Geofreey Chaucer 1340-1400)
Poet, the son of John Chaucer, a London wine merchant, is better known as Father of English poetry. There are uncertain details about his life and his age covers the period from
1340 to 1400. As a youth, he was a page in the Royal household. He held various diplomatic
and civil posts, and in king’s service, he travelled abroad on numerous diplomatic missions.
He got married with Philippa Roet, a sister of John of Gaunt’s third wife due to which he
became a powerful man and also enjoyed royal favors. Visited Italy and made his first
acquaintance with Italian literature and may have met Petrarch and Boccaccio, the two
greatest living Italian men of letters along with Dante who influenced a lot on the growth of
Chaucer’s work. His last official position was that of deputy forester in the King’s Forest at
North Petherton in Somerset. He was buried at the entrance to the Chapel of St Benedict in
Westminster Abbey, where a monument was erected to him in 1556: this was the origin of
Poet’s Corner.
Chaucer's Style: In the Tales Chaucer abandons the English irregular lines of alliterative
verse – "rim, ram, roff" as he calls it and adopts the French method of regular meter.
Under his influence rhyme gradually displaced alliteration in English poetry & his style is
narrative. He used the ten syllabic lines rhyming in couplet – called the Heroic couplet
which was perfected by Pope. "The Canterbury Tales" is Chaucer’s magnificent
unfinished opus in which he finally drew the various strands of his genius together.
However, Chaucer’s humor, satire, irony are all pervasive in this work.
To William Caxton, England's first printer, Geoffrey Chaucer was "the worshipful
father and first founder and embellisher of ornate eloquence in our English." Perceptive as
this accolade was in its time, today Chaucer is acclaimed not only as "the father of English
poetry" but also as the father of the modern short story and novel— in short, as the father of
English literature. In addition, we are indebted to him for the most vivid contemporary
description of fourteenth-century England.
A man of affairs as well as a man of letters, Chaucer's development as the one was
closely paralleled by his development as the other. Born into a family which belonged to the
rising middle class, he obtained through his father, a successful wine merchant, a position as
page in a household which was closely associated with the court of King Edward III. His
mastery of Latin, French, and Italian, in addition to equipping him for diplomatic and civil
service, also enabled him to translate literary works in all three languages, an important factor
in his development as a writer.
A court favorite, Chaucer rose quickly in the world. Before he was twenty he served
as a soldier in France and, upon being captured, was ransomed by his king. Thereafter,
throughout his life, he served his country loyally—as courtier, diplomat, civil administrator,
and translator. Entrusted with important and delicate diplomatic missions, he traveled on
several occasions to France and Italy, and his journeys abroad played an important role in his
literary and intellectual development. Subsequently, he served as Comptroller of Customs for
the Port of London; Member of Parliament; Justice of the Peace; Clerk of the Works at
Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and elsewhere; and finally as a sub-forester of one of the king's forests. He was, in fact, a highly valued public servant and was fortunate to enjoy
for most of his life the patronage of the influential John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and uncle
of King Richard II, During his long public career, he became acquainted with the most
important men of his day—diplomats and rulers as well as writers. At his death, his
reputation as a man of affairs and his genius as a poet well established, he was buried in
Westminster Abbey. Today, in the history of English literature, Chaucer's name stands
second only to that of Shakespeare.
From the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales
Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
When April with his showers hath pierced the drought
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
Of March with sweetness to the very root.
Chaucer’s Portrayal of the Knight:
Chaucer portrays the Knight as a person who is both chivalrous as well as wise. His
numerous qualities are listed by Chaucer in the Prologue. He is also portrayed as being a
crusader and a very well travelled individual. The characteristics of bravery and gentleness
are also dwelt on considerably. However, in contrast his appearance is not as grand as his
qualities. He is dressed in rough, stained garments having just returned from a voyage.
Chaucer’s Knight is a representative of the old chivalry of the middle ages, which
was fast dying out. The Knight was a worthy, widely travelled, and brave valiant. He
loved chivalric ideas like truth, honor, freedom and courtesy. He was highly respected for his
goodness and bravery. He participated in fifteen mortal battles and had three times fought
for Christian faith. His pursuits always ended with the death of his enemy. In his behavior he
was soft spoken and as gentle as a maid.
A KNIGHT there was, and that a noble man,
Who from the earliest time when he began
To ride forth, loved the way of chivalry,
Honor and faith and generosity. (2)
The Squire- The squire is the son of the Knight. He was in habit of carving in front of his
father to eat. He knows singing, composing, drawing and writing.
With him there went a SQUIRE, that was his son,
A lover and soldier, full of life and fun,
With locks tight-curled, as if just out of press;
His age in years was twenty, I should guess.
The Yeoman –He is the person who has been given the function of a forester. In the 15th
century it was known as a small land owner. He used to wear green color hood of hunter. He used to handle the weapons perfectly. His hair was cut very short and his face was brown. A
silver medal of St. Christopher he had. A tale of Gamelyn is found in some manuscripts of
Canterbury tales, was intended by Chaucer when x- written. This plan was assigned to
Yeoman and so he tells no stories.
He had a YEOMAN there, and none beside
In service, for it pleased him so to ride;
And he was clad in coat and hood of green.
He bore a sheaf of arrows, bright and keen,
And wings of peacock feathers edged the wood.
Wife of Bath:
Chaucer has portrayed her as, strong willed, opinionated, highly sexed, frank,
humorous and masterful. Her account "of five husbands and arguments against chastity"
presents her character at once. She was an expert and well to do West Country cloth maker.
She was independent and there was no woman in her parish who dared go before her and
make offerings at the offertory (Church).
“In all the parish wif ne was ther noon;
That to the offering before hir sholde goon. ”
The handkerchief upon her on a Sunday, weighed as much as ten pounds. The Wife
of Bath is concerned with not only defending the active use of sex in marriage but also to
insist that married happiness is possible if the husband yield the “maistye” to his wife. Yet,
she was a worthy woman and had married five husbands besides other company in her
youth.
“She was a worthy woman al her lyfe:
Housbonds at chirche dore she hadde five”
Her coverchiefs were woven close of ground,
And weighed, I lay an oath, at least ten pound
----------------------------
----------------------------
She was a worthy woman all her life;
Five times at church door had she been a wife,
Not counting other company in youth (14)
The Parson-The parson exhibits virtue in ecclesiastical world where as the Knight
represents virtue in secular world.
There was a PARSON, too, that had his cure
In a small town, a good man and a poor;
But rich he was in holy thought and work.
The Plowman – It was done deliberately to present brotherhood relationship. These people
represent the virtue of their respective occupation. He was very devoted to God. He used a
life with happiness in spite of being poor. He used to help the needy and regards his friends
very much.
With him his brother, a simple PLOWMAN, rode,
That in his time had carted many a load
Of dung; true toiler and a good was he,
Living in peace and perfect charity.
Poet, the son of John Chaucer, a London wine merchant, is better known as Father of English poetry. There are uncertain details about his life and his age covers the period from
1340 to 1400. As a youth, he was a page in the Royal household. He held various diplomatic
and civil posts, and in king’s service, he travelled abroad on numerous diplomatic missions.
He got married with Philippa Roet, a sister of John of Gaunt’s third wife due to which he
became a powerful man and also enjoyed royal favors. Visited Italy and made his first
acquaintance with Italian literature and may have met Petrarch and Boccaccio, the two
greatest living Italian men of letters along with Dante who influenced a lot on the growth of
Chaucer’s work. His last official position was that of deputy forester in the King’s Forest at
North Petherton in Somerset. He was buried at the entrance to the Chapel of St Benedict in
Westminster Abbey, where a monument was erected to him in 1556: this was the origin of
Poet’s Corner.
Chaucer's Style: In the Tales Chaucer abandons the English irregular lines of alliterative
verse – "rim, ram, roff" as he calls it and adopts the French method of regular meter.
Under his influence rhyme gradually displaced alliteration in English poetry & his style is
narrative. He used the ten syllabic lines rhyming in couplet – called the Heroic couplet
which was perfected by Pope. "The Canterbury Tales" is Chaucer’s magnificent
unfinished opus in which he finally drew the various strands of his genius together.
However, Chaucer’s humor, satire, irony are all pervasive in this work.
To William Caxton, England's first printer, Geoffrey Chaucer was "the worshipful
father and first founder and embellisher of ornate eloquence in our English." Perceptive as
this accolade was in its time, today Chaucer is acclaimed not only as "the father of English
poetry" but also as the father of the modern short story and novel— in short, as the father of
English literature. In addition, we are indebted to him for the most vivid contemporary
description of fourteenth-century England.
A man of affairs as well as a man of letters, Chaucer's development as the one was
closely paralleled by his development as the other. Born into a family which belonged to the
rising middle class, he obtained through his father, a successful wine merchant, a position as
page in a household which was closely associated with the court of King Edward III. His
mastery of Latin, French, and Italian, in addition to equipping him for diplomatic and civil
service, also enabled him to translate literary works in all three languages, an important factor
in his development as a writer.
A court favorite, Chaucer rose quickly in the world. Before he was twenty he served
as a soldier in France and, upon being captured, was ransomed by his king. Thereafter,
throughout his life, he served his country loyally—as courtier, diplomat, civil administrator,
and translator. Entrusted with important and delicate diplomatic missions, he traveled on
several occasions to France and Italy, and his journeys abroad played an important role in his
literary and intellectual development. Subsequently, he served as Comptroller of Customs for
the Port of London; Member of Parliament; Justice of the Peace; Clerk of the Works at
Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and elsewhere; and finally as a sub-forester of one of the king's forests. He was, in fact, a highly valued public servant and was fortunate to enjoy
for most of his life the patronage of the influential John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and uncle
of King Richard II, During his long public career, he became acquainted with the most
important men of his day—diplomats and rulers as well as writers. At his death, his
reputation as a man of affairs and his genius as a poet well established, he was buried in
Westminster Abbey. Today, in the history of English literature, Chaucer's name stands
second only to that of Shakespeare.
From the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales
Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
When April with his showers hath pierced the drought
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
Of March with sweetness to the very root.
Chaucer’s Portrayal of the Knight:
Chaucer portrays the Knight as a person who is both chivalrous as well as wise. His
numerous qualities are listed by Chaucer in the Prologue. He is also portrayed as being a
crusader and a very well travelled individual. The characteristics of bravery and gentleness
are also dwelt on considerably. However, in contrast his appearance is not as grand as his
qualities. He is dressed in rough, stained garments having just returned from a voyage.
Chaucer’s Knight is a representative of the old chivalry of the middle ages, which
was fast dying out. The Knight was a worthy, widely travelled, and brave valiant. He
loved chivalric ideas like truth, honor, freedom and courtesy. He was highly respected for his
goodness and bravery. He participated in fifteen mortal battles and had three times fought
for Christian faith. His pursuits always ended with the death of his enemy. In his behavior he
was soft spoken and as gentle as a maid.
A KNIGHT there was, and that a noble man,
Who from the earliest time when he began
To ride forth, loved the way of chivalry,
Honor and faith and generosity. (2)
The Squire- The squire is the son of the Knight. He was in habit of carving in front of his
father to eat. He knows singing, composing, drawing and writing.
With him there went a SQUIRE, that was his son,
A lover and soldier, full of life and fun,
With locks tight-curled, as if just out of press;
His age in years was twenty, I should guess.
The Yeoman –He is the person who has been given the function of a forester. In the 15th
century it was known as a small land owner. He used to wear green color hood of hunter. He used to handle the weapons perfectly. His hair was cut very short and his face was brown. A
silver medal of St. Christopher he had. A tale of Gamelyn is found in some manuscripts of
Canterbury tales, was intended by Chaucer when x- written. This plan was assigned to
Yeoman and so he tells no stories.
He had a YEOMAN there, and none beside
In service, for it pleased him so to ride;
And he was clad in coat and hood of green.
He bore a sheaf of arrows, bright and keen,
And wings of peacock feathers edged the wood.
Wife of Bath:
Chaucer has portrayed her as, strong willed, opinionated, highly sexed, frank,
humorous and masterful. Her account "of five husbands and arguments against chastity"
presents her character at once. She was an expert and well to do West Country cloth maker.
She was independent and there was no woman in her parish who dared go before her and
make offerings at the offertory (Church).
“In all the parish wif ne was ther noon;
That to the offering before hir sholde goon. ”
The handkerchief upon her on a Sunday, weighed as much as ten pounds. The Wife
of Bath is concerned with not only defending the active use of sex in marriage but also to
insist that married happiness is possible if the husband yield the “maistye” to his wife. Yet,
she was a worthy woman and had married five husbands besides other company in her
youth.
“She was a worthy woman al her lyfe:
Housbonds at chirche dore she hadde five”
Her coverchiefs were woven close of ground,
And weighed, I lay an oath, at least ten pound
----------------------------
----------------------------
She was a worthy woman all her life;
Five times at church door had she been a wife,
Not counting other company in youth (14)
The Parson-The parson exhibits virtue in ecclesiastical world where as the Knight
represents virtue in secular world.
There was a PARSON, too, that had his cure
In a small town, a good man and a poor;
But rich he was in holy thought and work.
The Plowman – It was done deliberately to present brotherhood relationship. These people
represent the virtue of their respective occupation. He was very devoted to God. He used a
life with happiness in spite of being poor. He used to help the needy and regards his friends
very much.
With him his brother, a simple PLOWMAN, rode,
That in his time had carted many a load
Of dung; true toiler and a good was he,
Living in peace and perfect charity.
