Geoffrey Chaucer “Canterbury Tales”
Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey (1343-1400) Chaucer is called the Father of English and the history of Poetry because he made the “Canterbury English language respectable. Tales”
Most people in Chaucer’s time spoke Middle English, although By writing poetry in English, educated people wrote in Latin Chaucer gave respect to the and French. English was not a everyday language spoken by language that was taken the common people. seriously.
Chaucer was a well-known He also wrote poetry government official who served on the side. in Parliament under three British kings.
1 Chaucer traveled in Italy, where he read poems by two Chaucer meant for Italian poets. He decided to “Canterbury Tales” to have a write a poem as a frame story, total of 120 stories, which with a prologue and many would have taken him several parts of the poem. years to write.
It took him “Canterbury Tales” is written five years to in a specific meter called finish 24 of iambic pentameter. the tales. He never wrote the rest.
Each line has an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed Iambic pentameter syllable. is a line of poetry with 10 syllables. “And bathed every veyne in suich licour…”
2 Taking a pilgrimage was Many famous poets have common in written in iambic pentameter, Chaucer’s day. including Shakespeare and Almost all Robert Frost. people made at least one pilgrimage.
In one year alone, more than 100,000 people from all over Europe went to Canterbury for a pilgrimage. Canterbury is an English town famous because of the murder of one of its priests in 1170.
In 1170, Thomas a Becket was King Henry II had another the archbishop of Canterbury, archbishop declare Henry’s meaning he was the highest son the new King. This made Catholic church official in Becket angry and he England. criticized King Henry.
3 It is unknown if the King The King’s knights murdered ordered Becket’s murder, but Becket on the altar of the Becket was immediately Canterbury church. named a saint by the Catholic church.
It was discovered soon after Becket’s Many people chose to visit the death that anyone who had touched Canterbury church as a a drop of his blood was miraculously healed of disease. pilgrimage to honor Becket. They also went for their own personal reasons such as healing or forgiveness of sins.
Chaucer was the first British Becket is buried at Canterbury. poet buried in Poet’s Corner in Although Chaucer wrote Westminster Abbey. Since “Canterbury Tales,” he is not then, England’s most buried at Canterbury. outstanding poets have also been buried at the Abbey.
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