Free Essays on Canterbury Tales

In the book Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer, gives us a stunning tale about a rooster named Chaunticleer. Chaunticleer, who is the King of his domain in his farmland kingdom. Like a King, he quotes passages from intellectuals, dreams vivid dreams, has a libido that runs like a bat out of hell, and is described as a very elegant looking Rooster. He has every characteristic of a person belonging to the upper class. Chaucer's hidden meanings and ideas make us think that the story is about roosters and farm animals, but in reality he is making the Aristocracy of his time period the subject of his mockery by making the reader realize how clueless the Aristocracy can be to the way things are in the real World. Chaucer describes Chaunticleer in many different ways. One of them is his language. Chaunticleer's language is that of a scholar. He quotes many different scriptures in a conversation with Pertelote, such as, Saint Kenelm, Daniel and Joseph (from the bible), and Croesus. From each author he tells a story about an individual who had a vision in a dream and the dream came true. He may have been making all the stories up in order to win the argument with Pertelote, but, this seems unlikely because he does not take heed to his own advice and stay away from the fox that encounters him later. He is educated enough to know these supposed quotations but not intelligent enough to understand the real meaning of them. It is if he simply brings because they help him win the argument with his spouse and not because he actually believes what they say. Chaucer is using the idea that the Aristocracy has schooling throughout their childhood, but it is only done to have seemingly important but empty conversations. His physical appearance is also described with such beautiful passion that it makes us think Chaunticleer is heaven on earth. "His comb was redder than fine coral, and crenellated like a castle wall; his bill was black and shone like jet; hi... Free Essays on Canterbury Tales Free Essays on Canterbury Tales Chaucer’s Best Tale Often times literature can be used as a historical reference providing the reader with an illustration of a culture through stories set in a particular time period. The Canterbury Tales is no exception. Although the stories are fabricated, they show common social issues and provide a view of the life in author Geoffrey Chaucer’s time. Many of his tales have similarities in theme. One of the many recurring points depicted is corruption in the church. When thinking of church in Medieval Europe that first thought likely to come to one’s mine would be something of a conservative, strict and virtuous clergy. The Pardoner’s tale is a depiction of religious fraudulence. It provides and intimate portrayal of a highly respected religious figure who reveals his selfish deceitful and hypocritical nature. It shocks the reader to find that the Pardoner whom people trust to pray for their sin is recklessly sinful himself. In terms of the Pardoner’s position in society, his job as a consists of selling relics, absolving sins, and collecting donations on behalf of the church. His true personality becomes evident when he begins to reveal secrets about his job to the pilgrims. The Pardoner’s Tale is preceded by a prologue in which the he repeats a phrase stating that avarice is the root of all evil (128). But, immediately after he utters this sermon about the dangers of greed, he begins to sell relics. The Pardoner admits that these are powerless, miscellaneous items he has gathered, yet he still scandalously tries to sell them. He claims, however, that these relics are blessed by saints and sells these to the pilgrims for his own financial gain. "Then I bring all my long glass bottles out crammed full of bones and ragged bits of clout. Relics they are, at least for such are know" (126). When it is his turn to tell a tale, the Pardoner first goes on a tangent and reveals more characteristic s about himself which makes th... Free Essays on Canterbury Tales Pilgrim Personalities Each character in â€Å"The Canterbury Tales† has their personality described in the prologue. Later in the book they each tell a story. The character’s personality, lifestyle, interests, intelligence, vocation, and attitudes toward life and people are reflected in their tale. Each pilgrim’s description in the prologue is directly related to the story that they tell. The prioress is a religious well-mannered lady. She sang well at church and â€Å"she was all sentiment and tender heart† (page 6). The prioress sang her tale. It was a religious story about a Christian boy that was murdered in a Jewish neighborhood because he was singing Mary’s song. This tale describes the prioress well because it is a religious inspirational story of a martyr. She told a nice proper story that promoted her religion. The miller is â€Å"a great stout fellow big in brawn and bone† (page 18). He steals grain, is a wrangler, and a buffoon. His story shows exactly the type of person that he is. It’s about trickery, very blunt, and entertaining. Alison is married but is in love with Nicholas. They trick Alison’s husband into believing there will be a flood that will wipe out the human race so that Alison and Nicholas can be together for one night. The knight is â€Å"a most distinguished man† (page 4). He values truth, honor, generousness, and curiosity. He tells a story of Palamon and Arcite who fall in love with the same woman and fight to the death for her. It is a tale of love and adventure, exactly what a knight of this time was looking for. The knight is very educated. In his tale, he knows all about the Roman gods. The pardoner’s â€Å" wallet lay before him on his lap brimful of pardons come from Rome, all hot.† â€Å"And his flatteries and prevarication made monkeys of the priest and congregation† (page 21). This describes the pardoner because in his tale he preaches about gluttony and sin. H... Free Essays on Canterbury Tales In Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, there are many instances that would suggest that perhaps women are the downfall of men. It could be that contained with in the pages of this literary work is a hidden message of Chaucer’s time that women are evil and cannot help men in any way, or perhaps it is a piece that is just meant to satirize the role of the new women in the world. In either case, it is man’s fatal flaw, that undying love for women that always brings about his own downfall. When faced with the scent of women men always seem to lose all reason and logic. Their brains become mush and immediately resort to their basic primal instincts. For example, in the Knight’s Tale, the carpenter believes the flood. No matter how outlandish or unreal it may seem to the reader, to the man it seems perfectly logical. The man wants to trust whole-heartedly that the women would never deceive him, so when a situation is presented where a lie may be used, the man is blinded by his love. This is also brought about when the carpenter believes the flood. He is also stupefied and dumbfounded and believes anything that women would tell him. This is another example of how women bring about the downfall of men. In addition to losing reason and logic, women also are the biggest cause of male violence. Men continually endanger themselves for love and for the attention of women. In the Knight’s Tale, both Arcita and Palamon fight over a girl that neither of them has met. This shows that no matter how well you know each other, if a woman is in the picture all bets are off. Men are willing to fight to the death for their women and the same cannot be said for the other sex. The other knights that fight for an un-known woman are also subject to the same principle that women bring about their downfall and death. These knights know nothing of the women they are fighting for but agree because it gives them and excuse to resort to male violence. It is amazin... Free Essays on Canterbury Tales Chaucer’s masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, reflects a very opinionated view of manners and the behaviors of medieval women. Chaucer portrays two extremes of female conduct during this period through the characters of the Prioress and the Wife of Bath. Through the images and descriptions in the poem, the Wife of Bath is representative of a female liberal extremist. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the Prioress, who is a better example of womanhood in the medieval ages. With the use of these contradictory characters, Chaucer shows his viewpoint on how women in society should act, both the right and the wrong ways. To look more closely at the differences we must not go to far, let us look at the â€Å" General Prologue.† Chaucer portrays The Wife of Bath’s physical attributes, saying: â€Å"Gat-toothed was she smoothly for to saye† (line ). Her gap symbolizes her sexual accomplishments and her vast beauty. To farther our vivid image of such a woman we should look to the third stanza of the general prologue, Hir coverchiefs ful fine were ground- I dorste swere they weyeden ten pounds- That on a Sonday weren upon hir heed. Hir hosen weren of fin scarlet red, Ful straite yted , and shoes ful moiste and newe. Bold was her face and fair and reed of hewe. (lines ) This woman is afraid of neither moral questioning nor mockery that goes on before her eyes. IN her attire on Sunday, she wears an enormous hat and hose of scarlet red to call attention to herself on the day of Sabbath. Chaucer describes her as an unattractive woman with her distinguished red face. The Wife of Bath is a radical feminist of her time. Unlike most woman of her era, she was able to make her own decisions, especially when it came to sexuality. Chaucer shows us this through her ongoing conversations with the other travelers, â€Å" Housbonds at church dore she have five† (line ). She is not pure by any means: â€Å"thou hast five housbondes’,... Free Essays on Canterbury Tales Chaunticleer In the book Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer, gives us a stunning tale about a rooster named Chaunticleer. Chaunticleer is the King of his domain in his farmland kingdom. Like a King, he quotes passages from intellectuals, dreams vivid dreams, has a libido that runs like a bat out of hell, and is described as a very elegant looking Rooster. He has every characteristic of a person belonging to the upper class. Chaucer's hidden meanings and ideas make us think that the story is about roosters and farm animals, but in reality he is making the Aristocracy of his time period the subject of his mockery by making the reader realize how clueless the Aristocracy can be to the way things are in the real world. Chaucer describes Chaunticleer in many different ways. One of them is his language. Chaunticleer's language is that of a scholar. He quotes many different scriptures in a conversation with Pertelote, such as, Saint Kenelm, Daniel and Joseph (from the bible), and Croesus. From each a uthor he tells a story about an individual who had a vision in a dream and the dream came true. He may have been making all the stories up in order to win the argument with Pertelote, but, this seems unlikely because he does not take heed to his own advice and stay away from the fox that encounters him later. He is educated enough to know these supposed quotations but not intelligent enough to understand the real meaning of them. It is if he simply brings because they help him win the argument with his spouse and not because he actually believes what they say. Chaucer is using the idea that the Aristocracy has schooling throughout their childhood, but it is only done to have seemingly important but empty conversations. His physical appearance is also described with such beautiful passion that it makes us think Chaunticleer is heaven on earth. "His comb was redder than fine coral, and crenellated like a castle wall; his bill was black and shon... Free Essays on Canterbury Tales In the Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer were two poems that are discuss in great detail in learning a lesson. The Pardoner’s Tale, and The Nun’s priest Tale. Both of these poems teaches a lesson, either in a mysterious or adventurous way. People don’t always realize what they are up for, until the actual situation occurs. Today learning from your mistake is a big way for people to realize that what they did was actually not right. And in these two tale’s will show that in order for one to learn, they have to be dealt with the situation. The Pardoner’s Tale, by Chaucer’s famous work, points out many inherent flaws of human nature, all of which still apply today. One can fail to realize the truth in this timeless statement because of its repetition throughout history. Many things have changed since the fourteenth century, but human’s ability to act foolish is not one of them. This poem is a lesson on showing how selfish people can be. The three friends all wanted the gold to themselves so they all tried to figure out a way to have it to themselves, and at the end no one got the gold they all died. In lines 315 to 318 it shows how they all suffered at the end. â€Å" Trust me, ghastlier section to transcend what these two wretches suffered at their end. Thus there two murderers received their due, so did the treacherous young poisoner too†. All of the young three hooligans, got what they deserved; Death came, as it always does, sooner or later. Although the men thought that they were sly, a nd thought that they could threaten him by getting him to tell them where the man was that they wanted to kill. In lines 182 through 188 The old man told them, Well, sirs, he said. â€Å"If it be your design to find out Death, turn up this crooked way towards that grove, I felt him there today under a tree, and there you’ll find him waiting. He isn’t one to hide for all your prating. You see that oak? He won’t be far to fi... Free Essays on Canterbury tales In the book Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer, gives us a stunning tale about a rooster named Chaunticleer. Chaunticleer, who is the King of his domain in his farmland kingdom. Like a King, he quotes passages from intellectuals, dreams vivid dreams, has a libido that runs like a bat out of hell, and is described as a very elegant looking Rooster. He has every characteristic of a person belonging to the upper class. Chaucer's hidden meanings and ideas make us think that the story is about roosters and farm animals, but in reality he is making the Aristocracy of his time period the subject of his mockery by making the reader realize how clueless the Aristocracy can be to the way things are in the real World. Chaucer describes Chaunticleer in many different ways. One of them is his language. Chaunticleer's language is that of a scholar. He quotes many different scriptures in a conversation with Pertelote, such as, Saint Kenelm, Daniel and Joseph (from the bible), and Croesus. From each author he tells a story about an individual who had a vision in a dream and the dream came true. He may have been making all the stories up in order to win the argument with Pertelote, but, this seems unlikely because he does not take heed to his own advice and stay away from the fox that encounters him later. He is educated enough to know these supposed quotations but not intelligent enough to understand the real meaning of them. It is if he simply brings because they help him win the argument with his spouse and not because he actually believes what they say. Chaucer is using the idea that the Aristocracy has schooling throughout their childhood, but it is only done to have seemingly important but empty conversations. His physical appearance is also described with such beautiful passion that it makes us think Chaunticleer is heaven on earth. "His comb was redder than fine coral, and crenellated like a castle wall; his bill was black and shone like jet; hi... Free Essays on Canterbury Tales Classic Note on Canterbury Tales The Knight's Tale, Part I: The Knight begins his tale with the story of a prince named Theseus who married Hippolyta, the queen of Scythia, and brought her and her sister, Emelye, back to Athens with him after conquering her kingdom of Amazons. When Theseus returned home victorious, he became aware that there was a company of women clad in black who knelt at the side of the highway, shrieking. The oldest of the women asked Theseus for pity. She told him that she was once the wife of King Cappaneus who was destroyed at Thebes, and that all of the other women with her lost their husbands. Creon, the lord of the town, simply tossed the dead bodies of the soldiers in a single pile and refused to burn or bury them. Theseus swore vengeance upon Creon, and immediately ordered his armies toward Thebes. Theseus vanquished Creon, and when the soldiers were disposing of the bodies they found two young knights, Arcite and Palamon, two royal cousins, not quite dead. Theseus ordered that they be imprisoned in Athens for lif e. They passed their time imprisoned in a tower in Athens until they saw Emelye in a nearby garden. Both fall immediately in love with her. Palamon compares her to Venus, and he prays for escape from the prison, while Arcite claims that he would rather be dead than not have Emelye. The two bicker over her, each calling the other a traitor. This happened on a day in which Pirithous, a prince and childhood friend of Theseus, came to Athens. Pirithous had known Arcite at Thebes, and on his request Theseus set Arcite free on the promise that Arcite would never be found in Theseus' kingdom. He now had his freedom, but not the ability to pursue Emelye, and lamented the cruelty of fate. Palamon, however, envied Arcite, since he could presumably raise an army against Theseus to conquer Athens. The Knight poses this question: which has the worse case: Arcite, who has his freedom but not access to Emely... Free Essays on Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tale’s Which book do you remember most having to read in high school? I bet it was Geoffrey Chaucer’s â€Å"Canterbury Tales†. This book having 22 tales with in is a classic of the English literature. Written in the early 1300s it is unknown why it was never finished. For the past centuries this book has been challenged and banned by many. The tales to most is a work of art while to some is nothing more than sex and vulgarity on pages. The Canterbury Tales is classified as one of the hundredths of literary arts to be listed as a banned book. The following is a summery of the novel, who were the ones responsible for its banning, and for what reason it is banned. The Canterbury tales is a compilation of stories set within a framing story of a pilgrimage to Canterbury. In medieval time, citizens from varying social groups would gather at the Tabard Inn to set forth there pilgrimage to Canterbury, for the blessings of St. Thomas’s Becket , an English martyr. The group ranging in status from a Knight to a humble Plowman, are a sample of the 14th-century English society. Included in the pilgrimage is Chaucer himself. The host of the Tabard Inn suggest that in order to make the pilgrimage more interesting, each should tell tales on the way to Canterbury and on there return. It is agreed that the person who tells the best tale should be rewarded dinner at the Tabard Inn courtesy of the group. The first to tell his story is the Knight. His story is about knights, honor and love. After the knight’s story, the host requests the monk to tell one, but is rudely interrupted by the miller. The Miller tells a story about a stupid carpenter that is fooled by his promiscuous young wife. This story insults the Reeve, because he used to be a carpenter, and follows by telling a tale that insults the Miller. The Reeve’s story is about a dishonest miller who in the end is revenged by two college stud... Free Essays on Canterbury Tales The Squire is the son of the Knight. He’s about the age of 20 with curly hair and is kind of feminine. He writes poems and stories along with playing the flute and wearing clothes with flowers on them (a â€Å"gown†). However, he does joust and he is quite the ladies man. After all this time and walking, I think it’s my turn to tell a tale. Listen closely for you will be able to learn the true meaning of love. There was once a common man they called Gilbert. No matter how common, he was a man of life and beauty. Gilbert never sat around waiting for the next day to arise but rather he got an early start to fix his problems or do what needed to be done. Ava, his next-door neighbor since they were kids and also the princess, was the apple of his eye. She too was a high achiever. Even though Gilbert was not of royalty, he and Ava saw each other enough because his dad was a good friend of the King. They were always teaching each other about what they knew such as camping and fishing or being primp and proper. Whatever the case, it brought them close and they were very important to one another. As time progressed, so did Gilbert’s love and feelings for Ava. He never told her how he felt because they were only friends and it wouldn’t matter anyway because Ava was a princess. That’s when the news was told. An arranged marriage was made for Ava and Price Dillon. Di llon was not only one of the best-known men around but one of the best jousters around and had always carried Ava’s heart. Crushing Gilbert’s heart, he confessed his true feelings. Ava refused to see him anymore and they didn’t speak for weeks at a time. When they did, they couldn’t bear it and just walked away from each other. A full year was past and all that was left were the memories. She was to be married in 2 weeks, and that’s when the breakdown began. What no one knew was that Ava wasn’t really crazy about Dillon, it was Gilbert... Free Essays on Canterbury Tales The Miller's Tale is a humorous story about a love triangle of three men and one woman. Chaucer exemplified many themes throughout this tale that people can relate to in today’s society. For instance, the main themes are love, scandal, and sex. People fall in love everyday in this world because they think they’ve met their match. Scandal is unfortunately a typical behavior practiced in society now. Lastly, sex is part of life now-a-days and very popular to people living in America. There was a man, John, and his wife, Alison who took boarders to live with them. The old man was a wealthy carpenter; however, he wasn’t very smart. John’s wife, Alison, is described as young, beautiful, and full of joy at the young age of eighteen. Chaucer states it better when he writes, â€Å"Jealous he was and held her close in cage. For she was wild and young, and he was old, And deemed himself as like to be cuckold.† John is jealous when Alison socializes with other men because he is afraid he will lose her. Unfortunately, a poor scholar, by the name of Nicholas, comes to their home to live with the couple. Nicholas is described as sly, meek, and well-versed in love. The plot begins when Nicholas falls in love with Alison. He tries to win her heart, but she refuses because she wants to be faithful to her husband. Soon after, she admits that she loves him and they agree that they have to make a plan to get rid of her husband. Alison feels as though she is too young to be tied down to an old man like John. As a result, she begins to sleep with Nicholas behind her husband’s back. One day Nicholas and Alison wanted to spend the night alone so Nicholas decides to trick John into leaving the house. He tells John that he is studying astrology and found out that there will be a downpour equal to Noah’s flood. Nicholas tell John to get three tubs so they can use as boats. John believed him and did as he said. That night, the three ...