chaucer unfortunately passed away before his story's
entirety. As a result, a winner was never officially clarified. Needless to say, it is evident that the clear winner would be the Miller's Tale.
...show more
content...
One night of the "flood", as usual, Absalom returns to Allison's residency and begs for her to bestow a kiss to him. To his surprise, she finally
accepts the request, hoping this will allow for the young clerk to leave her alone for good. On the contrary, instead of sticking her lips out the
window, she throws her butt out for her and Absalom's amusement. Enraged, Absalom borrows a hot poker and returns to get revenge on Alison.
This time however, it is Nicholas who places his butt outside the window and also allows a fart to escape in Absalom's face. The branded Nicholas
begins to scream "'Help, water! Water, help, for God's sake!" and startles Josh, who is convinced the flood is coming (Chaucer, 79) . In response,
Josh comes crashing down on from the roof and goes unconscious. The whole town thinks the carpenter is delusional because of his oblivion to the
fact there there is actually no godly storm. It is clear to note the use of trickery and adultery in this fable. Noted earlier, the Miller's tale is enjoyable
due to its qualities of both entertainment and the idea of learning a lesson. In the prologue, the miller is defined as a filterless, rowdy drunk who
speaks whatever comes to his mind. Because of this, he is portrayed as very vulgar and a nuisance since he easily offends others. The Reeve
introduces the Miller at the beginning of the story as a drunk, impulsive, bully as he

Canterbury Tales Analysis
In the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer gives a detailed description of what life was like in Medieval times . In the "Prologue", the reader comes to better
understand the people of the time period through the characters words and actions. Chaucer uses a variety of groups of society to give the reader a
deeper insight into the fourteenth century Pilgrims customs and values. Through the Court, Common people and the Church, Gregory Chaucer gives a
detailed description of ordinary life in the medieval times.
Chaucer shows facts about the Middle English through the people of the court system in society. In the "Prologue" Chaucer reveals the honorable
qualities of the Knight during this time period. Through the speakers words "To ride abroad had...show more content...
Under the common people, the Cook is perceived as one who is very skilled at his profession. Through the writer, the reader comes to understand that
it was a frowned upon that the chef had a sore on his knee which shows that at this time they judged people based on their appearances instead of their
true self. The Cook was honored for his work but his wounds lowered his status in society.The "Prologue" of the Canterbury Talesteaches the reader
the devoutness of the Plowman. The Plowman was a charitable man who respected his faith and worked hard at his job. The Plowman shows that at
this time they took their jobs very serious and were devout to their religion. Chaucer's " The Prologue" reveals the lives of the average people at this
time period.
Chaucer describes the Church as being the most corrupt segment of society. The "Prologue" shares with the reader an insight into Pilgrims lives of the
fourteenth century. In Chaucer's "Prologue" to the Canterbury Tales the Parson shows the best example of a true religious. The Parson preaches and
lives the faith as best as possible. The Parsons extreme generosity to the poor, not minding his very low income, shows that there were some religious
people that weren't corrupt. Secondly the Pardoner is depicted a person who is very selfish, only does things that benefit him,

Canterbury Tales Analysis
In Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, various people band together to go on a pilgrimage from England to Canterbury. Their aim is to see a
shrine of St Thomas Beckett, the revered Archbishop of Canterbury who had reportedly healed others when they were ill. The pilgrims have a variety
of occupations and are divided fairly evenly amongst the three estates (clergy, nobility, and commoners). The pilgrims who are members of the clergy
are ironically depicted as the least moral, compared to the nobility and the commoners, creating a negative view of those who are leaders in the Church.
The members of the clergy also spend their time wandering, metaphorically demonstrating their purposelessness, while the pilgrimage itself is a direct
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However, he works hard, both for God and for his community, and he lives happily. The Plowman is also one of the most pious pilgrims. According
to Chaucer, "God loved he best with al his hoole herte" (GP 533). He also gives money to the church, demonstrating both his religiousness and his
charitability, which is especially notable given his own poverty. In addition to the Plowman's religiousness, he lives a simple life, evidenced by his
wearing of a tabard (a simple sleeveless shirt worn by the lower class) and the fact that he rides on a mare. Similarly to the Knight and the Squire, the
Plowman is the ideal member of his estate, the peasantry.
The Friar, Prioress, Monk, and Pardonner are the members of the clergy (the first estate) on the pilgrimage. The most corrupt of these is the Friar. He
has the power to give confession, and he gives it easily, because those who have repented are more likely to give him donations. The Friar wanders
around and becomes wealthy because of these donations. Chaucer also says that the Friar knows all of the barmaids in town, implying that he likely
goes out drinking frequently, a habit that is not Christian–like. The Prioress also doesn't exemplify an ideal religious leader. While at first, the Prioress
might appear kindhearted and moral, Chaucer adds in little descriptions to give the reader an odd impression of her. She's so concerned with
attempting to be upper class, demonstrated by her knowledge

Canterbury Tales Character Analysis

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Canterbury Tales Character Analysis