Introduction to "The Canterbury Tales"
Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales” is a collection of stories. But equally significant is the “Prologue to the Canterbury Tales”.
The Prologue
The
Prologue has a narrator, a constructed version of Chaucer himself. He is first
discovered staying at the Tabard Inn in Southwark (in London), when a company
of twenty-nine people descend on the inn, preparing to go on a pilgrimage to
Canterbury. After talking to them, he agrees to join them on their pilgrimage.
Yet before the narrator goes any further in the tale, he describes the circumstances and the social rank of each pilgrim. He describes each one in turn, starting with individuals of the highest status. He spends considerable time characterizing the group members according to their social positions.
The pilgrims represent a
diverse cross section of fourteenth-century English society. Medieval social
theory divided society into three broad classes, called “estates”: the
military, the clergy, and the laity. (The nobility, not represented in the
General Prologue, traditionally derives its title and privileges from military
duties and service, so it is considered part of the military estate.) In the
portraits that we will see in the rest of the General Prologue, the Knight and
Squire represent the military estate. The clergy is represented by the Prioress
(and her nun and the priest), the Monk, the Friar, and the Parson. The other
characters, from the wealthy Franklin to the poor Plowman, are the members of
the laity. These lay characters can be further subdivided into landowners (the
Franklin), professionals (the Clerk, the Man of Law, the Guildsmen, the
Physician, and the Shipman), laborers (the Cook and the Plowman), stewards (the
Miller, the Manciple, and the Reeve), and church officers (the Summoner and the
Pardoner). As we will see, Chaucer’s descriptions of the various characters and
their social roles reveal the influence of the medieval genre of estates satire.
The
narrator gives a descriptive account of twenty-seven of these pilgrims,
including a Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Prioress, Monk, Friar, Merchant, Clerk, Man
of Law, Franklin, Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, Tapestry-Weaver, Cook,
Shipman, Physician, Wife, Parson, Plowman, Miller, Manciple, Reeve, Summoner,
Pardoner, and Host. (He does not describe the Second Nun or the Nun’s Priest,
although both characters appear later in the book.)
The Host,
whose name, we find out in the Prologue to the Cook’s Tale, is Harry Bailey,
suggests that the group ride together and entertain one another with stories.
He decides that each pilgrim will tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and
two on the way back. Whomever he judges to be the best storyteller will receive
a meal at Bailey’s tavern, courtesy of the other pilgrims. The pilgrims draw
lots and determine that the Knight will tell the first tale.
The
Pilgrims
1. The Narrator
2. The Knight
3. The Wife of Bath
4. The Pardoner
5. The Miller
6. The Prioress
7. The Monk
8. The Friar
9. The Summoner
10. The Host
11. The Parson
12. The Squire
13. The Clerk
14. The Man of Law
15. The Manciple
16. The Merchant
17. The Shipman
18. The Physician
19. The Franklin
20. The Reeve
21. The Plowman
22. The Cook
23. The Yeoman
24. The Second Nun
25. The Nun’s Priest
26. Guildsman-1
27. Guildsman-2
28. Guildsman-3
29. Guildsman-4
30. Guildsman-5
1. The
Narrator - The narrator makes it quite clear that he is also a character in his
book. Although he is called Chaucer, we should be wary of accepting his words
and opinions as Chaucer’s own. In the General Prologue, the narrator presents
himself as a gregarious and naïve character. Later on, the Host accuses him of
being silent and sullen. Because the narrator writes down his impressions of
the pilgrims from memory, whom he does and does not like, and what he chooses
and chooses not to remember about the characters, tells us as much about the
narrator’s own prejudices as it does about the characters themselves.
2. The Knight - The first pilgrim
Chaucer describes in the General Prologue, and the teller of the first tale.
The Knight represents the ideal of a medieval Christian man-at-arms. He has
participated in no less than fifteen of the great crusades of his era. Brave,
experienced, and prudent, the narrator greatly admires him.
3. The Wife of Bath - Bath is an English town on the Avon River,
not the name of this woman’s husband. Though she is a seamstress by occupation,
she seems to be a professional wife. She has been married five times and had
many other affairs in her youth, making her well practiced in the art of love.
She presents herself as someone who loves marriage and sex, but, from what we
see of her, she also takes pleasure in rich attire, talking, and arguing. She
is deaf in one ear and has a gap between her front teeth, which was considered
attractive in Chaucer’s time. She has traveled on pilgrimages to Jerusalem
three times and elsewhere in Europe as well.
4. The Pardoner - Pardoners granted papal indulgences—reprieves
from penance in exchange for charitable donations to the Church. Many
pardoners, including this one, collected profits for themselves. In fact,
Chaucer’s Pardoner excels in fraud, carrying a bag full of fake relics—for
example, he claims to have the veil of the Virgin Mary. The Pardoner has long,
greasy, yellow hair and is beardless. These characteristics were associated
with shiftiness and gender ambiguity in Chaucer’s time. The Pardoner also has a
gift for singing and preaching whenever he finds himself inside a church.
5. The Miller - Stout and brawny, the Miller has a wart on
his nose and a big mouth, both literally and figuratively. He threatens the
Host’s notion of propriety when he drunkenly insists on telling the second
tale. Indeed, the Miller seems to enjoy overturning all conventions: he ruins
the Host’s carefully planned storytelling order; he rips doors off hinges; and
he tells a tale that is somewhat blasphemous, ridiculing religious clerks,
scholarly clerks, carpenters, and women.
6. The Prioress - Described as modest and quiet, this Prioress
(a nun who is head of her convent) aspires to have exquisite taste. Her table
manners are dainty, she knows French (though not the French of the court), she
dresses well, and she is charitable and compassionate.
7. The Monk - Most monks of the Middle Ages lived in
monasteries according to the Rule of Saint Benedict, which demanded that they
devote their lives to “work and prayer.” This Monk cares little for the Rule;
his devotion is to hunting and eating. He is large, loud, and well clad in
hunting boots and furs.
8. The Friar - Roaming priests with no ties to a monastery,
friars were a great object of criticism in Chaucer’s time. Always ready to
befriend young women or rich men who might need his services, the friar
actively administers the sacraments in his town, especially those of marriage
and confession. However, Chaucer’s worldly Friar has taken to accepting bribes.
9. The Summoner - The Summoner brings persons accused of
violating Church law to ecclesiastical court. This Summoner is a lecherous man
whose face is scarred by leprosy. He gets drunk frequently, is irritable, and
is not particularly qualified for his position. He spouts the few words of
Latin he knows in an attempt to sound educated.
10. The Host - The leader of the group, the Host is large,
loud, and merry, although he possesses a quick temper. He mediates among the
pilgrims and facilitates the flow of the tales. His title of “host” may be a
pun, suggesting both an innkeeper and the Eucharist, or Holy Host.
11. The Parson - The only devout churchman in the company, the
Parson lives in poverty, but is rich in holy thoughts and deeds. The pastor of
a sizable town, he preaches the Gospel and makes sure to practice what he
preaches. He is everything that the Monk, the Friar, and the Pardoner are not.
12. The Squire - The Knight’s son and apprentice. The Squire
is curly-haired, youthfully handsome, and loves dancing and courting.
13. The Clerk - The Clerk is a poor student of philosophy.
Having spent his money on books and learning rather than on fine clothes, he is
threadbare and wan. He speaks little, but when he does, his words are wise and
full of moral virtue.
14. The Man of Law - A successful lawyer commissioned by the king.
He upholds justice in matters large and small and knows every statute of
England’s law by heart.
15. The Manciple - A manciple was in charge of getting
provisions for a college or court. Despite his lack of education, this Manciple
is smarter than the thirty lawyers he feeds.
16. The Merchant - The Merchant trades in furs and other cloths,
mostly from Flanders. He is part of a powerful and wealthy class in Chaucer’s
society.
17. The Shipman - Brown-skinned from years of sailing, the
Shipman has seen every bay and river in England, and exotic ports in Spain and
Carthage as well. He is a bit of a rascal, known for stealing wine while the
ship’s captain sleeps.
18. The Physician - The Physician is one of the best in his
profession, for he knows the cause of every malady and can cure most of them.
Though the Physician keeps himself in perfect physical health, the narrator
calls into question the Physician’s spiritual health: he rarely consults the
Bible and has an unhealthy love of financial gain.
19. The Franklin - The word “franklin” means “free man.” In
Chaucer’s society, a franklin was neither a vassal serving a lord nor a member
of the nobility. This particular franklin is a connoisseur of food and wine, so
much so that his table remains laid and ready for food all day.
20. The Reeve - A reeve was similar to a steward of a manor,
and this reeve performs his job shrewdly—his lord never loses so much as a ram
to the other employees, and the vassals under his command are kept in line.
However, he steals from his master.
21. The Plowman - The Plowman is the Parson’s brother and is
equally good-hearted. A member of the peasant class, he pays his tithes to the
Church and leads a good Christian life.
22. The Cook - The Cook works for the Guildsmen. Chaucer
gives little detail about him, although he mentions a crusty sore on the Cook’s
leg.
23. The Yeoman - The servant who accompanies the Knight and
the Squire. The narrator mentions that his dress and weapons suggest he may be
a forester.
24. The Second Nun - The Second Nun is not described in the
General Prologue, but she tells a saint’s life for her tale.
25. The Nun’s Priest - Like the Second Nun, the Nun’s Priest is not
described in the General Prologue. His story of Chanticleer, however, is well
crafted and suggests that he is a witty, self-effacing preacher.
26. (26 – 30) The Guildsmen - Listed together, the five Guildsmen appear as
a unit. English guilds were a combination of labor unions and social
fraternities: craftsmen of similar occupations joined together to increase
their bargaining power and live communally. All five Guildsmen are clad in the
livery of their brotherhood.
The Order
of the Stories
As per the original plan, there should have been 120 stories, two narrated on the way to Canterbury, and two on the way back. However, we have only 24 stories. Two of them is by Chaucer himself, and one is by a Canon’s Yeoman who joins the Pilgrims on the way.
1. The Knight
2. The Miller (Robin)
3. The Reeve (a carpenter)
Dartford
4. The Cook (incomplete story)
5. The Man of Law
6. The Wife of Bath
7. The Prioress
(at this
point, the pilgrims are overtaken by a Canon and his Yeoman. The Yeoman stays
back to give out a story)
8. Chaucer’s story – 1
9. Chaucer’s story - 2
10. The Monk
11. The Nun’s priest
Rochester
12. The Physician
13. The Pardoner
14. The Wife of Bath
15. The Frair
16. The Summoner
17. The Clerk of Oxford
18. The Merchant
Ospringe,
ten miles from Canterbury
19. The Squire
20. The Franklin
21. The Second Nun
22. The Canon’s Yeoman
Harbledown
23. The Manciple
24. The Parson
The group
makes its way to Canterbury
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