The Canterbury Tales

1
The Canterbury Tales

• By Geoffrey Chaucer

2
The Medieval Period

• A.D. 1066-1485

3
The Norman Conquest

• After conquering the Anglo-Saxons in 1066,
  William of Normandy began to fuse the Anglo-Saxon
  culture with his own.
• The Normans (or north men) were originally
  Viking raiders from Northern Europe, who settled
  in the northern-coastal region of France known as
  Normandy.

4
The Norman Conquest

• William introduced many French customs and
  traditions to England.
• This was the beginning of the Medieval (or
  middle) period in England.
• The biggest change that William introduced was
  feudalism the concept that the king owned all
  the land in the kingdom.

5
The Medieval Period

• As a part of the new feudalism, William kept one
  quarter of the land for himself.
• The remainder of the land in England he divided
  amongst the church and nobles.
• Many of these nobles were Norman barons, who
  either paid William for the land, or supplied him
  with warriors called knights.

6
The Medieval Period

• With these barons and knights came a new social
  ladder, as follows
• The King
• The Barons
• The Knights
• Peasants and Serfs (those bound to land they
  could not own). Many of these were Anglo-Saxons.

7
The Medieval Period

• William was succeeded by Henry I, his son.
• His grandson, Henry II, would follow as the next
  king of England.
• Henry II reformed England, creating a judicial
  system and English common law based on old
  practices.
• Henry IIs wife, Eleanor, introduced the Code of
  Chivalry, based on French ideals.

8
The Code of Chivalry

• Chivalry was a code meant to govern the conduct
  and behavior of knights.
• Chivalry encouraged knights to honor and protect
  ladies and to go on holy quests, such as the
  Crusades.

9
Have you heard of Robin Hood?

• Henry II was succeeded by his son Richard I
  otherwise known as Richard the Lion-Hearted.
• While Richard I fought in the Crusades, his
  brother, John plotted against him. These are the
  same figures that are popular in the Robin Hood
  lengends.
• After Richards death, the royal treasury was
  bankrupt. John was forced to sign the Magna
  Carta, limiting royal authority by giving more
  power to the barons.

10
The Medieval Period

• King John was succeeded by Henry III.
• Henry III established Parliament as a governing
  body of barons.
• Henrys son, Edward I, modified Parliament in
  1295, allowing commoners to be included, thus
  making Parliament a truly representative body of
  the people of England.

11
The Medieval Period

• As the Crusades continued, England began to
  become a center of trade and commerce. Feudalism
  began to decline as a result of the economical
  changes.
• Education became a focus in England as cities
  developed universities such as Oxford flourished.

12
The Fall of the Medieval Period

• As Edward III was king of England, the Hundred
  Years War began.
• England also endured the plague known as the
  Black Death, which killed one third of the
  nations population.
• In 1453, the Hundred Years War finally ended
  England had lost nearly all of its French
  possessions.

13
The Fall of the Medieval Period

• Around the end of the war, a struggle for power
  began between the House of York (represented by a
  white rose) and the House of Lancaster
  (represented by a red rose).
• The War of Roses ended in 1485, when Lancasters
  Henry Tudor killed the Yorkist king, Richard II.
• Henry took the throne as Henry VII, ending the
  Middle Ages.

14
Geoffrey Chaucer
15
Chaucers Life

• Chaucer was born sometime between 1340 and 1343
• Born probably in London, England
• His family was not noble, but were well off
• Parents worked in the wine and leather trade

16
Chaucers Life

• He was placed as an attendant for the wife of
  Prince Lionel, son of King Edward III (right)
• Here he learned the customs of upper-class life
• Chaucer met Lionels brother, John of Gaunt, a
  lifelong patron (left)

17
Chaucer in the Military

• He fought in the Hundred Years War against the
  French
• He was captured during the siege of Rheims
• The king himself contributed to Chaucers ransom

18
Chaucers Life

• Chaucer then served as a royal messenger
• His royal contacts helped establish his future
  life
• He married Philippa, a lady in waiting to the
  queen
• He was appointed comptroller of customs for
  London in 1374

19
Chaucers Life

• Chaucer continued his political career under
  several kings
• Richard II (1377) (left)
• Henry IV (1399) son of John of Gaunt (right)

20
Chaucers Death

• Chaucer dies in 1400
• Buried in Westminster Abbey
• This was a rare honor for a commoner

21
Chaucers Tomb

• In 1566, an admirer built an elaborate marble
  tomb for Chaucers remains
• This began the Poets Corner of Westminster Abbey
• Many famous English writers would later be buried
  there

22
The Poets Corner

• "The communication of the dead is tongued with
  fire beyond the language of the living
• Epitaph on the memorial to T.S.Eliot.

23
The Poets Corner
24
The Poets Corner
25
Other Writers in the Poets Corner

• Several authors have been buried in the Poets
  Corner of Westminster Abbey since Geoffrey
  Chaucer, including
• Edmund Spencer, John Dryden, Tennyson, Robert
  Browning and John Masefield. Many writers,
  including William Camden, Dr. Samuel Johnson,
  Charles Dickens, Richard Brinsley Sheridan,
  Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Hardy

26
Poets Corner Memorials

• The following writers are not buried in
  Westminster Abbey, but have memorials placed in
  the Poets Corner
• William Shakespeare, John Milton, William
  Wordsworth, Thomas Gray, John Keats, Percy Bysshe
  Shelley, Robert Burns, William Blake, T.S. Eliot,
  Gerard Manley Hopkins, Samuel Butler, Jane
  Austen, Oliver Goldsmith, Sir Walter Scott, John
  Ruskin, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte, Henry
  James and Sir John Betjeman

27
Chaucers Inspirations

• Chaucer had heavy influence from French and
  Italian Literature
• Italian Influences
• Dante Alighieri
• Petrarch
• Boccaccio

28
Chaucers Writing

• The Romance of the Rose
• Chaucers first major writing effort
• A famous medieval French romance
• The Book of the Duchess
• Chaucers first important original work
• Tribute to Blanche, John of Gaunts wife
• She died of the plague in 1369
• The House of Fame
• A humorous narrative about the instability of
  renown

29
The Canterbury Tales

• A collection of verse and prose tales
• The stories are joined by pretending to be told
  by travelers journeying from London to
  Canterbury.
• Scholars speculate he began planning The
  Canterbury Tales in 1387.
• The Canterbury Tales were unfinished at Chaucers
  death
• He had already penned nearly 20,000 lines
• Many more tales were planned
• Chaucer portrayed himself in the Canterbury tales
• A short, plump, slightly foolish pilgrim
• Commanded no great respect

30
The Canterbury Tales
31
The Tales

• The Canterbury Tales are the stories told by a
  group of pilgrims traveling from the Tabard Inn
  in London to visit Saint Thomas Beckets Shrine
  at Canterbury Cathedral.

32
Poetry versus Prose

• Most of The Canterbury Tales are composed in
  verse, or poetry. However, two of the tales are
  told in prose, or short story-style writing.

33
Chaucers Poetry

• The Canterbury Tales are written in Iambic
  Pentameter.
• Iambs are poetic feet that are an unstressed
  syllable, followed by a stressed syllable.
• An example would be
• Come live/with me/my Love
• Pentameter is a line of poetry with five metrical
  feet.

34
The Tales

• The Canterbury Tales are told in a Frame
  Narrative. This means that the main story is
  written to organize several smaller stories
  within the work. Essentially, the main story
  frames the tales of the travelers within.

35
The Tales

• The Tales are made up of the stories of several
  pilgrims traveling to Canterbury. These pilgrims
  make up both upper and lower class, and include
  members from all walks of life.
• Some examples
• A monk, a pardoner, a sailor, a miller, a
  carpenter, and a knight, as well as the Wife of
  Bath

36
The Tales

• The travelers, to help pass the time of their
  journey, agree to tell four stories each. Two on
  the way to Canterbury, and two on the return
  voyage. At the end of they journey, the best
  story, judged by the host, will earn its teller a
  free meal, courtesy the rest of the pilgrims.

37
The Tales

• The Knight begins the story-telling, and the
  stories continue on the trip to Canterbury.
• However, in the end, no winner is chosen, and
  the stories are never finished.

38
The Tales

• The tales themselves vary in nature.
• Some of the pilgrims tell tales that represent
  their social position.
• Others tell stories to make fun of others in the
  group.

39
The Tales

• At the end of The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer
  wrote a retraction.
• This retraction intended to apologize for
  anything in the stories which may have been
  inappropriate or offensive.

40
Locations in The Canterbury Tales
41
The Tabard Inn
42
Canterbury Cathedral
43
Canterbury Cathedral
44
Approximately 60-65 miles
45
Why Canterbury Cathedral?

• Why, to honor Saint Thomas Becket, of course!

46
St. Thomas Becket

• Thomas Becket was born 1118 (Over 200 Years
  prior to The Canterbury Tales)
• Appointed Archdeacon of Canterbury by Theobald,
  the current Archbishop
• Appointed Lord Chancellor by King Henry II

47
St. Thomas Becket

• Becket, a friend and fellow noble, even housed
  Henrys son (aptly named Henry) for a time.
• The young Henry said that Becket showed him more
  love in a day than his father did in a lifetime
• This would eventually cause the young Henry to
  turn against his father.

48
St. Thomas Becket

• In 1162, several months after the death of
  Theobald, Thomas Becket is appointed Archbishop
  of Canterbury.
• Henry II hoped to use Becket to sway his
  influence on the Church and diminish its power in
  England.
• Becket drops his Chancellorship in favor of his
  new position and authority.

49
St. Thomas Becket

• Becket consolidates the land revenues of
  Canterbury under his control (which normally were
  paid to the king as land tax).
• This begins a conflict between Church and State,
  where Henry II struggles with Becket for power in
  England. Henry II wishes to be the absolute
  ruler of both Church and State.

50
The Constitutions of Clarendon

• The major feud between Henry II and Becket took
  place due to the Constitutions of Clarendon.
• These constitutions would give the clergy less
  power and weaken the Churchs connection with
  Rome.
• Becket refused to sign the constitutions.

51
Becket is Summoned to Trial

• As a result of Beckets refusal to sign the
  Constitutions of Clarendon, Henry II summons him
  to appear before a court at Northampton Castle.
• Becket is charged with contempt of royal
  authority and malfeasance. (Performing an act
  that is unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law
  by a public official)

52
Beckets Trial

• Becket is convicted of these charges.
• He flees the court and escaped to continental
  Europe for safety.
• Eventually, due to threats against Beckets
  friends and supporters, he returns.
• Becket desired to excommunicate Henry II, but
  Pope Alexander III wanted a more diplomatic
  solution.

53
Beckets Reactions

• Despite the opinions of the Pope and papal
  legates, Becket eventually excommunicates 20 of
  Henrys companions.
• Finally, a threat by the Pope to excommunicate
  the entire population of England led to a
  compromise by Henry, and he allowed Becket to
  resume his position.

54
Beckets Reactions

• King Henry the Young is crowned king, and the
  coronation is handled by three bishops. The
  coronation was supposed to be handled by
  Canterbury.
• Becket excommunicates the three bishops. Word of
  this reaches the king. In his anger, he utters,
  Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?"

55
Beckets Murder

• Several knights, four to be exact, take this as a
  royal order.
• They seek out Becket in Canterbury, and after
  attempts to draw him out of the Cathedral, rush
  in with swords and murder him.

56
After Beckets Murder

• A shrine and memorial were established for Becket
  at Canterbury. However, the shrine was destroyed
  as part of Henry VIIIs campaign to punish those
  who challenge a kings authority in England.
• By 1173, Becket was canonized by Pope Alexander
  III only 3 years after his death.

57
The Shrine of Saint Thomas

• King Henry VIII ordered Beckets shrine to be
  destroyed around 300 years after it was built.
  There is, however, a memorial to Saint Thomas a
  Becket, and the site remains where his shrine
  once stood.

58
About Saint Thomas Shrine

• The King is also enthusiastic about Saint
  Thomas Becket - enthusiastic about giving him his
  come uppance for treasonably challenging the God
  given authority of an English King.  So Becket's
  bones are disinterred, tried in a court of law,
  found guilty, decanonised and burned.  The King
  also orders the destruction of all Becket
  memorabilia and "portraits" in England.
• Source
• http//www.paradoxplace.com/Photo20Pages/UK/Brit
  ain_South_and_West/Canterbury_Cathedral/Canterbury
  .htm

59
The Shrine of Saint Thomas

• Since the shrine was destroyed, we dont know
  exactly what it looked like. But, we do think it
  may have looking similar to this recreation of
  the Shrine of Saint Alban.

60
The Shrine of Saint Thomas

• The remains of the Shrine of Saint Thomas

61
The Memorial to Saint Thomas

• A memorial now stands where Saint Thomas was cut
  down and murdered in Canterbury Cathedral.

62
Middle EnglishversusModern English

• A Comparison

63
Middle English

• On the following slides are examples from the
  Canterbury Tales in Middle English and then in
  Modern English.

64
Middle English

• Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
• The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
• And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
• Of which vertu engendred is the flour
• Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
• Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
• The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
• Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
• And smale foweles maken melodye,
• That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
• (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages)
• Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
• And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
• To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes

65
Modern English

• When in April the sweet showers fall
• That pierce March's drought to the root and all
• And bathed every vein in liquor that has power
• To generate therein and sire the flower
• When Zephyr also has with his sweet breath,
• Filled again, in every holt and heath,
• The tender shoots and leaves, and the young sun
• His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,
• And many little birds make melody
• That sleep through all the night with open eye
• (So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)
• Then folk do long to go on pilgrimage,
• And palmers to go seeking out strange strands,
• To distant shrines well known in distant lands.