Age of Chaucer poetry and the Canterbury tales

Age of Chauc

1. “Father of English Poetry”
Geoffrey Chaucer
1343-1400

2. Chaucer
He is considered the “Greatest English
Poet of the Middle Ages”
He was a well-known government official
who had the honor to serve under three
different Kings:
Edward III
Richard II
Henry IV

3. Early Life
Born c. 1343
Son of a prosperous wine
merchant
In his mid teens, he was
placed in the service of a
Countess so he could
obtain a better education
and be schooled in both
court and society life.
Thus, he would have
learned Latin and some
Greek as well as French
and Italian.

4. Early Life (cont.)
In, 1360 Chaucer joined the
royal household and became a
trusted messenger and minor
diplomat for the King.
He was so important to the
King that when he was
captured in France during the
Hundred Years’ War the King
paid his ransom.

5. Other Jobs Chaucer Held…and Learned From...
Controller of Customs on Wools, Skins and Hides for the Port of
London
Here he would meet many types of businessmen, sailors, travelers city
folk and common laborers
Clerk of the King’s Works
In charge of construction and repairs affecting the royal residences;
here he would meet many guildsmen as well as court officials
Deputy Forester of the King’s Forests
Away from the city, he met peasants, foresters, local clergy and other
country folk
Representative of the Shire of Kent in Parliament
Here he met the rich, the influential and the upper middleclass as
well as the higher ranking church officials

6. Chaucer
Had a high work ethic.
Motto: work first, writing was a means of
pleasure.
Wrote in the language of the people and
with his own Style:
IAMBIC PENTAMETER
COUPLET

7. Chaucer
Chaucer used several metrical forms and
some prose.
His dominant meter was IAMBIC
PENTAMETER—a line of 10 syllables;
unstressed followed by stressed.
He is responsible for making this the most
popular metric form in literature.
Finally abandoning the alliterative world
of poetry. (first advance into the
modern lang.)

8. Chaucer
His favorite rhyme scheme was the
COUPLET: two consecutive lines of poetry
that rhyme. (2 types)
Heroic Couplet:A couplet that presents a
complete thought.
Open Couplet: A couplet that has no complete
thought; thought continues into the next couplet
and so on.

9. Chaucer
Chaucer died October 25, 1400 and was
the 1
st
to be buried in what is now called
“Poets Corner” in Westminster Abbey.

10. The Canterbury Tales
Chaucer’s most famous piece of writing was the
Canterbury Tales.
Scholars say that the Prologue alone puts him in a class with
Shakespeare and Milton.
C. T. were written between 1387-1400
They were NEVER COMPLETED!
The tales were written as a concise portrait of
an entire nation going through the ups and
downs of life during the Middle Ages. **A way
for Chaucer to Satire England.
(Remember the end of The Knight’s Tale??)

11. The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales begin with a general
prologue introducing the setting, (where/when),
and the 29 travelers going on the pilgrimage to
visit the shrine of Thomas à Becket at the
Canterbury Cathedral.
As the prologue progresses you will be
introduced to each individual character who will
then tell their ‘tale’.
FRAME STORY TECHNIQUE: story within a
story.
Chaucer will be telling the story while all of his characters tell
their own story, within the tales themselves.

12. Characters will be described by:
Their job
The type and color of their clothing
Their “accessories” (jewelry, pets, other portables)
The way they act
Their income
Their “secrets”
Their status in society as a whole
The way they speak / their slang or accent
Their mode of transportation

13. Chaucer’s Plan ...
Each character would
tell 2 stories going
and 2 stories coming
home from
Canterbury.
Why do you suppose
they did this??

15. London

16. But why go to Canterbury?

17. Canterbury was a Pilgrimage Site
People of all classes went on pilgrimages to holy sites to
ask for help with medical, financial or other problems.

18. The Shrine of
St. Thomas à Becket
The travelers in
Chaucer’s CT were
headed to the Shrine
of Thomas àBecket.

19. Becket was a trusted adviser and friend of King Henry
II who later named Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury.

20. Becket’s outspoken style
angered the King. One
day, Henry complained,
“Will no one rid me of
this meddlesome
priest?” Three knights
rode to Canterbury
where they found Becket
at the altar of
Canterbury Cathedral.

21. There, at the altar, they beheaded Becket.

22. Canterbury Cathedral became a site for pilgrims to
offer prayers to St. Thomas.

23. Today, a modern cross made from swords marks the
site of the martyrdom.

24. The fact that Chaucer wrote in
Middle English, rather than
French or Latin like many of his
fellow writers, meant that
ordinary folk could enjoy The
Canterbury Talesand their
vivid characters.

25. The late fourteenth century world was still very
much one of the spoken word. Books were
copied out by hand and were a rare luxury till
the advent of the printing press 70 years later.
The educated elite could read, but they
preferred to hear texts read outloudfor
entertainment. The Canterbury Tales, with
their earthy humor and and vivid dialogue,
were a runaway success.

26. So, let’s travel back to London, to the area called
Southward, and stop at the Tabard Inn.

27. We’ll meet the characters and hear their stories.

28. So the story begins...