Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales I. Chaucer’s Career Born into the growing middle class‚ son of a wine merchant (c. 1340). Served in the royal household (page to 2nd son of Edward III) and later held a series of administrative posts under Edward and Richard II. Visited France and Italy on behalf of the crown during the 1360’s and 1370’s‚ exposing him to the literature of Europe‚ particularly the French Roman de la Rose and Boccaccio’s Decameron. Chaucer’s career illustrates the economic
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Context The Canterbury Tales is the most famous and critically acclaimed work of Geoffrey Chaucer‚ a late-fourteenth-century English poet. Little is known about Chaucer’s personal life‚ and even less about his education‚ but a number of existing records document his professional life. Chaucer was born in London in the early 1340s‚ the only son in his family. Chaucer’s father‚ originally a property-owning wine merchant‚ became tremendously wealthy when he inherited the property of relatives who had
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Religious pilgrimages have been the foundation of religion since the dawn of time. In The Canterbury Tales‚ Chaucer identifies an infamous character that shares his ironically moral tale along with those whom accompany him on the way to Canterbury. This particularly wretched pilgrim was the Pardoner: a most loathsome and diabolical character. The sly and mischievous Pardoner is described by Chaucer as a dishonest and cheating man‚ and his appearance matched. With long and thin hair that fell “like
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The Canterbury Tales contains three very different characters with varying stories. The Wife of Bath‚ The Nun’s Priest‚ and the Pardoner all have unique perspectives on life and morality. Each tells a story that reveals their true beliefs and personalities. Every story possesses a moral that goes with the character who told it. Firstly‚ The Wife of Bath and her tale can be compared with the Nuns Priest and the Pardoner. The Wife of Bath is an eccentric woman who is luxuriously dressed: “Her kerchiefs
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Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales introduces readers to a doctor who might be viewed as greedy. According to the textbook‚ the Doctor enjoys money. Medieval Life and Times website says what a typical doctor during Chaucer’s era was like. George A. Renn‚ III argues that the Doctor is not actually as greedy as he seems. The “Doctor’s Tale” revolves around how selfishness can hurt others. The Doctor in the general prologue allows Chaucer to portray greed. Chaucer’s Doctor is shown to be good at
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The aim of any true satirical work is to poke fun at a certain aspect of society‚ while also inspiring reform to that very same aspect in one way or another. In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales‚ Chaucer satirizes the Medieval Church and those associated with the church. Medieval society was centered largely around the Church. Ideally‚ the people were expected to understand that earthly possessions were meaningless when compared to the prospect of closeness with God. Man was expected to work until he died
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Chaucer’s Use of Irony in The Canterbury Tales In The Canterbury Tales‚ Geoffrey Chaucer compiles a mixture of stories on a pilgrimage into a figurative depiction of the medieval society in which he lived. Chaucer’s stories have a punch and pizzazz‚ which‚ to an average reader‚ seem uncommon to the typical medieval writer‚ making his story more delightful. Certain things account for this pizzazz‚ especially the author’s use of irony. Many of Chaucer’s characters are ironic in the sense that they
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Rebecca Xie 00121144 Professor Hus English Literature to 1800 May 9‚ 2013 The Costumes of the Characters in The Canterbury Tales I. What I know from the reading. In The Canterbury Tales‚ the pilgrims are from different social classes. These characters represent people in different social classes. When I was reading “General Prologue‚” I found that these characters’ appearances are vividly described‚ especially for their costumes. It provoked my interest on medieval costumes. It starts form
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Chaucer’s prologue in his book‚ The Canterbury Tales‚ is one of the most prominent pieces of literature today. The first twenty six pages of the novel describes thirty different characters‚ who have different backgrounds‚ cultures‚ and behaviors. Many of the portraits in Chaucer’s prologue act poorly‚ and do not behave the way they are supposed to; while few respectively follow the seven virtues of the society. One of these characters is the holy and virtuous Parson. Chaucer describes the priest
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schooling‚ I have always been fascinated by medieval knights. Even as a child‚ I remember enjoying the tales of the great quests the knights would embark on. Whether it be slaying a mighty foe or adventuring to a far off land‚ the stories of knights were always exciting to hear. Because of this fascination‚ I chose to tell my creative tale in the style of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales from the perspective of the knight. Knights during the time of medieval England were responsible for protecting
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