prologue to the canterbury tales

A detailed Summary of prologue to the canterbury tales

In the Prologue to the Caterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer is almost always polite and respectful when he points out the foibles and weaknesses of people. He is able to do this by using genial satire, which is basically having a pleasant or friendly disposition while ridiculing human vices and follies. Chaucer also finds characteristics in the pilgrims that he admires. This is evident in the peaceful way he describes their attributes.

The Nun is one of the pilgrims in which Chaucer uses genial satire to describe. He defines her as a woman who is, “Pleasant and friendly in her ways, and straining/ To counterfeit a courtly kind of grace” ( l.l. 136-137). Instead of bluntly saying she is of the lower class and trying unsuccessfully to impersonate a member of the upper class Chaucer suggests it gentle, therefore the reader must be attentive to pick up on it. He also pokes fun at the Nun’s impersonated French accent when he says that she spoke:

Intoning through her nose, as was most seemly,

And she spoke daintily in French, extremely,

After the school of Stratford-atte-Bowe;

French in the Paris style she did not know. (l.l. 120-124)

Chaucer finds the Nun’s speech amusing but he caref

That is to say a monk out of his cloister.

But was discreet in teaching and benign. (l.l. 511-514)

First following the word before he taught it. (l.l. 484-495)

Upon his feet, and in his hand a stave.

Like a lot of modern day students the Oxford Cleric is broke, for he spends all his money on learning and books. When he receives money from his friends he has no intention of paying them back, instead he prays for them in return. Some may find these particular qualities to be bad ones. That is why Chaucer is very genial when describing the Oxford Cleric, he wants the reader to form their own impression of him.

And he was not too fat, I undertake,

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Approximate Word count = 1784
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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prologue to the canterbury tales

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