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The Canterbury Tales: Comparison and Contrast of the Wife of Bath and the Knight

2006-02-15T20:56:32-05:00

In the Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer, the Knight and the Wife of Bath are similar and also different. The Knight represents the nobility and military estate while the Wife of Bath represents the middle status. Both the Knight and the Wife of Bath are fearless. The Knight was a fearless worthy man who fought in the crusades while the Wife of Bath was fearless about her opinions on love, she was outspoken. The Knight and the Wife of Bath were similar in many ways. They both were best in their talents. The Knight was best knight in all nations in Prussia, “Aboven alle nacions in Pruce”(line 53). The Wife of Bath was the best housewife around, “In al the parisshe wif ne was ther noon”(line 449). The Knight and the Wife of Bath were both skilled. The Knight was skilled in defeating his enemies, “In lystes thries, and ay slayn his foo”(line 63). The Wife of Bath was a talented cloth-maker, “Of clooth-making she hadde swich an haunt”(line 447). The Knight and the Wife of Bath were well-mannered individuals. The Knight was never rude to anyone “He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde”(line 70). The Wife of Bath was a respectable individual, “She was a worthy womman al hir lyve”(line 459). The Knight and the Wife of Bath were both worthy individuals, “A Knyght ther was, and that a worthy man” (line 43). Both the Knight and the Wife of Bath have been to many different places. In Lithuania, the Knight ridden on raids in Russia, “In Lettow hadde he reysed and in Ruce”’(line54), “At Alisaundre he was when it was wonne”(line 51), “In Grenade at the seege eek hadde he be”(line 56), “Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye”(line 57), “At Lyeys was he and at Satalye”(line 58), “Whan they were wonne , and riden in the Grete See”(line 57), “And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene”(line 62). The Wife of Bath journeyed three times to Jeruseleum, Rome, Bouglon, Spain, and Cologne, “And thries hadde she been at Jerusalem; At Rome she hadde been, and at Boloigne”, In Galice at Seint-Jame, and at Coloigne”(lines 463, 465-466). The Knight and the Wife of Bath had remedies for other people. The Knight’s remedy for peoples faith was war, “And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene”(line 62). The Wife of Bath knew remedies for love sickness, “Of remedies of love she knew per

The Canterbury Tales: Analysis of the Knight

2006-02-15T20:54:34-05:00

The Knyght is the first character of the general prologue in the Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer. As April comes, the narrator begins a pilgrimage to Canterbury from the Tabard Inn at Southwerk. Twenty-nine people make the pilgrimage toward Canterbury and the narrator describes them in turn. Each of these travelers finds themselves in the Tabard Inn, where the Host, suggests that on their way to Canterbury each traveler tell two tales, and on the way back each traveler tell two more. They draw lots to decide who will tell the first tale, and it is the Knight who has the honor. Although the order is supposedly random, the Knight draws the first lot and thus randomly receives the rank appropriate to his status, which indicates that the Host may have fixed the lots in order to curry favor with the Knight. The pilgrims are listed in relative order of status, thus the first character is the Knight. Chaucer describes the knight as a worthy man who had fought in the Crusades. In the narrators eyes, the Knyght is the noblest of all the pilgrims. The Knyght represents a military estate, loyalty, honor, generosity, and good manners. The Knyght conducts himself in a polite, mild fashion, never saying an unkind word to anyone. The worthiness of the Knyght is clearly admired, “A Knyght ther was, and that a worthy man”(line 43); “And evere honored for his worthynesse”(line50); “This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also”(line 64); “And though that he were worthy, he was wys”(line 68). The main qualities of the Knyght was his worthiness, military career, gentility, and his fashion. At the beginning of the text, the knight is described as chivalric, “To riden out, loved chivalrie(line 45). But at the end of the text, knight’s quality of dress is completely opposite, “Of fustian he wered a gypon”(line75). The Knyght wore a tunic made of coarse cloth. The tunic was stained by (rust from) his coat of mail, which seems as if the Knyghts actions are more important than his looks. His horses were in good condition, “His hors were good, but he was not gay”(line74). The Knyght was very brave, courteous, and honorable. He was the leader of Christians, Heathens, and Knights. His bravery, won the battle in Alexandria, “At lasiandra he was whan it was wonne” (line 51). He defeated his enemies in Latvia, Prussia, Granada,

The Effects of Characterization in The Canterbury Tales

2004-12-03T02:03:27-05:00

In Geoffrey Chaucer’s work, The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer implements various techniques of characterization in “The Prologue” to express attributes of characters in the work. Chaucer reveals the personality of a character by directly commenting on a character’s past experiences, interests, actions, and personality. In addition, Chaucer characterizes the pilgrims to provide a perspective of the ecclesiastic, feudal, and middle classes during the medieval period. In fact, Chaucer uses characterization to depict the Knight as a chivalrous man, the Squire as a young man overly concerned with women, and the Monk as a corrupt member of the ecclesiastical class. Certainly, one of Chaucer’s most famous characters is the Knight because of his strong belief in chivalry. Chaucer describes the Knight as an undeniable gentlemen: “ There was a Knight, a most distinguished man / Who from the day on which he first began / To ride abroad had followed chivalry, truth, honour, generousness and courtesy” (Chaucer 4). Unlike other pilgrims, the Knight is the most honorable person on the trip because he places an exceedingly high value on the ideals of chivalry. Chaucer also provides past experiences of the Knight to further characterize the Knight: “In fifteen mortal battles he had been / And jousted for our faith at Tramissene / Thrice in the lists, and always killed his man”(Chaucer 4). Through Chaucer’s description of the Knight’s accomplishments during the crusades, the reader sees the Knight as a true warrior, and a man of principles by his contributions to the military. Unlike many of the other characters in The Canterbury Tales the Knight perfectly personifies chivalry in the medieval age by being a gentleman and a warrior. Dissimilar to the Knight, the Squire does not demonstrate characteristics of a veritable knight like his father because of his strong interest in women. Specifically, Chaucer’s comment about the Squire’s past experiences: “ He loved so hotly that till dawn grew pale” (Chaucer 5). Through Chaucer illustrating the Squire’s past experiences, Chaucer provides the reader with the impression of the Squire’s sexuality. Furthermore, Chaucer characterizes the Squire through his personality: “ A lover and cadet, a lad of fire” (Chaucer 5). Chaucer’s technique of using personality to describe the Squire provides the reader with a clearer image of the Squire as a young man interested in women, and in pursuit of knighthood in his future. In addition, Chaucer also provides a physical description of

General prologue-In support of the monk

2002-04-12T14:00:00-04:00

Today, when we hear the word “monk”, it often brings up the image of an old man wearing a brown robe with a shaved head. While this image is based on some level of fact, it is certainly not what the Monk in Chaucer’s Prologue to the Canterbury Tales is like. Instead, Chaucer presents a monk who goes against all stereotypes, ignoring traditions, engaging in hunting, and even indulging in materialistic goods. This portrayal leads many readers to conclude that the Monk is a man of bad character, because he is not true to his line of work. However, this conclusion seems to be arrived at far too quickly. Upon further investigation the Monk can be seen as a decent man who has found himself in the wrong profession. One reason that could be used to support the idea that the Monk is a man of poor character is his complete disregard for tradition. The narrator states, “This ilke Monk leet olde thinges pace,/And heeld after the newe world the space”(175-76)., showing that the Monk had little interest in things of tradition. The Monk even goes as far as to say, “lat Austin have his swink to him reserved”(188), showing complete disregard to the rules of the St. Augustine. This trait, however, is only frowned upon in professions, like monkshood, which rely heavily on tradition. Had the Monk chosen a different career his liberal thinking would more most certainly be tolerated. The opinion that the Monk is a man of poor character becomes weaker when compared to many other men of the church in the prologue. An example of this is the corrupt Pardoner, selling pardons for profit, and making “…the parson and the people his apes”(706). The Pardoner used his position to take advantage of people, a concept foreign to the thinking of the Monk. Thus this personality trait in the Monk leads to the conclusion not that he is a bad person and neglecting his true duties for profit (like the Pardoner), but simply that he is a man in the wrong profession. The next trait that the could be interpreted as a reflection of poor character is the Monks love affair with hunting. Again, however, this is merely a conflict of personal and professional interests, and not a matter of a faulty personality. It seems almost unfortunate that a man of whom the narrator says, “Of priking and of hunting

Women in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

2002-01-12T13:00:00-05:00

Women throughout the ages have had diverse personalities, and their various behaviors are significantly depicted in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. He tells of several women; two are among the travelers on the pilgrimage to Canterbury and the others are characters in numerous tales during the journey. The Wife of Bath, the old woman in the Wife of Bath’s Tale, and Griselda, a character in the Clerk’s Tale, each exemplify the divergent roles of women in the fourteenth century. These women are suitable examples of woman of the past, and on the contrast can also be examples of women of present-day because although lifestyles may modify to some extent, however general behaviors remain the same. “Forceful and vivacious,” The Wife of Bath is an ideal illustration of an unrestrained and lewd woman of the fourteenth century (Moore 2000). She has been widowed five times and she is going on the pilgrimage to Canterbury to possibly find her next husband. The Wife is opposed to the concept of chastity and plainly states her personal ideas concerning that subject within the prologue of her tale...

Tell me to what conclusion or in aid of what were generative organs made? And for what profit were those creatures wrought? Trust me, they cannot have been made for naught.

Her attire is pretentious; she wears vivid garments and ornate headdresses (Moore 2000.) As a result of her flamboyant vanity, The Wife would have been censured by priests and parsons. The Wife of Bath can practically be considered a sex symbol of her generation. The Wife of Bath has even been compared to Madonna by Susan K. Hagan. Hagan writes, “What I find so amazing in these two self styled performances of confession and romance, separated as they are by 600 years and phenomenological existence is that both express their individuality in terms of sexual autonomy and control. Both The Wife of Bath and Madonna know how to “play the game.” The Wife of Bath wants the free dinner as much as anyone else. She postures, she pronounces, she plays out the challenge of Host, Pardoner, Friar, and Clerk alike.” Hagan adds to the comparison by stating, “Her [The Wife of Bath] opening number might be "Express Yourself," but her method is to vogue, to strike a pose, whether it be the reprobate feminine exegete, the insatiable Venusian, the shrewish wife, the jealous wife, or the loving wife” (Hagan 2001). The Wife of Bath also

The Pardoner and the Knight

2001-12-09T13:00:00-05:00

“The Canterbury Tales” is a collection of stories, which are told by different characters to serve as entertainment on their journey to Canterbury. The characters who arise during the different tales, and those who tell the tales, play a vital role in understanding the story, and the mind frame of the English people living in the 15th century. Two of the most interesting and diverse characters are the Pardoner and the Knight. These two characters represent the two extremes in the array of storytellers. The Knight, who seems to be one of Chaucer's favorite characters, is a very noble, honest, and trustworthy man. The narrator describes him as having four main qualities: his love of ideals, his impressive military career, his meek, gentle manor, and finally, his dress. The story, which he tells, is very reflective of the man the Narrator perceived him to be. His story is a romance that contains a sense of honor and courage; all the things described as ideals he held. On the complete other end of the spectrum, there is the Pardoner, a dishonest man with long, greasy, yellow hair, who “made the person and the people his apes." Chaucer looks upon the pardoner as a very untrustworthy man. He sells indulgences and gives out pardons to the people at a great fee, which by today’s standards, meant that he was a hustler. His tale of deceit and treason among brothers, reflect his own image quite well. Even during the journey to Canterbury, at a time when all the others were telling tales of how to live well and treat others fairly, the Pardoner was still trying to sell his indulgences, which showed how he had learned nothing from his fellow companions. The Knight and the Pardoner are as different as night and day in this story, they represent two whole different sets of morals and ideals. The Knight is a good, honest man who works hard to defend his honor, where as the Pardoner is a sleazy low-life who is only trying to make money by exploiting the people and the Lord. Chaucer clearly favors the Knight over the Pardoner in the story. This is shown as the Knight rides at the front of the group of travelers, leading them on, but the Pardoner rides in the back with the other less-honorable characters. Their stories also personify the differences between them. The Knight’s tale

The Clerk's Tale - Biblical Paradox

2001-11-16T13:00:00-05:00

To formulate any type of argument using the Bible as a reference is challenging, since the Bible is diversely perceived from person to person. These varied perceptions can be results of different translations of the Bible, the cultural background of the reader, or quite simply, a vagueness with which the Bible can lend itself to multiple interpretations. Nevertheless, there are certain topics which are void of much gray area, which are explicitly and consistently outlined by the authors of the various books found in the Bible. Marriage, while tirelessly mentioned throughout the entire Bible, can be included as one of these topics. There are certain elements about the topic which remain the same through the generations of contributors to the Sacred writ. Geoffrey Chaucer, in The Canterbury Tales, frequently alludes to marriage according to the Bible. While the book is not mentioned specifically in The Clerk’s Tale, it is interesting to examine how the Clerk’s characters, Walter and Grisilde, fulfill – or do not fulfill - the roles of biblical husband and wife. At the outset, it would seem that, biblically, they fit the roles assigned to them. However, as the tale progresses, inconsistencies escalate into a rather puzzling conclusion. The reader should first be aware of how Chaucer presents the Bible overall in The Canterbury Tales. This will lay the foundation for how one might expect it to be used in The Clerk’s Tale specifically, and why it would be worth studying. The first great reference to the Bible in The Canterbury Tales is the Wife of Bath’s argument for her multiple marriages. This comprises most of her Prologue, and she mentions the names of many biblical characters to support her argument. To give one of many examples, she specifically mentions King Solomon when she says of him, “I trowe he hadde wyves mo than oon” (36). Other characters include Abraham (55), Jacob (56), Paul (64, 79, 160), and Mark (145). Another hugely obvious biblical reference is the Prioress’ Prologue and Tale. She begins her Prologue with, “O Lord, oure Lord, thy name how marveillous / Is in this large worlde y-sprad” (19). The Prioress’ Tale itself is centered around the Virgin Mary and Christian ideals. These are only two of many of The Canterbury Tales which have religious references. Furthermore, the very fact that Chaucer’s characters are on a pilgrimage would suggest that they have some sort of religious upbringing.

Authorial Opinion of Wife Of Bath

2001-07-15T14:00:00-04:00

The character of the Wife of Bath is clearly feminist. She indicates this by her extreme ideas of female “maistrye” and statements such as “I have the power duringe al my lyf upon his proper body, and nought he,” which is extremely feminist. However, Chaucer makes us see the Wife of Bath as inconsistent, at times illogical, and also amoral and adulterous, The prologue and tale is spoken by a woman of supposed vast experience, yet was written by a man. While the prologue and tale may be seemingly feminist, could it be a vehicle for a deeper anti-feminist message? The Wife of Bath had a strong argument in favour of marriage but is easy to fault. Her argument that marriage grows more virgins, while correct makes us wonder why she bore no children. And she also mentions the fact that “in wyfhood I wol use myn instrument” but her marriage did not seem to have stopped her from restraining her “Chamber of Venus from a good felawe.” The Wife of Bath confuses bigamy with remarriage and manipulates the arguments for remarriage to suit her purpose. Chaucer gives the Wife of Bath’s arguments less credibility The wife of bath strongly argued in favour of female “maistrye.” She argued this in the prologue and used the tale to bring the message home. Her arguments are weakened however by the destructive and careless behaviour of the Wife of Bath. She openly laughs at them (“I laugh whan I thinke”) when she thinks of how she made her husbands toil at night. She doesn’t seem to regret the way she manipulated her husbands. And although the character of the old woman in the tale was faithful, the Wife of Bath herself isn’t. She visits house after house and “goon a-caterwauling.” Chaucer makes the Wife much more wicked than the “wikked wyf” as in Jankin’s book. Chaucer makes the Wife look bad and makes us doubt her feminist views. Although the Wife of Bath’s feminist arguments were toned down by her destructive and dominant behaviour, it cannot be said that Chaucer was in favour of anti-feminist ideas. In the prologue, the “book of wicked wives” that Jankin had represented the ideology of anti-feminists. The anti-feminist stories told to us by the Wife approached ridiculous proportions with the story of “Simplicius Gallus” who forsook his wife because he saw her “open-heveded” looking out the door. Chaucer’s opinion

The Knight and the Squire

2001-03-25T14:00:00-04:00

The two characters I have chosen from The Canterbury Tales are The Knight and the Squire, who share a father and son relation. These characters set out on a religious pilgrimage to a cathedral in Canterbury. The Squire, opposed to the Knight, goes for a vacation instead of religious purposes like the Knight. Though the Knight and the Squire are from the same feudal class and vocation, they differ in the fact that the Knight represents how society should have been; and the Squire depicts an

Cantebury Tales - Relation of Wife of Bath to Contemporary Women

2001-03-21T13:00:00-04:00

Hundreds of centuries before the fourteenth century, during it and yet still after, civilization, led by the educated theologians, politicians and whoever else made up the ruling class, women were looked at as the Devil’s ally – a sensual and deceitful creature who was a constant bearer of sin and the cause of most of man’s misfortune. Women then and now may look upon most of these “devilish” characteristics as desirable, strong-willed and feministic. Chaucer appears to support women and specifically these devilish feminists by creating two very strong-willed and successful women in the Wife of Bath and the old hag in the Wife’s tale. However, through all of the tough outer attributes, on the inside are the same classic and traditional damsels in distress that require a man just like the women of that time always had. Through the original strong qualities of the two women, Chaucer provides a hopeful example and model for women of now and then. Furthermore, by giving these women some stronger, domineering and “masculine” features Chaucer is terrifically satirizing the gender roles and stereotypes of the time. Along with all of these strong feminist messages also come out anti-feminism ideals about keeping women in a certain role, causing a lengthy and intelligent debate upon what Chaucer really meant. All of these reasons are why it is important to discuss and understand The Wife of Bath’s relation and influence on contemporary women. Chaucer’s main target of his satirical wit and criticism throughout his Canterbury Tales is the Anglo-Saxon church and even though in this tale he focuses more on the gender debate his fiery scorn and contempt of the corrupt church and its disciples is embodied in the Wife’s prologues first three lines: “Experience, though no authority, Were in this world, were good enough for me, To speak of woe that is in all marriage;” Here Chaucer, through the eyes of a women, points out that there is far too much reliance on authority, meaning the opinions of older and perhaps ancient writers. This sort of authority was responsible for the horrible distortion of woman’s character and place in society and thus Chaucer felt his satirical and sarcastic attack about love in marriage was necessary. Chaucer does it through the Wife of Bath as a medium to reach the hopelessly ignorant women of the time should they hear of the tale. The Wife of Bath

Characterization of the Physician

1999-12-08T13:00:00-05:00

Direct Characterization:

Doctor of physics

He was very into astronomy.

He kept his patient from being depressed by horoscope and magic.

He could sense the fortune that'll arrive in his sick patients dwelling.

He was a

Analysis of Wife of Bath

1999-12-08T13:00:00-05:00

Geoffrey Chaucer was charged with rape by a woman named Cecily Chaumpaigne around the year 1380. It is most likely that a distinguishable character, such as Chaucer would not have been guilty of this charge. However, the word "rape" probably referred to kidnapping rather than assaulting a woman as it means today. Cecily Chaumpaigne in 1380 released Chaucer of all charges of "raptu meo," a phrase that could be interpreted as "seizing me". It is possible that this allegation of rape brought on to Chaucer by Cecily Chaumpaigne, is the very reason behind the Tale of the Wife of Bath. The wife of Bath is a tough woman with a mind of her own and she is not afraid to speak it. She intimidates men and woman alike due to the strength she possesses. But instead of showing this as a positive characteristic, Chaucer makes her toothless and ugly. However, Chaucer, instead of portraying her low-social class as shameful, Chaucer showed that she is actually prudent and eloquent. Chaucer sympathizes with her because he himself was considered low-class. The wife of Bath has also had five different husbands and countless affairs, thus breaking innocent men*s hearts. Her husbands fell into two categories. The first category of husbands was: rich, but also old and unable to fulfill her demands, sexually that is. The other husbands were sexually vigorous, but harder to control. The first three were rich, old, and jealous. She tamed them by accusing them of promiscuous behavior, that she herself practiced. Her fourth husband had a mistress, so she "gave him a real cause for jealousy". Her fifth marriage was unhappy because her husband who is half of her age beats her. To anger her fifth husband, the wife of Bath tore three pages from his book. After this he beat her again. She pretended to be dead and he felt so guilty that he threw his whole book in the fire. This gave her the upper hand for the rest of his life. The wife of Bath is a very envious women, who desires only a few simple things in life. She likes to make mirror images of herself, through her stories, which in some way reflects the person who she really is. This is all proven through the many ways she portrays her characters. The tale of The wife of Bath is a mixture of philosophical concepts and

Cantebury Tales - Chaunticleer: Behind the Rooster

1999-11-21T13:00:00-05:00

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; his legs and toes were like azure; his nails whiter than lily; and his color like the burnished gold." Chaucer describes Chaunticleer as the quintessential Cock, so perfect that his description is no longer believable when we realize he is describing a Rooster. Chaucer is setting up Chaunticleer to be as regal and grandiose as a King. Even though he

Courtly Love in Chaucer

1999-11-21T13:00:00-05:00

In the "Franklin's Tale," Geoffrey Chaucer satirically paints a picture of a marriage steeped in the tradition of courtly love. As Dorigen and Arveragus' relationship reveals, a couple's preoccupation with fulfilling the ritualistic practices appropriate to courtly love renders the possibility of genuine love impossible. Marriage becomes a pretense to maintain courtly position because love provides the opportunity to demonstrate virtue. Like true members of the gentility, they practice the distinct linguistic and behavioral patterns which accompany the strange doctrine of courtly love. The characters' true devotion to the relationship becomes secondary to the appearance of practicing the virtues of truth, honor, and generosity. After establishing the inverted hierarchy of values, Chaucer paints a bleak picture of the potential for love and relationships in a world in which a distinction needs to be made between secular and private roles. Dorigen differentiates between "hir housbonde" and "hir love" (250) and Arveragus distinguishes between "his lady" and "his wyf" (125). Immediately, Chaucer signals the practice of chivalric courtship as the knight who is of noted "heigh kinrede" (63) ceremoniously completes the "many a labor" (60) of a courtly lover. The description of the duties that must be undertaken by a classic courtly lover seeking a wife for social fulfillment corruptss the image of courtship being motivated by the existence of true love. The emphasis on the inconvenience with which Arveragus, "dide his payne" (57) suggests he performs "many a greet empryse" (59) out of obligation and convention rather than as a part of a genuine amorous pursuit. The weakly disguised presence of the "ye" in each of these words announces Arveragus' awareness of the eyes of the courtly audience observing his performance. The concern with the outward appearance of the relationship extends to Dorigen as she dutifully accepts his proposal as a means of repaying the "distresse" (65) undergone by her lover. The brief description of the couple's courtship covers only 13 lines, suggesting that the relationship's foundation has little time to progress beyond the preliminary stages of lusty, physical attraction before the marriage is instated. Framing the already bleak portrayal of this "accord," (69) a word typically used to refer to business agreements or compromises, is the contractual terminology of their agreement which further downplays the emotional foundation of the relationship. Instead, the negotiated terms that "frendes everich other moot obeye" (171) indicate that the lovers are settling for amicable companionship. The

The Evil Rooted In Women

1999-11-10T13:00:00-05:00

Chaucer, in his female pilgrimage thought of women as having an evil-like quality, that they always tempt and take from men. They were depicted of untrustworthy, selfish and vain. Through the faults of both men and women, Chaucer showed what is right and wrong and how one should live. Under the surface, however, lies a jaded look of women and how they cause for the downfall of men. (chuckiii, 4) Chaucer obviously had very opinionated views of the manners and behaviors of women and expressed it strongly in The Canterbury Tales. In his collection of tales, he portrayed two extremes in his prospect of women. The Wife of Bath represented the extravagant and lusty woman where as the Prioress represented the admirable and devoted followers of church. (Chaucer, 8) Chaucer delineated the two characters contrastingly in their appearances, general manners, education and most evidently in their behavior toward men. Yet, in the midst of disparities, both tales left its readers with an unsolved enigma. The Wife of Bath represents the "liberal" extreme in regards to female stereotypes of the Middle Ages.(chuckiii, 4) Unlike most women being anonymous during the Middle Ages, she has a mind of her own and voices herself. Furthermore, she thinks extremely highly of herself and enjoys showing off her Sunday clothes whenever the opportunity arises. She intimidates men and women alike due to the power she possesses. Because of her obnoxious attitude Chaucer makes her toothless, fat and large. Doubtlessly, she is very ugly, almost to the point of "not-presentable." The Prioress, on the other hand, serves as a foil to the Wife of Bath. Chaucer describes her as "tenderhearted" who can not bear the sight of pain or physical suffering. She will cry at the thought of a dog dying. It could represent that she has a frail soul with low tolerance for pain and suffering.(fordham, 16) The latter description carries over into the modern stereotypes about women as skittish and afraid members of society who need to be cared for. (Fordham, 16) Chaucer paints a very delicate and elegant picture of the Prioress. Her manners of eating are far from the brutish festivals of the time. Chaucer describes her table manners as very graceful, not a drop of anything would fall from her mouth, and she was very polite when taking thing at the table. (lines 131-4). Chaucer's last description of Prioress - the

Compare and Contrast the Kngiht and the Squire

1999-10-15T14:00:00-04:00

Geoffrey Chaucer portrayed a cross section of medieval society though The Canterbury Tales. "The Prologue" or foreword of this work serves as an introduction to each of the thirty one characters involved in the tales. Two of these characters are the K ght and the Squire, who share a father and son relation. These individuals depart on a religious pilgrimage to a cathedral in Canterbury. The Squire, opposed to the Knight, goes for a vacation instead of religious purposes. His intent is not as genuin and pure as his father's. Though the Knight and the Squire are from the same feudal class and vocation, they differ in the fact that the Knight represents how society should have been; and the Squire depicts an accurate portrayal of how it actually was. Chivalry, heroism, and modesty delineate the Knight, whose upright standards and principles illustrate a true gentleman; these characteristics are not evident in the Squire. Even though the Knight has won many wars, he is careful not to brag about his ctories. The most recurrent point in the description of the Knight is the abundance and importance of his conquests; however, the Squire's battles are barely mentioned. While the entirety of the Squire's battles are summed up in two lines ("he had se some service with the cavalry / In Flanders and Artois and Picardy"), the list of the Knight's battles dominates his description (Chaucer 120). The Squire's battles are not fought in the interest of his chivalry. On the other hand, the Knight is disti uished and chivalrous because of his unconditional devotion. Chaucer admired the valiant and noble Knight above the overbearing Squire. Regarding clothing and appearance, the humble Knight chooses to wear a plain armor and tunic while the Squire frivolously indulges in excesses. The Squire is an extremely vain individual, taking pains to improve his appearance. His superfluous appare is clean and bright and his hair has "locks as curly as if they had been pressed"(120). This greed for wealth and beauty definitely does not abide by the code of chivalry and is unnecessary for his knighthood. The Knight, more concerned with gallantry never partakes in such nonsense. He is by far the most chivalrous and heroic. The Knight's motivation is based on chivalry and religion, contrasting to the Squire who merely wants to impress the ladies. The Squire wastes time and energy that could be channeled more towards his knightly duties. The real motivation

The Canterbury Tales

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

Central Character: young Christian boy Point of View: Told by the Prioress in 3rd person Setting: Town in Asia Summary of the Plot: A young Christian boy 7 years old learns a new Christian hymn and sings it all

The Pardoner and the 'brothers'

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

Throughout literature, relationships can often be found between the author of a story and the story that he writes. In Geoffrey Chaucer's frame story, Canterbury Tales, many of the characters make this idea evident with the tales that they tell. A distinct relationship can be made between the character of the Pardoner and the tale that he tells. Through the Prologue to the Pardoner's tale, the character of the Pardoner is revealed. Although the Pardoner displays many important traits, the most prevalent is his greed. Throughout the prologue, the Pardoner displays his greed and even admits that the only thing he cares about is money: "I preach nothing except for gain" ("Pardoner's Tale", Line 105). This avarice is seen strongly in the Pardoner's tale as well. In the Pardoner's tale, three friends begin a journey in order to murder Death. On their journey, though, an old man leads them to a great deal of treasure. At this point, all three of the friends in the tale display a greed similar to the Pardoner's. The three friends decide that someone should bring bread and wine for a celebration. As the youngest of the friends leaves to go buy wine, the other two greedily plot to kill him so they can split the treasure only two ways. Even the youngest decides to "put it in his mind to buy poison / With which he might kill his two companions" (383, 384). The greed, which is evident in the character of the Pardoner, is also clearly seen in the tale. Another trait that is displayed by the Pardoner and a character in his tale is hypocrisy. Although the Pardoner is extremely greedy, he continues to try and teach that "Avarice is the root of all evil" (6). The characters in his tale display great hypocrisy as well. As the tale begins, the friends all act very trustworthy and faithful towards all of their friends. They nobly make a decision to risk their lives while trying to slay their friend's murderer. As they talk about their challenge, they pledge "to live and die each of them for the other, / As if he were his own blood brother" (241-242). At the end of the tale, the "brothers" begin to reveal their true nature. They all turn on each other in an attempt to steal the treasure for themselves. All of the loyalty, which they had pledged,

Character Sketch of Chaucer's Knight

1999-01-22T13:00:00-05:00

Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, written in approximately 1385, is a collection of twenty-four stories ostensibly told by various people who are going on a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral from London, England. Prior to the actual tales, however, Chaucer offers the reader a glimpse of fourteenth century life by way of what he refers to as a General Prologue. In this prologue, Chaucer introduces all of the characters who are involved in this imaginary journey and who will tell the tales. Among the characters included in this introductory section is a knight. Chaucer initially refers to the knight as "a most distinguished man" (l. 43) and, indeed, his sketch of the knight is highly complimentary. The knight, Chaucer tells us, "possessed/Fine horses, but he was not gaily dressed" (ll. 69-70). Indeed, the knight is dressed in a common shirt which is stained "where his armor had left mark" (l. 72). That is, the knight is "just home from service" (l. 73) and is in such a hurry to go on his pilgrimage that he has not even paused before beginning it to change his clothes. The knight has had a very busy life as his fighting career has taken him to a great many places. He has seen military service in Egypt, Lithuania, Prussia, Russia, Spain, North Africa, and Asia Minor where he "was of [great] value in all eyes (l. 63). Even though he has had a very successful and busy career, he is extremely humble: Chaucer maintains that he is "modest as a maid" (l. 65). Moreover, he has never said a rude thing to anyone in his entire life (cf., ll. 66-7). Clearly, the knight possesses an outstanding character. Chaucer gives to the knight one of the more flattering descriptions in the General Prologue. The knight can do no wrong: he is an outstanding warrior who has fought for the true faith-according to Chaucer-on three continents. In the midst of all this contenton, however, the knight remains modest and polite. The knight is the embodiment of the chivalric code: he is devout and courteous off the battlefield and is bold and fearless on it. In twentieth century America, we would like to think that we have many people in our society who are like Chaucer's knight. During this nation's altercation with Iraq in 1991, the concept of the modest but effective soldier captured the imagination of the country. Indeed, the nation's