THE

CANTERBURY
TALES
By: Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London sometime between 1340 and 1344 to John
Chaucer and Agnes Copton.
John Chaucer was an affluent wine merchant and deputy to the kings butler. Through his
fathers connections, Geoffrey held several positions early in his life, serving as a
noblewomans page, a courtier, a diplomat, a civil servant, and a collector of scrap
metal.
His early life and education were not strictly documented although it can be surmised
from his works that he could read French, Latin, and Italian.
In 1359, Chaucer joined the English armys invasion of France during the Hundred Years
War and was taken prisoner; King Edward III of England paid his ransom in 1360. In 1366,
Chaucer married Philipa de Roet, who was a lady-in-waiting to Edward IIIs wife.

Geoffrey Chaucer

In 1367, Chaucer was given a life pension by the king, and began traveling
abroad on diplomatic missions.
During trips to Italy in 1372 and 1378, he discovered the works ofDante,
Boccaccio, and Petrarcheach of which greatly influenced Chaucers own
literary endeavors.
His period of artistic maturity is considered to begin at this time, marked by the
writing of theGeneral Prologueof the Canterbury Tales, which Chaucer
continued to work on for many yearsmost likely until his death in 1400.
Considered a cultural touchstone, if not the very wellspring of literature in the
English language, Chaucers tales gather twenty-nine archetypes of latemedieval English society and present them with insight and humor.

Geoffrey Chaucer

Now considered the Father of English literature," Chaucer wrote in the English
vernacular while court poetry was still being written in Anglo-Norman or Latin.
The decasyllabic couplet Chaucer used for most of theCanterbury Tales later
evolved into the heroic couplet, commonly used for epic and narrative poetry in
English. Chaucer is also credited with pioneering the regular use of iambic
pentameter.
Chaucer died on October 25, 1400.

The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer wroteThe Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories in a frame
story, between 1387 and 1400.
It is the story of a group of thirty people who travel as pilgrims to Canterbury
(England). The pilgrims, who come from all layers of society, tell stories to each
other to kill time while they travel to Canterbury.
If we trust the General Prologue, Chaucer intended that each pilgrim should tell
two tales on the way to Canterbury and two tales on the way back.
He never finished his enormous project and even the completed tales were not
finally revised.
Scholars are uncertain about the order of the tales.
As the printing press had yet to be invented when Chaucer wrote his works,The
Canterbury Taleshas been passed down in several handwritten manuscripts.

The Story Format

Twenty nine people that

represent all aspects of
Medieval society go on a
pilgrimage to the cathedral
at Canterbury in southeast
England.

The Story Format

Chaucers characters are
going to pay respects to
this shrine as a part of a
religious pilgrimage. They
all meet at a tavern to
begin their journey.

Pilgrims Route

Setting: Canterbury
Connected 3 trading ports to London; Julius Caesar
invaded in 43 A.D.
Roman civilization with theatres, baths, temples, etc.
until invasion of Angles, Saxons, Jutes in 5th/6th century.
Canterbury converted to Christianity in 597 by Saint
Augustine.
Monastery, todays Cathedral, founded in 602 by St.
Augustine; Canterbury as mother of British Christianity.

Canterbury

Canterbury Cathedral