The Canterbury Tales

The General Prologue

• 1. Where and when does the story begin? What do all the travelers have in common?
• 2. Make a list of all the pilgrims by occupation. Include names whenever possible.
• 3. Define all occupations mentioned - at least those that are unfamiliar to you.

The Knight’s Prologue and the first part of his Tale, pp. 43-89

• 1. Draw up a list of every detail concerning the Knight’s character: physical, moral, religious, intellectual, and so forth. Be especially careful to list the experiences he has had. You should get the information from the Knight’s description in the General Prologue. What kind of person is the Knight?
• 2. The “Knight’s Tale” is a medieval romance. The conventions of that genre include feats of knightly prowess, devotion to a lady, elements of the supernatural, and so forth. Does the Knight’s Tale include these conventions?
• 3. The “Knight’s Tale” is filled with anachronisms. [Yes, look it up!] List as many of these anachronisms as you can. Why are they out of place in the setting?
• 4. Identify the love triangle in the story. Explain each member’s point of view. With whom do you side? Explain your answer.
• 5. Do any of the characters suggest any values relevant to the concepts of love and/or marriage? What values do they express? Are these values similar to or different from those expressed by Petrarch or Boccaccio? Explain your answers.

The Knight’s Tale, pp. 89-145

• 1. Trace the sequence of events that leads from the prison cell to the tournament. Why does Theseus create a formal tournament rather than allowing the cousins to fight immediately?

• 2. In what ways are Palamon and Arcite similar? In what ways do they differ? Which cousin seems motivated more by idealized love? Which by earthly desire? Are the cousins noble heroes, foolish lovers, or both?

• 3. What does Emilye herself want? Is Emilye treated as a person, a prize, or both?

• 4. What qualities make Theseus an effective leader? When does he use mercy, and when does he use force? Does Chaucer present Theseus as an ideal ruler?

• 5. What definition of love seems to guide Palamon? What definition of love seems to guide Arcite? How does love resemble a form of imprisonment in the tale? What evidence suggests that love can make people irrational?

• 6. What role does Fortune play in Arcite’s rise and fall? How does the ending complicate the idea that virtue is always rewarded?

• 7. Why does Chaucer include pagan gods in a medieval Christian poem? What values are associated with Venus? What values are associated with Mars? What values are associated with Diana? How do the prayers to the three gods reveal the desires of the three characters? Why are all three prayers answered, yet not in the way each person expects?

• 8. What symbolic meaning might the prison have? What symbolic meaning might the tournament have? How does Chaucer create sympathy for both Palamon and Arcite?

• 9. What is the relationship between order and chaos in the tale? How do social institutions help manage human conflict? Is the tale ultimately optimistic or pessimistic about human life? What does Chaucer suggest about the limits of human knowledge? Why do suffering and loss remain important even in a noble society? What does the tale imply about justice? Is perfect happiness possible in this world?

Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale

• 1. Draw up a list of every detail concerning the Wife’s character: physical, marital, moral, intellectual, social, and so forth. What kind of person is she?
• 2. The Wife’s “Prologue” is five times longer than her “Tale.” What does this fact reveal about her? Is this circumstance consistent with her personality as otherwise described?
• 3. The Wife’s “Tale” is a romance - specifically, an Arthurian romance. What are the conventions of that genre? Is this an appropriate genre to the Wife’s character?
• 4. What is the theme of the Wife’s “Tale”? Why and how is it appropriate to her life? Since this is also the theme of the Wife’s life, it is most appropriate. Do you agree or disagree with her views?
• 5. Imagine that Chaucer is writing in the twentieth century. Describe the contemporary counterpart to the Wife of Bath that you imagine Chaucer would create. Defend your answer.

The Prioress

• 1. Draw up a list of every detail concerning the Prioress’s character: physical, religious, intellectual, social, and so forth.
• 2. “The Prioress’s Tale” is a graphically violent saint’s tale. How does the tone of the tale contrast with the image the Prioress attempts to project?
• 3. How is contrast used to give this short story power?
• 4. What intolerant attitude of late medieval English Christianity does the character of the Prioress herself reveal? Does Chaucer seem to approve or to disapprove of the Prioress? Of her attitudes as presented in the tale?
• 5. Imagine that Chaucer is writing in the twentieth century. Describe the contemporary counterpart to the Prioress that you imagine Chaucer would create. Defend your answer.

The Nun’s Priest

• 1. “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” is a beast fable. In this genre animals are used to represent human types or personality traits. What personality type does Chanticleer represent? What personality type does Russel (the fox) represent?

DAN RUSSEL is the sly flatterer

• 2. How does Chaucer achieve humor - if, indeed, he does - in this tale?
• 3. What values does the tale seem to favor? What is the theme?
• 4. How does the situation in the life of the Nun’s Priest parallel that of Chanticleer?

Assignment for next class meeting: Read the Franklin’s Tale. Review the sketch of the Franklin in the General Prologue. Prepare assigned study questions.

GREAT BOOKS: UNIT: The Canterbury Tales

Daily Plan Day: 6

Assignment to have been completed: Students should have read the Franklin’s Tale. Review the sketch of the Franklin in the General Prologue. Prepare assigned study questions.

Activities:

• A. Administer the quiz over the “Franklin’s Tale.”
• B. Go over the day’s study questions. The answers I have provided offer the basic information needed to respond to the question. Students’ answers may vary. You may ask the students to offer their answers first or you may simply present this information to them and then give them the balance of the period to work on the next assignment.

The Franklin

• 1. Refer to the “General Prologue” to analyze the Franklin’s character. Is the romance genre appropriate to him? Why or why not?
• 2. Identify the love triangle in the story. What are the strengths and weaknesses in each member’s character?
• 3. What late medieval English values relevant to love and marriage are demonstrated through the tale?
• 4. Who is the most generous of the three principal characters? The most honorable? The most noble?

The Pardoner

• 1. Draw up a list of every detail concerning the Pardoner’s character: physical, moral, religious, intellectual, and so forth. (You should refer to both the “General Prologue” and the Pardoner’s “Prologue.”)
• 2. The “Pardoner’s Tale” is an exemplum, a short story used in a medieval sermon to demonstrate a moral. What is the moral? Is the moral appropriate or ironic in relation to the Pardoner’s character?
• 3. Cite all examples of irony in the “Pardoner’s Tale,” including any that can be drawn by relating the tale to the Pardoner’s “Prologue.”
• 4. What is the significance of the mysterious old man the three rogues encounter? What ironies are implicit in his character?
• 5. What is Chaucer’s attitude toward high officials of the Church as reflected in “The Pardoner’s Tale”?
• 6. Imagine that Chaucer is writing in the twentieth century. Describe the contemporary counterpart to the Pardoner that you imagine Chaucer would create. Defend your answer.