The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer - 1585 Words

Although it was published toward the end of his life, Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales was his longest and most popular work. The plot is made up of tales told by thirty-one different pilgrims as they embark on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas a Becket in Canterbury. His initial idea was to have each pilgrim tell four stories a piece during the pilgrimage, but Chaucer either died before finishing or decided to change this idea, as only twenty-four tales presently make up the work. The prologue of the novel goes into great detail describing each pilgrim’s personality and pointing out whatever flaws they have (Rossignol 1). There are a few characters considered idealized in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, but all of the other†¦show more content†¦Another pilgrim characterized by this sin is the Reeve. He is the manager of an estate and a master carpenter, but has a terrible temper and it is said that all people â€Å"were afraid of him as of the death.† The Reeve also becomes furious with the Miller whenever he cheats the farming scale (Chaucer 1). Lust, or a strong feeling of sexual desire, is displayed in Canterbury Tales by three different characters. The Wife of Bath is the first example, shown by the fact that she has had five different husbands and several other boyfriends over the course of her lifetime. Chaucer says that others always ask her for love advice, because, â€Å"the remedies of love she knew, perchance, for of that art shed learned the old, old dance.† The second character who displays lust is the Squire who was a â€Å"lusty bachelor† and â€Å"loved hotly†. He sang songs and wrote poetry for girls in order to try and win their affections and served in the cavalry for this purpose, as well. The final pilgrim that practices this sin is the Friar. Chaucer says he had â€Å"arranged full many a marriage of women young, and this at his own cost,† meaning the Friar had impre gnated them and wanted to find them husbands to try and save himself. The Friar is also described as being intimate with â€Å"all the worthy women of the town† (Chaucer 1). According to Lisa Frank, The Catholic Encyclopedia defines gluttony as â€Å"the inordinateShow MoreRelatedThe Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer1582 Words   |  7 Pages Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury tales a collection of short tales in the 14th century. The compilation of stories are told by different characters within the narrative as part of a game proposed by the host. Each individual must tell two stories on their journey and two stories on their way back. Each story tells some aspects of English life during the time and often added satire like qualities to the English life. In particular Chaucer often tells stories with elements of the relationshipRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer913 Words   |  4 PagesThe Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer consists of frame narratives were a group of pilgrims that are traveling from Southwark to the shire of St. Becker in the Canterbury Cathedral, tell each other to pass time until they arrive at their destination. During The Canterbury Tales the reader is exposed to many characters that represent all of the social classes of medieval England and the reader gets to know them from t he general prologue to each individual tale. One of these characters is the PardonerRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer2127 Words   |  9 PagesIt is unknown when Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, but it is assumed that he wrote it in 1387. There are many different aspects and themes throughout this paper that are very prominent. One theme that is very important is the importance of company. 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Although there are not as many women included as men, their storiesRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer2648 Words   |  11 PagesThe Canterbury Tales was written by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1392, during the medieval period in Europe. Three important aspects, his family’s ties to the court, his schooling and working for royalty (XI), and his love for reading and learning (XII) all combined and enabled him to create his greatest work, The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer includes many different characters, pilgrims, all from very unique walks of life. Although there are not as many women included as men, their stories give some extraordinaryRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer2221 Words   |  9 Pagesin medieval literature is the Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer. This research seeks to examine the life of Chaucer, the Canterbury Tales, and the impact and legacy of both the author and the work. Agnes Copton gave birth to a baby boy c. 1340, whom she named Geoffrey. The baby took the surname of his father John Chaucer, who came from a family of wine merchants. The family relied on strategic relationships to subsidize where they lacked in wealth. Chaucer was fluent in French, ItalianRead MoreCanterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer1380 Words   |  6 PagesCanterbury Tales Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer was a story of not the people themselves but a social statement of how the people of higher standing were viewed by the middle class. In the time that Canterbury Tales was written it was a time of corruption of the Church. There were many clergy members that were mentioned in this story. Each of the characters was unique in the way they went against the standards they should be held to. The most interesting this story was definitely TheRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer1777 Words   |  8 PagesCanterbury Tales takes place in the late 1300’s also known as the Middle ages. Prior to and at this point in time, people tend to be more conservative and to themselves. Geoffrey Chaucer, the author of these stories does something most authors didn’t do at this time, he ironically pointed out the flaws of the medieval English society. He does this by using estate satire. The Canterbury Tales is a great example of the B ritish human experience at that point in time. Chaucer does a great job describing