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Characterisation of the Canterbury tales
Characterisation of the Canterbury tales
The canterbury tales summary essay
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The Canterbury Tales is a set of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the fourteenth century. The stories were told by a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral, in hopes to see a shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. To make time go by the host recommended each pilgrim tell a tale. The tale that each character gives, reveals that person’s background and life. Some pilgrims matched their stereotype of that time but most do not. The Prioress, Madame Eglentyne, and Wife of Bath, Allison, are two characters that do not fit their stereotype of the Middle Ages. Geoffrey Chaucer demonstrates a reflection of change in The Canterbury Tales by comparing their appearances, actions, and morals.
The Prioress and Wife of Bath do not match the typical appearance of their character in the Middle Ages. Chaucer gives the Prioress abnormal pieces of clothing that do not suit that of a head nun; she wears a headdress and bracelet (“The Prioress”). The Prioress wore a wimple but where it shows her forehead. In the Middle Ages a woman showing her forehead was a sign of good breeding (Wickham). A wimple is supposed to cover the neck, cheeks, and chin not the forehead which is considered “sexually suggestive”. The Prioress being head nun is said to be “chastised” and showing very little skin. The Prioress also wore a bracelet, or rosary, of bold colors that says “Amor Vincit Omina” meaning “Love Conquers All” (“The Prioress”). The saying “Love Conquers All” leaves questioning if it means romantic love or heavenly love; nuns were not to show love to earthly things. The Prioress wearing bright colored beads and a wimple showing sexual parts reveals she is worried about material possessions and appearances (Wickham). Unlike the Prioress, Chaucer gi...
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Ruud, Jay and Jones, Stacey. “The Practice of PR and The Canterbury Pilgrims.” Clcweb: Comparative Literature & Culture: A Wwweb Journal 11.2 (2009). Literary Reference Center. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
“The Prioress”. Chaucer’s Pilgrims and Their Clothing University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.
“The Wife of Bath”. Chaucer’s Pilgrims and Their Clothing University of Michigan, n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014.
Wickham, Victoria. “Chaucer’s Prioress: Simple and
Conscientious, or Shallow and Counterfeit?” Luminarium:
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Williams, David. The Canterbury Tales: A Literary Pilgrimage. Massachusetts: Boston, 1987. Print.
The Nun Prioresses is a prime example of Chaucer’s use of physical appearance to make criticism of a certain social class. In the general prologue, the nun’s non-physical characteristics describe her as trying to be better than herself by,”
The Canterbury Tales is about a religious journey, a Catholic pilgrimage to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket. Chaucer does not disparage the mission itself; rather he seems to uphold the value of such an expedition, even though he may question the motives of the individuals who are taking this journey. I believe that the major point that Chaucer was trying to advance was that the beliefs, rites, and customs of the Cath...
Are there many ways that themes and symbols can be shown in stories? Geoffrey Chaucer uses many different themes, symbols and styles in writing all of tales in The Canterbury Tales. By using these things, Geoffrey utilizes several specific symbols to illustrate various central themes. The characters in the tales make the same mistakes that ordinary people would make, and they receive the same or even worse consequences. One message that is portrayed is greed can make people to evil actions. An example of this is in "The Pardoner's Tale," when the three friends wind up killing each other because of their greed for the money. The second message that is displayed is that one should be careful when meeting strangers and to be cautious of the sincerity of false flattery from those that one does not know. For example, in "The Nun's Priest's Tale," Chanticleer falls for false flattery from Sir Russell Fox, but then he gets even with him when he to uses it to trick Sir Russell Fox. The third and last message that is shown is that reformation in a person can occur because of some type of punishment. This theme occurs in " The Wife of Bath," in that the lady that the knight has to marry is old and ugly, but because of this punishment of having to marry her, he eventually starts to like her. As shown with the three friends in "The Pardoner's Tale", greed stabs friends in the back and deceives them into doing wrong. There are two occasions in which the three friends plot against each other so one may receive more money than the others may. First of all, the three friends find a collection of gold coins under a tree, which they decide should be theirs and they choose to try to take it. They realize ...
Critics interpreting Chaucerian depictions of drunkenness have traditionally focused on the state as an unalloyed vice, citing variously as justification the poet’s Christian conservatism, his intimate association with the disreputable London vintner community, and even possible firsthand familiarity with alcoholism. While we must always remain vigilant to the evils of excessive inebriation, to portray Chaucer’s images of drink and revelry in The Canterbury Tales as an unqualified denunciation is to oversimplify the poet’s work and to profane his art. By fusing his portrayals of drunkenness with the revelation of truth and philosophical insight, Chaucer demonstrates the capacity of wine and ale to evoke the funky earthiness of humanity that we so desperately seek to avoid and that is so fundamental to our corporeal experience.
Canterbury Tales as a whole was very interesting. It has introduced us to a way of life that we never knew existed. It also introduced us to a type of crude humor that we have never been exposed to. It has shown us a true side of life during the Middle Ages. We have learned many things already from our World History teachers, but to experience it first hand is a different story. To experience the jokes, the merriment, and culture opens the gates to a new world. I think that these tales have been very entertaining, and enriching. I liked all the tales that I have read. I think that Geoffrey Chaucer was right to record culture the way it is, and not have toned it down to fit the needs of religion. The culture is the way it is, and no one can change it, only to record it. Chaucer recorded like he saw it, with no bias or impure intentions. He was just an author trying to write a book, for people to read and enjoy.
The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a collection of short stories told amongst pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. The pilgrims are competing against one another to see who can tell the best story on their trip. Along the way Chaucer makes quick comments and critics about the travelers. Some pilgrims he likes, for example the Parson. Others like the Pardoner, are disliked strongly by Chaucer. He also finds some pilgrims entertaining, like the Nun. She is described as a women who, instead of centering her life round Christ, tries to impress everyone. Although in his prologue Chaucer pokes fun at the Nun’s appearance and behavior, ultimately the readers can see that Chaucer
In The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, the stereotypes and roles in society are reexamined and made new through the characters in the book. Chaucer discusses different stereotypes and separates his characters from the social norm by giving them highly ironic and/or unusual characteristics. Specifically, in the stories of The Wife of Bath and The Miller’s Tale, Chaucer examines stereotypes of women and men and attempts to define their basic wants and needs.
There are many similarities between William Shakespeare’s Othello and Geoffrey Chaucer’s Pardoner, out of his collection of tales entitled The Canterbury Tales. The stories can be compared to each other in different ways. The two most prominent themes in the stories are found in love and deception. The two themes are centered on the idea that tricking someone into trust will gain a person their own desires. The antagonists in both Othello and “The Pardoner’s Tale” are men that have one objective and they use any means necessary to accomplish their selfish and personal pursuit. The stories of both Othello and The Miller’s tale have a trifecta of characters that keep the stories in motion; the similarities between the two stories have very parallel plot structure. They both contain a power struggle, regardless if it is for personal gain between two men over one woman, in relation to how this woman can grant them their desires, or whether it is for the pursuit to get away with their villainous ply for material possessions. Whether it is love, power, or sex. Geoffrey Chaucer’s Pardoner, from The Canterbury Tales, and William Shakespeare’s Iago, from Othello, are both good examples of misleading and deceptive characters. These two literary figures techniques of manipulation are acutely effective on the other characters in Chaucer’s and Shakespeare’s works.
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, (written c. 1387), is a richly varied compilation of fictional stories as told by a group of twenty-nine persons involved in a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury, England during the fourteenth century. This journey is to take those travelers who desire religious catharsis to the shrine of the holy martyr St. Thomas a Becket of Canterbury. The device of a springtime pilgrimage provided Chaucer with a diverse range of characters and experiences, with him being both a narrator and an observer. Written in Middle English, each tale depicts parables from each traveler.
The Canterbury Tales is more than an amusing assortment of stories; it is an illustration of the society in which Geoffrey Chaucer lived. It portrays the culture and class system of the medieval ages in microcosm. Every strata of human life at the time were represented by the many characters whose tales are told. Each character’s basic human nature also plays a role in their stories, and each one has within them the strengths and weaknesses that make up all of humanity. Each character exemplifies their life and reputation through the stories they tell. The Pardoner uses his tale as a ploy to garner money. His tale embodies each deadly sin, and every reader can relate to his story and feel the guilt of his characters. The Wife of Bath’s tale expresses her own ideals in the way her character is given a second chance after committing a crime. The Franklin’s tale, because of its straightforwardness and honesty is a direct representation of the Franklin’s simple and joyful life. Each character tells a tale that is a suitable match to their personality. These characters’ tales represent prevalent themes of the middle ages, including greed, corruption of religious clergymen, violence, revenge, and social status. In Chaucer’s society, the traditional feudal system was losing its importance and the middle class began to emerge. The middle class characters within the Canterbury Tales, with their personal lives and interactions with members of differing social classes, gave an understanding of the growth of society, especially the rising middle class, during medieval times.
The Wife of Bath represents the "liberal" extreme in regards to female stereotypes of the Middle Ages. Unlike most women being anonymous during the Middle Ages, she has a mind of her own and voices herself. Furthermore, she thinks extremely highly of herself and enjoys showing off her Sunday clothes whenever the opportunity arises. She intimidates men and women alike due to the power she possesses. Because of her obnoxious attitude Chaucer makes her toothless, fat and large. Doubtlessly, she is very ugly, almost to the point of "not-presentable. This to me shows how Chaucer depicts what men don't want. The Prioress, on the other hand, serves as a foil to the Wife of Bath. Chaucer describes her as "tender-hearted" who cannot bear the sight of pain or physical suffering. She will cry at the thought of a dog dying. It could represent that she has a frail soul with low tolerance for pain and suffering. The latter description carries over into the modern stereotypes about women as skittish and afraid members of society who need to be cared for.
The Canterbury Tales is a very popular and well known set of stories, written by Geoffrey Chaucer. This collection of stories is great entertainment and some even provide very good moral lessons; most of these stories show the contempt Chaucer had for the Church of England which had control at the time over most of England. Chaucer’s bias towards the corruption of the Church is best demonstrated in the Pardoner’s Prologue, in contradiction with the Parson’s Tale, and the level of power within the Church structure. These are two of the stories of the many that are in The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer uses the Pardoner as a high level leader who is corrupt and yet enables him to convert the sinners even if he does it for personal gain. While the Parson is of lower standing in the Church, he is not corrupt, and gives the message to the pilgrims so that they might be forgiven.
The Canterbury Tales, written by Chaucer, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an anonymous author, are both sophisticated fourteenth-century examples of medieval romance. Medieval romances captured the heart of their audiences as narratives and stories that featured a protagonist, often a knight, and dealt with religious allegories, chivalry, courtly love, and heroic epics. The concept of the knight emerged from the remnants of the Anglo-saxon literature and ideals and influence of the Christian religion and church. There is a distinct difference between the famous pagan heroic like Beowulf and the romantic medieval tales like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight of the Canterbury Tale. The Anglo-Saxon hero Beowulf exemplified qualities expected of warriors who could attain kingship by their heroism and battle deeds. They possessed the qualities of valor, military prowess, generosity, and honor. The hero fights for the survival of their tribe and nation, and it is in battle that the mettle of the epic hero is ultimately tested. The romantic conventions , influenced by Christianity and French ideals, created a new chivalric knight who sets out on a trial or adventure. They possessed similar qualities to their epic hero counterparts – valor, loyalty, honor, and skill in battle – but differed in knowing temperance, courtesy towards women, and courtly skills. The hero is no longer fighting for his people but for his ideals. By the 14th century, The Tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Canterbury Tales have began to criticize the notion of chivalry which had become old and obsolete in their society; the idealization of chivalry practiced by knights could longer withstand the complexities and indeterminateness of situa...
The Canterbury Tales is a great contemplation of stories, that display humorous and ironic examples of medieval life, which imitate moral and ethical problems in history and even those presented today. Chaucer owed a great deal to the authors who produced these works before his time. Chaucer tweaked their materials, gave them new meanings and revealed unscathed truths, thus providing fresh ideas to his readers. Chaucer's main goal for these tales was to create settings in which people can relate, to portray lessons and the irony of human existence.
While in reflection of the readings this semester, I could not deny that Chaucer’s collection should be preserved as the author succeeded in what his stories were meant to accomplish: to “delight and instruct”. With the alluring variety of characters and entertaining situations which are described in well-chosen detail, each story is provided by the pilgrims. Additionally, as each of the chosen tales (as stated in the course reading syllabus) provides a lesson that is still relevant after five centuries, the “instruction” comes from these universal morals. Therefore, in the course of this essay, I wish to provide reason as to why The Canterbury Tales should be preserved by looking further into the selected tales (“The Miller’s Tale”, “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale”, and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale) in reference to the following: the literary variety expressed in the stories, the morals given in the selected tales, and its references to English society at Chaucer’s time. 1).