geoffrey chaucer and_the_canterbury_tales
TRANSCRIPT
Geoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey ChaucerAnd The Canterbury Tales
www.jbhs.ccs.k12.nc.us/.../Geoffrey%20Chaucer%20and%20the%20Canterbury%20Tales.ppt, modified by Rebecca Oberg
Early LifeEarly LifeExact birth date unknown◦ (c. 1343-1400)
Father was a respected wine merchant—worked for many important people, including the king
Father found Chaucer employment as a “page.” Ran errands, delivered messages, carried baggage, etc.◦ Able to observe behavior of
aristocratsBegan to dislike people with
money and many members of the Church
YOUNG ADULT LIFEYOUNG ADULT LIFE
•Served in the English Army• Stationed in France• Taken hostage by the French government• King of England paid ransom (16 pounds)—equivalent to a
year’s pay for most Britains at the time• Chaucer did not gain any more respect for king
•1366—married Philippa de Roet. She died in 1387• Scholars believe they had three children. Little is known about
them:• Thomas• Elizabeth• Lewis
•Began to write negatively about the government and corruption in the Church
Government PositionsGovernment Positions•King wanted Chaucer on his side—gave him high-paying jobs that freed up his time so he could write:•Controller of Customs•Justice of the Peace•Member of Parliament•Diplomat to France and Italy•Supervisor of repairs and construction at Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London•Subforester of the King’s Forest
•Backfired on king—gave Chaucer more time to write, a great deal of money, and even more negative behavior to include in his writing
WritingsWritings•Began producing poetry in his twenties
•Was not received well•First book was called The Romance of the Rose
•Long narrative medieval romance•Chaucer translated much of it to Middle English, though he did not actually write it
•Greatest work is called The Canterbury Tales•Began writing it in 1386•Left unfinished when he died in 1400
DeathDeathDied in 1400Buried in “Poets’
Corner” of Westminster Abbey
First person to be buried there
2nd most famous British author ever (only Shakespeare more famous)
The Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury TalesFrame story—a series of
stories within a story◦ Prologue is the frame◦ Individual tales are WITHIN
the framePilgrimage to the shrine of
St. Thomas à Becket30 total pilgrims AND
the host (innkeeper)◦ Innkeeper is Chaucer—he
is their host and will judge the contest
The Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury Tales cont’d cont’dPilgrims come from the three main
segments of medieval society◦ Church◦ Royal Court◦ Commoners
Uses different characters to explain his prejudices about certain groups of people=STEREOTYPING
Each character had flaws OR virtues that were apparent in the tales that they told
The PrologueThe Prologue Sets up the frame Introduces the characters ◦ Stereotypes them
Explains the trip and the contest◦ 50 mile trip from The
Tabard Inn in Southwark, England to Canterbury◦ To pass the time, each
pilgrim will tell TWO tales on the way to the shrine, and TWO on the way back
The Prologue cont’dThe Prologue cont’d•Innkeeper will judge the tales•Winner receives a free dinner when they return to the Tabard•30 pilgrims=how many tales total?•SHOULD be 120•Only 24 tales were finished•Chaucer died before he could finish all of the tales
•Told in 1st person from the Innkeeper’s point-of-view•Scholars think it’s Chaucer speaking
““The Pardoner’s Tale”The Pardoner’s Tale”One of the tales in “The
Canterbury Tales”What is a Pardoner?◦ Church official with a license
from the Pope to grant “indulgences” (forgiveness)◦ Also collected money
(supposed to be for tithing)◦ Corrupt pardoners SOLD
forgiveness for money◦ This pardoner manipulates
people into buying forgiveness from sins—even threatens them
““The Pardoner’s Tale” cont’dThe Pardoner’s Tale” cont’dPreface (introduction) told
in 1st person by Pardoner◦ Describes himself◦ Brags about his FLAW◦ Tells the tale’s theme
“Radix malorem est cupiditas” Greed is the root of all evil
◦ GREED is defined as the love of something beyond one’s own needs◦ It is one of the Seven Deadly
Sins
““The Pardoner’s Tale” cont’dThe Pardoner’s Tale” cont’dThree main characters◦ Referred to as the three
riotersThe devil is portrayed in
many formsCharacters are looking
for death personifiedIncludes a final plea from
the Pardoner for the pilgrims to buy forgiveness from him