canterbury tales analysis essay

The Canterbury Tales

Introduction to the canterbury tales.

The Canterbury Tales is known as the foundational English literary book of tales written in verse style by Geoffrey Chaucer . The author is famous as one of the pioneers of English poetry. The book was likely published around 1387 to 1400 when Chaucer joined the royal court. The stories, in verses, though some are in prose , present the social norms, characters, situations, and religious devotion of the pilgrims presented in them. The stories became so much popular and are considered classics across the globe.

Summary of The Canterbury Tales

The book opens with The General Prologue and introduces a gathering of all the characters at the Tabard Inn tavern in London , ready to on the pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas in the town of Canterbury. The prologue shows a total of 77 persons, including some from the religious order, such as the Friar and the Monk, and social order, such as the Squire and the Knight, with some examples from the lower order. Harry Bailey, the host, throws the suggestion for each guest to narrate a story to pass the time during the long journey. The first tale is told by a knight known as The Knight’s Tale, which is about Theseus, the duke of Athens, who imprisons two Theban knights for violating a local norm.

Arcite, one of them, is freed, but then he returns to win the freedom of Palamon. He seeks refuge from Emelye, the sister of Theseus, with whom both have fallen in love earlier. She also is the reason for their banishment from the land. Meanwhile, Palamon escapes with their help and faces arrest. Theseus, then, forces them into dual for Emelye, in which Arcite wins but dies in the accident, while Emelye marries Palamon.

The second tale by Miller comprises the story of a poor student, Nicholas, who seduces his landlord’s wife, Alisoun, and terrifies him with an impending flood. A young priest is also in love with the same lady and asks her for a kiss, at which Nicholas plays a trick by thrusting out his bottom. Enraged, the young clerk brands his buttock with a hot poker when he does the same second time. Meanwhile, the landlord falls in frustration after he thinks that the flood has arrived and fractures his arm.

The third tale of Reeve contradicts Miller’s story of the stupid carpenter, considering it a criticism of him. He narrates the story of the dishonest miller, saying the miller robs the students by untying their horses, after which they run after them to catch them. Meanwhile, he steals their belongings. When they return, it is night . So, they are forced to stay with the miller, after which one of them seduces his daughter, and the other seduces his wife. When both husband and wife start a brawl in confusion, the students take their goods and run away. Later, the Cook also takes part in it and starts narrating the story of Perkyn Reveler but leaves it unfinished when a lawyer takes the stage.

When the lawyer or the Man of Law takes the stage, he apologizes and starts the story of the Muslim Sultan of Syria, his romance with the Roman girl, Custance, and her escape in the midst of the conflict between Islam and Christianity. Next, the Wife of Bath stands up to narrate her story after quoting from the Bible and stating her submissiveness to the five husbands she has married from time to time. She also berates the Friar for the interruption, after which the Host intervenes and asks her to narrate her tale about the knight of King Arthur, his rape, atonement, and winning of a beautiful as well as faithful wife, after which the Friar starts his tale.

The Friar narrates the story of a lecherous summoner who has his own spying network when working with an archdeacon. Once he calls a yeoman but confronts the devil in disguise, after which the devil drags him to hell, following which the summoner also retaliates with his own tale about a friar after clarification that there is no difference between the two. He states that when an angel was going to hell, he had around 20,000 friars with him. Following this, a little incident happens between a friar and Thomas, after which the friar complains to the squire.

This incident follows the Clerk’s tale, who narrates a beautiful tale of a farmer and his wife in which the farmer tests his wife and promises to live with her forever in case she passes the test. When the Merchant’s turn comes, he starts narrating the story about the evils of marriage, saying that a knight, January , marries May, who cheats on him, at which the Host prays that God must save them from such wives. Then the Squire starts his tale about love, narrating the story of King Cambyuskan that he leaves unfinished, whereas the Franklin starts his tale through a ballad in which he narrates the love story of Dorigen and Arveragus.

The physician also intervenes with his tale and starts narrating the story of Virginia, a tempting woman, who beheads herself at her father’s appeal instead of being handed over to Claudius. The Pardoner, waiting for his story, steps in after him and starts his story about morality. He tells about three young men looking for death. When they reach an old man, he directs them to a tree where they find gold bushels and kill each other for having all of them. The story creates bad blood between the Host and the Pardoner, but the Knight steps in to resolve the brawl, asking the Shipman to narrate his tale to reconcile them and resolve the situation.

Starting his tale with the monk’s degenerate nature, the Shipman tells his sexual advances toward the wife of a merchant, who realizes her mistake and asks her husband to forgive the debt. When the Prioress hears this tale, she starts her own story of the issue between a Jew who kills a devout Christian boy but then starts singing the song of Gracious Mother the boy was singing earlier when he got killed.

Following this, the Host asks Chaucer to narrate some tale at which he starts the story of Sir Thopas and his bawdy exploits. However, the Host gets irked and stops him, after which he starts the story of Melibee whose wife forgives all the attackers. When Chaucer finishes it, the Monk starts stories of Sampson, Hercules, Pedro, and Lucifer to come to a common point of the tragic fall, which the Nun comes forward and starts her tale of a rooster and a fox, followed by another Nun who narrates her story about Saint Cecilia after which the Yeoman starts making claims about the exploits he has performed with the help of Canon , who is with him.

When he finishes, the Manciple takes the stage and narrates his tale after lashing out at the cook for missing his turn to narrate the story. Then he narrates the story of a white crow and asks the Host to invite the Parson for his tale, who delivers a lecture on the deadly sins, after which Chaucer takes the stage to seek apology from readers in case the book proves lacking in anything.

Major Themes in The Canterbury Tales

Social Satire : The Canterbury Tales is a satire on the existing society of that time. The author describes the three pillars, the church, the nobility, as well as the peasantry, and their corruption and degrading morality. Chaucer includes all the characters of the society, such as the knight, the squire, the Wife of Bath, the Nun, the Friar, the Cook, etc. Then he proves that highly any character is upright and pious as they are supposed to be. He shows that most of them are quite allergic to their actual duties and poke their noses quite often into the fields irrelevant to their calling. This satire on society is apparent in the Nun’s tales of the rooster and the fox, while the Wife of Bath shows a different side of the social structure when she argues her own case contradictory to the prevalent religious logic. In fact, the very thematic strand of the satire starts with the Host himself, and it continues with the religious characters, such as the hypocrisy of the Friar, and then with the Miller as well as the greedy Pardoner.
Courtly Love and Lasciviousness: The Canterbury Tales shows the theme of love and lasciviousness through the tales of the Knight, the Miller, and the Wife of Bath, who narrate their tales about both of these points. The Knight’s Tale shows this love for the fair lady that leads to a duel in which they forget their personal duties, while the Squire is busy writing poetry and ballads in the praise of his fair lady. The same goes for the Wife of Bath, who is busy with carnal advances, while Miller demonstrates this sensual desire present in different individuals.
Religious Corruption: Although it is mild and somewhat latent in ironic remarks of different characters, Chaucer lets his character engage in religious criticism. This happens through different characters who show it through their corrupt practices, such as the greed of Pardoner and the lasciviousness of the Friar, who is a hypocrite to the core. Similarly, the tale of the Pardoner also demonstrates the corruption prevalent among different religious characters, who are hoarding and extracting money rather than performing their duties.
Competition: The competition between different persons, individuals, and professionals is an apparent theme when explored in the tale of the Knight. The Knight demonstrates this competition going on between both groups; the elder as well as the young. The first group involves two Knights who go for a duel to win a lady, while the Squire is busy writing in the praise of his fair lady. The other competition in The Canterbury Tales is between the storytellers who are jockeying to lead the others and jostling to take their turns first. For example, the Miller is too eager to speak, while the Nun also takes the lead.
Christianity: The Canterbury Tales show the significance of Christianity from the very title that the pilgrims are on their way to Canterbury and that they are telling stories to pass their time. Therefore, the Host calls the Christian figures, while Chaucer also relates to some Christian teachings and issues. The Christian figures included in the tales are the Nun, the Parson, the Friar, and the Monk. However, it is not necessary that their tales represent their duties or professions. They merely narrate tales to show that they, too, are taking part in the drive to pass the time during their travel to Canterbury.
Class: The theme of class in The Canterbury Tales is apparent through different characters selected from different walks of life to narrate a story during the journey. For example, where Chaucer presents the characters from the Church, such as the Nun or the Friar. He has also mentioned professionals such as the Miller and the Merchant, the Peasant, the Knight, and so on. In fact, these characters have presented their respective classes as well as the prominent features of the class, whether the class is good or bad.
Deception: The theme of deception is significant as several characters highlight this trait through their behavior as well as their tales. The Merchant appears wealthy, but his story shows that he is in debt. He is also involved in deception, stealing, and selling flour back to his customers. The greed of the Pardoner also forces him to extract money from the people, while the Wife of Bath also shows the same character by marrying different persons by deception.
Justice and Judgement: The Canterbury Tales shows that justice and judgment are two different things. While justice means to give a person his due share, judgment means to decide about a person from his appearances. The Knight’s Tale shows an entirely different character of the Knight as judged by his appearance, although justice has been shown through a duel. The same goes with the Merchant, whose tale forces the audience to judge the marriage of January from their perspective .
Rivalry: The significance of the theme of rivalry in The Canterbury Tales is seen in the characters going on the journey as well as in the characters presented in the story. For example, the duel between the knights in The Knight’s Tale is also a rivalry, though it is not very much obvious.
Storytelling: The significance of storytelling lies in that every character, whether he is religious, professional, or a common individual, has to narrate a story during the journey.

Major Characters of The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer: Chaucer is the author and also displays himself as one of the characters of The Canterbury Tales. He claims it so at different places when the narrators stop, and he talks to the Host. However, the readers must be cautious to accept him as Chaucer presents in the stories on account of his presentation of different characters closely with the claim that he is a gregarious and naïve fellow. Even the Host is fed up with his silence and calls him a sullen person. As he paints different pictures through his recollection of memories, it is up to him to paint somebody good or bad. Thus, it is Chaucerian prejudice or bias that his writing exudes.
The Knight: The Knight is a significant character who appears to be ahead in the social hierarchy as well as in the storytelling, while the Host is also captivated by his manners and qualities. His ideals are the same as expected during the medieval time. He possesses chivalry, honor, freedom, and truth. His narrative is full of his military exploits, considered insignia of bravery and courage during those times. His battle exploits in the foreign lands win him trust, honor, and respect, while his personality exudes awe among the audience. His interaction with other characters also sheds some light on his general demeanor with others and his status among them.
The Wife of Bath: She is the second significant character whom Chaucer gives some time to describe her character in detail. Her appearances show her lascivious nature, which is another evidence of her immorality. Her claim of having expertise in marriages, too, seems to go in the opposite direction to her current intention of wearing religious robes to accompany the religious pilgrims. It soon transpires that she has accompanied them only to satisfy her love for traveling.
The Miller: The character of the Miller is significant in the course of the tales in that he represents a common greedy individual whose temperamental appetite is toward greediness. His broad chest and shoulders demonstrate his lusty nature, showing him indulging in dishonest practices comprising charging double and stealing from the grain given to him for grinding. His arrogance makes him stand up after the Knight to narrate his version of the story.
The Parson: One of the respected characters in The Canterbury Tales, the Parson demonstrates patience and virtuosity. His few character traits are enough to show the life of priests during those times. Although he is quite low in the religious order, his knowledge and Christian devotion speak volumes about his ability to run a parish. His saintly nature also resembles the teachings of Jesus, while Chaucer points to his learning and teaching dedication.
The Pardoner: A very lowly figure in the Christian religious hierarchy, the Pardoner represents marginality, showing dubiousness of his character in extending pardons to different sinners after their confessions. In a way, it shows his doubt in deceiving the parishioners into giving donations that he obviously keeps a portion to himself. His skills of conning even extend to counterfeiting the signature of the higher authorities, showing predatory nature.
The Host: The Host lies is kind of a central character among the pilgrims. As once one of the narrators ends his tales, they turn to him to point out the turn of the next narrator . He also interrupts when the storytellers involve in arguments or brawls and interacts with the other pilgrims about their social roles when going through this journey.
The Merchant: The merchant represents the trading class involved in financial manipulation through lending and borrowing. The tricky nature of such classes lies in the never-to-face loss methods, as the Merchant shows through his appearance, outfits, and story.
The Clerk: A good character, the Clerk falls very low in the hierarchy of the Christian order, showing the sincerity and pious nature of his class. His story also shows the same devotion to true Christianity and his duties.
The Sergeant of Law: A professional lawyer and highly social person, the Sergeant of Law show his significance through his clients who come to consult him regarding their legal issues. Chaucer offers him as an impeccable legal professional with high regard for his profession

Writing Style of The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales is written in the heroic couplet . It shows not only the poetic skills of Chaucer but also his descriptive and narrative skills respectively through character descriptions and narrations of each character. Chaucer’s use of diction corresponds with his satire and irony , while for figurative devices, he turns to personifications and similes.

Analysis of the Literary Devices in The Canterbury Tales

Action: The main action The Canterbury Tales comprises a journey of several pilgrims to Canterbury with different experiences.
Alliteration : The Canterbury Tales shows the use of alliteration in the following examples, i. And the small fowl are making melody That sleep away the night with open eye. (The Prologue) ii. He’d seen some service with the cavalry In Flanders and Artois and Picardy. (The Prologue) iii. Now old King Creon – O alas, alas! – The Lord of Thebes, grown cruel in his age. (The Knight’s Tale) iv. May the Lord send me misery and care If ever, since they called me Hodge of Ware. (The Cook’s Tale) v. Says Solomon in Ecclesiasticus, For guests who stay the night are dangerous. (The Cook’s Tale) These examples show the use of consonant sounds such as the sound of /m/, /m/, /k/, /m/ and then /s/ occurring after an interval, creating melody and rhythm in poetry.
Allusion : The below sentences are good examples of allusions, i. For he was Epicurus’ very son, In whose opinion sensual delight Was the one true felicity in sight. As noted as St Julian was for bounty He made his household free to all the County. (The Prologue) ii. That there was once a Duke called Theseus, Ruler of Athens, Lord and Governor, And in his time so great a conqueror There was none mightier beneath the sun. And many a rich country he had won. (The Knight’s Tale) iii. When all had laughed at the preposterous lark Of Absalon and Nicholas the Spark, Various folk made various comment after; But the majority dissolved in laughter. (The Reeve’s Tale) iv. Says Solomon in Ecclesiasticus, For guests who stay the night are dangerous. (The Cook’s Tale) These examples show the use of different historical and religious allusion such as the allusions of St. Julian, Theseus, Athens, Abaslon, Nicholas and Solomon show.
Characters: The novel , The Canterbury Tales, shows diverse characters from antiquity. These characters include the Host, the Knight, The Miller, the Wife of Bath, the Squire, The Friar, and the Nun.
Heroic Couplet: The following sentences are few examples of heroic couplets in the book, i. When in April the sweet showers fall And pierce the drought of March to the root , and all The veins are bathed in liquor of such power As brings about the engendering of the flower . (The Prologue) ii. And on the very outskirts of the town In all felicity and height of pride Became aware, casting an eye aside , That kneeling on the highway, two by two. (The Knight’s Tale) iii. When all had laughed at the preposterous lark Of Absalon and Nicholas the Spark, Various folk made various comment after; But the majority dissolved in laughter. (The Reeve’s Tale) These examples show the use of heroic couplets as the two verses rhyme with each other with rhyming words such as fall and all, power and flower, pride and aside, lark and spark, and then after and laughter.
Imagery : The following sentences are examples of imagery , i. When in April the sweet showers fall And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all The veins are bathed in liquor of such power As brings about the engendering of the flower, When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath Exhales an air in every grove and heath Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run, And the small fowl are making melody That sleep away the night with open ey. (The Prologue) ii. Once, long ago, there dwelt a poor old widow In a small cottage, by a little meadow Beside a grove and standing in a dale. This widow-woman of whom I tell my tale Since the sad day when last she was a wife Had led a very patient, simple life. Little she had in capital or rent, But still, by making do with what God sent, She kept herself and her two daughters going. (The Nun Priest’s Tale) These two examples show images of seasons, feelings, sight, color and emotions.
Irony : The Canterbury Tales shows examples of irony in the following sentences, i. There also was a Nun, a Prioress, Her way of smiling very simple and coy. Her greatest oath was only ‘By St Loy!’ And she was known as Madam Eglantyne. (The Prologue) ii. He sees the mote in my eye, if there is un, But cannot see the beam there is in his’n. (The Reeve’s Tale) iii. And there she ate full many a slender meal; There was no sauce piquante to spice her veal, No dainty morsel ever passed her throat, According to her cloth she cut her coat. (The Nun’s Priest’s Tale) These examples show the use of irony such as the first one shows the Nun swearing but not actually, the second shows how the Reeve sees a mote and the third shows presence of every sauce but not dainty morsel.
Metaphor : The Canterbury Tales shows good use of metaphors in the following sentences, i. Young Emily, that fairer was of mien Than is the lily on its stalk of green, And fresher in her colouring that strove With early roses in a May-time grove. (The Knight’s Tale) ii. Rose and arrayed her beauty as was right, For May will have no sluggardry at night, Season that pricks in every gentle heart, Awaking it from sleep, and bids it start. (The Knight’s Tale) iii. Well is it said that neither love nor power Admit a rival, even for an hour. (The Knight’s Tale) iv. You fool! Your wits have gone beyond recall.’ ‘Now listen,’ said the Miller, ‘one and all, To what I have to say. But first I’m bound To say I’m drunk, I know it by my sound. (The Miller’s Tale) v. For even now I have a coltish tooth, Many as be the years now dead and done Before my tap of life began to run. Certain, when I was born, so long ago, Death drew the tap of life and let it flow; And ever since the tap has done its task, And now there’s little but an empty cask. My stream of life’s but drops upon the rim. An old fool’s tongue will run away with him To chime and chatter of monkey-tricks that’s past; There’s nothing left but dotage at the last!’ (The Reeve’s Tlae) These examples show that several things have been compared directly in the novel such as the first shows Emily compared to a lily, the second shows seasons compared to moods, the third shows love and power having human traits, the fourth shows wits compared to some person, while the last one is an extended metaphor comparing life to different things.
Mood : The book, The Canterbury Tales, shows a very pleasant mood in the beginning but turns out to be highly ironic and satiric at some points.
Narrator : The book, The Canterbury Tales, is narrated by Chaucer himself, but he also presents characters narrating their tales in the first person narrative.
Paradox : The following sentences are examples of paradox , i. My dear old brother Oswald, such is life . A man’s no cuckold if he has no wife. For all that, I’m not saying you are one; There’s many virtuous wives, all said and done. (The Miller’s Tale) ii. Their tales as told, for better or for worse, For else I should be false to what occurred. So if this tale had better not be heard, Just turn the page and choose another sort; You’ll find them here in plenty, long and short;” (The Miller’s Tale) These examples show that the writer has put paradoxical ideas or things together.
Personification : The below sentences are examples of personifications, i. When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath Exhales an air in every grove and heath Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run. (The Prologue) ii. They made us easy, all was of the best. And, briefly, when the sun had gone to rest. (The Prologue) iiii. But none the less, while I have time and space, Before my story takes a further pace. (The Prologue) iv. ‘Cousin, believe me, your opinion springs From ignorance and vain imaginings. (The Knight’s Tale) v. This lady as she roamed there to and fro, And, at the sight, her beauty hurt him so That if his cousin had felt the wound before, Arcite was hurt as much as he, or more. (The Knight’s Tale) These examples show as if Zephyrus, the sun, the story, opinions, and beauty have life and emotions of their own.
Setting : The setting of the novel, The Canterbury Tales, is the way to Canterbury from London.
Simile : The below sentences show good use of similes, i. Our Host, on hearing all this sermoning, Began to speak as lordly as a king, And said, ‘What does it come to, all this wit ? What! Spend the morning talking Holy Writ? (The Reeve’s Tale) ii. There was a miller lived there many a day As proud as any peacock and as gay; He could play bag-pipes too, fish, mend his gear, And turn a lathe, and wrestle, and poach deer. (The Reeve’s Tale) iii. The Cook, in joy to hear the Miller pickled, Laughed like a man whose back is being tickled. (The Cook’s Tale) iv. (Fair Pertelote was next him on the perch), This Chanticleer began to groan and lurch Like someone sorely troubled by a dream , And Pertelote who heard him roar and scream. (The Nun’s Priest’s Tale) The first simile shows the comparison between the sound of the Host and that of the king, the second shows a comparison between the miller and a peacock, the third shows a comparison between the Miller and a tickled man, and the last one shows a comparison between the troubled man and the rooster. Note that almost all the similes use the word “like.”

The Canterbury Tales Themes
The Canterbury Tales Characters
Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales

By geoffrey chaucer, the canterbury tales summary and analysis of the monk's tale.

Prologue to the Monk's Tale

When Chaucer's tale of Melibee has finished, the Host says (for the second time) that he wishes his wife could hear the tale of Prudence and her patience and wise counsel: his wife, he goes on to extrapolate, is an ill-tempered shrew. Turning to address the Monk, he bids him be 'myrie of cheere', and asks whether his name is John , Thomas or Albon, asking which house he is of. Admiring the Monk's skin and stature, the Host jokes that he could be a good breeding fowl, if only he were allowed to breed! Religion, the Host goes on, has taken up all the best breeding people, and left just the puny creatures to populate the world.

The Monk takes all this joking well, and promises a tale (or two, or three) of the life of Edward the Confessor, but first, announces he will tell some tragedies, of which he has a hundred stored up. Tragedy, as the Monk defines it, is a story from an old book of someone who fell from high degree and great prosperity into misery, and ended wretchedly; tragedies are also usually presented in hexameters, he thinks.

The Monk 's Tale

The Monk's tale is a collection of tragedies, designed to advise men not to trust in blind prosperity but be aware that Fortune is fickle and ever-changing.

Lucifer is the first tragedy told, who fell from an angelic heaven down to Hell. Adam is next, the one man not born of original sin, who was driven from Paradise.

Sampson 's tale is told at greater length, explaining how he fell from grace when he admitted his secret to his wife, who betrayed it to his enemies and then took another lover. The story is that Samson slew one thousand men with an ass's jawbone, then prayed for God to quench his thirst. From the jawbone's tooth sprung a well. He would have conquered the world if he had not told Delilah that his strength came from his refusal to cut his hair. Without this strength his enemies cut out Samson's eyes and imprisoned him. In the temple where Samson was kept he knocked down two of the pillars, killing himself and everyone else in the temple.

Hercules ' tragedy is next. Hercules' strength was unparalleled, but he was finally defeated when Deianera sent Hercules a poisoned shirt made by Nessus.

Nabugodonosor (also spelled Nebuchadnezzar), was the king of Babylon who had twice defeated Israel. The proud king constructed a large gold statue that he demanded his subjects pray to or else be cast into a pit of flames. Yet when Daniel disobeyed the king, Nebuchadnezzar lost all dignity, acting like a great beast until God relieved him of his insanity.

The next tragedy is about Balthasar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, who also worshipped false idols. He had a feast for a thousand lords in which they drank wine out of sacred vessels, but during his feast he saw an armless hand writing on a wall. Daniel warned Balthasar of his father's fate. Daniel warned him that his kingdom would be divided by Medes and the Persians. Balthasar , according to the Monk, exemplifies the way that Fortune makes friends with people before making enemies with them.

Cenobia (or Zenobia), who was beautiful and victorious in war, is the next tragic hero of the tale. The queen of Palmyra refused the duties of women and refused to marry, until she was forced to wed Odenathus. She permitted him to have sex with her only so that she could get pregnant, but no more. Yet the proud woman, once Odenathus was dead, was defeated by the Romans and paraded through Rome bound in chains.

King Pedro of Spain, subject of the next story, was cast from his kingdom by his brother. When attempting to regain his throne, Pedro was murdered by this brother.

Peter, King of Cyprus, is the next subject; he brought ruin on his kingdom and was thus murdered.

Other tragedies include Bernabo Visconti , who wrongly imprisoned his nephew. Ugolino of Pisa , a count, was imprisoned in a tower in Pisa with his three young children after Ruggieri, the bishop of Pisa, had led a rebellion against him. His youngest son died of starvation, and out of his misery Ugolini gnawed on his own arms. The two children that remained thought that Ugolini was chewing himself out of hunger, and offered themselves as meals for him. They all eventually starved. Nero did nothing but satisfy his own lusts and even cut open his own mother to see the womb from which he came. He had Seneca murdered for stating that an emperor should be virtuous. When it appeared that Nero would be assassinated for his cruelty, he killed himself. Holofernes ordered his subjects to renounce every law and worship Nebuchadnezzar. For this sin Judith cut off Holofernes' head as he was sleeping.

The Monk next tells of Antiochus Epiphanes, who was punished by God for attacks on the Jews. God made Antiochus infested with loathsome maggots. The Monk then admits that most have heard of Alexander the Great, poisoned by his very own offspring. He follows with the tale of Julius Caesar , who had Pompey murdered but was himself assassinated by Brutus. The final story is of Croesus, King of Lydia, the proud and wealthy king who was hanged.

All of these tales are simply re-tellings of the popularly known stories: all focus on the same theme of people of high degree falling into misery or death. Finally the Monk's Tale is interrupted.

The Monk provides one of the first-known definitions of tragedy in English literature, and, though his tale might have been fascinating to Chaucer's medieval audience, many of whom would not know the classical stories it largely details, it does not receive a huge amount of attention or adoration from modern readers and critics.

The Monk's tragedies are drawn from a variety of sources: Biblical, classical, historical and even some that, in Chaucer's time, would have been within reasonably recent folklore and memory. Yet the model of tragedy that the Monk offers is not, in fact, a classical model as such, but a Boethian one - a reminder of the mutability of life itself, and the tendency of fickle, feminine Fortune to spin her wheel and bring those at the top crashing down to the ground. It is, on one level, simply a series of car-crash narratives - an unrelenting dark, Boethian reminder that the high-status end miserably.

Some more recent studies have tried to locate the Monk's tale, with its emphasis on the stories told about the history, and its focus on the writers from whom the Monk has drawn the stories, as a response to Boccaccio's De casibus tragedies and a comment on the involvement of writing, poets and poetry in the support of tyrants and despots.

Yet neither of these readings of the Tale really explains what it is doing within its context. Louise Fradenburg argues very persuasively in her book that the Monk is a death's head at the feast - a sudden explosion of misery and death into the festive fun of the Canterbury project. The Monk's own solid physical reality, good for breeding (so the Host jokes - and breeding is the opposite of dying) is juxtaposed with his tales, precisely about the end of the body and its death, rather than life and strength.

Moreover, the numbers that the Monk quotes - he has a hundred tragedies in his cell, of which he manages to fit in seventeen before he is interrupted - suggest a painfully dismal repetition of the fall from fortune to misery, fortune to misery, fortune to misery. It is rather as if the Monk himself becomes a sort of anti-Canterbury Tales all of his own: each of his mini-tales progressively darkening the horizon.

It is no wonder then that the Knight sees fit to interrupt the Monk and halt his tale - particularly as the Monk tells tales largely about the demise of high-status characters (and the Knight, of course, is the pilgrimage's highest-ranking pilgrim). The Monk himself presents a threat to the fun of the tale: he is all 'ernest' and no 'game', as the Host points out to him, and - beginning a trend which arises more and more as these final tales progress - when he is interrupted, he refuses to speak any further. One of the tellers has his mouth firmly closed.

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The Canterbury Tales Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Canterbury Tales is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

The Rape of the Lock as a mock epic?

The opening of The Rape of the Lock establishes the poem’s mock-heroic tone. In the tradition of epic poetry, Pope opens the poem by invoking a muse, but rather than invoke one of the mythic Greek muses, Pope leaves the muse anonymous and instead...

"And palmers long to seek the stranger strands" (line 13) translates to mean what EXACTLY

The above quote from The Canterbury Tales translates to mean something like "the pilgrims seek foreign shores".

The nun prioress

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Study Guide for The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales is the last of Geoffrey Chaucer's works, and he only finished 24 of an initially planned 100 tales. The Canterbury Tales study guide contains a biography of Geoffrey Chaucer, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

About The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales Summary
The Canterbury Tales General Prologue Video
Character List

Essays for The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales is considered one of the greatest works produced in Middle English. The Canterbury Tales essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

"Love" in the Courtly Tradition
On Cuckoldry: Women, Silence, and Subjectivity in the Merchant's Tale and the Manciple's Tale
Vision, Truth, and Genre in the Merchant's Tale
In Private: the Promise in The Franklin's Tale
Feminism or Anti-Feminism: Images of Women in Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath"

Lesson Plan for The Canterbury Tales

About the Author
Study Objectives
Common Core Standards
Introduction to The Canterbury Tales
Relationship to Other Books
Bringing in Technology
Notes to the Teacher
Related Links
The Canterbury Tales Bibliography

E-Text of The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales e-text contains the full text of The Canterbury Tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer.

Life of Geoffrey Chaucer
The Knight's Tale
The Miller's Tale

Wikipedia Entries for The Canterbury Tales

Introduction
Genre and structure

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Canterbury Tales — An Analysis Of Humor In The Canterbury Tales

An Analysis of Humor in The Canterbury Tales

Categories: Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales

About this sample

Words: 1186 |

Published: Feb 8, 2022

Words: 1186 | Pages: 3 | 6 min read

Works Cited

Chaucer, Geoffrey. Interlinear Translations of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/tr-index.htm.

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Related Essays on The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims as they travel to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. One of the most intriguing characters in this collection is the Nun, or [...]

The Wife of Bath is often considered an early feminist, but by reading her prologue and tale one can easily see that this is not true. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath believes that a wife ought [...]

The Pardoner's Tale, a part of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, is a compelling narrative that delves into the complexities of human nature, morality, and greed. Through the character of the Pardoner, Chaucer explores [...]

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While there are places where the opinions of the medieval listener and the contemporary listener coincide, generally the vastly different contexts in which we assess the Wife of Bath divide our responses. Set in a strict world [...]

The “Clerk’s Tale” of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales can be seen as a mirror of society, where social classes have very noticeable tensions between them. This essay shall analyze the “Clerk’s Tale” by putting it in a [...]

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Instructions Followed To The Letter
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Unique And Plagiarism Free

The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey chaucer, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions, the prioress.

The Merchant

The man of laws, the franklin, the wife of bath, the summoner, the carpenter, the miller’s wife, the old woman, chaunticleer.

Canterbury Tales Character Analysis Essay

The Canterbury Tales are a group of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer. The tales are told by various people, who recount them to each other on the way to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The main characters in The Canterbury Tales are both historical and fictional. Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories. The tales are written in Middle English and are narrated by various people who journey to Canterbury on the way to visit the shrine of St. Thomas Becket. The pilgrims meet one another at The Tabard Inn, where they all set out to sleep for the night.

The next morning, prior to setting off, they agree that each member of their party will tell two tales; The Knight will tell the first tale, The Squire will tell the second, The Franklin will tell the third tale, The Second Nun will tell a fourth story [The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale], The Physician [General Prologue] or Pardoner [The General Prologue] or Miller [The General Prologue] will tell a fifth tale, The Wife of Bath will tell a sixth tale, The Parson [The General Prologue] will tell a seventh tale, The Lawyer [The General Prologue] or Merchant [The General Prologue] will tell an eighth tale, The Reeve will tell the ninth tale, The Cook will tell the tenth tale, The Summoner tells an eleventh story.

The Miller’s name is almost always given as Harry Bailey. The narrator doesn’t know who told the second two tales that he heard on his journey to Canterbury so they are named Anonymous I and Anonymous II. Chaucer uses the characters in his stories to portray different attributes of society during medieval times. For example: He contrasts idealism with reality through contrasting characters such as the Knight and the Squire.

The Knight is an idealistic character who conveys many noble qualities, whereas The Squire is young and reckless with no real knowledge of the world. The characters are based on social classes which also fit into Chaucer’s portrayal of society during medieval times. The higher class characters are better educated, have good manners, know how to be polite, understand etiquette, have more refined speech and have a greater understanding of literature. The lower class characters are ignorant of high culture and tend to speak in dialects rather than standard English. They are not aware of etiquette or good manners because they do not need them to survive socially.

The work consists of various tales told by a group of pilgrims on their journey to Canterbury. The main characters are some of the most well-known in literature, Chaucer included. The reader is meant to relate with each character on some level. The main theme is forgiveness, which one can only have if they’re willing to offer it themselves. The protagonist is The Knight, who represents all things honorable and virtuous. The knight does not tell any stories throughout the work but he plays an important role nonetheless because he sets the tone for the book.

The way readers perceive him will reflect how they view each character that follows after him even though Chaucer probably did not intend for this effect to happen (Jackson). A significant character in The Canterbury Tales is The Wife of Bath, who represents women in Chaucer’s time. The Wife of Baths tale was the first to be told and it’s among the best-known tales today. The narrator describes The Wife as a “harpy”, which means that she is not good-looking but her love for sex drives her much more than looks (Jackson). The wife spends most of The Canterbury Tales arguing with other pilgrims over their views on marriage.

She believes that women should be able to have control over their own bodies and marriages instead of being controlled by men. She doesn’t believe it’s fair how all marriages are made out to be sacred when there are so many bad ones. The wife even admits to having been married five times herself, although there is some speculation about the truthfulness of this claim (Jackson). The Wife is determined to win her argument, and she’s never afraid to speak her mind. The reader may not always agree with what The Wife says but they can still appreciate her personality.

The Knight was basically Chaucer himself. He represents being honorable, kind, brave, etc. The knight does not tell any stories during The Canterbury Tales but he plays an important role nonetheless because he sets the tone for the book. The way readers perceive him will reflect how they view each character that follows after him even though Chaucer probably did not intend for this effect to happen (Jackson). Chaucer’s greatest work came after everything else. Canterbury tales was the last of his literary works. It followed such stories as Troilus and Creseyde.

The work is considered as one of the greatest works of literature during the English Middle Age. The ironic thing is that it wasn’t even finished the way Chaucer had intended it to. The story is a unique one, especially during the time in which it was written. The work consists of various tales told by a group of pilgrims on their journey to Canterbury. The main characters are some of the most well-known in literature, Chaucer included. The reader is meant to relate with each character on some level. The main theme is forgiveness, which one can only have if they’re willing to offer it themselves.