Geoffrey Chaucer Research Paper

Born in London during the medieval time period, Geoffrey Chaucer was a poet that left behind a profound legacy. He influenced the English language itself, literature, and linguistics through his works. The beginnings of his life are not clear as no specific details of his early years were recorded or have been found (poets.org). However, he used his poems and characters to offer the audience a view of what life was like in his time (Ajalma). Chaucer had a style of writing unlike anyone else, incorporating a new metre to jazz things up a bit, his poems became a hit throughout England (Sampson 32). Also, with the changing of the century, from fifteenth to sixteenth, English had still not become universal. Therefore, Chaucer was still writing

in an old language, making it problematic for some of his readers of the time (Sampson 72). Overall, Chaucer’s work has left a magnificent impact on English literature that is still noticeable at this present day.
Geoffrey Chaucer, son of John Chaucer and Agnes Capton, was born around 1340 to 1344.

The exact year of his birth is highly debatable and many dates can be found but this is a rough estimate, it also fits the time frame (poets.org). Chaucer’s father was renowned for selling and purchasing wine. It is safe to say that Geoffrey’s family, especially his father, worked hard to become part of the upper-middle class. He and his family worked with the royal court and this type of access to powerful people every day probably aided the advancement of his works (Albert). Similarly, to many of Geoffrey’s early years, concrete facts are not known about his education as a child. However, it is clear that he acquired French at a young age in school but which school isn’t known. In addition, Chaucer was fluent in Italian and Latin (Howard 40). Chaucer served under Edward III in the invading army of 1359 in France. Unfortunately, he was captured by the enemy and only released upon payment (Drabble, ed 193). It was said that the King paid some of the price. This detail has led researchers to believe the King valued Chaucer as more than just an employee (Howard 42). Then, around 1366 he married Philippa and continued to work in the royal court (Drabble, ed

193).
The big question after marriage is “how many children?” and unfortunately the answer is a mystery.

Scholars have worked to search through Chaucer’s works in order to find the answer of how many children he had with Philippa and they do believe he had a son, Lewis (Howard 52). On to his career before literature, King Edward III sent Geoffrey on frequent trips to Genoa, Florence, and France. It was in these places that he was first introduced to the readings of Dante, Froissart, and Boccaccio (Ajalma). For a short time, Chaucer operated a port in London in the year 1374 (Drabble, ed 193). Soon after, he settle down in Kent and spent quite a few of his years there as a Member of Parliament and justice of the peace (poets.org). The very year after, his wife, Philippa became sick and passed away. Scholars have begun to wonder if this is how the idea of The Canterbury Tales and the pilgrims came about. The Canterbury Tales may be based on Chaucer’s real experience and his own, personal holy pilgrimage (Nardo, ed 19). Geoffrey Chaucer was a dedicated civil servant throughout his entire life, which accounts for why he started The Canterbury Tales in about 1386 and worked on them, among other things which will be mentioned soon enough, along a time period of fourteen years (Nardo, ed 18). During this span of time, he found a house at Westminster Abbey and signed a lease, little did he know the lease lasted until he died a year later on October 25, 1400 from unknown causes. Chaucer

is buried at Poets’ Corner in the same place he last resided in (Howard 52). Although Geoffrey Chaucer seen his last days, he left behind his many short and long, narrative poems for generations to come to enjoy.