Analysis Of The Canterbury Tales - 1189 Words

Will Kasdan Mrs. Nagel British Literature 11.2 25 May, 2017 Here’s Where the Story Ends Fables and myths constitute the foundation of nearly every culture, and are passed down through generations, never losing their meaning and allure. Many factors make a story special, including its plot, essence, and characters, but only the storyteller holds within themselves the potential to deliver a narration that will inspire their audience and leave a lasting mark. In a quaint example of metafiction, many novels have been published with a central theme of storytelling. Two such examples following this concept is The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1478, and Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley 1818. Three characters in The†¦show more content†¦Have I not suffered enough, that you seek to increase my misery†¦ Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded† (Shelley 68-69). The Wife of Bath and The Monster quickly intrigue their respective audiences by flooding them with emotion. The Wife of Bath shares her negative views on marriage, while The Monster prepares to tell his heartbreaking story. By expressing their emotions, both narrators are able to share their beliefs and views, impacting their listeners. This is just one power of storytelling, where an outpour of emotions can be so powerful moving, having a profound effect on the audience. In addition, by articulating their emotions, the storytellers give the crowd an opportunity to enter their own minds, further allowing the audience to experience the story from the eyes of the narrator. Another critical facet in storytelling lies in parables, which carry moral lessons. In his fable, the Pardoner imparts a crucial message of the destructiveness of greed. In his prologue, the Pardoner makes his explanation very clear: â€Å"But let me briefly make my purpose plain / I preach for nothing but for the greed of gain / And use the same old text, as bold as brass / Radix malorum est cupiditas† (Chaucer 243). Provi ding another meaningful anecdote is The Monster, who explains how love is a powerful emotion that can get one through loneliness and isolation. The Monster makes clear his message of requiring a companion: â€Å"If I cannot inspireShow MoreRelatedCanterbury Tales Analysis841 Words   |  4 PagesIn the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer gives a detailed description of what life was like in Medieval times . In the â€Å"Prologue†, the reader comes to better understand the people of the time period through the characters words and actions. Chaucer uses a variety of groups of society to give the reader a deeper insight into the fourteenth century Pilgrims customs and values. Through the Court, Common people and the Church, Gregory Chaucer gives a detailed description of ordinary life in the medieval timesRead MoreCanterbury Tales Character Analysis1988 Words   |  8 Pages The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a collection of tales and prologues of stories told by many chara cters whilst on a pilgrimage to the city of Canterbury. From religious figures such as nuns, monks and pardoners; to doctors, cooks and millers, this pilgrimage embarked on by many interesting people with stories that range from inspiring to gruesome. A few of the most predominant stories include those of the Prioress, the Summoner, the Wife of Bath, the Miller, and the Reeve. In theseRead MoreAnalysis Of The Canterbury Tales1157 Words   |  5 PagesThe Canterbury Tales, written by English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, is arguably the most notable yet controversial work of British Literature. Known as the Father of British Literature, Chaucer ultimately revolutionized both the English language and literature by refusing to follow the status quo and writing his works in Middle English instead of the more widely accepted languages at the time, such as Latin or French. Chaucer used The Canterbury Tales to target and satirize society of the Middle AgesRead MoreCanterbury Tales Analysis1124 W ords   |  5 PagesIn Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, various people band together to go on a pilgrimage from England to Canterbury. Their aim is to see a shrine of St Thomas Beckett, the revered Archbishop of Canterbury who had reportedly healed others when they were ill. The pilgrims have a variety of occupations and are divided fairly evenly amongst the three estates (clergy, nobility, and commoners). The pilgrims who are members of the clergy are ironically depicted as the least moral, compared to theRead MoreCanterbury Tales Analysis1934 Words   |  8 PagesUnderstanding the Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer is considered by many scholars to by the father of early English poetry literature. Prized for his literary talent and philosophic disposition, some of his best works include The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde (Encyclopedia of World Biography). The Canterbury Tales, in particular, shows a remarkable depiction of society during the Middle Ages. Through this piece of literary work, Chaucer provides powerful commentary the church, socialRead More Summary and Analysis of The Shipmans Tale (The Canterbury Tales)928 Words   |  4 PagesSummary and Analysis of The Shipmans Tale (The Canterbury Tales) Introduction to the Shipmans Tale: The Host asks the priest to tell a tale, but the Shipman interrupts, insisting that he will tell the next tale. He says that he will not tell a tale of physics or law or philosophy, but rather a more modest story. The Shipmans Tale: A merchant at St. Denis foolishly took a desirable woman for a wife who drained his income by demanding clothes and other fine array to make her appearRead MoreAnalysis Of The Canterbury Tales1806 Words   |  8 PagesThe Canterbury Tales is a collection of twenty-four stories regarding numerous pilgrims and their pilgrimage to Canterbury written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer. The subjects of these tales range from knights to the clergy to government officials. The various tales in the Work are presented in the manner of a contest at the Tabard Inn in London, in which the prize for the best story is a free meal upon their return. Chaucer’s first impressions of the Miller as a rude and sinful man continueRead MoreCanterbury Tales Character Analysis997 Words   |  4 Pageslanguages grants her access to the forms of power that patriarchy denies to women, establishing her character as an authoritative female through the authentication of English as a literary language. In the dissertation â€Å"Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales: Rhetoric and Gender in Marriage,† Andrea Marcotte analyzes Chaucer’s usage of ethos to grant the Wife authority in her male-dominated culture. Marcotte argues that the Wife reflects on her experiences in marriage throughout the general prologueRead MoreCanterbury Tales Character Analysis981 Words   |  4 PagesUpon first reading of the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, the reoccurring theme of social status is not blatantly obvious. Upon further reading, however, it becomes apparent that it in fact plays large role in most of the aspects of the tales. In both the Wife of Bath’s Tale and the Nun’s Priest Tale, social status plays a role in the plot, characters, and themes in order to more effectively portray the messages Chaucer is trying to get across. The underlying theme addressing social statusRead MoreCanterbury Tales Character Analysis1334 Words   |  6 PagesThe Canterbury Tales is a written work, by Geoffrey Chaucer, that is a representation of the society he lived in. His work portrays the feudal system during the medieval times and how each level of livelihood was a character, whose personalities reflect how Chaucer and his culture view them. During his time, his society regarded the Christian Church as corrupt and manipulative, with a few clergy who are honest and genuine in their exertion. Therefore, the ecclesiastical persona has the dispositions