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People want to go on religious pilgrimages to spiritual places in the ______
springtime
When the April rains have soaked deep into the dry ground to water the flowers’ roots, it symbolizes ______
renewal
Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, helps new flowers to grow everywhere, symbolizing ______
growth
In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer's social satire targets the three foundations of medieval society: the nobility, the church, and the ______
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The Wife of Bath’s Tale in The Canterbury Tales mocks the ______ logic
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The Nun’s Priest’s Tale in The Canterbury Tales satirizes ______ love
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The Nun’s Priest’s Tale is a fable, a simple tale about animals that concludes with a ______ lesson
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Most critics are divided about whether to interpret this story as a parody or as an ______
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Chanticleer’s story is a tale of how we are all easily swayed by the smooth, flattering tongue of the ______
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Chaucer parodies epic poetry by utilizing ______, or formal, imploring addresses
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Other scholars have read the tale as the story of Adam and Eve’s fall from ______ told through the veil of a fable
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The rooster’s plumage is described as shining like burnished ______
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Chaucer reflects this new social structure by depicting pilgrims of many different classes on the same pilgrimage, suggesting a loosening of the rigid social expectations of the earlier Middle Ages. Chaucer’s portrayal of most of the ______ figures as hypocrites also points to a rising swell of dissatisfaction with corruption and abuse in the Catholic Church.
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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 ______.
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Chaucer’s portrayal of most of the religious figures as hypocrites also points to a rising swell of dissatisfaction with ______ and abuse in the Catholic Church.
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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 ______ will tell the first tale.
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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 ______ one another with stories.
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Whomever he judges to be the best storyteller will receive a meal at Bailey’s tavern, courtesy of the other ______.
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Study Notes
Chaucer's Reflection of Social Structure
- Chaucer depicts pilgrims of many different classes on the same pilgrimage, suggesting a loosening of the rigid social expectations of the earlier Middle Ages.
- The portrayal of most religious figures as hypocrites points to a rising dissatisfaction with corruption and abuse in the Catholic Church.
The Pilgrims
- The narrator describes 27 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.
- The Host, Harry Bailey, suggests that the group ride together and entertain each other with stories.
- Each pilgrim is to tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back, with the winner receiving a meal at Bailey's tavern.
The Nun's Priest's Tale
- The tale is a fable about animals that concludes with a moral lesson.
- The story is stylistically complex, with parodies of epic poetry, medieval scholarship, and courtly romance.
- The tale can be interpreted as a parody or as an allegory.
- As a parody, it is an ironic and humorous retelling of the fable of the fox and the rooster, imitating the overblown style of romances.
- As an allegory, it is a tale of how people are easily swayed by the smooth, flattering tongue of the devil, represented by the fox.
Themes
- Social satire is the major theme of The Canterbury Tales.
- Chaucer targets all segments of medieval social issues, human immorality, and depraved heart.
- The Nun's Priest's Tale satirizes courtly love, and The Wife of Bath's Tale mocks religious logic.
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Description
Explore the social structure and religious critique in Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales' through the diverse portrayal of pilgrims from various classes. Dive into the detailed accounts of characters like the Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Prioress, and Monk.
