The Canterbury Tales
By Geoffrey Chaucer
The Medieval Period
A.D. 1066-1485
The Norman Conquest
• After conquering the Anglo-Saxons in 1066, William of Normandy began to fuse the Anglo-Saxon culture with his own.
• The Normans (or “north men”) were originally Viking raiders from Northern Europe, who settled in the northern-coastal region of France known as Normandy.
The Norman Conquest
• William introduced many French customs and traditions to England.
• This was the beginning of the Medieval (or middle) period in England.
• The biggest change that William introduced was feudalism – the concept that the king owned all the land in the kingdom.
The Medieval Period
• As a part of the new feudalism, William kept one quarter of the land for himself.
• The remainder of the land in England he divided amongst the church and nobles.
• Many of these nobles were Norman barons, who either paid William for the land, or supplied him with warriors called knights.
The Medieval Period
• With these barons and knights came a new social ladder, as follows:
• The King–The Barons• The Knights–Peasants and Serfs (those bound to land they could not own). Many of these were Anglo-Saxons.
The Medieval Period
• William was succeeded by Henry I, his son.
• His grandson, Henry II, would follow as the next king of England.
• Henry II reformed England, creating a judicial system and English common law based on old practices.
• Henry II’s wife, Eleanor, introduced the Code of Chivalry, based on French ideals.
The Code of Chivalry
• Chivalry was a code meant to govern the conduct and behavior of knights.
• Chivalry encouraged knights to honor and protect ladies and to go on holy quests, such as the Crusades.
Have you heard of Robin Hood?
• Henry II was succeeded by his son Richard I – otherwise known as Richard the Lion-Hearted.
• While Richard I fought in the Crusades, his brother, John plotted against him. These are the same figures that are popular in the Robin Hood lengends.
• After Richard’s death, the royal treasury was bankrupt. John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, limiting royal authority by giving more power to the barons.
The Medieval Period
• King John was succeeded by Henry III.• Henry III established Parliament as a
governing body of barons.• Henry’s son, Edward I, modified
Parliament in 1295, allowing commoners to be included, thus making Parliament a truly representative body of the people of England.
The Medieval Period
• As the Crusades continued, England began to become a center of trade and commerce. Feudalism began to decline as a result of the economical changes.
• Education became a focus in England as cities developed; universities such as Oxford flourished.
The Fall of the Medieval Period
• As Edward III was king of England, the Hundred Years’ War began.
• England also endured the plague known as the Black Death, which killed one third of the nation’s population.
• In 1453, the Hundred Years’ War finally ended – England had lost nearly all of its French possessions.
The Fall of the Medieval Period
• Around the end of the war, a struggle for power began between the House of York (represented by a white rose) and the House of Lancaster (represented by a red rose).
• The War of Roses ended in 1485, when Lancaster’s Henry Tudor killed the Yorkist king, Richard II.
• Henry took the throne as Henry VII, ending the Middle Ages.
Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer’s Life
• Chaucer was born sometime between 1340 and 1343
• Born probably in London, England• His family was not noble, but were
well off• Parents worked in the wine and
leather trade
Chaucer’s Life
• He was placed as an attendant for the wife of Prince Lionel, son of King Edward III (right)
• Here he learned the customs of upper-class life
• Chaucer met Lionel’s brother, John of Gaunt, a lifelong patron (left)
Chaucer in the Military
• He fought in the Hundred Years’ War against the French
• He was captured during the siege of Rheims
• The king himself contributed to Chaucer’s ransom
Chaucer’s Life
• Chaucer then served as a royal messenger
• His royal contacts helped establish his future life
• He married Philippa, a lady in waiting to the queen
• He was appointed comptroller of customs for London in 1374
Chaucer’s Life
• Chaucer continued his political career under several kings– Richard II (1377)
(left)– Henry IV (1399) –
son of John of Gaunt (right)
Chaucer’s Death
• Chaucer dies in 1400– Buried in
Westminster Abbey– This was a rare
honor for a commoner
Chaucer’s Tomb
• In 1566, an admirer built an elaborate marble tomb for Chaucer’s remains– This began the
Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey
– Many famous English writers would later be buried there
The Poet’s Corner
"The communication of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the
language of the living”
Epitaph on the memorial to T.S.Eliot.
The Poet’s Corner
The Poet’s Corner
Other Writers in the Poet’s Corner
Several authors have been buried in the Poet’s Corner of Westminster Abbey since Geoffrey Chaucer, including:Edmund Spencer, John Dryden, Tennyson, Robert Browning and John Masefield. Many
writers, including William Camden, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Richard
Brinsley Sheridan, Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Hardy
Poet’s Corner Memorials
The following writers are not buried in Westminster Abbey, but have memorials placed in the Poet’s Corner:
William Shakespeare, John Milton, William Wordsworth, Thomas Gray, John Keats,
Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Burns, William Blake, T.S. Eliot, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Samuel Butler, Jane Austen,
Oliver Goldsmith, Sir Walter Scott, John Ruskin, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte,
Henry James and Sir John Betjeman
Chaucer’s Inspirations
• Chaucer had heavy influence from French and Italian Literature– Italian Influences• Dante Alighieri• Petrarch• Boccaccio
Chaucer’s Writing
• The Romance of the Rose– Chaucer’s first major writing effort– A famous medieval French romance
• The Book of the Duchess– Chaucer’s first important original work– Tribute to Blanche, John of Gaunt’s wife– She died of the plague in 1369
• The House of Fame– A humorous narrative about the instability of
renown
The Canterbury Tales
• A collection of verse and prose tales• The stories are joined by pretending to be told by travelers
journeying from London to Canterbury.• Scholars speculate he began planning The Canterbury Tales
in 1387.• The Canterbury Tales were unfinished at Chaucer’s death• He had already penned nearly 20,000 lines• Many more tales were planned• Chaucer portrayed himself in the Canterbury tales
– A short, plump, slightly foolish pilgrim– Commanded no great respect
The Canterbury Tales
The Tales
The Canterbury Tales are the stories told by a group of pilgrims traveling
from the Tabard Inn in London to visit Saint Thomas Becket’s Shrine at
Canterbury Cathedral.
Poetry versus Prose
Most of The Canterbury Tales are composed in verse, or poetry.
However, two of the tales are told in prose, or short story-style writing.
Chaucer’s Poetry
• The Canterbury Tales are written in Iambic Pentameter.
• Iambs are poetic feet that are an unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed syllable.
• An example would be:• “Come live/with me/my Love”• Pentameter is a line of poetry with
five metrical feet.
The Tales
The Canterbury Tales are told in a Frame Narrative. This means that
the main story is written to organize several smaller stories within the work. Essentially, the main story frames the tales of the travelers
within.
The Tales
The Tales are made up of the stories of several pilgrims traveling to
Canterbury. These pilgrims make up both upper and lower class, and
include members from all walks of life.
Some examples:A monk, a pardoner, a sailor, a miller,
a carpenter, and a knight, as well as the Wife of Bath
The Tales
The travelers, to help pass the time of their journey, agree to tell four stories each. Two on the way to Canterbury, and two on the return voyage. At the end of they journey, the best story, judged by the host, will earn its teller a free meal, courtesy the rest of the pilgrims.
The Tales
The Knight begins the story-telling, and the stories continue on the trip to Canterbury.
However, in the end, no winner is chosen, and the stories are never finished.
The Tales
The tales themselves vary in nature.
Some of the pilgrims tell tales that represent their social position.
Others tell stories to make fun of others in the group.
The Tales
At the end of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer wrote a retraction.
This retraction intended to apologize for anything in the stories which may have been inappropriate or offensive.
Locations in The Canterbury Tales
The Tabard Inn
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury Cathedral
Why Canterbury Cathedral?
Why, to honor Saint Thomas Becket, of course!
St. Thomas Becket
• Thomas Becket was born ~1118 (Over 200 Years prior to The Canterbury Tales)
• Appointed Archdeacon of Canterbury by Theobald, the current Archbishop
• Appointed Lord Chancellor by King Henry II
St. Thomas Becket
• Becket, a friend and fellow noble, even housed Henry’s son (aptly named Henry) for a time.
• The young Henry said that Becket showed him more love in a day than his father did in a lifetime
• This would eventually cause the young Henry to turn against his father.
St. Thomas Becket
• In 1162, several months after the death of Theobald, Thomas Becket is appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.
• Henry II hoped to use Becket to sway his influence on the Church and diminish its power in England.
• Becket drops his Chancellorship in favor of his new position and authority.
St. Thomas Becket
• Becket consolidates the land revenues of Canterbury under his control (which normally were paid to the king as land tax).
• This begins a conflict between Church and State, where Henry II struggles with Becket for power in England. Henry II wishes to be the absolute ruler of both Church and State.
The Constitutions of Clarendon
• The major feud between Henry II and Becket took place due to the Constitutions of Clarendon.
• These constitutions would give the clergy less power and weaken the Church’s connection with Rome.
• Becket refused to sign the constitutions.
Becket is Summoned to Trial
• As a result of Becket’s refusal to sign the Constitutions of Clarendon, Henry II summons him to appear before a court at Northampton Castle.
• Becket is charged with contempt of royal authority and malfeasance. (Performing an act that is unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law by a public official)
Becket’s Trial
• Becket is convicted of these charges.• He flees the court and escaped to
continental Europe for safety.• Eventually, due to threats against
Becket’s friends and supporters, he returns.
• Becket desired to excommunicate Henry II, but Pope Alexander III wanted a more diplomatic solution.
Becket’s Reactions
• Despite the opinions of the Pope and papal legates, Becket eventually excommunicates 20 of Henry’s companions.
• Finally, a threat by the Pope to excommunicate the entire population of England led to a compromise by Henry, and he allowed Becket to resume his position.
Becket’s Reactions
• King Henry the Young is crowned king, and the coronation is handled by three bishops. The coronation was supposed to be handled by Canterbury.
• Becket excommunicates the three bishops. Word of this reaches the king. In his anger, he utters, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?"
Becket’s Murder
• Several knights, four to be exact, take this as a royal order.
• They seek out Becket in Canterbury, and after attempts to draw him out of the Cathedral, rush in with swords and murder him.
After Becket’s Murder
• A shrine and memorial were established for Becket at Canterbury. However, the shrine was destroyed as part of Henry VIII’s campaign to punish those who challenge a king’s authority in England.
• By 1173, Becket was canonized by Pope Alexander III only 3 years after his death.
The Shrine of Saint Thomas
King Henry VIII ordered Becket’s shrine to be destroyed around 300 years
after it was built. There is, however, a memorial to Saint Thomas a
Becket, and the site remains where his shrine once stood.
About Saint Thomas’ Shrine
“The King is also enthusiastic about Saint Thomas Becket - enthusiastic about giving him his come uppance for treasonably challenging the God given authority of an English King. So Becket's bones are disinterred, tried in a court of law, found guilty, decanonised and burned. The King also orders the destruction of all Becket memorabilia and "portraits" in England.”
Source:http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20Pages/UK/Britain_South_and_West/Canterbury_Cathedral/Canterbury.htm
The Shrine of Saint Thomas
Since the shrine was destroyed, we don’t know exactly what it looked like. But, we do think it may
have looking similar to this recreation of the Shrine of Saint
Alban.
The Shrine of Saint Thomas
The remains of the Shrine of Saint Thomas:
The Memorial to Saint Thomas
A memorial now stands where Saint
Thomas was cut down and
murdered in Canterbury Cathedral.
Middle Englishversus
Modern English
A Comparison
Middle English
• On the following slides are examples from the Canterbury Tales in Middle English and then in Modern English.
Middle English• Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote• The droghte of March hath perced to the roote• And bathed every veyne in swich licour,• Of which vertu engendred is the flour;• Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth• Inspired hath in every holt and heeth• The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne• Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,• And smale foweles maken melodye,• That slepen al the nyght with open eye-• (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);• Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages• And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes• To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
Modern English• When in April the sweet showers fall• That pierce March's drought to the root and all• And bathed every vein in liquor that has power• To generate therein and sire the flower;• When Zephyr also has with his sweet breath,• Filled again, in every holt and heath,• The tender shoots and leaves, and the young sun• His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,• And many little birds make melody• That sleep through all the night with open eye• (So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)• Then folk do long to go on pilgrimage,• And palmers to go seeking out strange strands,• To distant shrines well known in distant lands.
