What Lies Beneath - General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales.
What Lies Beneath Imagine a police officer patrolling the streets dressed as a clown. He meets a priest who is carrying a gun. Is there something wrong with this picture? This is an exaggerated example of how human beings expect certain behaviours from people given the positions they are in. We make assumptions based on what society has taught us to believe, and often deny ourselves the truth. Our assumptions are often false because people often do not possess the qualities we expect them to have in their position in our community. We are easily deceived by false appearances because of our prior belief of the qualities an individual should possess. In Geoffrey Chaucer's "General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales," the realities of the human nature are examined. Chaucer paints a picture of the Knight by describing physical characteristics while also describing his values and morals. The Knight possesses the qualities expected of a knight and is therefore seen as an object of perfection. In contrast to this perfection, the Prioress and the Doctor both stray far from the stereotypical expectations. Chaucer focuses primarily on the Prioress's appearance, leading the reader to believe that she does not fit the mould of a stereotypical nun. The Doctor's actions are Chaucer's primary focus on this character. He abuses his role as physician in order to maximize his
Remind yourself of the portraits of the Prioress, the Monk and the Friar. Discuss the effects of the way Chaucer Portrays two of these characters.
Remind yourself of the portraits of the Prioress, the Monk and the Friar. Discuss the effects of the way Chaucer Portrays two of these characters. In the course of your answer: * Look closely at the effects of language, descriptive detail and imagery in creating your impressions. * Comment on what these portraits suggest about the Medieval church The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales introduces us to the twenty-eight other pilgrims with whom Chaucer will be travelling to Canterbury. As a pilgrimage was a journey to a sight of Religious importance, it is understandable that among the travellers are figures from the ecclesiastic profession. However, the Medieval Church system was a lot larger than today, and was made up of nearly a quarter of society. It was highly influential on everyday life, due the lack of scientific knowledge, and the value and belief system held at that time. The Medieval church can in some ways be viewed as a large-scale industry, and like any large corporation it was open to abuse and there was wide scale corruption, which is strongly hinted through Chaucer's portrayal of the first three religious pilgrims. The Prioress is the first of the ecclesiastic pilgrims and one of only two women on the pilgrimage, the other being the wife of Bath. She has a genteel and dignified manner compared to the other raucous pilgrims although Chaucer's first
Examine the Literary and Linguistic Techniques used by Chaucer to bring to life his characters and their Dilemmas.
Examine the Literary and Linguistic Techniques used by Chaucer to bring to life his characters and their Dilemmas. I am going to examine the literary and linguistic techniques used by Chaucer to bring to life his characters and their dilemmas. To begin with January builds a beautiful garden with a high stonewall for May, 'He made a gardyn, walled al with stoon'. The garden symbolises secrecy, the growth of women and fertility and beauty. A very important garden is mentioned in the poem, The Garden of Eden. 'This noble Januarie, with al his might, / In honest wise, as longeth to a knight' is ironic because he is not noble because of the sins that he committed in his life, line 37, 'his bodily delit'. This is a personal animosity. The Merchant directs the reader to a classical reference in line 820. It is a book called 'The Romance of the Rose'. This book is an allegory referring to beauty of the garden that January has built for May and him, 'Swich deyntee hath in it to walk and play'. There is another classical reference about the garden; about Pluto who is the God of underworld wealth and his young wife Proserpina were they would roam and dance, 'Aboute that welle, and daunced, as men tolde'. Priapus who is the God of orgiastic pleasure and God of gardens. This seems rather crude but it applies to what January desires to do in his new garden. These characters are political
Role of Women in the Canterbury Tales.
Role of Women in Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer serves as a moral manual for the 1300's and years after. Through the faults of both men and woman, he shows in each persons story what is right and wrong and how one should live. Under the surface, however, lies a jaded look and woman and how they cause for the downfall of men. "The Knight's Tale" is one of chivalry and upstanding moral behavior. However, beneath the surface lies the theme of the evil nature of women. Emily plays the part of the beautiful woman who captivates the hearts of two unsuspecting men. Those two men are cousins Arcite and Palamon, both knights who duel for Emily's hand in marriage. The two start out as the best of friends and then roommates in a jail cell that is to be shared for eternity. But with one look at Emily, the two start bickering instinctively and almost come to blows over something they will never be able to have, or so it seems. Chaucer's knack for irony revels itself as Arcite is released from his life sentence but disallowed from ever coming back to Athens. He would be killed ever caught within the city again by King Theseus. Because Arcite is doomed to never again see Emily, his broken heart causes him sickness as he's weakened by love. It is only after he comes up with the plan of returning to Athens under an
"It is difficult for the modern reader to enjoy a tale that is so consistently hostile to women" Using lines 1 - 30 as a starting point and including an examination of at least two other passages, say how far you agree with this view.
"It is difficult for the modern reader to enjoy a tale that is so consistently hostile to women" Using lines 1 - 30 as a starting point and including an examination of at least two other passages, say how far you agree with this view. Since "The Merchant's Tale" publication in the fourteenth century society and culture have changed drastically. What was once common place and perfectly normal is now seen as discrimination and unfair prejudice - one such example would be the treatment of women. During the fourteenth century (and indeed many centuries after) women were seen as a means to an heir and free pleasure, their role within society often did not over-step these bounds. Chaucer expresses these views thoroughly throughout "The Merchant's Tale" by effectively using the narrative voice of the Merchant. The very first passages of the poem express the negative view the Merchant; "I have a wyf, the worste that may be; ... She is a shrewe at al" Where he explains the bad luck he has had with his wife and the "sorwe..we wedded men liven in". Obviously the Merchant is extremely cynical of the female populous and these opinions are focused greatly in his talk of love and marriage, which are the key features of "The Merchant's Tale". In the fourteenth century, love and marriage were rarely expressed in the same sentence in the higher classes; marriage was often used as a
"Its irony makes all the laughter uneasy and slightly strained." How far do you agree with this comment in The Merchant's Tale?
"Its irony makes all the laughter uneasy and slightly strained." How far do you agree with this comment in The Merchant's Tale? Definition: Fabliau is a versified short story designed to make you laugh, and its subject matter is most often indecent, concerned either with sexual or excretory functions. The plot is usually in the form of a practical joke carried out for love or revenge Merchant's Tale( furthest away from fabliau-type; does not fit to any simple category; ironic references to the Song of Songs; physical and moral blindness of January has Freudian symbolism; structure of plot is ironical; matter of argument: levels of narration, degree of drama of tale, relationship between Merchant's own experience and tale to be examined: differences and similarities between traditional fabliaux and Chaucer's; Chaucer's philological, linguistic, stylistic resources, levels of narration, kind of characterization. From the first reading of The Merchant's Prologue and Tale the irony is what makes the tale witty and funny but when looking beyond the seemingly humorous irony; we realise that what makes the laughter uneasy and strained is that the audience is the target of the merchant's sardonic humour. The tale begins with an ironic opening speech of a 'worthy knight', January and before the merchant further parodies . "January's 'rape' of May is ironic even: he thinks he is
Geoffrey Chaucer's The Wife of Bath - review
Geoffrey Chaucer's The Wife of Bath Geoffrey Chaucer was an English poet, born in London between 1340 and 1345 died there, 25 October 1400. In the year after the succession of Henry IV and the death of Richard II, whose reign, starting in 1377, thus falls entirely in the poet's life (Moore). In " The Wife of Bath," Geoffrey Chaucer paints a very delicate and graceful picture on mortality and pleasure: the wife in this story does not even realize she is dissatisfied with her marriage until she finds her fifth husband. The Wife of Bath is a strong, smart and dominant woman who experience is the authority she hold against others with opposite views under the aspect of example, since she has been married five times, and she was able to be the "master" in each of her marriage. According to today's culture, specifically through the use of such magazines as Elle and Cosmopolitan, the woman of the millennium can still be defined by her sexual uniqueness, although perhaps in different terms than were used when Chaucer first wrote the Canterbury Tales. "Today's woman" is one who is powerful and equal in all ways to her sexual partner, which is "today's man." She works outside the home, pursuing an emotionally and financially profitable career, and she is no longer a virgin by the time she gets marry, and usually she has several sexual experiences before ever meeting the man she will