Transcript Class notes
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS How do stereotypes and archetypes inform our understanding of humanity? How are Chaucer’s pilgrims relevant to society today? How are chivalry and feudalism represented in Chaucer’s tales? Where do we see chivalry and feudalism today? Can we learn about a culture's social, religious, economic, and/or political beliefs through its literature? Why do we read The Canterbury Tales? • The Canterbury Tales is recognized as the first book of poetry written in the English language. – Before Chaucer's time, even poets who lived in England wrote in Italian or Latin, which meant that poetry was only understandable to people of the wealthy, educated class. English was considered low class and vulgar. – To a great degree, The Canterbury Tales helped make English a legitimate language to work in. – Because of this work, all of the great writers who followed owe him a debt of gratitude. • It is because Chaucer wrote in English that there is a written record of the roots from which the modern language grew. • Furthermore, it gives modern readers a sense of the language at the time, the book also gives a clear depiction of daily medieval social life, combining elements of all classes, from nobles to workers, from priests and nuns to drunkards and thieves. Geoffrey Chaucer Born: c. 1340 in London, England Died: 1400 in London, England Known as the “father of English poetry;” first English author and poet to write in his native tongue Chaucer enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a civil servant, serving three successive kings—Edward III, Richard II, and Henry IV. Unfortunately, when Chaucer died in 1400, only twenty-four of the projected 120 stories in his Canterbury Tales were written. The work remains, in the first place, an excellent portrayal of a cross section of English life, a valuable commentary on the outlook and values of different classes of society in the late Middle Ages. The Pilgrimage and Medieval Religion • The pilgrimage was a central institution of the medieval church, perhaps second only to the institution of the parish church in its importance to religion during the period. • The official purpose of the pilgrimage was to bring the participants in close contact with important religious sites, including major cathedrals like Canterbury and the holy city of Jerusalem, and also to expose them to sacred objects such as the bones and relics of saints. • In practice, a pilgrimage had much of the feel of a modern-day tour to some sacred location. Reasons to make a pilgrimage • Personal reasons - traveling to pray for ill relatives or to seek a miraculous cure for their own ailments. • Show devotion to their religion through the sacrifice of time and energy that the journey required. • Enjoyment /Recreation - the recreational aspect of the journey played a large part in the popularity of pilgrimages during the medieval period. The Church’s Influence • The church was a central factor in medieval society. • Throughout Europe, the Catholic Church owned huge tracts of land that made the institution incredibly powerful and wealthy. • The church's power as a political and economic force was as significant as its role in the moral and spiritual life of its followers. • Such power led to inevitable abuses, as some religious officials exploited the common people, preying upon the fears and weaknesses of the faithful for their own gain. Feudalism • Predominant economic and social system in England during Chaucer's life-time. • Land was farmed by a class of peasants, or serfs, who did not own the farmland. Instead, the farms were owned by a separate class of people, known as nobles or landed gentry. • The nobles reaped the profits of the peasants' labor and, in return, gave the peasants a portion of the crops and protection from outlaws and hostile armies. Peasant’s Revolt, 1381 • The peasant classes of this • The probable root of this period seemed in some ways small rebellion instead lay in to accept their lot in life; the the peasants' frustration at only uprising was the the lack of protection from the Peasant's Revolt led by Wat government against endless Tyler. raids by the French. Offering • Wat Tyler was hanged for his no support to southern role in leading the short-lived England's peasants, the king rebellion, which took place in expected them to face the southern England in 1381. fury of the French onslaught • Even in this instance, economic alone. issues were a minor factor. • Since the Peasant's Revolt was the only significant revolt to occur during this period, it has been suggested that there was no widespread discontent among the peasant classes at the time. • If a peasant was dissatisfied with his place in society, he apparently did not blame the general social structure but rather the vices (sins) of individuals, such as greed, hatred, and lack of compassion. • The emphasis is on the individuals' wrongful actions rather than on any shortcomings of the medieval social system. Society and Economy in Change • A middle class largely made up of merchants gradually emerged from the previous feudal world. – Chaucer took advantage of the new opportunities available to members of the middle class. His father was an importer and distributor of wines who earned a comfortable living for his family. – The elder Chaucer's economic security allowed him to send his son to a good school, and this educational background gave the boy the opportunity to serve in a noble household. • Young Chaucer later won a position at court, where he prospered. Chaucer's affiliation with the court was to last throughout his lifetime. • Despite drastic political changes that occurred during this time, he was never out of political favor. He lived on patronage—an arrangement in which he was supported by noble sponsors—from 1357 until his death in 1400. The Black Plague • During Chaucer’s lifetime, the Black Plague swept across Europe causing hundreds of thousands of people to die in a gruesome way • Changed the way that common citizens looked at mortality • Plague struck Spain and France in 1348 and reached England the following year – By the time The Canterbury Tales was published in 1400, a third of the people in Europe had died of it. • Spread by fleas that had picked up the virus from rats Literary Ideals in Chaucer’s Age • One of the most important aspects of storytelling in Chaucer's age is the ability of stories to create a world that operates neatly by punishing vice and rewarding virtue. • Tales that portrayed such a perfect world soothed the masses, whose world of reality seldom exhibited such perfect justice. • Several of Chaucer’s tales depict a perfectly balanced and just world in which virtuous characters overcome all opposition and are ultimately victorious. • Common themes: love, betrayal, conquest, hope, and desire Chivalry (Courtly Love) • Chivalry was the code of honor by which knights lived, pledging their allegiance to their lords and binding themselves to an elaborate system of rules and behavior. • The concept of courtly love was a literary convention that allowed the characters of romances to pursue their amorous adventures without facing social and moral consequences. • Courtly love stood in direct opposition to the church's teachings and standards; yet placed as it was in the context of romantic adventure stories and poems, it did not challenge the church's influence over medieval society. Saint Thomas a Becket • Born on December 21, 1118, in London; died on December 29, 1170, in Canterbury • Chancellor and archbishop of Canterbury, who first supported then fought with the English King Henry II over the balance of power between state and Church in England. • Becket was raised in a privileged home and received a strong education • When his family fell on hard times, he was forced to abandon his plans for a career in the church and become a clerk in the business of a relative. • This turned out to be fortunate, for the relative was well known in London politics. Through him, Becket was introduced to Theobald, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the most powerful church authority in all of England. Through his association with Theobald, Becket helped Henry II attain the throne. In 1162, Henry II, king of England, appointed him as Archbishop of Canterbury; the most important religious position in England. No sooner had Becket been confirmed than he made a complete change in his life. He abandoned his fine clothes and rich lifestyle. Instead, he announced his change of loyalties by wearing sackcloth and by entertaining the poor and homeless rather than the nobles. One of his first acts as archbishop was to attend a conference called by the pope, where he spoke against the trend of replacing church law with kingly law. Becket soon discovered that he could not be both prime minister and archbishop. Becket chose loyalty to the pope. Despite his earlier friendship with the king, Becket did not help Henry bring the church more in line with the court policies Henry wanted. So, he created the Constitution of Clarendon, which contained his changes to English law; the changes cut deeply into the authority of the church. The new laws had to have the approval of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Becket refused to sign them. After six years of exile and further hostility between the king and himself, they finally called a truce because Henry could not afford to be an enemy of the church. *Becket was very popular; the peasants there saw him as a champion of their causes against an ever more heavy management by the king. He was killed in December 1170; Becket's death remains one of the most famous stories associated with Medieval England. Dressed sensibly with a tunic Smudges on armor Knight Squire Fights for God and ideals Model of perfection/chivalry Member of nobility Well-bred and considerate Chivalrous, honorable, courteous, generous Actions more important than appearance*