Transcript The Canterbury Tales

THE CANTERBURY TALES
By:
Geoffrey Chaucer
WHO IS GEOFFREY
CHAUCER?
 Author of The Canterbury Tales
 Known as the Father of English literature
 Chaucer’s contribution to English literature was his use of
English in court poetry; most authors during his time were still
writing in Anglo-Norman or Latin
WHAT ARE THE
CANTERBURY TALES?
 One of the greatest epic works of English literature
 Collection of stories told by pilgrims on a pilgrimage
LITERARY TERMS YOU
NEED TO KNOW
 Satire: A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked
through irony, derision(ridicule/mockery), or wit
 Irony: A technique of indicating, as through character or plot
development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is
actually or ostensibly stated
 Ballad: A narrative poem, often of folk origin and intended to be
sung, consisting of simple stanzas and usually having a refrain
 Vernacular: The standard native language of a country or locality
MORE TERMS
Chivalry: The qualities idealized by knighthood,
such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry
toward women
Courtly Love: An idealized and often illicit form of
love celebrated in the literature of the Middle Ages and
the Renaissance in which a knight or courtier devotes
himself to a noblewoman who is usually married and
feigns indifference to preserve her reputation
Physiognomy: The art of judging human character
from facial features
TERMS CONTINUED
 Verisimilitude: Something that has the appearance of being
true or real
 Couplet: A unit of verse consisting of two successive lines,
usually rhyming and having the same meter and often forming
a complete thought or syntactic unit
 Crusade: A vigorous concerted movement for a cause or
against an abuse
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR
 King of England (1066–1087) and Duke of Normandy (1035–1087)
 Led the Norman invasion of England (1066) after being promised the
English throne by his cousin Edward the Confessor
 Defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings

As king adopted a feudal constitution and made some big changes.
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Replaced native Anglo-Saxon aristocrats with Normans
Major changes in culture, language, and the church
Forged ties with France/loosened ties with Scandinavia
Built foundation for later medieval English kingdom
Controversial
BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
Domesday Book: The written record of a census
and survey of English landowners and their property
made by order of William the Conqueror in 1085–
1086 (“Day of Judgement”-it was law)
Feudalism: Feudalism is a system of land
ownership and duties. It was used in the Middle
Ages. Under feudalism, all the land in a kingdom was
the king's. However, the king would give some of the
land to the lords or nobles who fought for him. These
presents of land were called manors. Then the nobles
gave some of their land to vassals. The vassals then
had to do duties for the nobles. The lands of vassals
were called fiefs.
Point of reference=taxes not paid with money, but with products/services
SIR THOMAS BECKET
 English Roman Catholic martyr
 Fell into disfavor with the king as archbishop of Canterbury
 Charged with misappropriating crown funds (1164), he fled the
country
 Upon his return (1170) he was murdered by four knights in
Canterbury Cathedral
 Canonized in 1173
MORE BACKGROUND
INFORMATION
 Black Death: An outbreak of bubonic plague that was
pandemic throughout Europe and much of Asia in the 14th
century
 Impressionism: A literary style characterized by the use
of details and mental associations to evoke subjective and
sensory impressions rather than the re-creation of objective
reality
BEING A KNIGHT
When a high born boy
reached the age of seven,
he was sent to live in the
castle of another lord,
usually a close friend of
his father's or relative.
There he began his
education as a page,
running errands in the
castle and performing
humble services for
noblemen and ladies.
He learned good
manners, reading,
writing, numbers,
singing, dancing,
strumming the lute,
reverence for God, how to
use a sword, and how to
ride a horse.
In the morning, he
helped his lord dress, and
served at meals, bringing
in food and drink.
BEING A KNIGHT
CONTINUED
 Around the age of 13, the boy
was apprenticed to a knight and
became a squire.
 When the squire was judged
 This was just the beginning
of the young man's career as a
knight.
ready to become a knight, usually
 Knights protected the
between 18 and 21, a time for the
lord's lands from invaders and
knighting ceremony was set.
fought in the lord's battles
against other lords.
KNIGHT’S APPAREL
 A knight had many pounds
 The knight also used a metal
of armor that he had to wear to
or wood shield to ward off
protect himself from arrows
enemies blows during a battle
and enemies swords
 This shield was carried on
 The armor was put on by
one arm, usually the left, and
one or more squires or pages
the sword was carried with the
other
KNIGHT’S APPAREL
CONTINUED
 Once they were dressed
in armor, knights all looked
the same.
 In order to keep from
killing their comrades,
knights painted colorful
designs on their armor,
shields, and weapons.
 These designs were
unique to each knight and
provided means of
identification during
battle.
 A knight usually wanted to
marry. Like most marriages
during the Middle Ages, these
marriages were arranged to
the advantage of both parties.
 A knight wanted a wife
who would be an heiress or
would have a large dowry,
that would include land or
enough money to buy land.
 When the knight was
away from home, the wife
would look after the running
of his castles and estates.
ROMANCE
 Women in the Middle Ages were usually treated as property
 While medieval country marriages were often the result of love,
marriage among the noble class was more a business transaction
than the culmination of ardent feelings
 Passion was considered sinful to 11th and 12th century
moralists, but these ideals were slowly being worn away with the
rituals of courtly love.