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The Canterbury Tales - Lecture Notes

Jul 25, 2024

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Notes on The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

Overview

  • Written in late 1300s, shortly after the Bubonic Plague.
  • Chaucer was one of the first poets to write in Middle English, popularizing the vernacular language.
  • The work is a collection of 24 stories framed around a narrative about pilgrims traveling to Canterbury.

Themes

  • Addresses gender relations, religion, and sexual immorality in English society.
  • Critiques various social classes: nobility, clergy, and peasantry.
  • Uses satire to highlight pilgrim hypocrisy and human failings.

Structure

  • Begins with the famous line:
    • "When April comes with his sweet fragrant showers..."
  • Narrator is a character who represents Chaucer.
  • Set at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, near London.
  • Challenge proposed by Harry Bailey (innkeeper):
    • Each pilgrim to tell 4 tales (2 going to Canterbury, 2 on the return).
    • The best story wins a meal paid for by the other pilgrims.

Characters

Introduced Pilgrims:

  1. The Knight

    • Chivalrous nobleman, crusader, honored for worthiness and courtesy.
    • Wears a tunic with rust stains.

  2. The Squire

    • Knight's youthful son, lover, and aspiring poet.
    • Dressed in flashy embroidered clothes.

  3. The Yeoman

    • Freeborn servant of the Knight, skilled in weaponry.
    • Dresses in green and carries a Saint Christopher emblem.

Clergy Characters:

  1. Madame Eglantine (Prioress)

    • Speaks French, has refined manners, loves animals.
    • Wears a brooch with "Amor vincit omnia" (Love conquers all).

  2. The Monk

    • More interested in hunting than reading.
    • Described as well-fed with a gleaming appearance.

  3. Friar Hubert

    • Licenses to beg, enjoys company with worthy women, gives confessions.

  4. The Merchant

    • Tradesman of varied pursuits; appears wise but has unknown debts.

  5. The Clerk

    • Scholar from Oxford, values knowledge over wealth.
    • Dressed in a threadbare coat.

  6. Man of Law

    • Dignified and judicious, reputedly flawless in legal writings.
    • Wears a multi-colored coat.

Middle Class Characters:

  1. Franklin
  • Landowner, loves good food, cheerful and generous.
  1. Guildsmen
  • Represents emerging middle class; includes various tradesmen.
  1. Roger the Cook
  • Accompanies guildsmen, skilled in cooking despite an ulcer.

Lower Class Characters:

  1. The Shipman
  • Seafarer with extensive knowledge of navigation and local harbors.
  1. The Doctor
  • Well-versed in medicine but neglects the Bible.
  1. The Wife of Bath (Alice Owen)
  • Cloth-maker, experienced in marriage (5 husbands), gap-toothed.
  1. The Parson
  • Good clergy member, sets a noble example for his parishioners.
  1. The Plowman
  • Hard-working, charitable, travels with the Parson.
  1. The Miller
  • Strong, dishonest, steals corn; represents lower social class.
  1. The Manciple
  • Savvy financial operator who outsmarts even educated men.
  1. The Reeve
  • Knowledgeable about finances, feared by staff.
  1. The Summoner
  • Lecherous figure struggling with skin disease; summons people to court.
  1. The Pardoner
  • Fraudulent pardons seller, sings loudly, sexually ambiguous.

Harry Bailey

  • Outspoken and merry host of Tabard Inn; initiates the storytelling competition.

Conclusion

  • The narrator summarizes the various pilgrims' classes, clothing, and number before embarking on their journey to Canterbury.

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