Compared to Beowulf, it's a whole new world, with occupations other than warrior, and a new language, Middle English: Listen and Look:   "Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote . . ."

The situation mirrors the medieval world view:

• Everyone goes on a religious journey
• All are pilgrims, going to Canterbury
• To worship at the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket, now marked only by a candle.
• A sense of comprehensiveness
• People as types
• Hierarchal view of the world

• The genre is Estates Satire, so there is a lot of satire, especially against the clergy who are supposed to be exemplars, but the characters are mixed; they are not only types.
• There's a sense of humor, and different voices. The voice of Geoffrey is tentative, and what the poet thinks has to be inferred. -- Compare to Beowulf .
• Chaucer's attitude & humor: See the description of The Cook and the description of The Pardoner.

It was a very popular book.

• "he loved chivalrye, / Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisye" (45-46)
• "At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene" (61)
• "Ageyn another hethen in Turkye" (66)
• "He never yet no vileinye ne sayde / In al his lyfe, unto no maner wight" (70-71)
• "Of fustian he wered a gipoun / Al bismotered with his habergeoun" (75-76)
• Question: If you were to transpose this story into modern times, could everyone agree who should be mentioned first?

The Squire

• He is a lover and a fighter, and the two are intertwined.

  "And he had been sometime in chivachye,
  In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Picardye,
  And born him wel, as of so litel space,
  In hope to stonden in his lady grace."  (lines 85-88)

• He's the ideal male hottie of his time. Question: How does he measure up to Justin Beiber?
• "Curteis he was, lowely, and servysable, / And carf biforn his fader at the table."

The Yeoman
He takes care of equipment and is defined by equipment.

The Prioress.

• Her probable background: "And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly, / After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe"
• Her idea of courtesy: "In curteisie was set ful muchel hir lest"
• The nature of her conscience: "But for to speken of hire conscience" Question: What is the satirical point of this section?
• Her romantic appearance: "Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was, / Hir nose tretys, hir eyen greye as glas."

The Monk

• His job as "out-rydere" compared to the normal monkish life. See the list of canonical hours.
• QUESTION: What is the satirical point of the comparison between his bridle bells and chapel bells? See (lines 169-171).
• His defensiveness. -- The Rule of St. Augustine, The Rule of St. Benedict
• QUESTION: What is the satirical point of the description of his appearance, especially lines 198-205?

The Friar

Link to page on monastic orders and Friars

• "A limitour, a ful solempne man" (line 209)
• QUESTION: Can you find the punning sex joke in lines 210 - 214?
• His defensiveness (line 244)
• "Curteys he was, and lowly of servyse" (line 250) [The Knight (line 46), the Squire (line 99), and the Prioress (lines 139-140) are also courteous.] QUESTION: What is Chaucer's view of courtesy?
• His name

The Merchant
QUESTION: What's the point of the last two lines of the description of the Merchant?

The Clerk

• He's driving a '69 VW Bug, but he could get a much better ride if he would just sell one of those books.
• He has "no benefyce" (line 293), and doesn't seem much interested in getting one.
• Question: What is the satirical point of lines 299-300, "But al be that he was a philosophre, / Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre"? [NOTE: According to the folklore of the time, great philosophers were supposed to be able to turn dross (e.g., pots & pans) into gold.]

The Sergeant of the Law
Many things in common with a modern lawyer

The Franklin

• A Franklin is a Freeholder, and freedom (in the sense of generosity) is a keynote to his character and to his story.
• "Epicurus owne sone" (line 338)
• "His table dormant in his halle alway / Stood redy covered al the longe day." (lines 355-356)
• Question: Where's the satire in this portrait?

The Craftsmen & their Cook

• Their new wealth
• "in o liveree" (line 364)
• their pride

• Question: What's the point of lines 387-389? [For a hint, open the link below.]
• Images: Blancmanger & Mormal

The Shipman

• He owns his own ship, so he's an independent operator, kind of like some long-haul truckers of today.
• "his ship was called the Magdalen" (line 412)

The Doctor of Medicine

• "be it hot or cold or moist or dry" (line 422)
• "for each helped the other to profit" (line 429)
• the list of authorities
• the expensive & tasteful clothes
• the quip at the end (lines 445-446)

The Wife of Bath

Both womanly & tomboy; the single most famous character in Chaucer.

The Parson

• "He was also a learned man, a clerk" (line 482)
• "rather give / his poor parishoners thereabouts / part of his own offerings and property" (lines 489-491)
• "And shame it is, if preest take keep, / A shiten shepherde and clene sheep" (lines 505-506)
• satire of corruptions -- lines 510 ff.
• "But if any person were obstinate" (line 523) -- similar to the knight in combination of humility/courtesy & strength

There was also a Reve and a Millere,
A Somnour and a Pardoner also,
A Manciple, and myself; ther were namo. (lines 544 - 547)
—Note that Geoffrey puts himself among the rascals.

• His importance to the life of the community
• His swinish appearance
• "he had a thumb of gold" (line 565)

The Summoner