An Analysis Of Chaucer s The Canterbury Tales

An Analysis of Chaucer’s Miller in the Canterbury Tales Many characters in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales link to the different social classes in England during the Medieval Period. The Miller is a crude character who tells an entertaining, yet inappropriate tale on a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral. In the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer describes the Miller as a bold, garrulous man and shows the morally incorrectness of the Miller. The Miller tells a vulgar but suitable story which classifies him as a man of low social status with an uncouth, shrewd sense of humor. Narrating his tale directly after the Knight’s noble and honorable tale, the Miller tells a tale degrading romanticism and love while exhibiting adulterous relationships. The vulgarity of his tale is one example of the Miller’s low social class. During the Middle Ages, a miller was generally a middle or low class man who owned or operated a wheat mill. The social rank of a mi ller could vary, as explained by Jeffery Singman and Will McLean in Daily Life in Chaucer’s England, â€Å"People’s positions in the hierarchy were considered to be of great importance, but sometimes the precise gradation weren’t entirely clear . . . However, it might be hard to tell whether the local miller was a more important man than the local smith† (9). Singman and Mclean are saying that one can not categorize a miller into a specific social class, but can generalize a miller in the low to middle class inShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis Of Chaucer s The Canterbury Tales 2650 Words   |  11 PagesAn Analysis of Chaucer’s Miller in The Canterbury Tales In the prologue to The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer introduces the Miller as a crude, rude, loud character who cheats his customers. The tale, which the Miller later narrates, is appropriate because the Miller’s tale clearly reflects this individual’s unrefined personality by telling a typical, filthy tavern story. The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a story that details thirty pilgrims, including Chaucer, traveling onRead MoreAnalysis Of Chaucer s The Canterbury Tales 1161 Words   |  5 Pagescomposing The Canterbury Tales, there is a broad diversity of tales told by a wide range of narrators. This indicates that Chaucer likely used a wide variety of sources. The alterations made by Chaucer to the source material for the Clerk’s Tale, including Boccaccio’s Decameron X, or â€Å"The Story of Griselda,† indicate Chaucer’s motive to examine issues such as marriage as was found in Renaissance Italy, and to explore the state of mind of the Marquis, as well as Griselda. Chaucer not only layersRead MoreAnalysis Of The Canterbury Tales : Chaucer s Second Nun s Tale 2418 Words   |  10 Pages AN ANALYSIS OF THE CANTERBURY TALES: Chaucer’s â€Å"Second Nun’s Tale†. Leah Holle REL. 700a: Transitional Moments in Western Christianity 1 November 5th, 2014 Geoffrey Chaucer was a prominent figure within English Literature during the Middle Ages, and is regarded as one of the greatest English poets. Among Chaucer’s works, The Canterbury Tales is arguably one of his most famous pieces. In this fictional work, there is a collection of over 20 stories that areRead MoreAnalysis Of Geoffrey Chaucer s Canterbury Tales Essay1670 Words   |  7 Pagesthemselves. This first exploit of trust can be found within Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. While the whole entire work exposes corruptions within the Catholic Church during Chaucer’s time, the breaking of trust is actually demonstrated within the Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale. At the end of the Pardoner’s tale, he offers the pilgrimage relics, for a fee of course. However, at the prologue of the Pardoner’s tale, the Pardoner himself has explained how the Catholic Church and other fellow pardonersRead MoreAnalysis Of John Chaucer s The Canterbury Tales 1594 Words   |  7 PagesToday’s Society and Canterbury Tales Money? Greed? A lot of people have some money at least. The everyday person doesn’t have all the money they want. Greed, by definition is an excessive or rapacious desire, especially for wealth or possession. At some point in time, there is always something someone is greedy for; it usually is money (let’s be honest, that’s the one thing people want the most.) People in today’s society always want more than what they have. Geoffrey Chaucer shows us this in TheRead MoreAnalysis Of Geoffrey Chaucer s The Canterbury Tales 1697 Words   |  7 Pages Geoffrey Chaucer Thinking of Geoffrey Chaucer one may only consider him as the author of The Canterbury Tales but like most authors they are not only their best works. Unfortunately for most late poets and authors their history isn’t much known, it is usually not documented in general. Yet fortunately for Chaucer he has worked for people who do get their history written about which makes his past a little more well known than other poets of his time. So of course with this there are biographiesRead MoreChaucer s Candide And Shakespeare s Macbeth1317 Words   |  6 Pagessociety in which the author lived such as Voltaire’s’ Candide and Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Geoffrey Chaucer, famous for his The Canterbury Tales, and considered instrumental in the creation of English literature, is not as well known for social commentary in his writing. However, The Canterbury Tales do indeed possess insight and analysis of society, namely the role of the authority figures in the Churc h. Chaucer was critical of the abuses and misuses he saw in the authority within the Church. He demonstratedRead More Contradictions in Chaucers The Canterbury Tales Essay3897 Words   |  16 PagesContradictions in Chaucers The Canterbury Tales There is no question that contradictory values make up a major component of The Canterbury Tales. Fate vs. Fortuna, knowledge vs. experience and love vs. hate all embody Chaucers famous work. These contrasting themes are an integral part of the complexity and sophistication of the book, as they provide for an ironic dichotomy to the creative plot development and undermine the superficial assumptions that might be made. The combination of completelyRead MoreKnights Of The Middle Ages1692 Words   |  7 Pagesorigin. Gradually, the knights blended into the nobility, acquiring the privileges and rights of the old aristocracy. The Knight is one of the pilgrims who is portrayed in a literal interpretation and not satirical. Chaucer depicts the Knight as â€Å"a most distinguished man† (Chaucer 4) who is a true hero. There are four main traits that the narrator articulates about the Knight; chivalry, truth, honor, and generosity. When the Knight was called to serve his kingdom, he performed his duty courageouslyRead More Canterbury Tales Morality Paper1070 Words   |  5 PagesEternal Bliss or Life Amiss?: Analysis of Theme in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales The Christian Church has been a driving force in politics and morals for hundreds of years. In the medieval time period in Europe, the Church was particularly strong, a majority of the European peoples and rulers were followers. The set of moral codes and virtues the Church sets forth dictates how each person should live. Provided that one follows these morals, the Church guarantees every follower a place