Chaucer Review

The Canterbury Tales

What is the purpose of “The Prologue”?To reveal the characters and set up the frame story.

Chaucer use the frame story to do what?

To tie the characters and the tales together

How does Chaucer reveal the traits of his pilgrims?• Direct or Indirect

• By describing their appearance.

• By describing their actions.

Who are the following pilgrims?

The Knight?

The Friar?

The Wife of Bath

The Monk

What evidence do you see that demonstrates the ‘Frame’ in the Prologue?Descriptions of the pilgrimage itself.Where did they start? Where were they going?Comments about the Tabard Inn

What are the key ideas of the Middle Ages?

• Feudalism

• Roman Catholic Church

• Progression of Poetry

• Chivalry

Which key idea is represented below?

In “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”, the old wife says to the knight, “I could set right what you suppose a [mistake], That’s if I cared to, in a day or two, If I were shown more courtesy by you…” (Probst 146; lines 282-284).

Chivalry

What is she really saying? What would be a good claim statement?

What key idea is being addressed in the quote below?• In the prologue, the narrator describes, “…down to

Canterbury they wend To seek the holy blissful martyr, quick To give his help to them when they were sick” (Probst 107; lines 16-18).

Roman Catholic Church

What is really being said in the quote?

Literary Elements • What is personification?

Giving an inanimate object human like qualities and characteristics.

• Where do you see it in in the Pardoner’s Tale? ( 2 occasions)

Death and Fortune

Literary ElementsWhat is situational irony?When the outcome of a situation is opposite of what you expect. Where do you see it in the Prologue?All of the church figures/pilgrims are corrupt and materialistic

Where do you see it in the Wife of Bath’s Tale?The old woman turns into a beautiful maiden

Where do you see it in The Pardoner’s Tale?When the three rioters end up all killing each other

What is depicted in the picture below?

What is the theme of the tale?

Why is it appropriate for this pilgrim to tell this tale?

What is depicted in the picture below?What is the theme of the tale?

Why is it appropriate for this pilgrim to tell this tale?

What is depicted in this video clip?

Chaucer clip

“The Prologue” setting up the frame of the story

Analyze the following description for characterization.•  There was a Plowman with him there, his brother; 

540     Many a load of dung one time or other             He must have carted through the morning dew.             He was an honest worker, good and true,             Living in peace and perfect charity,             And, as the gospel bade him, so did he, 545     Loving God best with all his heart and mind             And then his neighbor as himself, repined             At no misfortune, slacked for no content,             For steadily about his work he went             To thrash his corn, to dig or to manure 550     Or make a ditch; and he would help the poor             For love of Christ and never take a penny             If he could help it, and, as prompt as any,             He paid his tithes in full when they were due             On what he owned, and on his earnings too. 555     He wore a tabard smock and rode a mare.

• 20 multiple Choice questions/ No Short Answer• 3 on a cold read of a pilgrim’s description that we did

not cover. You must read the passage and analyze is for characterization and purpose.• 2 with quotes from pilgrim descriptions to analyze for

characterization• 6 on general structure and purpose of “The Prologue”• 3 on Wife of Bath’s Tale• 2 on Pardoner’s Tale• 2 on key ideas and claim statements• 2 on literary elements

Chaucer Summative