Canterbury Tales

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Canterbury Tales

• Chaucers Life and Times

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Geoffrey Chaucer1343-1400

• Born in London
• Spoke Latin, French and Italian but wrote tales
  in ENGLISH using everyday language.
• First job was as page, valet and esquire to
  Elizabeth of Ulster (relative of King)
• Soldier vs French (100 years war),captured, and
  King paid his ransom
• 1366 married Philippa Roet (Flemish)
• Who was lady in waiting to Queen
• 1368 on served as diplomatic agent in France and
  Italy
• 1374 appointed by King Edward as Controller of
  Customs
• 1385 moved to Kent
• 1400 died and buried in Westminster Abbey (Poets
  Corner)

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Chaucers World

• 14th century government of England was
  aristocratic
• Efficacy of monarch depended on his character and
  power of nobles who supported him
• Fate of country depended on personality of king
• One church, all Christians were Catholic

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Feudal System- Manors

• For safety and for defense, people in the Middle
  Ages formed small communities around a central
  lord or master
• Most people lived on an isolated manor, with the
  occasional visitor
• Manor consisted of
• Castle
• Church
• Village
• Farm land

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Feudal System- Fiefs

• Land grants Fiefs
• In return for their contribution of soldiers for
  the king's armies, the king awarded fiefs to
• His most important nobles
• His barons
• His bishops
• At the lowest echelon of society were the
  peasants, also called "serfs"
• In exchange for living and working on his land,
  the lord offered his peasants protection
• It was also a way for upper nobility to maintain
  control over lower classes

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Black Plague
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Black Plague

• Brought over on merchant ships from Asia
• Spread by rats
• Symptoms fever 101-105, headaches, painful
  joints, nausea, vomiting, tumours, blood tinged
  spit, nose bleeds, bloody noses, rashes
• 4 of 5 people dies within 8 days
• Mass burials square gardens in London

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Thomas Becket 1118-1170

• Born in 1118 in Normandy
• King Henry II ordained him so he could name him
  Archbishop of Canterbury 1162
• Gave more power to King so he could have
  influence over church
• His allegiance shifted to church, took stand
  against king
• Becket fled to France for fear of King, they then
  made up in 1170

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Thomas Becket 1118-1170

• Becket arrives back to Canterbury, King upset
  that he refused to absolve bishops, orders
  knights to kill Becket
• December 29th knights arrive at Canterbury find
  Becket at alter, drew swords and began hacking at
  him, splitting his skull
• Miracles occur at his tomb becomes canonized a
  saint for being a martyr
• Pilgrims then went to Canterbury to pay homage
  thus..The Canterbury Tales

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The Murder Sceneat Canterbury Cathedral
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Canterbury Cathedral
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Outside Influences

• Traveled to Italy in 1372 1378 influenced by
  Dante, Petrach and Boccacio.
• Tales follow Decameron by Boccacio. Framing
  device within which the characters tell their
  tales, and both include tales base don similar
  plots.

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Personality in Poetry

• Strength found in languagethe spirit and
  personality it effuses.
• Tongue and Cheek wit
• Critical of hypocrisy especially in the church.
• Written in middle english