Language Arts 3-4H

Chaucer’s World: 14th Century England

Basic assumptions of the medieval world:
 Existence of a Christian afterlife
 2 paths: religious life or secular life
 Things of the world inferior to things of God
 Medieval passion for order/fear of disorder
 Recurrent image: Fortuna & the wheel
 Immutable order: one’s estat is an absolute, both sinful
& futile to rebel against
 Signaled by clothing (array), manner (curteisye)
Chaucer’s Middle English
 Angl0-Saxon Old English enriched by French, Latin
 Important, serious writing = French & Latin
 Light, often comic writing = English
 Chaucer’s high diction used for abstraction, while low,
colloquial diction used for comic relief; formal diction
(particularly when given in or mixed with Latin or
French) can sometimes be used to satirize intellectual
snobbery
29 pilgrims meet at
the Tabard Inn to On to Canterbury!
travel on pilgrimage
to Canterbury
Cathedral for
repentance, divine
goodwill, etc.
Canterbury
Cathedral is the
shrine of St. Thomas
Becket (1118-1170),
martyred by Henry
II’s henchmen while
at prayer in the
cathedral. If life is a
journey, pilgrimage
gives pilgrims a taste
of their ultimate
goal.
4 types of tale (some overlap)
 Bawdy: lewd content, usually for comic effect
 Morally instructive: teaches a moral lesson
 Satirical: obvious target; told in the hopes of inciting
change
 Allegorical: a tale in which one thing represents
another
Cross-section of society:
“Those who work”
(in order of hierarchy)
 Landed gentry: Franklin
 Professionals: Sergeant of the Law, Doctor of Physic
 Tradespeople: Merchant, Wife of Bath, Five
Guildsmen, Harry Bailly (tavern keeper), Miller
 Secular employees: Manciple, Reeve
 Laborers: Shipman, Yeoman, Cook
 Peasants: Plowman
Cross-section of society:
“Those who fight”
 Knight
 Squire
Cross-section of society:
“Those who pray”
 Religious orders: Monk, Prioress, Friar, Nun’s Priest,
Second Nun
 Parish clergy: Parson
 Student: Clerk at Oxford
 Church employees: Pardoner, Summoner
The Knight The Squire
 “Troth & honor, freedom  Son of the knight
and courtesy”  Apprentice—he is a
 Crusader knight-in-training
 Must be ready both to  Courtly lover & lusty
slay his foe and be a bachelor
perfect gentleman – code
of chivalry
The Yeoman The Prioress
 Country rustic  Madame Eglentyne
 Clothing signifies his  Well-mannered, tender-
country origins and hearted and sweet;
satirizes them as well knows social graces
 Values are primarily
social, not religious
The Monk The Friar
 Hypocritical—violates  Description is both
monastic rules of ironic and critical, notes
poverty, self-denial that the Friar prefers the
 Chaucer points out the society of tavern-keepers
problems of the church and ladies to lepers and
through him beggars.
 Has a side business to
support his more worldly
habits
The Merchant The Clerk
 Man of the business  Poor & sincere
world  Represents what a good
 Despite his appearance, scholar should be
bargaining, buying,  One of the few role
selling, trading, etc. = models in Canterbury
risk (he is also in debt) Tales (despite the fact
that he’s a little dull)
The Lawyer &
The Franklin The 5 Guildsmen
 Lawyer is competent,  Guild = medieval trade
knows the law = “For his union
science and for his heigh  Prosperity of tradesmen
renoun/Of fees and meant they could be
robes hadde he many “conspicuous
oon.” consumers” (above their
 Franklin is a country estat—disrupting order)
gentleman
 He is an Epicurean -
physical pleasure
(food)=happiness
The Cook
& the Shipman The Doctor
 Cook to the guildsmen  Has skill & knowledge;
(another sign of their doesn’t have dedication
wealth)  In it for the money: “For
 Good cooking, but little gold in phisik is a
attention to hygiene! cordial/Therefore he
 Shipman more of a pirate lovede gold in special”
than a seaman
The Miller &
the Manciple
 Miller is very “salt of the
earth” character
 Beauty = virtue in the
medieval world, so . . .
 Manciple is a profiteer--
he is the financial
manager of a law school
(Inn of Court)—pockets
the difference
The Reeve
 Manager/overseer of an
estate
 Skims profits of
employer also (same
class of people as
Manciple & Miller)
Wife of Bath The Parson &
the Plowman
 Alisoun, 5 times a widow  Parson is a truly good
 Inherited and earned man—the best of
(she is a weaver) income Chaucer’s religious
 Associated with the color
characters
red (her costume her  Pure Christian principles
face)  Plowman hauls dung for
 Traits—assertiveness & a living, but has a good
sensuality spiritual attitude
The Summoner The Pardoner
 Medieval physiognomy  Documented spiritual
at play . . . physical benefits from virtuous
condition symbolic of deeds (sold pardons)
spiritual condition  Also sold (dubious)
 His job was to summon relics
people to ecclesiastical  Takes advantage of the
courts faith of the poor and
simple