Chaucer's General Prologue and the Three Estates

‘The framework of the Prologue is a list of estates. Chaucer specifically says at the end of the Prologue that he has described the “estaat” of all the Pilgrims (716). The Prologue is also a collection of portraits, but this is a secondary consideration

Chaucer's General Prologue, written towards the end of the fourteenth century, depicts a series of characters undertaking a pilgrimage from London to Canterbury during Springtime. Chaucer has assembled representatives of all three estates, both admirable and loathsome, in order to investigate the social characteristics and roles of the medieval people, who are expected to speak and behave in accordance with what their social group requires. The Three Estates, simply put, was a three tier social structure consisting of those who fought, those who worshipped, and those who worked. While presenting Three Estates Model, Chaucer employs the tradition of ‘estates satire’ by criticising the social vices resulting from the corruption in this model. Many Pilgrim's have been given portraits of great detail, illuminating the estate to which they belong. The narrator, who joins our pilgrims in an Inn, ready to 'wende' his way to 'Caunterbury' and 'seke... the hooly blusful martyr', introduces the reader to the pilgrims and, within the framework of the pilgrimage, we are offered a succession of medieval life, manners, and dress. It is stated that the pilgrim's are idealised representatives of their estate – the Parson is devout, conscientious and patient; the knight, described as 'parfit' and 'gentil' – however it is also easily concluded that the prologue is a satiric representation of social classes, undertaking aspects of the estates satire genre.1

While Chaucer presents the expected order of the estates – from Bellatores (warriors) down to Laboratores (workers) – he also reveals the malpractices and frauds that lead to moral and spiritual corruption through different character depictions. Chaucer allows the characters