Summary Of The Canterbury Tales Essay - 1370 Words

Summary of The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories set within a framing story of a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral, the shrine of Saint Thomas à   Becket. The poet joins a band of pilgrims, vividly described in the General Prologue, who assemble at the Tabard Inn outside London for the journey to Canterbury. Ranging in status from a Knight to a humble Plowman, they are a microcosm of 14th- century English society. The Host proposes a storytelling contest to pass the time; each of the 30 or so pilgrims (the exact number is unclear) is to tell four tales on the round trip. Chaucer completed less than a quarter of this plan. The work contains 22 verse tales (two unfinished) and two long prose tales; a few are†¦show more content†¦He was jealous and he kept her close to him. The woman was fair skinned and her body was slim. She wore a stripped silken girdle. Her eyebrows were arched , black, and partly plucked to make them narrow. The womans singing was loud and lively. It so chanced that this gentle Nicholas fell in love with this young wife, while her husband was away, and suddenly he caught hold of her and said, quot;Unless you will love me, sweetheart, I will die.quot; And he held her tight around the waist. she jumped back and wiggled away. She replied,quot; I will not kiss you Nicholas! If you dont let me go I will scream out Help!quot; But Nicholas began to beg and made offers to her that at last she granted him her love and swore by St. Thomas that she would leave the Carpenter when she had a chance. She told him how jealous he was. Then it fell on a holy day that this goodwife took her to the church to work on Christs own works. At the church there was a clerk named Absalom. He had curly hair, rosy cheeks, and his eyes were gray. Absalom, who was so pretty and fine, went on this holy day with a censor, trying to get the goodwives of the city. He then noticed the carpenters wife and he thought she was so neat and sweet. That night the moon was shining and Absalom went to the carpenters house and sang in the window. The carpenter woke up and asked the wife if she heard him singing and sheShow MoreRelated Summary and Analysis of The Shipmans Tale (The Canterbury Tales)928 Words   |  4 PagesSummary and Analysis of The Shipmans Tale (The Canterbury Tales) Introduction to the Shipmans Tale: The Host asks the priest to tell a tale, but the Shipman interrupts, insisting that he will tell the next tale. He says that he will not tell a tale of physics or law or philosophy, but rather a more modest story. The Shipmans Tale: A merchant at St. Denis foolishly took a desirable woman for a wife who drained his income by demanding clothes and other fine array to make her appearRead MoreThe Wife of Bath1145 Words   |  5 PagesThe Canterbury Tales are an accumulation of many pilgrims’ stories as they make their journey to the site of Sir Thomas a Becket’s shrine, as he was the martyred saint of Christianity. There are many stories included in The Canterbury Tales. Of these many tales, one of them is the story of the Wife of Bath, whose real name is Alisoun. From her appearance and behavior, to her political and religious views, there is much to tell about the Wife of Bath, for her prologue and tale are quite long. Read MoreCanterbury Tales Analysis841 Words   |  4 PagesIn the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer gives a detailed description of what life was like in Medieval times . In the â€Å"Prologue†, the reader comes to better understand the people of the time period through the charac ters words and actions. Chaucer uses a variety of groups of society to give the reader a deeper insight into the fourteenth century Pilgrims customs and values. Through the Court, Common people and the Church, Gregory Chaucer gives a detailed description of ordinary life in the medieval timesRead More Summary and Analysis of The Parsons Tale Essay724 Words   |  3 PagesSummary and Analysis of The Parsons Tale (The Canterbury Tales) Prologue to the Parsons Tale: When the Manciples Tale was done, it was then four oclock. The Host claimed that only one tale remained. The Parson, however, refused to tell a foolish story, for Paul advised against telling false stories. He says that he will tell a virtuous tale in prose. The Parsons Tale: There have been many spiritual ways that have led people to Jesus Christ and to the reign of glory. The most prominentRead More Analysis of The Canons Yeomans Tale Essay762 Words   |  4 PagesSummary and Analysis of The Canons Yeomans Tale (The Canterbury Tales) Prologue to the Canons Yeomans Tale: When the story of Saint Cecilia was finished and the company continued on their journey, they came across two men. One of them was clad all in black and had been traveling quickly on their horses; the narrator believes that he must be a canon (an alchemist). The Canons Yeoman said that they wished to join the company on their journey, for they had heard of their tales. The Host askedRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of The Nun1063 Words   |  5 Pages The Canterbury Tales is written by Geoffrey Chaucer and is written in middle English during 1387-1400 which was a turbulent time period in England. The Prioress is head of all the nuns and holds herself to high standards both morally and physically. The nun is a complex character although at first she seems simple to understand. I believe there are many layers to this character and Chaucer has highlighted a few, but there is much left to be said about this character and how she became the way sheRead MoreChaucers The Canterbury Tales1381 Wo rds   |  6 PagesThe Canterbury Tales serves as a moral manual in the Middle Ages. In the tales, Geoffrey Chaucer portrays the problems of the society. For instance, Chaucer uses the monk and the friar in comparison to the parson to show what the ecclesiastical class are doing versus what they are supposed to be doing. In other words, it is to make people be aware of these problems. It can be inferred that the author’s main goal is for this literary work to serve as a message to the people along with changing theRead MoreThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer1989 Words   |  8 Pages Ms.Wells British Literature 4 April 2015 Geoffrey, Chaucer, Father of English Literature born 1343 in London United Kingdom best known for his anthology â€Å"The Canterbury Tales†. In this book he plans to let each of his characters tell a story on the way to Canterbury. This novel was written during the Middle Ages also known as the Medieval Period. During this time period adultery played role in marriages. â€Å"I take thee _________ to be my wedded husband/wife, toRead MoreSummary And Critical Analysis Of Chaucer s The Miller s Tale923 Words   |  4 PagesSummary and Critical Analysis of Chaucer’s â€Å"The Miller’s Tale† Geoffrey Chaucer starts â€Å"The Miller’s Tale† out with an intriguing prologue. In this prologue, the Miller is found to be drunk due to his behavior towards the Reeve, and his judgment towards â€Å"The Knight’s Tale.† The Reeve and Miller have never seen eye to eye; they never have and never will. With this being said, the Miller tells a tale of a gullible carpenter whose wife cheats on him with an intelligent lodger. Since the Reeve is a carpenterRead More Summary and Analysis of The Clerks Tale Essay1607 Words   |  7 PagesSummary and Analysis of The Clerks Tale (The Canterbury Tales) Prologue to the Clerks Tale: The Host remarks that the Clerk of Oxford sits quietly, and tells him to be more cheerful. The Host asks the Clerk to tell a merry tale of adventure and not a moralistic sermon. The Clerk agrees to tell a story that he learned from a clerk at Padua, Francis Petrarch. He then praises the renowned Petrarch for his sweet rhetoric and poetry. The Clerk does warn that Petrarch, before his tale, wrote a