Do Now
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#1 – Storytelling
 Why do we tell stories? In what situations? What
makes a good story?
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#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?
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#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.
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 Important opportunity for a medieval youth
 Would have secured him a successful future
Geoffrey Chaucer
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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
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Published 4 works between 1370 and 1386
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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
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The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer’s
masterpiece, was never completed
 Began in 1387
 Ended with Chaucer’s death on October 25, 1400
Background
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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
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Homework
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Read The General Prologue and The
Knight’s Tale, Part 1 and answer
corresponding questions.
Courtly Love
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The Art of Courtly Love
 Andreas Capellanus
 Eleanor of Aquitaine
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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
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Women are on a pedestal
Constantly tested
Loosely connected with the Church
 Fighting for the Crusades
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Loyalty to your lord
Carrying yourself
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Must look good
Brave and selfless
Fight in someone’s name
Strong sense of ethics
Generous
Not usually what happened – persona
Medieval Romanceselements of supernatural, realism, and spirituality (religion)
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Idealized images of how people in the
higher classes behave, especially in love
and war
Love is inspired by perfect beauty and
virtue. (realism)
All characters deal with one another in
completely chivalrous ways.
The settling of a quarrel through a test of
combat (realism)
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.
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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?
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Homework
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Read The Knight’s Tale, Parts 2, 3, and 4
and answer corresponding questions.
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
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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?
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The Miller's Prologue and Tale
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Fabliau
 A short tale, usually vulgar, with a quick funny
ending.
 The Merchant’s Tale is also an example of this.
The Nun’s Priest Prologue and
Tale
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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
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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.
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“Woman is man’s joy” (Page 159)
 Reference to Adam and Eve (Page 161)
 False flatterers (Page 162)
 Fortune (Page 164)
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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?
 Make a list of words that you feel
adequately describe the Wife of Bath.
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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)
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The Wife of Bath’s Prologue
and Tale
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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)
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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
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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?
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“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)
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?
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The Pardoner’s Introduction,
Prologue, and Tale
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Explain in detail the moral lesson
conveyed in The Pardoner’s Tale.
 Greed is the root of all evil
 Radix malorum est cupiditas"
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?
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