The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims. The Canterbury Tales‚ the work stands as a historical and sociological introduction to the life and times of the late Middle Ages. he was familiar with and was accepted by the lower classes as well as by the higher classes; thus‚ throughout his life‚ he was able to observe both the highest
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SHORT PLOT SUMMARY (Synopsis) The Canterbury Tales consists of the stories related by the 29 pilgrims on their way to Saint Thomas Becket’s shrine in Canterbury. Harry Bailey‚ the Host‚ had proposed a scheme in the General Prologue whereby each pilgrim was to narrate two tales on the way to Canterbury and two more while returning. In the course of the journey the Canon and his Yeoman join the pilgrims. However The Canterbury Tales are incomplete. There should have been a hundred and twenty tales
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What in your opinion‚ is Chaucer’s view of the “religious” characters in The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales? Chaucer began to write The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales in 1387 when England was a Catholic state. Chaucer‚ a strong believer of his faith became aware that the Catholic church was becoming corrupt. He saw that over time‚ it was becoming ironically more greedy‚ among other sins‚ which are of course strongly prohibited by the religion. Thus‚ The General Prologue to
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will have much belief in things such as witches and even though there is evidence of blasphemy they were still quite religious and God himself would be seen as supernatural or have supernatural qualities including being omniscient. Moreover‚ the Pardoner himself preaches against sins such as drinking and gluttony of which eventually could lead to death‚ even though the medieval audience will be aware of this they will still be
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and make fun of his observations. One such example of this can be found in the Pardoner’s Tale where Chaucer uses the character and satire to criticize the Church by having the Pardoner admit readily to cheating beggars out of their money. This story satirizes the work that the clergy did at that time‚ having the Pardoner selling forgiveness to the highest bidder instead of requiring repentance. People still share views like this about the Catholic Church‚ and even more humorists still use many forms
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pilgrims‚ including a Knight‚ Squire‚ Yeoman‚ Prioress‚ Monk‚ Friar‚ Merchant‚ Clerk‚ Man of Law‚ Franklin‚ Haberdasher‚ Carpenter‚ Weaver‚ Dyer‚ Tapestry-Weaver‚ Cook‚ Shipman‚ Physician‚ Wife‚ Parson‚ Plowman‚ Miller‚ Manciple‚ Reeve‚ Summoner‚ Pardoner‚ and Host. (He does not describe the Second Nun or the Nun’s Priest‚ although both characters appear later in the book.) The Host‚ whose name‚ we find out in the Prologue to the Cook’s Tale‚ is Harry Bailey‚ suggests that the group ride together
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as opposed to the lavish and grandeur-filled lives of the other members of the church. The pastor of a sizable town‚ the Parson preaches the Gospel and makes sure to practice what he preaches. He is everything that the Monk‚ the Friar‚ and the Pardoner are not. The Canterbury Tales presents an interesting take on the many different lifestyles and occupations of medieval England. From the corruption in the church (the Monk‚ Nun‚ and Friar)‚ to the well-respected Parson and Oxford scholar‚ from
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of Law‚ and Franklin who follow were regarded more or less as social equals‚ and various other representatives of the middle classes‚ most of them keen to push themselves up the social ladder‚ follow in somewhat haphazard order. The Summoner and Pardoner are social and moral misfits in almost every sense‚ with no obvious place either in a class hierarchy or in the ‘common weal’‚ society as a system of mutual support’ (Helen Cooper‚ Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales‚ Oxford University
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Chaucer himself‚ outraged by the corruption of the Church‚ as Rosenfeld points out: “His awareness of the abuses inside the Church is obvious in some of the characters of the Canterbury Tales‚ notably in the scornful and unsavory portrait of the Pardoner”. On the other hand Chaucer was a devout Catholic. A renowned scholar‚ John Tatlock‚ has suggested that “Toward the church he was critical‚ though not unusually so‚ and he was probably not unsympathetic to the concrete criticism directed at her by
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within his boundary‚ and city dames of honour and possession... He knew the taverns well in every town and every innkeeper and barmaid too" (Prologue). Pertaining to the Pardoner and the Summoner Chaucer revealed their diabolical scheme to seize the money of a simpleton. The Summoner would inform people of their "sins". The Pardoner would absolve them for a sizable fee. Their entire lives were filled
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