Middle ages and chaucer
- 1. THE MIDDLE AGES GEOFFREY CHAUCER THE CANTERBURY TALES MIDDLE ENGLISH
- 2. THE MIDDLE AGES The Middle Ages is a period in history that goes from the 5th to the 15th century in Europe. In England, the Middle Ages is divided into three main periods: - Anglo-Saxon England (450-1066) - Anglo-Norman England (1066-1272) - House of Plantagenet (1272-1485)
- 3. THE MIDDLE AGES French was the language spoken by the upper class, especially in court. Latin and English were used for most documents and formal proclamations by William, King of England and Duke of Normandy. English was mainly spoken by the lower classes. The upper nobility class maintained control over the lower classes. There was a rigid structure of government, consisting of kings, nobles, and the peasants.
- 4. THE MIDDLE AGES The Black Death or Plague reached England in 1348 and killed 1/3 of the population. The sudden collapse of the population increased the price of goods and the price of labour. However, the price of land decreased.
- 5. GEOFFREY CHAUCER (1340-1400?) Middle class and well-educated. Served at court. Diplomatic missions to France, and Italy in the 1360s and 1370s, where he got ideas for his tales. Read English, Latin, Italian, and French.
- 6. THE CANTERBURY TALES Begun in 1386 but never finished. The initial plan was that each of the 29 pilgrims, plus the narrator would tell 2 stories on the way to Canterbury and 2 tales on the way back (120 stories) to pass the time. However, we have only 1 story each from 24 pilgrims.
- 7. The host of the tavern is the man who suggests that the pilgrims tell stories to entertain the group. THE CANTERBURY TALES Chaucer’s characters are going to pay respects to the shrine of Saint Thomas Beckett in Canterbury Cathedral.
- 8. THE CANTERBURY TALES - Those who work (peasants and middle class): miller, merchant, physician, man of law, etc. - Those who pray (clergy): priests, monks, nuns, pardoners, friars, etc. - Those who fight (nobility): knights, squires, mercenaries, etc. The pilgrims represent the three estates of society:
- 9. THE CANTERBURY TALES Some tales are serious; others are comical. Chaucer as author criticized the malpractice of the clergy and made fun of those from the 3 states (nobility, clergy, commoner). Chaucer is also the narrator, so he is a pilgrim, but one does acts as reporter of what others say, not adding or removing anything.
- 10. Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in the native language or vernacular of the Medieval period in Britain, which was called Middle English (1100- 1500). He used a special dialect which evolved into modern English. MIDDLE ENGLISH