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Problems in English society in the Canterbury tales
Characters of Chaucer's Canterbury tales
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Canterbury Tales
Chaucer wrote about many personalities and their triumphs and inadequacies.The Knight is portrayed as an ideal persona. He is a part of the Feudal system. The impression that I get is one of am older weathered soldier. He is modest of his cultural status. I think that after the wars and battles that he fought he might not want to talk about them and he may even be guilty of them. He wore older clothes. They were not as fancy as he could have worn. He portrays the chivalry element of the bunch. He is religious and also courageous:Who from the day on which he first began / To ride abroad had followed chivalry,Truth, honour, generousness, and courtesy. (44-46)
He traveled many places over great distances to fight at almost all of the important battles. Chaucer calls him a perfect Knight: “He was a true, a perfect gentle-knight”(68). He owned fine horses that were a symbol of wealth at that time, but he did not show this wealth outwardly in his clothing or adornments.
The Knight’s son is somewhat his opposite. He dresses more fancily and shows off. He is a squire training to be a knight like his father. I don’t think that he is very serious about this because he enjoys the pleasures of life and not much of his training. Chaucer’s thoughts of his appearance were:
He was some twenty years of age, I guessed. In stature he was of moderate length,With wonderful agility and strength. (78-80) He stayed up mall night and partied so he did not get much sleep.
The Oxford Cleric was an odd scholar. He had a skinny horse and he looks hollow. His clothes were worn thin because he spent all his money on learning. He took money from his friends and spent it on more knowledge: Whatever money from his friends he took / He spent on learning or another book (303-304) The only thing he cared about in his life was studying.
The Franklin wanted the best of everything and lived for happiness to every extent. He had the finest food and wine and was obsessed with them. He was not religious. He was so obsessed with food that he had to have the finest there was and if he sis not he blamed the cook.
The wife of bath was deaf. She made long scarves and traveled. In church she did not like anyone to go in front of her in church.
Life during the Middle Ages was full of social change, division, and classism. This feudal society of Britain was divided into three estates. (social classes) Within the second estate was the the knight who was a soldier for the king who fought in many battles. Even though the knight is expected to have the strength and the skills to fight in battle, all knights during the Medieval period additionally had a chivalrous aspect to them. Chivalry was the honor code of a knight which included bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women. Within the stories of the “Wife of Bath’s Tale” and “Le Morte d’Arthur”, the code of chivalry was broken by knights which show the corruption of England’s feudal society.
In the movie A Knight’s Tale the two main knights were William Thatcher and Count Adhemar. They both showed chivalry and courtly love, but not correctly. More of chivalry was followed more and the right way. The movie is very loosely based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s book Canterbury Tales. His father always wanted him the change his stars so he would not live in poor life forever. Even though both knights were good, William was better because he followed chivalry, courtly love, and prowess in battle.
The Knight’s leadership is one quality that Chaucer values. The Knight is a wise, noble, modest, and brave man. Chaucer recognizes this when he writes, “To ride abroad had followed chivalry, / Truth, honor, generousness and courtesy. / He has done nobly in his sovereign’s war / And ridden into battle, no man more, / As well in Christian as in heathen places, / And ever honored for his noble graces” (ll. 45-50). Chaucer speaks highly of the Knight because he was well liked and the everyone looked up to him.
In his Canterbury Tales, Chaucer fully explicates the cultural standard known as curteisye through satire. In the fourteenth century curteisye embodied sophistication and an education in French international culture. The legends of chilvalric knights, conversing in the language of courtly love, matured during this later medieval period. Chaucer himself matured in the King's Court, and he reveled in his cultural status, but he also retained an anecdotal humor about curteisye. One must only peruse his Tales to discern these sentiments. In the General Prologue, he meticulously describes the Prioress, satirically examining her impeccable table manners. In the Miller's Tale Chaucer juxtaposes courtly love with animalistic lust, and in various other instances he mentions curteisye, or at least alludes to it, with characteristic Chaucerian irony. These numerous references provide the reader with a remarkably rich image of the culture and class structure of late fourteenth century England.
In the Medieval Period, knights dedicated their lives to following the code of chivalry. In Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur, a number of characters performed chivalrous acts to achieve the status of an ideal knight. Their characteristics of respect for women and courtesy for all, helpfulness to the weak, honor, and skill in battle made the characters King Arthur, King Pellinore, and Sir Gryfflette examples of a what knights strove to be like in Medieval society. Because of the examples ofchivalry, Le Morte d’Arthur showed what a knight desired to be, so he could improve theworld in which he lived.
In The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, the stereotypes and roles in society are reexamined and made new through the characters in the book. Chaucer discusses different stereotypes and separates his characters from the social norm by giving them highly ironic and/or unusual characteristics. Specifically, in the stories of The Wife of Bath and The Miller’s Tale, Chaucer examines stereotypes of women and men and attempts to define their basic wants and needs.
The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, has gone through many adaptations. Some authors decided to translate the story into verse, while others chose to write the as a narrative in prose. Although all adaptations are based off the same story, they are vastly different and can be the result of opposing interpretations of the original work. After reading a text translated by Nevill Coghill (referred to as Version I) and a text translated into a narrative by a different author (referred to as Version II), it is obvious that for each similarity they share, there are many more differences in language, syntax, and imagery as well.
In his story titled "The Canterbury Tales" Chaucer seems to truly admire some of the pilgrims while displaying disdain and sarcasm towards the others. The pilgrims that he most seems to admire are the Knight, the Oxford Clerk and the Parson. The knight he seems to admire based on his notation of all the campaigns in which the knight has participated in service to just causes. Chaucer makes mention of the knight 's worthiness, wisdom and humility "Though so illustrious, he was very wise And bore himself as meekly as a maid." (67,68 Chaucer). It seems as though Chaucer admires the knights great ability both in warfare and practicing what he preaches. This can be seen in his description of all those he seems to admire in the tale. The Oxford Clerk
The Canterbury Tales, written by Chaucer, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, written by an anonymous author, are both sophisticated fourteenth-century examples of medieval romance. Medieval romances captured the heart of their audiences as narratives and stories that featured a protagonist, often a knight, and dealt with religious allegories, chivalry, courtly love, and heroic epics. The concept of the knight emerged from the remnants of the Anglo-saxon literature and ideals and influence of the Christian religion and church. There is a distinct difference between the famous pagan heroic like Beowulf and the romantic medieval tales like Sir Gawain and the Green Knight of the Canterbury Tale. The Anglo-Saxon hero Beowulf exemplified qualities expected of warriors who could attain kingship by their heroism and battle deeds. They possessed the qualities of valor, military prowess, generosity, and honor. The hero fights for the survival of their tribe and nation, and it is in battle that the mettle of the epic hero is ultimately tested. The romantic conventions , influenced by Christianity and French ideals, created a new chivalric knight who sets out on a trial or adventure. They possessed similar qualities to their epic hero counterparts – valor, loyalty, honor, and skill in battle – but differed in knowing temperance, courtesy towards women, and courtly skills. The hero is no longer fighting for his people but for his ideals. By the 14th century, The Tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Canterbury Tales have began to criticize the notion of chivalry which had become old and obsolete in their society; the idealization of chivalry practiced by knights could longer withstand the complexities and indeterminateness of situa...
...does not see knighthood honours as abiding laws 'love is a greeter lawe,by mypan than be yeve to any erthley man. This unchivalriac behaviour disrupts the peace and order that chivalric values had brought. 'Medieval romance can therefore asks question about the world or to quote Arcite 'what is this world?' Chaucer's world was indeed a 'tormented century . . . Rules crumbled, institutions failed in their functions. Knighthood did not protect; the towns, once agents of progress and the commonweal, were absorbed in mutual hostilities and divided by class war; the populations, depleted by the Black Death, did not recover. The war of England and France and the brigandage it spawned revealed the emptiness of chivalry’s military pretensions and the falsity of its moral ones. It was a declining world, that Chaucer described through the rivalry of Acricte and Palamon.
Broughton, Bradford B. Dictionary of Medieval Knighthood and Chivalry: Concepts and Terms. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986.
Though the Knight and the Squire are from the same feudal class and vocation, they differ in the fact that the Knight represents how society should have been; and the Squire depicts an accurate portrayal of how it actually was.Chivalry, heroism, and modesty delineate the Knight, whose upright standards and principles illustrate a true gentleman; these characteristics are not evident in the Squire. Even though the Knight has won many wars, he is careful not to brag about his ctories. The most recurrent point in the description of the Knight is the abundance and importance of his conquests; however, the Squire's battles are barely mentioned. While the entirety of the Squire's battles are summed up in two lines ("he had se some service with the cavalry / In Flanders and Artois and Picardy"), the list of the Knight's battles dominates his description (Chaucer 120). The Squire's battles are not fought in the interest of his chivalry. On the...
Many tales of courtly love are also tales of chivalry. Chivalry began to develop in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and since then, chivalric literature has existed as one of the main sites of human rights and social criticism (Wollock 266). In chivalric theory, an honorable knight gives respect to others in all matters of action and of speech (267). Chaucer describes the knight in The Canterbury Tales by saying, “He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde / in al his lyf unto no maner wight. / He was verray, parfit gentil knyght” (Chaucer 70-72). While Chaucer’s knight is not a true example of courtly love, for Chaucer assigns the Squire that trait, he does possess the qualities of chivalry, which allow him to present a story of courtly love in his tale.
One of Geoffrey's less believable main characters is the Knight, for reasons of chivalry. The knight displays many traits which make him seem almost too good to be true, and a true gentleman that rarely exists in reality. The narrator sums up the knights character by stating that "Though he were worthy, he was wys,/And of his port as meeke as is a mayde." (pg. 5, The Canterbury Tales) The knight holds four main admirable traits, making him the most liked traveler in "The Canterbury Tales," and also amplying the doubt of his realism. The reader is prepared to learn of each of his noble accomplishments and importance when the narrator remarks that" A knight ther was, and that a worthy man,/That fro the tyme that he first bigan/To ryden out, he loved chivalrye,/Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisye." (pg. 4, The Canterbury Tales) From the characters impressive introduction, it is clear that this man is the most valued and honorable traveler among the group. This perfect gentleman holds a love of ideals that are often not displayed by people. First and foremost, he believes in the ideals of chivalry, and always stays true to its principles. He also feels that one should be honest, truthful and faithful, which many people are not all of these ideals. The knight thinks one should only do what is right, and what will gain him honor and reputation. This character also believes in freedom and generosity towards all, and displays this ideal repeatedly throughout the novel. And lastly, the knight also strongly feels that any proper person should display courtesy and elegance at all times. Another aspect of this character's life which makes him seem too prestigious to be truthful is his impressive military career. He fought in the holy war, known as the Crusades and was involved in 15 "mortal battles." In the prologue, the narrator informs the reader that "Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,/And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,/As wel in Cristendom as hethenesse,/And ever honoured for his worthinesse.
There are two ways you could be a knight in the medieval period you were either born into it or you showed bravery and prowess on the battlefield. If you were born into power you would be sent off to learn how to be a page at the age of 8. Then by the age of 13 were called a squire they were taught how to be a better knight. Knights had a lot of tournaments all the time they jousted, shot bow and arrows, and had hand to hand combat. Knights even had a code of conduct which was also called the code of chivalry. The code of conduct or chivalry told you what your goal and what you had to do to be a good knight. Knights were expected to do a lot around the castles and what not. A knight was expected to protect those less or lesser rank than himself and to hold to the highest standards of combat and knowledge in religion, writing, music, and leadership. A knight was very closely related to their horse. They had a lot training in them horses and hours working with them. A knight had to have years and year of training before they called be called a knight. Their armor was very expensive to produce. They had to be brave and fearless in battle to be able to be a knight. Knights also did some hunting and they had to put some hour into everything they honestly did. Being a knight meant you have a job and you better go get or done or you were severely punished. A knight didn't just stand for having power it meant you