The+Canterbury+Tales+Prologue


 * What is the time period and how does it affect the literary style?**

During the Middle Ages, society was divided into three estates: the laity, the church, and the military, which included the nobles. However, during Chaucer’s childhood, the Black Death wiped out around 40% of the population. This marked the beginning of the rise of the lower class, as they now had enough leverage to bargain for better wages, and eventually revolted against the upper classes in 1381. The merchants were beginning to yield more power during this time as well, as the national desire for luxury as well as the amount of wealth in England was growing. Chaucer reflects this social tension in //The Canterbury Tales// by providing a satiric look at the conflict between the classes, and the bonds that the characters still share across social divides.


 * What is the author's purpose in writing the selected piece?**

Chaucer’s purpose in writing the prologue to //The Canterbury Tales// was to introduce the travelers, who together provide a microcosm of English life at the time. The Prologue introduces us to the various pilgrims one by one, with detailed descriptions of their appearances and personalities.

“There was a Friar, a wanton one and merry/ A Limiter, a very festive fellow./ In all Four Orders there was none so mellow/ So glib with gallant phrase and well-turned speech.” ( Pg. 100, Lines 212-215)

In all of the descriptions, Chaucer masterfully blends physical description with other facets which together present a complete portrait of the character. This creates very vivid images in the mind of the reader, and also provide more insight into the stories that each character tells. Overall, the Prologue creates for the reader a brief overview of the wide spectrum of English society at the time. The Prologue also functions as social commentary through its descriptions of the positive and negative aspects of each character’s personality.


 * What literary techniques does the author employ in achieving his or her purpose?**

The author mainly uses characterization, both direct and indirect. Direct characterization is evident in statements such as,

“No one alive could talk as well as he did/ On points of medicine and of surgery.” (Pg. 105, Lines 421-422)

In lines such as the ones above, Chaucer gives a direct statement about some aspect of a character’s being. However, he also employs indirect characterization in the description of the same character, the Physician:

“In his own diet he observed some measure;/ There were no superfluities for pleasure,/ Only digestives, nutritives and such./ He did not read the Bible very much.” (Pg. 105, Lines 446-449)

Observations like the one above reveal something about the character through displaying some action they take. For example, the above passage shows that the Physician is a strong believer in science, often at the expense of religion. Chaucer also uses rhyming couplets in the Prologue, a fairly common practice at the time.


 * How is the literature characteristic of the time period?**

The Prologue shares some characteristics with other literature from the same period, but it also deviated from the standards of the time. In its rhyming poetic structure, it is very similar to other works of the period. However, its innovations are part of what makes it such a classic piece of literature. //The Canterbury Tales// was written in Middle English instead of Latin or French, and heavily utilized the vernacular of the English people. This made it much more accessible than previous works of literature, which had only been available to the more educated elite classes. The Prologue itself was unique in the amount of sensory detail and characterization that appears in it.

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