The document provides context about Geoffrey Chaucer and his famous work The Canterbury Tales. It discusses that Chaucer used a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral as a frame for various stories told by a group of pilgrims from various social classes. The pilgrims meet at the Tabard Inn in Southwark and agree to tell stories on their journey to entertain each other. Chaucer provides brief portraits of each pilgrim in the Prologue to introduce the characters.

1. The Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer

2. Geoffrey Chaucer
c. 1343-1400
 Considered the father of English poetry
 Wrote in the vernacular – common language of the
people (English)
 Served as a soldier, government servant, and member of
Parliament
 Introduced iambic pentameter
 First writer buried in Westminster Abbey

3. The Journey Begins . . .
 Chaucer uses a religious
pilgrimage to display all
segments of medieval England.
 The Canterbury Tales begins
with a Prologue,
– Narrator, presumably Chaucer
himself, meets 29 other pilgrims at
the Tabard Inn, located in a suburb
of London.
 As the pilgrims prepare for their
journey, the host of the Inn,
Harry Bailey, sets a challenge:
– Each pilgrim tell two stories on the
way to Canterbury and two stories
on the return trip. The person who
tells the best tale will be treated to
a feast hosted by the other pilgrims.

4. The Journey Begins . . .
 The Canterbury Tales is actually
a story about stories, twenty-
four different tales set within the
overarching tale of the
pilgrimage.
 Definition:
– Frame Story – a story within a story
 The Outer Frame Story is about the
pilgrims meeting at the Tabard Inn
preparing for a journey to Canterbury.
 The Inner Frame Story would be all the
stories told by the assembled pilgrims
along their journey to and from
Canterbury.

5. Snapshots of an Era. . .
 In the Prologue, Chaucer sketches a
brief but vivid portrait of each pilgrim,
creating a lively sense of medieval life.
 The description may literally describe
an article of clothing, but figuratively
imply something about that character.
 Definition: Satire – to describe in
hyperbolic or humorous ways but
with intent for change.
– Our job is to read and comprehend the
literal description of each pilgrim, and then,
we must figuratively interpret what Chaucer
is trying to imply about that pilgrim’s
character.

6. Snapshots of an Era. . .
 In the Prologue, Chaucer
examines three segments of
Medieval England:
– 1. The Old Feudal order – these are
all of the pilgrims associated with the
feudal class system.
 Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Plowman . . .
– 2. The Merchant Class – this was the
rising middle class of the time; towns
and cities were emerging and
therefore necessitated the need for
skilled services:
 Merchant, Man of Law, Guildsmen, Cook . . .
– 3. The Ecclesiastical (Church) Class –
these were all of the members of the
church. Chaucer is most critical of this
segment of his society.
 Prioress, Monk, Friar, Pardoner . . .

7. A Literary Tour. . .
 Chaucer uses the popular
genres of his time when he
creates the inner stories of the
various pilgrims:
– Romances (tales of chivalry)
 The Wife of Bath’s Tale
– Fabliaux (short, bawdy, humorous stories)
 The Miller’s Tale
– The stories of saint’s lives, sermons
 The Parson’s Tale
– Allegories (narratives in which characters
represent abstractions such as Pride or
Honor).
 The Pardoner’s Tale
 Chaucer wrote much of the Tales
using his own form, the heroic
couplet, a pair of rhyming lines with
five stressed syllables each.

8. Literary Analysis
 Characterization
– Direct characterization presents
direct statements about a character,
such as Chaucer’s statement that the
Knight “followed chivalry, / Truth,
honor. . . .”
– Indirect characterization uses
actions, thoughts, and dialogue to
reveal a character’s personality. By
saying “he was not gaily dressed,” for
instance, Chaucer suggests that the
Knight is not vain and perhaps takes
the pilgrimage seriously enough to
rush to join it straight from battle.

9. Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343-1400)
 Dominant literary figure in the 14th century
 “Father of English Literature”
 Life experiences
--child of wealthy wine merchant
--page in a royal household
--spoke French, Latin, & Italian
--Soldier & diplomat
--member of Parliament

10. Geoffrey Chaucer and
The Canterbury Tales
 Wrote the tales around 1385 A.D.
 planned many more tales, but did not
complete the proposed 120 tales before his
death
 wrote about all classes in The Canterbury
Tales to give us a glimpse of English
society at the time

11.  Went against tradition when he wrote
in Middle English rather than French
 Considered “Father of the English
Language” because he went against
the norm and chose to write in the
language of the people
Geoffrey Chaucer and
The Canterbury Tales (cont.)

12. Chaucer Images

13. The Middle Ages
Background
Hierarchy –
Class Structure
During Chaucer’s
Time
Nobility/Ruling Class -
Knight and Squire
Clergy - Monk, Friar,
Prioress, Parson,
Summoner, Pardoner
Middle Class – Merchant,
Doctor, Student, Wife of Bath
Peasants – Miller,
Plowman, Skipper

14. Code of Chivalry
A knight must be:
1. True to his God and adefender
of the faith.
2. True and loyal to hislord and
king.
3. True to his lady.
4. Humble and modest in daily
actions.
5. Brave and fierce inwar and
adversity.

15. Code of the Clergy
A member of the clergy must:
1. Be chaste and pure.
2. Be devoted to God.
3. Obey God and Biblical
law.
4. Take vows of poverty.
5. Achieve heavenly reward
through earthly denial.

16. Seven Deadly Sins
 Gluttony
 Avarice / Greed
 Sloth
 Lust
 Vanity
 Pride
 Anger

17. Moral Virtues (opposite of sins)
 Moderation
 Generosity
 Diligence
 Love
 Modesty
 Humility
 Forgiveness

18. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
 Takes representatives of English
society on a pilgrimage to Canterbury
Cathedral (Shrine of Archbishop
Thomas Becket)
 Pilgrims—each has speech and tale
that matches a real person during his
(Chaucer’s) time

19. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (cont.)
 30 characters representing all social classes
--Although fictional, does have realistic
settings and occupations
*Tabard Inn
*Canterbury & Canterbury Cathedral
*Shrine of Thomas Becket

20. The Prologue
 Thirty pilgrims are on their way to
Canterbury to pay homage at Becket’s
tomb.
 Each agrees to tell two tales on the way to
the shrine and two tales back.
 The winner will receive a supper paid for by
all.

21. List of 30 Pilgrims
1. Narrator – line 20
2. Knight – line 43
3. Squire – line 81
4. Yeoman – line 103
5. Prioress (+ 3) – line 122
6. Monk – line 169
7. Friar – line 212
8. Merchant – line 280
9. Oxford Cleric – line 295
10. Serjeant at Law – line 319
11. Franklin – line 341
12. Guildsmen – (Haberdasher,
Dyer, Carpenter, Weaver,
Carpet-Maker) - line 371
13. Cook – line 390
14. Skipper – line 398
15. Doctor – line 421
16. Wife of Bath – line 455
17. Parson – line 488
18. Plowman – line 539
19. Miller – line 561
20. Manciple – line 585
21. Reeve – line 605
22. Summoner - line 641
23. Pardoner – line 689

22. Assignment:
Pilgrim Presentations
 Read the description of your pilgrim in the
prologue
 Present a PowerPoint chart to the class
with your findings
 TWO SLIDES
 Any format, font, style you like…
 Must contain the following information:

23. Slide One
 Title (pilgrim’s name)
 Picture of your pilgrim (according to
description given)
 Specific quotes and phrases that provide
evidence of your pilgrim’s
– Physical characteristics, clothing, and
accessories
– Words, experiences, personality traits

24. Slide Two
 Social class and why
 Inferences (Chaucer’s commentary)
– Specific lines that lead to inferences about
your pilgrim
– Does he/she uphold the proper values of his
or her social position? Any vices or virtues?
– What is Chaucer criticizing?

25. THE MILLER
 Chap of sixteen stone (561)
 Big in brawn and bone (562)
 Broad, knotty and short-shouldered (565)
 Broad, red beard (568-569)
 Wart with red, bristly hair growing on his nose (571-572)
 Black nostrils and mighty mouth (573-575)
 Carried a sword and buckler (574) and bagpipes (583)
 Wore blue hood with a white coat (582)
Physical Characteristics, Clothing, and Accessories
Words, Experiences, and Personality Traits
 Likes to wrestle (564)
 Boastful of his strength (565-567)
 Likes to tell dirty jokes (576-577)
 Thief and cheater (578-581)
Example

26. The Miller
 Peasant Class
– Supported by a trade
 Inferences
– Chaucer compares him to a sow and fox suggesting
he is wild and rough (568, 571)
– Chaucer compares mouth to a furnace door,
suggesting he is uncouth and foul-mouthed (575)
– By stating he was a “master-hand” at stealing,
Chaucer infers the miller has cheated customers his
whole life (578). Major vice!
– Through his depiction of the miller as bawdy and
belligerent, Chaucer is critiquing the peasant’s low
station in life

27. The Prologue to The
Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer’s Canterbury Pilgrims (1810) by William Blake.
Engraving.

28. The Prologue to The
Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer
For the most part, only the light
characters travel. Who are you that have
no task to keep you at home?
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–
1882)

29. If you went on a tour
today, what types of
people would you meet?
Do you think you might
come across a
“character” or two?
Chaucer’s characters are the kinds of people
he would have known in real life and
observed riding toward Canterbury on the old
pilgrimage road.
Take a Tour
The Prologue to The
Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer

30. Chaucer used the East Midland dialect of
Middle English. This dialect was the most
common colloquial language at the time and
became the basis for modern English.
The Prologue to The
Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer

31. Twenty-nine pilgrims are on their way to the
shrine of Saint Thomas à Becket in
Canterbury.
The Prologue to The
Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer
[End of
Section]
The time is April, and the
place is the Tabard Inn in
Southwark (SUTH erk),
just outside London.
Canterbury
London

32. This yeoman wore a coat and hood of green,
And peacock-feathered arrows, bright and keen
Chaucer uses indirect characterization when
he tells how each character
The Prologue to The
Canterbury Tales
Literary Focus: Characterization
• looks and dresses
Her greatest oath was only “By St. Loy!”
• speaks and acts
And gladly would he learn, and gladly teach.
• thinks and feels

33. The Prologue to The
Canterbury Tales
Literary Focus: Characterization
Chaucer also uses direct characterization,
when he comes right out and tells us what a
character’s nature is—virtuous, vain, clever,
and so on.
There was a Friar, a wanton one and merry,
A Limiter, a very festive fellow.
In all Four Orders there was none so mellow,
So glib with gallant phrase and well-turned speech.
[End of
Section]

34. • In The Canterbury
Tales, the pilgrims’
journey is the outer
story.
A frame story is a literary device that binds
together several different narratives. It is a
story (or stories) within a story.
The Prologue to The
Canterbury Tales
Literary Focus: Frame Story
• The tales the pilgrims
tell are stories within a
story.
• The tales themselves also
have thematic unity. [End of
Section]

35. Chaucer had twenty-nine characters to
introduce, so he couldn’t develop any one
character at great length. Instead, he provided
a few well-chosen details that would make
each character stand out vividly.
The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales
Reading Skills: Analyzing Style: Key Details

36. As you read the Prologue, pay close
attention to any details that help give you an
immediate impression of a character.
[End of
Section]
• Note that some details contradict what the
characters think of themselves (or want
others to think of them).
The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales
Reading Skills: Analyzing Style: Key Details
• Keep a pen and notebook handy to jot
down key details of dress, appearance,
and behavior.