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the canterbury tales by jeffrey chaucer
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was written in the late 1300s
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soon after the bubonic plague killed
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millions of people in
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england and throughout europe chaucer
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was one of the first english poets to
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write in the vernacular of middle
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english popularizing the language of his
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day
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the poem is a collection of 24 stories
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built around a framed narrative
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about a group of pilgrims making their
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journey to canterbury
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chaucer's work addresses gender
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relations religion
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and sexual immorality within english
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society
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he critiques members of the nobility
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clergy and peasantry
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who were often in conflict with each
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other and uses
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satire to call attention to the
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pilgrim's hypocrisy
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chaucer unveils the vast spectacle of
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human failings
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by exposing the pilgrims preoccupation
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with worldly endeavors while on a
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religious pilgrimage
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to canterbury cathedral the canterbury
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tells begins with the famous words
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when april comes with his sweet fragrant
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showers
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which pierce the dry ground of march and
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bathe
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every root of every plant in sweet
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liquid
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then people desire to go on pilgrimages
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the narrator who is meant to be a
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version of chaucer himself
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is staying at the tabard inn in
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southwark just outside the gates of
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london
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when the company of 29 pilgrims descend
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the end's owner and host harry bailey
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sets up a challenge
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each pilgrim should tell four tales on
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their journey
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two on the way to the shrine of martyr
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saint thomas albeckett at canterbury
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cathedral
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and two on their way back to london
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the host will accompany them so he can
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judge the best story
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and the other pilgrims will pay for the
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winner's supper upon their return
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the narrator then introduces the
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pilgrims starting with the knight
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who has the highest status and drew the
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shortest lot for the right to tell the
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first tale
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the knight is a chivalrous nobleman who
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has fought in the crusades in numerous
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countries in defense of christendom
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he is honored for his worthiness and
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courtesy
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the knight's fashion tunic made of
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coarse cloth
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has rust stains from his coat of
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chainmail
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the knight's son the squire accompanies
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him
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at 20 years old the squire is a lover
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and a lusty bachelor
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wearing clothes embroidered with red and
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white flowers
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he constantly sings or plays the flute
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and is the only pilgrim
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other than chaucer himself who
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explicitly
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has literary ambitions
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the yeoman or a freeborn servant
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also travels with the knight clad in a
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coat and a hood of green
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he carries arrows made of peacock
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feathers
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a bracer or an arm guard a sword
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a buckler and a dagger as sharp as a
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spear
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he wears an image of saint christopher
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on his breast
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the narrator then moves on to the clergy
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the prires called madame eglentine or
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mrs sweetbreyer sweetly sings religious
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services
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speaks french and has excellent table
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manners
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she would weep if she saw a mouse caught
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in a trap
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and she has small dogs with her she
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wears a brooch with the inscription
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amor winkit omnia or love
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conquers all the prayers travels with
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the second nun
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who serves as her secretary as well as
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three priests
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the monk is next a modern man who
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prefers to hunt hair with his greyhounds
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rather than read books in a cloister the
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monk is well fed
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fat and his eyes gleam like a furnace in
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his head
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the friar named hubert is wonton and
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mary
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and is licensed to beg in certain
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districts
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franklins or landowners love him as do
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worthy women
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all over town he hears confession
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and gives absolution and is an excellent
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beggar
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the merchant wears a forked beard motley
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clothes
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and sits high upon his horse
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he gives his opinion solemnly and does
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excellent business
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never being in any debt but the narrator
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ominously remarks that he
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the narrator doesn't know what other men
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think of the merchant
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next is the clerk a scholar of oxford
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university
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he would rather have 20 books by
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aristotle then rich clothes or musical
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instruments
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and thus is dressed in a threadbare
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short coat
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he only has a little gold which he
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spends on books
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and learning the man of law
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or sergeant of the law is judicious
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and dignified or at least seems to be
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no one can find a flaw in his legal
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writings
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despite his high standing the man of law
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rides in a homely
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multi-colored coat a franklin travels
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with the man of law
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he has a beard as white as a daisy and
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is of the sanguine humor
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dominated by his blood he lives for
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culinary delight
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and his house is always full of meat pie
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fish and more meat
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the five guilds men include a
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haberdasher carpenter
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weaver dyer and tapestr
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representing an emerging middle class
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all of them are clothed
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in the same distinctive guildsman's
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dress
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none tells a tale
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roger the cook accompanies the five
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tradesmen to boil the chicken with
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marrow bones and spices for them
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but he also knows how to discern a good
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london ale
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he can also roast simmer boil
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fry stew and bake a good pie
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however it is a great pity that he has
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an ulcer
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on his shin a shipment from dartmouth is
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next
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tanned brown from the hot summer sun
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riding upon a cart horse
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and wearing a gown of coarse woolen
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cloth which reaches to his knees
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the shipment has many times drawn a
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secret draft of wine on board their
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ships
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while the merchant was asleep the
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shipment has weathered many storms
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and knows the locations of all the
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harbors from gotland to cape fenestere
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his ship is called the madeleine
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a doctor of medicine is clad in red and
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blue
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and speaks with great authority about
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medicine and surgery
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he knows the cause of every illness what
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humor engenders them
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and how to cure them he is well read in
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the standard medical authorities
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but has not studied the bible
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the wife of bath named alice owen is a
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little deaf
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she is adept at making cloth that
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surpasses even the cloth-making capitals
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of chaucer's world
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ipra and ghent the wife of bath wears
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linen coverings for her head which
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the narrator assumes must weigh
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10 pounds she has married
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five husbands in the church and has been
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to jerusalem
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rome and boulogne on pilgrimage
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she is gap-toothed and knows all the
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tricks of the trade when it comes to
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love
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a good religious man the parson of a
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town is
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pouring goods but rich in holiness
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he travels on foot to visit all his
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parishioners
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carrying a staff in his hand calling
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them
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his sheep a noble example to his flock
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he acts first and preaches second
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a plowman travels with the parson he has
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hauled
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many cart loads of dung in his time and
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is a good
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hard-working man who lives in peace and
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charity
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a miller comes next in this final group
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of pilgrims
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those of the lowest social status
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he always wins the prize in wrestling
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matches he can lift
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any door off its hinges or break it by
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running at it head first
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he has black wide nostrils carries
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a sword and a buckler or shield by his
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side
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and has a mouth like a great furnace
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he steals corn and takes payment for it
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three times
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but then chaucer implies there are no
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honest
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millers next is a noble manciple
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a business agent purchaser of religious
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provisions and a savvy financial
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operator trained in the law
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the narrator ominously tells us that the
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manciple would deceive
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even a heap of learned men
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the reeve is a slender choleric man
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long legged and lean he knows exactly
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how much grain he has
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and is an excellent keeper of his
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granary
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the reeve is an accountant who knows
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secrets about everyone
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bailiffs herdsmen and servants and all
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live in fear of him
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the summoner is next his face fire red
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and pimpled with narrow eyes
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he has a skin disease across his black
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brows and his beard
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which has hair falling out of it he is
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lecherous
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there is no cure to remove his pimples
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he loves drinking wine and eating leeks
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onions
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and garlic he summons people to appear
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in court
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traveling with the summoner is a noble
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partner his friend
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and his companion and the last pilgrim
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the narrator describes
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he sings loudly come hither love
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to me and has hair as yellow as wax
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he carries a wallet full of fake pardons
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in his lap from rome
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with a thin boyish voice the partner is
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sexually ambiguous
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finally chaucer describes harry bailey
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as the outspoken and merry host of the
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tabard inn
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he is large and bold with bright eyes
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then the narrator concludes that he has
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told us now of the estate
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or the class the array or the clothing
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and the number of pilgrims assembled in
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this company
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now their journey begins
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you
