Learning About Medieval Life and Society from Chaucer's General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales

Learning About Medieval Life and Society from Chaucer's General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales

I have been studying Geoffrey Chaucer's General Prologue to the

Canterbury Tales, of which I looked specifically at six portraits,

these being: the Knight, his son, a young squire, the prioress, the

wife of Bath, the Miller and the Pardoner. From these portraits I was

able to observe the ways of life and society in medieval times. I

found out about social status, fashion, wealth, romantic love, the

importance of manners and the church during this era - and these are

just the topics I took particular interest in; there were many other

areas of medieval life and society that Chaucer's General Prologue to

the Canterbury Tales helped me find out about too.

Each portrait I studied dealt with different areas of medieval life

and society in some way; some portraits more than others. Wealth was

important amongst all these characters, as they all needed money to

cover the expenses of the trip from London to Canterbury. But wealth

in general was a topic which was portrayed through these characters as

an importance of medieval life and society. One portrait that had

great relevance to this was the Miller. He is quoted as a 'stout carl'

which shows him to be a rogue or a fraudster; someone who can not be

trusted. Later in the prologue of the Miller it is made known to us

that he steals corn and then sells it to the less fortunate for three

times the real price, which he can tell by simply running his thumb

through it. 'Well koude he stelen corn and tollen thrice; And yet he

hadde a thombe of gold, pardee.' It is evident that people living in

medieva...

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...ery much different to how it would be displayed today.

From reading Chaucer's General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, I

have found out about many different aspects of medieval life and

society. I have seen how people with such high status and authority

within the church could show such a vain and sinful character to

society, but with the naïve people, living an ordinary life, remaining

so oblivious to it all. I have seen the role of the church within

society during that era, and the affect it had on people's lives.

Medieval life and society was much more religious than any kind of

society people live in today, yet it was so strict in the means of

social status and wealth. Chaucer did a very detailed job in creating

an atmosphere of medieval life and society that people can read and

relate to in many different ways.