•Canterbury tales is collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of 14th century.
•The tales are mostly in verse although some are in prose. The tales are told as a part of a contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of saint Thomas becket at Canterbury cathedral.
•Canterbury tales was chaucer’s best work.
•Structurally the collection have an influence of The Decameron.
•The narrator opens the prologue with a description of return of spring. He describes the April rains.
•The narrator tells us that he prepares to go on a pilgrimage, staying at a tavern in southwark called the tabard inn. There her finds a great company of 29 travellers.
•The travellers were a diverse group of people who, just like the narrator, were on their way to saint Thomas becket in Canterbury cathedral.
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•Narrator begins to describe the characters
•1. the knight:
• noblest of the pilgrims.
•Military prowess, loyalty, generosity and good manners
•Never says unkind words to others
••2. the squire: knight’s son
•20 years old
•Acts as his father’s squire
•He has fought many battles like his father but he is also devoted to love
•Strong, beautiful, curly- haired young man dressed in clothes embroidered with dainty flowers.
•3. the knight’s yeoman: freeborn servant
•Wears green from head to toe
•Carries enormous bow and beautifully feathered arrows and also a sword and a shield.
•4. the prioress: madam eglentyne
•Not from royal court but tries her best to imitate its manners.
•Speaks French, with an English accent
•Compassionate towards animals.
•On her arm she wears a set of prayer beads, from which hangs a gold brooch that features Latin words for ‘love conquers all’.
••5. the monk
•Extremely handsome
•Loves hunting and keeps many horses
•He knows that the rules of his monastic orders discourages monks from indulging in such activities like hunting, but he dismisses such strictures as worthless.
•He is fat, bold and well dressed.
•6. the friar
•member of religious order who lives by begging
•Jovial, pleasure loving, well- spoken, and socially agreeable.
•Hears confessions- assign easy penance to those who donate money. – donating money to friars is a sign of true repentance.
to be continued-
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