Review

5 True/False questionsBorn 1340 in London, EnglandFamily was not nobles, but they were fairly

well offPlaced to work in the household of a son of

King Edward III where he was taught the customs of the upper-class

As a teenager, Chaucer joined the King’s Army to fight the 100 years war.

He was appointed Knight of the shire and became a member of Parliament.

Enjoyed many royal favors

The last two decades of Chaucer's life saw his finest literary achievements

Masterpiece = The Canterbury TalesVerse and proseTo join together – Chaucer pretended they are

stories told by members of a group of travelers journeying from London to Canterbury

The work was still unfinished at the time of his death

He was among the first writers to show that English could be a respectable literary language (French was used before).

Died in October 25, 1400He was the first commoner to be buried at

London’s Westminster Abbey.The beginning of Westminster Abbey’s poet’s

corner Now, many great British writers have been buried

here.Chaucer narrates The Canterbury Tales and

portrays himself as a short, plump, slightly foolish pilgrim who commands no great respect, which is very different from his actual personality.

5 True/False Questions4 Multiple Choice QuestionsA collection of stories written in

Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century *video clip

The tales are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent.

The prize for this contest is a free meal at the Tabard Inn on their return.

A frame tale is a larger story, inside of which there are many smaller stories

The pilgrims represent types of people in the Medieval society in which Chaucer lived

Chaucer wrote the tales in Middle English, even though he knew both French and Latin, which were the languages most literary writers used

The fact that Chaucer wrote the tales in the common language used by everyday people suggests that the tales were written for them, not the ruling classes

5 Multiple Choice QuestionsThings to Know:

How did Old English transition to Middle English?

What is Feudalism?How and why did the feudal structure break

down?Who is Thomas a Becket ?

Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England.

It was largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following a fire in 1174 , with extensions to accommodate the flow of pilgrims visiting the shrine of Thomas Becket, the archbishop who was murdered in the cathedral in 1170.

Know all pilgrims1st set = 3 matching (character groups)2nd set = 10 matching (character

descriptions)3rd set = 5 matching (quotes from prologue)4th set = 4 multiple choice 5th set = 5 true/false

Which pilgrims are part of the Feudal System?

Which pilgrims are part of Religious Life?Which pilgrims are part of the Rising Middle

Class?

1. King and Royal Court 2. Nobility 3. Church

- Bishops- Friars- Parsons

4. Commoners - Guilds

- Merchants- City Leaders and Professionals

Knight-represents honor, chivalry; a really good guySquire-Knight’s son, good looking, pretty boyYeoman-servant to the Knight and Squire, a proper

forester, dressed in green, would look like Robin HoodNun/Prioress-speaks bad French, attempts elegant

behavior but fails, not very interested in religious life, likes animals

Monk-a modern man, doesn’t follow rules of church, likes hunting, expensive habits

Friar-supposed to earn money by hearing confessions, but instead he seduces women

Merchant-business man, appears prosperous, but actually in debt

Oxford Cleric-scholar, dedicated to learning, spends all money on education

Sergeant of Law-lawyer, uses money he makes to climb social ladder

Franklin-a landowner, hosts many parties, has the best of food and wine

Tradesmen (Haberdasher…)-represent rising middle class, they formed guilds or organizations, controlled quality and prices of goods they made, had power in community

Cook-pretty good cook, but has gross ulcer on legSkipper-a sailor or shipman, very intimidating, a bad

boyDoctor-uses astrology to help cure patients, good at

what he does, but motivated by moneyWife of Bath-successful weaver, widowed, married five

times, physically large, defies stereotypes of womenParson-a really good and holy priest, poorPlowman-the Parson’s brother, a laborer, does dirty

jobs, very holy, lives simple lifeMiller-works in grain mill, dishonest, disgusting

appearance, a brute, likes wrestling

Manciple- in charge of buying food and supplies for an inn of the court, always ahead financially

Reeve-manager of farm, steals from his lordSummoner-hired by church to order people who

have sinned to come before the court, very ugly, bad breath, drunk, offers bribes to get out of going to court

Pardoner-travels countryside selling pardons (slips of paper saying you are forgiven for sins), also sells “holy” relics and tries to profit from them

Host-proposes storytelling contest for pilgrims, peace-keeper among pilgrims

Know about the church OR satire:Which characters are part of the church?How is the church represented?What is satire?Which characters does Chaucer use satire to

describe?What is Chaucer criticizing or attempting to correct

with his use of satire?Have an opinion:

Are Chaucer’s characters timeless and universal?Be prepared with TEXTUAL EVIDENCE to

support your responses.