The Canterbury Tales Essay

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer's Pardoner is unique within the group travelling to Canterbury. While the Parson, the Wife
of Bath, the Clerk, and others would love to sway the group toward their respective opinions and
views, the Pardoner intends to swindle the group out of its money. His sermons are based on sound
theology, but they are rendered hollow by his complete lack of integrity in applying them to his
own life. He is a hypocrite – his root intention is to accrue money. Curiously, the Pardoner is openly
honest about the nature of his operations. The portrait of the Pardoner in the "General Prologue"
gives an overture to this character by stating simply what he does. He targets simple (often...show
more content...
The Pardoner's tale becomes a microcosm of the Canterbury Talesitself: an attempt to find a holy,
didactic message within entertainment and baseness. Further analysis of the Pardoner himself leads
to the question of whether there is any good within him. The Pardoner makes it extremely clear to
the group (and, incidentally, to us as readers) exactly how he swindles common people. He then
goes on to attempt the same actions against them after telling his tale, a seemingly absurd act.
Chaucer isn't simply being sloppy here in trying to convey the Pardoner's nature to us as readers – if
Chaucer didn't want the travelers to know how the Pardoner works, then he would have told us
more discreetly. There must be some reason for the Pardoner's indiscretion. Even while under the
influence (however great or small) of alcohol, he wouldn't tell the group what he does unless he
wanted to. It remains, then, to explore further the Pardoner's character and the reasons for his
actions. I stated earlier that the Pardoner's root intention is to accrue money. This is the account that
he offers himself. The Pardoner's lack of discretion, however, negates this root drive. If he only
wants money, then his presence in the pilgrimage is exclusively for swindling the others. He would
not have complicated that goal by revealing his art – which he does. This revealing, then, might be
explained as a perverse game or challenge to his skills as a con artist. Perhaps the
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The Characters in The Canterbury Tales Essay
The Purpose of the Characters in The Canterbury Tales
The characters introduced in the General Prologue of The Canterbury Tales each represent a
stereotype of a kind of person that Chaucer would have been familiar with in 14th Century England.
Each character is unique, yet embodies many physical and behavioral traits that would have been
common for someone in their profession. In preparing the reader for the tales, Chaucer first sets the
mood by providing an overall idea of the type of character who is telling the tale, then allows that
character to introduce themselves through a personal prologue and finally, the pilgrim tells their tale.
Through providing the reader with insight about the physical and personal traits of...show more
content...
Despite this unflattering introduction, however, the Miller cannot be considered a loathsome
person because his purpose is to provide comic relief. The Miller's appearance after the more
solemn Knight creates a contrast in mood and provides the reader with a more relaxed feeling going
into the remainder of the tales.
The Miller is described as a less than attractive man. His portrait is made in the following way:
He was short–sholdred, brood, a thikke knarre,
– His berd as any sowe or fox was reed,
And therto brood, as though it were a spade
Upon the cop right of his nose he hade
A werte, and thereon stood a toft of heres
Reed as the brustles of a sowes eres;
Hise nosethirles blake were and wyde.
("The General Prologue," 551–559)
These physical descriptions "were believed by the physiognomists to denote variously a shameless,
talkative, lecherous, and quarrelsome character (Riverside Chaucer, 820: PMLA 35, 1920,
189–209)." Like his appearance, his personality is also depicted as being very loud and disturbing.
He is depicted in the way that a young boy would be, only with the strength of a large adult. The
Miller acts out and rams his head against doors, which is a common trait of a two year old, however,
he is so big that it is said that:

Ther was no dore that he

The Nobility In The Canterbury Tales
Kensi Laube
Professor Parrish
British Literature I
15 September 2017
Thinking Piece #5
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales: The General Prologue portrays the newly formed social division in
Medieval England by having people from the noble, gentry, church, and working social groups come
together on a journey to the Canterbury Chapel. A modern–day American version of this poem
would also include a diverse group of people. The nobility in The Canterbury Talesis represented by
the knight, which Chaucer describes as loving, "trouthe and honour, freedom and curteisye" (46).
Since the knight is a worthy defender and protector of the people, the modern–day equivalent would
be our country's police officers and military. For higher–ranking nobility, American...show more
content...
During the fourteenth century, the control of the church weakened, and the church officials were no
longer seen as nobility. Despite being poor, the parson in The Canterbury Tales displayed a
hardworking and caring demeanor. Chaucer further explains the parson's character by mentioning,
"that first he wroughte, and afterward he taught" (499). The parson's involvement in society can be
mirrored by not only modern day preachers and church leaders, but by teachers as well. Teachers take
the knowledge from their education and convey this wisdom onto students, much like the parson.
The qualities of today's working class can be seen through Chaucer's depiction of the plowman.
Indicating the importance and humility of the plowman's work, Chaucer establishes his significance
in society. Our farmers, factory workers, and construction workers show the same persistent work
ethic as the plowman, which exemplifies that they are the foundation of the American society. Where
class and social status does not determine acceptability, the Canterbury Chapel is common ground
for all the pilgrims to pray and make what they want out of the experience. A

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a story of a contest who can tell the best tale. The
rules of the contest were as follows: Each pilgrim would tell four tales for the trip to Canterbury,
two on the journey there and two on the way back.. The tales will be judged by the Host for it's
entertainment and moral lessons. The winner of the contest will enjoy a meal paid for by the
remaining pilgrims at the Host's Inn. "The Miller's Tale" had fulfilled the criteria to win the
contest. It was a shorter story, but it was entertaining and had a few lessons that can be learned
from hearing or reading it. This story is significant because it does a great job of pointing out of
some of the problems in the church during that time as well as how the morals of some people
were not strong as well. The Miller's Tale is the story of a carpenter, his lovely wife, and the two
younger gentlemen who are in love with the carpenter's wife. The carpenter, John, is married to a
much younger woman, Alison, who is considered a local beauty. To make a bit of extra money,
John rents out a room in his house to a poor but clever cleric named Nicholas, who has taken a
liking to Alison. The other man interested in Alison is a clerk named Absalon. Nicholas uses his
astrological studies to convince John to prepare for a storm so he and Alison could have the night
alone. With Nicholas and Alison alone, Absalon tries to get Alison to like him by singing to her but
she does not find him attractive.

Moral Of The Canterbury Tales
Now it is time to decide which tale in The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, rises above the
rest. I stated at the beginning of our journey to Canterbury that I would pick the tale that is "greatest
moral teaching and in entertainment value" (17). After intently listening to all of your tales, one
stood out from the others. Though many of you told stories that were offensive to other pilgrims on
the trip or told stories that had little moral significance, I determined that there is one that most fully
fulfills the requirements that I have set forth. I have decided that the Nun's Priest's Tale teaches the
greatest moral lesson while having great entertainment value, making the Nun's Priest the winner of
our competition.
The Nun's Priest's Tale is a beast fable, an allegory that utilizes animals with human characteristic
in order to illustrate the message. The tale follows the story of Chanticleer, a beautiful rooster
whose "voice was merrier than the merry organ that plays in church," (153). One day, a fox
named Russell comes into the yard and begins complementing Chanticleer on his singing talents,
persuading him to stick out his neck and sing with his eyes closed. Because Chanticleer is so
entranced by Russell's flattery, he closes his eyes and begins to sing, allowing Russell to be able to
bite his neck and run with him into the woods. The moral of the Nun's Priest's Tale is clear: never
trust a flatterer. Chanticleers capture is the "result of being careless and

Chaucer's Irony
Chaucer's Irony – The Canterbury Tales
Chaucer's Irony
Irony is a vitally important part of The Canterbury Tales, and
Chaucer's ingenious use of this literary device does a lot to provide this book with the classic status
it enjoys even today. Chaucer has mastered the techniques required to skilfully put his points across
and subtle irony and satire is particularly effective in making a point. The Canterbury Talesare
well–known as an attack on the Church and its rГґle in fourteenth century society. With the
ambiguity introduced by the naГЇve and ignorant "Chaucer the pilgrim", the writer is able to make
ironic attacks on characters and what they represent from a whole new angle. The differences in
opinion of Chaucer the...show more content...
215, 7), we can be fairly certain that these women were far from worthy – in fact, they were more
than likely to be practising prostitutes. The word "worthy" is used again in line 243 to describe the
Friar. For any reader of The Canterbury Tales, the veil concealing the irony of the use of this word
throughout the book is very thin indeed. Similarly, the Friar is called "virtuous" (l. 251) when he is
clearly not. Chaucer hits the nail on the head by following that with
"he was the beste beggere in his hous" (l. 252) – this insinuates that instead of helping beggars with
munificence, the Friar is accustomed to getting money out of people by unscrupulous methods. By
saying
"plesaunt was his absolution" (l. 223) he implies that the Friar would disregard sins and readily
absolve people for very little penance, should they be willing to make a substantial donation.
Chaucer the pilgrim praises the Friar for not wearing threadbare robes and, instead, says he dresses
elegantly; "dighted lyk a maister or a pope"
(l. 263). However, while Chaucer perceives this as a positive trait to be proud of, one wonders
whether it is not something that says a lot more about the kind of person the Friar is – he is not
marked by meekness at all, and dresses with ostentatious extravagance whilst comparing himself to
the Pope. Chaucer cunningly uses this technique throughout The General Prologue: making the

Canterbury Tales: An Analysis of Medieval Life by Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales is
strongly considered one of the greatest works in medieval literature. An admirer of Chaucer, and the
author of Chaucer and the Fifteenth Century, H.S. Bennett describes Chaucer's unique style as, "No
detail was too small for him to observe, and from it he could frequently draw, or suggest,
conclusions which would have escaped many." While The Canterbury Taleswas originally intended
to be an epic poem consisting of over 120 short stories, Chaucer's death came much sooner and he
was only able to finish 24. Even with a small fraction of his original goal completed, Chaucer's
unique sense of language and ability to identify and establish common stereotypes was second to
none. The three characters I choose, The Knight, The Pardoner and The Parson all exemplify
Bennett's quote and demonstrate Chaucer's incredible ability to express every detail, while adding
humor and irony. Chaucer uses The Knight to represent the highestsocial class during the medieval
era, the aristocrats and nobility. The Knight also highlights the ideals that every noble man strived
to follow, along with being a Christian such as possessing prowess, fidelity, reputation, generosity
and refinement. He also possesses a humble and kind personality, which allows him to become well
admired by The Host and the narrator. Throughout the Prologue and in between stories The Knight
always seems to possess a

Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales, a book written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is full of many two faced pilgrims that
go on a journey to Canterbury. The pilgrims in this story come in many different types and tell
many different tales from there of personal view. The medieval times were a time when the church
is corrupt, and generous people are seen by fewer. Aside from the Oxford Clerk. Inthe Canterbury
tales, the Oxford Clerk is a two faced character with a role in society that is very explicit, which
Geoffrey Chaucer elucidates on, and communes an interesting tale. The Oxford Clerk is a two
faced character that has a very explicit role in society. Oxford University was among one of the only
schools at its times. The other well–known one was Cambridge University....show more content...
Walter was a king who loved his freedom dearly (40). On a day that Walter was least excepting,
the delegation of lords came to Walter and told him to seek a woman to be wed to. Walter was
rushed into setting a date even though he didn't know who his wife was going to even be yet.
The day of the wedding and everything was set up. Walter has still yet to choose his bride.
Nearby there was a poor man, named Janicula. He who had a beautiful daughter named Griselda.
Griselda then came to wed Walter that same day they met. Griselda made a promise to always
obey his will and to do so cheerfully even if it caused her pain. Griselda's kindness and virtue grew
adequately. Her fame was spread throughout the land. People came from all over just though be
with her and her virtue. Soon after the marriage Griselda gave birth to the king's daughter. This
was not acceptable, and the people knew that she was not to bear a girl but to bear a son that
would soon be king one day. Even though the baby was sucking on its mother's breast still, it was
to be taken away by courtiers to be terminated. The king's agents arrived and took the child and
Griselda did not say a word. She didn't want to show a loss of love in her husband (41). The days
have passed and Griselda gave birth to her husband's son. The town's folk were in shock to hear that
the heir to the throne was born. A few years have passed and

The Canterbury Tales Essay
The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales, a masterpiece of English Literature, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a
collection, with frequent dramatic links, of 24 tales told to pass the time during a spring pilgrimage
to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. The General Prologue introduces the pilgrims, 29
"sondry folk" gathered at the Tabard Inn in Southwark (outside of London). Chaucer decides to join
them, taking some time to describe each pilgrim.
According to the Norton Anthology, "the composition of none of the tales can be accurately dated;
most of them were written during the last fourteen years of Chaucer's life, although a few were
probably written earlier and inserted into The Canterbury Tales" (Norton, 80)....show more content...
The Prioress, Madame Eglantine, is a character full of denial. Though she is a nun whose duties
should be pledged to God, she certainly considers herself a lady first. She speaks bad French, ate and
dressed very carefully, and wears a brooch that says "love conquers all." She also cares deeply for
animals, bringing several along with her on the pilgrimage. Her lady–like behavior seems to stand in
direct contrast to the ways of a good Nun. This is Chaucer's first criticism of religion, a theme he
returns to throughout the poem.
Like the Prioress, the Monk is also an ironic characterization. The Monk loved to ride horses and
hunt. He also eats well and dresses in nice clothes. He even goes so far as to say that he prefers the
outdoor life, hardly a statement one would expect from one whose profession entails sitting inside
and copying books.
The Friar is a bad guy. He is licensed to hear confessions and uses his position to beg for money,
operating under the assumption that penance works better through payment than prayers. He also
has the reputation of getting girls into "trouble," then helping to marry them to others
GRAPH The Merchant knows a good bargain when he sees it. His very smooth behavior helps hide
the fact that he is really in debt.
The Clerk is soft–spoken student of the thetoric arts. When he speaks, it is with such expression that
people readily listen. He is one of the most admired

Essay on The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales
"The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales" were told during a pilgrimage journey from London to the
shrine of the martyr
St. Thomas a Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. This was approximately 70 miles to the southeast.
These Tales were told by a group of 29 pilgrims, and a Host who met up with them at the Tabard Inn.
They left the Inn on the morning of
April, 11. The Nun's Priest Tale was the first story actually told, this was determined by whoever
drew the shortest straw. The pilgrim who told the best story would win a free dinner, and the loser's
had to pay for his dinner. Geoffrey Chaucer who was without a doubt the greatest English poet of the
Middle Ages, wrote this great story "The Canterbury tales"....show more content...
The Miller was a very big and strong man, that , stated in The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales,
"Could win the ram at any wrestling show". He was Broad, Knotty , and
Short–Shouldered. It also says he could "Heave any door off hinge and post, Or take a run and break
it with his head."
The Millers' beard was red, and very big and thick, and his nose had a wart on the end, with red hairs
protruding out of it. His nostrils were black and very wide. He wore a sword and a buckler at his
side, also the Miller wore a blue hood and a white coat. This is it for the physical traits of the
Miller, I think you know by now, that he was big, and he was strong. Now we'll talk about the
Millers' personality.
The Millers' personality was very distinct, It matched his physical traits almost exactly. the Miller
was very boastful in his ways, he would boast to people about how he could bust any door down and
off the hinges, or take a run and break it with his head, he was also a very greedy man,
He would steal from the poor, or the rich without even thinking twice. his thumb of gold was how
he did this, meaning, he pressed on the scale with his thumb to increase the weight of the grain that
he sold to his customers, or so they thought he was selling them. The Miller also had a filthy mouth,
and told tavern stories quite often. Also, he liked to play the bagpipes, in fact he was the

Authority And The Canterbury Tales
Authority and The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer, widely known for his influence in medieval literature, expresses a fourteenth
century literacy concept of authority and gentility in The Canterbury Tales. There are two forms
of authority and gentility that will be covered in this discussion: authority and gentility in
Chaucer's personal life and the one in his two tales, "The Wife of Bath's Tale", and "The Clerk's
Tale". Chaucer himself loses a sense of authority over his writing after his death, when his scribe,
Adam Pinkhurst takes over as his authorial supporter. A wide speculation follows Chaucer and his
Canterbury Tales because it is believed that Chaucer himself did not complete his tales in its
entirety, since his death came before the publication of the book as well as the arrangement of the
tales not being in order. In Simon Horobin's article "Compiling The Canterbury Talesin
Fifteenth–Century Manuscripts", N. F. Blake raises the possibility that "some of the earliest
manuscripts of The Canterbury Tales may have been written under Chaucer's supervision, and that
differences in content and tale order would therefore represent separate stages of authorial
revision" (Horobin, 372). Aside from the completion of the tales, more important the authenticity of
his work is greater questioned because his idea for the pilgrims are perhaps borrowed from
predecessors, for example Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron that holds a similar theme.
Chaucer deals with a form of

Summary Of The Canterbury Tales Essay
Summary of The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories set within a framing story of a pilgrimage to
Canterbury Cathedral, the shrine of Saint Thomas Г
Becket. The poet joins a band of pilgrims, vividly described in the General
Prologue, who assemble at the Tabard Inn outside London for the journey to
Canterbury. Ranging in status from a Knight to a humble Plowman, they are a microcosm of 14th–
century English society.
The Host proposes a storytelling contest to pass the time; each of the
30 or so pilgrims (the exact number is unclear) is to tell four tales on the round trip. Chaucer
completed less than a quarter of this plan. The work contains 22 verse tales (two unfinished) and
two long prose tales; a few are...show more content...
He was jealous and he kept her close to him.
The woman was fair skinned and her body was slim. She wore a stripped silken girdle. Her
eyebrows were arched , black, and partly plucked to make them narrow. The womans singing was
loud and lively.
It so chanced that this gentle Nicholas fell in love with this young wife, while her husband was
away, and suddenly he caught hold of her and said,
"Unless you will love me, sweetheart, I will die." And he held her tight around the
waist. she jumped back and wiggled away. She replied," I will not kiss you
Nicholas! If you don't let me go I will scream out Help!" But Nicholas began to beg and made
offers to her that at last she granted him her love and swore by St. Thomas that she would leave the
Carpenter when she had a chance. She told him how jealous he was.
Then it fell on a holy day that this goodwife took her to the church to work on Christ's own works.
At the church there was a clerk named Absalom.
He had curly hair, rosy cheeks, and his eyes were gray. Absalom, who was so pretty and fine, went
on this holy day with a censor, trying to get the goodwives of the city. He then noticed the
carpenter's wife and he thought she was so neat and sweet. That night the moon was shining and
Absalom went to the carpenter's house and sang in the window. The carpenter woke up and asked
the wife if she heard him singing and she

The Canterbury Tales is a poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1392. In this poem each character
tells four stories, two on the way there and two on the way home, to provide entertainment for the
people on the pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral. One part of Chaucer's tales that truly stands out
is the character prologue where he introduces all of the characters on the pilgrimage and conveys
the narrator's opinions of them using satire and other literary devices. Of characters that Chaucer's
narrator describes, two are the Parson and the Friar. Both of the characters share similarities in their
social status and job position however greatly contrast in morals and character. In The Canterbury
Tales, Chaucer uses contrasting characteristics to convey an idea that teaches that power does not
always lead to corruption.
While both characters have power through working in the church, Chaucer uses their reaction to
their job duties to convey the theme. The job of the Parson is to act as priest and serve the
people. The Parson "knew Christ's gospel and would preach it," meaning he is well versed in his
work and good at what he does (Chaucer 491). The Parson is very involved in the church and
devotes his time and money to others. The Friar's job is also similar to that of a priest, friars
would affiliate weddings, hear confessions, and preach to the people. Both jobs were well
respected positions of authority, the Friar even had "a special license from the Pope," and such
power could

Canterbury Tales
Canterbury Review and Reflect 1. What is one important thing you learned from The Canterbury
Tales unit? One important thing that I learned from The Canterbury Tales unit was the social
impact that was present in each Chaucer produced the tales; each tale was a reflection of a
certain class of people during the time period and what they did as well as believed in. 2. What is
one thing you would still like to know? One thing that I would still like to know is what the other
tales were which Chaucer was going to add to the book before he died. 3. Discuss the benefits and
drawbacks to a unit structured this way, for you as a learner. (Include what worked well and what
would you would want to see done differently in a similar type of assignment in the future. A benefit
of the unit being structured this way is that we have a timed schedule and we...show more content...
What went well in your group? Something that went well in the group was that we all worked
well together. This allowed for everyone to have a contribution to the group project, helping it
get completed on time. 5. What would you have changed about your group and the way it
worked? Something I would of improved on with my group is our organization. For the most part
we were able to get our work done on time but I feel as though if we made a powerpoint to
incorporate as well into our presentation it would be better because we would have more to
present. Since we were going of notes that were printed we only had limited information that we
had to present. 6. Choose ONE thing from your group project and fix it. (Even if you got a 5/5,
what is something you think you could have done better). Something I would fix we got a chance
to was to explain information a bit more. Since our tale had to do with a religious character it
would have been beneficial to also explain and incorporate that into our information. This ties to
how we had our notes on paper and didn't have a full powerpoint to explain everything as we should

The Canterbury Tales Research Paper
Timeless tales are treasures of our lifetime. We draw lessons from the works of literature that
reflect our experiences. Through reading stories we could find connections that may or may not
justify our actions. Stories that we could relate to may give us an idea on how we perceive our
actions, which questions our view on morality as well. In The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey
Chaucer, there is a tale that covers how we must be careful of the things that we will say, because
our words are as powerful as a sword. The Manciple's Tale of the Crow narrates the story of Phoebus.
Phoebus possesses the ideal characteristics of a man – handsome, brave, and talented. He has a pet, a
white crow that speaks and sings more beautifully than a nightingale....show more content...
Given the time when this works are written, people then have a very good sense of their religion,
upholding the standards of their time. In contrast, people committed acts that are considered
immoral, like adultery. In this tale the storyteller built the idea that one should not tell the truth if it
only hurts the other, which could possibly worsen the situation.
Another issue that is associated in this tale is how women are perceived during that time. Phoebus
caged his wife because he is jealous. This situation may be the reason why his wife had an affair.
Nonetheless, this poses inequality in terms of how women are treated.
As a whole, this tale represents the justification of a certain act given its possible outcomes. In which
in the story, the crow should have not told Phoebus the truth for it will only worsen the situation.
One must critically examine the situation whether a response should be established immediately.
The Canterbury Tales may be written for us to realize the different things that are around us. This
collection of tales may awaken a part of our minds that is unconscious – a part that could be triggered
through the use of common themes with underlying

The Canterbury Tales By William Shakespeare
The Canterbury Tales are told in the passage of a Pilgrimage to Canterbury. We see that these
characters all interact with one another, they all have different points of view on several topics. "The
portraits [of the pilgrims] which appear in the General Prologue have a decided togetherness, that the
portraits exist as parts of a unity" (Hoffman 492), Their actions and their tales should be thought
about in context, who tells the tale, what is their age, what is his or her profession and how he or she
interacts with other characters. They each have their own maistrie, they all have mastery over
something that influences their own distinct personalities. Thus, how these personalities and
maistries mesh with each other is incredibly important to further understand the tales themselves and
the reasons behind why each character tells them. The tales themselves are merely parts of a bigger
tale, the Canterbury Tales.
Focusing on two characters in particular the Wife of Bath and the Clerk, one can explore what the
interactions between characters influence their tales. Starting with the Wife who is described as "a
worthy womman al her lyve:/ Hosbondes at chirche dore she hadde fyve" (Chaucer 459–60). She is
a worldly woman who has experienced a lot throughout her liftimee and she is also incredibly
liberal, as evidenced by the fact that she has been married five times. Whereas, the Clerk "Ne was
so wordly for to have office... Of studie took he most cure and most hede" (Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales and the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages were not only a time of unstable economies, political unrest, significant changes in
social structures, but also a time when Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a collection of short stories.
According to Keira Stevenson on EBSCO host, Geoffrey Chaucer had a good childhood and
through family influences, he became a page (knight in training), in 1357. After fighting against
France, getting captured and then released, he went back home and began writing. In 1387, the
same year his wife died, he began working on The Canterbury Tales. He worked on this poem for
several years but never finished it. The Canterbury Tales were approximately 17,000 lines and begins
with 30 pilgrims beginning their trip on horses towards Thomas a Becket's shrine in Canterbury.
(Stevenson 1–2) Each pilgrim tells a story to pass the time on the long journey. The pilgrim
characters come from all types of life, so the stories that they tell demonstrate the ways and beliefs
of a large section of middle age society. The Canterbury Tales represents the middle class through the
pilgrims who lived during the Middle Ages. (Canterbury Tales)
The Canterbury Tales: Summary The Canterbury Tales is a frame story that comes from The Arabian
Nights and The Decameron. According to Collins on his website for British Literature I, Geoffrey
Chaucer actually used some of the stories from The Decameron, but he changed them by describing
the storytellers in detail and using the

The Canterbury Tales is a story that incorporates a multitude of stories told by a multitude of
characters. Written by Geoffrey Chaucer, he devises a novel in which each character has to
narrate a total of four stories as part of a competition; on their way to visit Saint Thomas Becket,
the characters would tell two stories going and two stories returning from the journey. The
perspective changes through each story, and each story is introduced by a general, opening, third
person prologue. Though many of the characters got to share some ideas, Chaucer unfortunately
passed away before his story's entirety. As a result, a winner was never officially clarified. Needless
to say, it is evident that the clear winner would be the Miller's Tale....show more content...
One night of the "flood", as usual, Absalom returns to Allison's residency and begs for her to
bestow a kiss to him. To his surprise, she finally accepts the request, hoping this will allow for the
young clerk to leave her alone for good. On the contrary, instead of sticking her lips out the
window, she throws her butt out for her and Absalom's amusement. Enraged, Absalom borrows a
hot poker and returns to get revenge on Alison. This time however, it is Nicholas who places his
butt outside the window and also allows a fart to escape in Absalom's face. The branded Nicholas
begins to scream "'Help, water! Water, help, for God's sake!" and startles Josh, who is convinced
the flood is coming (Chaucer, 79) . In response, Josh comes crashing down on from the roof and
goes unconscious. The whole town thinks the carpenter is delusional because of his oblivion to
the fact there there is actually no godly storm. It is clear to note the use of trickery and adultery
in this fable. Noted earlier, the Miller's tale is enjoyable due to its qualities of both entertainment
and the idea of learning a lesson. In the prologue, the miller is defined as a filterless, rowdy drunk
who speaks whatever comes to his mind. Because of this, he is portrayed as very vulgar and a
nuisance since he easily offends others. The Reeve introduces the Miller at the beginning of the
story as a drunk, impulsive, bully as he

Canterbury Tales And Beowulf Essay
The stories of Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales are two that have been compared for centuries.
Based in two different time periods, both novels describe religion, loyalty, and distinguish social
classes through characters. In the novel Beowulf, the character Beowulf is known as the "hero of
all heroes," strong, courageous, and a warrior who is willing to risk his life for his ideals. In The
Canterbury Tales, there are twenty–four tales describing characters from a knight to a monk's tale.
As the stories are written in two different time periods with different themes and voices, they can be
compared in many ways. Both novels describe religion through their warriors, Beowulf and the
Knight from The Canterbury Tales. The novel Beowulf was...show more content...
Three of Chaucer's tales are written with a central Christian theme, the Prioress's Tale, the Second
Nun's Tale, and the Parson's Tale. The Prioress's Tale is said to be about a miracle of the Virgin
Mary, the Second Nun's Tale is a biography of Saint Cecilia, and the Parson's Tale is considered a
sermon. Just as The Canterbury Tales shows a theme of Christianity, it also shows a theme of
religious corruption. In the tales of the Friar, Prioress, Pardoner, and Monk, corruption of the
church is shown and influences each character in a different way. In the Friar, the focus is on
money, horses, and the responsibility of his monastery. But, the Friar also seduces women and
provide them with a spouse to stay out of trouble. In the tale of Prioress, Chaucer describes her as
too busy being a court lady to take care of her nunnery. In the Pardoner, he takes advantage of
others by taking money for giving pardons for the sins of others, even going as far as selling
relics. The Monk takes money for forgiveness, refuses to help the poor, and pays other beggars to
leave so he can attain all of the money from that area. He does all of this while he is supposed to
be pledging his life to poverty and those less fortunate. Chaucer shows a theme of Christianity just as
he shows a theme of religious corruption. As

Background Of The Canterbury Tales
Before Geoffrey Chaucer could write The Canterbury Tales, he needed a reason to write them. That
reason was the history of Canterbury. Everything comes with a past, but like most of English history,
Canterbury has an engrossing history attached to the name. This includes brown–nosing, jealousy,
and murder. Everything that is usually associated with a church.
The history of the Canterbury Cathedral is riveting. According to the cathedral's website, it was
built between 1070 and 1077. The next half century went by quietly, then around 1118 a boy named
Thomas a Becket was born. Not much is known about his early life, but he eventually became
chancellor, or secretary, for KingHenry II of England. They grew to be close comrades. Amy Miller,
a Junior Scholastic writer for New York, in the article "The Murder of St. Thomas a Becket"
published in Scholastic Inc., explains, "Henry and Becket became close friends. They often hunted
together, and the king gave Becket expensive gifts. Henry enjoyed his chancellor's company so much
that he even dropped by Becket's home unannounced" (1). The friendship that had developed
between the king and Thomas would soon turn deadly.
King Henry did great work in the start of his reign. "The young king did not disappoint his subjects.
During his reign, trade increased, towns grew, and great cathedrals were built throughout the English
countryside. The country was so prosperous that it became known as "Merrie England" (Miller 1).
Then King Henry

The Canterbury Tales Essay

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The Canterbury Tales Essay