Pilgrimage of Canterbury Tales


Between 1387 and 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer penned twenty-four tales for The Canterbury Tales, with a combined total of more than 17,000 lines. It is frequently recognized as Chaucer's finest composition. 


The stories are spoken as part of a storytelling competition by a group of pilgrims who are making the journey from London to Canterbury to see the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The majority of the tales are written in rhyme, while some are written in prose. The prize for this contest is a free dinner at the Southwark Tabard Inn.

The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer was incomplete at the time, as is generally acknowledged. About 30 pilgrims are introduced in the General Prologue. 

According to the Prologue, Chaucer intended to write four stories, two for each voyage to and from the pilgrims' final destination, St. Thomas Becket's shrine (for a total of about 120 stories). Even though it may not be complete, The Canterbury Tales is recognized as one of the most important works of English literature.

Summary:

The General Prologue lays the framework for these societal tensions by introducing a wide variety of pilgrims from diverse socioeconomic levels. The Host presents the storytelling competition and announces that the winner will get a free lunch at the bar to start the plot. 

This is so that the pilgrims will have a purpose to tell tales and will be competing with one another. As befits his station, the Knight speaks first and establishes the foundation of his story on exacting courtly norms. Miller's focus, however, was on ascending the hierarchy. 

His risqué narrative, which extols adultery, contrasts sharply with the courtly affection of "The Knight's Tale." The Reeve then addresses a slight in "The Miller's Tale," emphasizing how social standing is no longer a deciding element in the presentation of the tales.

The subsequent tales commonly converse on a similar theme, encouraging debates about the social problems of the Middle Ages. Several stories depict conflicts with women's shifting roles, notably in marriage. "The Wife of Bath's Tale," which encourages female independence while undermining courtly customs through courtly romance, is the catalyst for this argument. 

"The Clerk's Tale" attempts to refute the wife's claim by claiming that marriages are happiest when the wife is obedient. Franklin supports taking a neutral stance. He describes a kind young couple who share decision-making in their relationship.

The issues surrounding the church's status in society are explored in other stories in this middle section, especially in light of the institution's endemic corruption. When The Friar tells a story about a dishonest summoner, the friar, who was trying to con his parishioners out of their money, is also conned, according to The Summoner. 

Their tales highlight the rivalry between various religious disciplines and show how dishonest church officials exploit their positions for gain. Concerns about the sincerity of church leaders and their prominent positions in the community are raised by the bulk of the higher-ranked clergy characters' repeated acts of hypocrisy.

To keep the travelers in good standing with God, the Parson, a compassionate and upright religious character who delivers the closing tale, preaches repentance to them. Following "The Parson's Tale," Chaucer includes several paragraphs in which he apologizes for any potential offense caused by The Canterbury Tales' content and retracts any sexual or violent sections that might have breached stringent church morality.

The conclusion of The Canterbury Tales, which urges each person to atone for their transgressions, illustrates that there is no overarching answer to the issues highlighted by the stories. 

Instead, individuals must resolve their issues of class, gender, and religion before deciding how to move on, just like Chaucer does when he writes his own Retraction.

Genre:

A frame narrative, also known as a story in which a primary story contains or frames multiple subsidiary stories, is exemplified by Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. The frame story often doesn't have much of its storyline; instead, in frame narratives, its main function is to give someone a cause to relate to the other stories.

 The following tales, in contrast, usually fall into their specific genres and have a clear beginning, middle, and end. The Canterbury Tales are set against the backdrop of the pilgrimage to Canterbury.

In the General Prologue, Chaucer introduces the pilgrims who act as our storytellers and the storytelling competition that serves as the venue for the tales. By using the storytelling competition, Chaucer includes a variety of literary genres, such as fabliau, courtly romance, and allegorical tale. 

These inner tales, which are far more thrilling than the framework, include the chivalric tale of knights protecting the woman they love ("The Knight's Tale") and an allegory about a haughty rooster being threatened by a sly fox ("The Nun's Priest's Tale"). The prologues in between the stories progress the plot of the frame by introducing and presenting the subsequent narrative.

Symbolism:

Chaucer regularly employs symbolism in The Canterbury Tales. For instance, it is made plain in the prologue that the journey takes place in the springtime. In quest of spiritual purification or rebirth, pilgrimages are commonly made, with spring functioning as a metaphor for the emergence or regeneration of life. 

It follows that it is not by chance that a story about pilgrims searching for spiritual rebirth takes place at this time of year. Some of the symbolism in the Tales is tied to themes or recurrent ideas that appear across the stories. 

Examples include Emily from The Knight's Tale, who picks flowers from her garden, and the Squire, whose garments are decorated with floral embroidery. One of the many common themes in the stories is sexual desire, and flowers are commonly utilized as emblems of youth and fertility.

Themes: 

Social Status:

The Canterbury Tales frequently touches on the importance of social status in Chaucer's time. For instance, the Prioress and the Parson are opposites in terms of social rank. The person is more concerned with his devotion to his faith than with his charges.

Lines 139 - 141 of The General Prologue read:

"And she took pains to imitate the manners

Of court, and to be dignified in behavior,

And to be considered worthy of reverence."

Chaucer implied that the Prioress had a slight accent but claimed that she could speak French.

The Prioress learned French in a little village outside of London, which helped her become a part of upper-class social circles in Paris. In the prologue, Chaucer emphasizes the Prioress' attention to and concern for her social graces, as well as how she dresses in beautifully-made clothing and exquisite jewelry. This character is likely more concerned with social status than religious piety given that she is a prioress, a type of nun.

Religion:

Religion is another common element in The Canterbury Tales. Many characters, notably the Monk, the Friar, and the Nun's Priest have religious affiliations. A couple of the characters also exhibit the religious practices and beliefs of Chaucer's time. 

A person who complies with his religious obligations to renounce possessions, refrain from asking for alms, and maintain his mind on the church is referred to as a "person," for example. In the Prioress' narrative, Chaucer specifically draws attention to Christianity and places a strong emphasis on Jesus.

Social satire:

Chaucer's society was supported by the people, the church, and the nobility. Chaucer satirizes these ideas throughout The Canterbury Tales by making fun of the characters he uses. 
In Woman of Bath's Tale, for instance, the woman explains biblical verses in a way that supports the decisions she has made. She talks about her prior marriages in the preface to her story. The Wife of Bath's sixth line begins:

"I have had five husbands at the church door"

The wife then acknowledges that her religion bans her from having many marriages.

"That since Christ went never but once

To a wedding, in the Cana of Galilee,

By that same example, he taught me

That I should be wedded but once."

Love:

In The Knight's Tale, two ex-friends battle it out for a woman's affection, demonstrating courtly love in action. Arcite and Palamon are both in love with the young woman Emily when they first see her. 

Later, in the woods, they argue over who gets to keep her. The duke Theseus intervenes to stop the fight but sets up a contest to determine who Emily will wed.

Sexual Desire:

There are times when courtly affection and sexual desire are connected. The man and woman at the focus of courtly love are typically unmarried, rendering their connection illegal depending on the story's circumstances.

The woman of Bath uses biblical verses to defend her feelings of want for another man in her story, which deals with the topic of sexual desire.

Rebirth:

Rebirth is The Canterbury Tales' main theme. Since the story is set in the spring, which is a time of fresh life, the pilgrims set off on a trip in search of spiritual renewal.