Presentation Transcript

1. Geoffrey Chaucer’s TheCanterbury Tales By Harold Bloom, Michelle Gideon, and Google images
2. The Middle Ages 1066-1480s A time of chivalry, feudalism, religious Crusades and pilgrimages.
3. The Crusades from 1095-1291 Pope Urban II launched a series of battles in 1095, known as the Crusades, to reclaim the Holy Lands from the barbarian Turks and alsoto solve some of his local problems of fighting and bloodshed. The Crusade’s goal was to defeat the Muslims in Syria and Palestine and eventually retake Jerusalem from the Egyptians.
4. To die for the Crusades was a great cause… According to the Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, your sins would be forgiven…so, killing in the “name of God,” that was ok… Funny thing, the Muslims were told the same thing~ and both Christianity and Islam believe “killing” is a sin…go figure! Whose side did God take, in the Crusades?
5. Pilgrims are persons who journey to distant places for devotional purposes. Pilgrimages reached their greatest vogue during the Middle Ages.
6. Pilgrims on the way to Compostella in Spain. Pilgrimages were one of the few ways in which people of the lower classes could legally travel beyond their villages.

7. Chaucer’s Life

   Born in the early 1340s, young Geoffrey Chaucer began life in the relatively secure and prosperous middle class in London.
8. In 1348, a rat hosting a flea carrying bacterium responsible for the Black Plague traveled on a ship from France to England, and nearly 1/3 of population died.
9. Chaucer and his family escaped the dirty, densely populated London and stayed in Southampton. As a boy, Chaucer served as a page. Pages were boys between 10-17 whose duties were to make beds, wait on tables and do whatever fit the whims of noble families. The job offered opportunity to learn manners and be exposed to diverse people.
10. Chaucer also must have learned much from observing folk where he grew up close to the markets and the docks.
11. Chaucer spent his lifetime as a well-respected public servant. In 1366 he married a lady-in-waiting in the court. They had one son. After his wife died, Chaucer stated he would never “to falle of weddynge in the trappe” – apparently he had a low opinion of marriage. In addition to being a diplomat and later controller of customs at the port of London, Chaucer was a poet.
12. Chaucer lived for a time in Greenwich, along the 56 mile long pilgrimage route between London and Canterbury, where he watched the continual stream of travelers. He began Canterbury Tales in 1387(ish) and continued until he died in 1400, leaving a great but incomplete work.
13. Chaucer was buried in London’s Westminster Abbey, the first in what is now known as Poets’ Corner.
14. When Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in the 14th century, the Roman Catholic Church was a powerful institution in Western Europe. The church was the center of daily life in every town. Church bells announced the time for work, meals, rest, and for mass. The church’s universities and monasteries became centers for learning and Gothic cathedrals were architectural marvels – enormous buildings with immense interior open spaces, religious images, and colored light. For believers, praying in a cathedral was like experiencing heaven on earth. Cathedral in Milan
15. Canterbury Cathedral
16. Canterbury Cathedral Built from 1070-1077 , with additions during the following 9 centuries. Some of the sections and stained glass windows are original 12th century structures.
17. The shrine of Thomas a Becket is located in the Canterbury Cathedral near the spot where the Archbishop Becket was murdered in December 1170 by soldiers acting on orders from King Henry II.
18. This is the site of the actual martyrdom in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. Originally, Becket was buried in a simple tomb in the cathedral’s crypt. In 1173, Pope Alexander canonized Becket, which elevated him to sainthood.
19. When Becket was killed, locals kept pieces of cloth soaked in his blood. Rumors soon spread that, when touched by this cloth, people were cured of blindness, epilepsy and leprosy. This Canterbury stained glass window which documents what the original tomb in the crypt may have looked like. The holes in the side of the tomb allowed pilgrims to touch Becket's coffin to seek a blessing or cure from the saint.
20. Canterbury, because of its religious history, had always seen a large number of pilgrims. After the death of Becket, the number of pilgrims visiting the town grew rapidly. Becket's shrine at Canterbury became the most important place in the country for pilgrims to visit. In Chaucer’s time, pilgrimages to Becket’s shrine were common. In 1220, Becket's bones were moved to a new gold-plated shrine placed on a raised platform supported by pillars.
21. The Canterbury Talesby Geoffrey Chaucer
22. Without the yet-to-be-invented printing press, books were rare and handmade. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales were well suited for reading aloud. Interconnected but able to stand alone, the stories are about familiar and colorful people who portray a lively sense of medieval England. The importance of hierarchy – both secular and ecclesiastical – filled their daily lives. Chaucer
23. The characters in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales are embarking on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. From the speed of the horses carrying the pilgrims to Canterbury comes the word canter, still used to describe a slow gallop.
24. Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories inside a frame story. Frame story – when a story is told within a narrative setting or frame – creating a story within a story. The Canterbury Tales is 1 of the best examples of a frame story in English literature. “The Prologue” is the frame, describing the narrative setting and explaining who the characters are. Rhymed couplets – two successive line of verse that rhyme. All but two stories in Canterbury Tales are written in rhymed couplets.
25. Now let’s read the story and return to this presentation later … We’ll begin by listening to The Prologue read in its original Middle English.
26. Chaucer originally planned four tales for each of the thirty pilgrims. At his death, only the Prologue and 24 tales (two incomplete) were written. The pilgrims’ stories reflect the values and conflicts that animated Chaucer’s medieval England. Pilgrim Chaucer is the narrator and Poet Chaucer is Chaucer. Got it?
27. The Knight The first pilgrim to be described and the first to tell a tale, the Knight carries the most authority in medieval society and serves both secular and religious ideals. This knight’s perfection is a measure for all who follow.
28. The Squire The curly-headed son of the Knight has plenty of zeal but lacks discipline. “A lad of fire,” the Squire is so preoccupied with his lady-love that “he slept as little as a nightingale.”
29. The Yeoman Traveling as a servant to both the Knight and the Squire is the green and brown Yeoman. The longbow was a new weapon in Chaucer’s time.
30. The Prioress The first of Chaucer’s religious figures and the first to be given a name. Her personality is marked by striking contradictions. She swoons over an injured mouse but not for poor people. Her spoiled little dogs get more of her devotion than God, and they get leftovers from the convent kitchen. Another quality not commonly associated with a nun is the Prioress’s apparent preoccupation with social position and appearance – concerns more appropriate for a lady of the court.
31. The Monk with his hounds The second of the religious figures, the Monk is NOT a humble figure associated with a life of prayer, fasting, and service. This monk’s idea of manual labor consists of riding his horse to the hunt and eating heartily afterwards. Rejecting the monastic life, this “manly” monk is impressively robust and “a prelate fit for exhibition,” according to the narrator’s unsubtle observation.
32. The Merchant The Merchant is “worthy” in the sense that he takes responsibility for high-stakes ventures - risking piracy and capricious weather at sea to bring goods to his clients. His deceit is not of others but about himself. Actually in debt, he must appear successful to keep his business going.
33. The Clerk “Clerk” in Chaucer’s time referred to someone associated with the ecclesiastical or intellectual life. Chaucer’s Clerk, an Oxford student, lives without physical comforts. He is thin and his clothes are threadbare (more like how a friar or monk should dress). He cares little for money (unlike the friar or merchant) and possesses no phoniness, hypocrisy, or self-serving ways. He is cheerful “And gladly would he learn, and gladly teach.”
34. Man of Law Disconcertingly similar to the contemporary cynical image of a lawyer. The narrator’s conjecture that the Lawyer is not as busy as he likes to appear, nor as rich, is an amusing bit of satire about the legal profession. Chaucer’s lawyer more frequently uses his knowledge to acquire real estate than to administer justice. Like the Merchant and Friar, the Lawyer is skilled at concealing his self-promoting motives.
35. The Franklin The pagan philosopher Epicurus (321-270 B.C.E.) located happiness in the sensual pleasure, especially food. The narrator calls the Franklin “Epicurus’ very son” because the he happily uses his wealth for gustatory and social pleasures. His hospitality is abundant and always extended. He covets no additional wealth and is neither deceptive nor self-deceiving. His robust coloring and jovial nature suggest a kind of Santa Claus.
36. The Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, and Tapestry-maker are tradesman belonging to the same guild, an institution similar to a modern union. Chaucer’s attention to their finely detailed apparel suggests their skill, prosperity, and aspirations to a higher social class. Their wives are pretentious and showy. Chaucer’s amusement with pretensions animates these satirical portraits, but upheavals in the social hierarchy of his time were a reality informing these various portrayals.
37. The Cook The guild brings its own cook – another show of prosperity. The cook is talented but the ulcer on his leg makes the thought of eating his meals unappetizing. The narrator’s congeniality of description prevents any mention of disgust or disease associated with unhealed wounds. The satire and revulsion of this scene are experienced wholly by the reader, while the narrator continues merrily on his way.
38. The Shipman/Seaman The seaman is described like a pirate, but he may simply be a merchant mariner who could turn into a rogue. Chaucer reports only his activity, and this skillful scoundrel sails right by without eliciting any judgment from the narrator.
39. The Doctor His colorful attire advertises his affluence, but his professional ethics are compromised as the doctor profits from the plague, along with his accomplice the apothecary. The narrator seems impressed with the doctor’s knowledge of medicine and healing. Medieval medicine combined the patient’s symptoms with his/her planetary sign to diagnose and treat afflictions. Human health was maintained by a balance of the 4 elements and humors – earth/black bile, air/blood, water/phlegm, fire/ yellow bile.
40. Wife of Bath Flamboyant, formidable, and gap-toothed, the wife enjoys social chatter. Details of manner and dress identify her as a member of the rising middle class. Strong-willed, she has outlived five husbands and under church law she would have been entitled to five separate inheritances, making her a rare figure for medieval audiences: an independent woman with sufficient means to travel alone. Poignancy mingles with her confident self-assertiveness; she remains vibrant although she has seen plenty of death and laments her own aging.
41. The Parson The Parson is the first honest practitioner of his sacred duties and reminds us of human decency. Humble and holy, the Parson is a hovering shepherd devoted to each sheep, no matter how far it strayed from the flock. The Parson stands at the opposite end of the ethical spectrum from the Friar, Pardoner, and Summoned.
42. Plowman Another virtuous pilgrim is the Plowman, an honest hardworking laborer. His is the lowliest work, and the narrator twice portrays him hauling manure. (You’ve got to love a poet who uses the word “dung”!) This peasant farmer provides an essential service, and while his brother the Parson attends to spiritual needs, the Plowman attends to the physical needs for sustaining life on earth.
43. The Miller The Miller is comically grotesque with his hairy wart, flared nostrils, and large mouth. He mills grain and cheats his customers. He plays the bagpipes and likes to show off by smashing doors with his head and telling ribald tales.
44. Manciple The Manciple buys provisions for an organization of lawyers. He pays less for the goods than he gets in reimbursement and pockets the difference. The narrator seems more amused than shocked by the Manciple’s cleverness in outwitting his employers.
45. Reeve A reeve serves the lord of an estate. Chaucer’s Reeve is another petty crook, an embezzler of sorts, who gets as much profit out of the work done by serfs but reports a lower yield to the lord and keeps the difference. Although he has a spiffy horse and home, the Reeve’s dress and demeanor suggest a life devoid of pleasure and meaning. The Reeve is so shameless he lends money to the lord from whom he has stolen.
46. The deceitfulness of the next two pilgrims, the Summoner and the Pardoner, is especially egregious because each is entrusted with a sacred service to the Church community. Summoners earned their living by summoning to trial all violators of Church laws. Offenses included failure to tithe, committing adultery, or cursing in God’s name.
47. Summoner Chaucer’s Summoner repels everyone with his incurable pimply skin, garlic breath, and the fact that no one wants to be the object of his attention. Fear of false accusation tempts others to offer him bribes, and he takes bribes from the real wrong-doers in exchange in not hauling them off to court.
48. Church doctrine held that charitable donations could earn pardons for the donors’ sins. Pardoners traveled from congregation to congregation to offer a pardon, receive the donation and deliver it safely to the beneficiary. Chaucer’ Pardoner invents phony beneficiaries and offers illegitimate forgiveness. The donations he pockets for himself, which violates the sacred authority of Christendom. The Pardoner is headed for Hell, unless he repents, which is unlikely.
49. Pardoner The Pardoner’s bulging eyeballs and waxlike hair hanging down his back like rat-tails are off-putting. He has no body hair and is compared to a “gelding or a mare,” suggesting either impotence or uselessness. The Pardoner traffics in phony relics and boasts about tricking innocent believers.
50. Both narrator and host hold distinctive positions on the pilgrimage. Harry Bailly is a gregarious tavern host who transforms a religious pilgrimage into a secular storytelling contest – a diversion from the sacred to the mundane – a temptation the more earnest people succumb to. He assigns himself the role of organizer and literary critic, which shifts the narrator to the edge of the action.
51. The narrator can now report without taking responsibility for what happens along the way. Chaucer’s narrator is the lens through which we see the whole spectacle.
52. The Plot The narrator is lodged at the Tabard Inn at Southwark (Suth’ – ick) - both actual places near London, approximately 54 miles from the Shrine at Canterbury, a church still and also a tourist site.
53. He encounters and joins 29 pilgrims also preparing for a pilgrimage to pay homage to St. Thomas. All are portrayed as they appear to him, he announces. This qualification absolves him of responsibility for content and reminds us that appearances aren’t everything.
54. Bibliography Bloom’s Guides: Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008.