The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

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The Canterbury Tales Summary
Geoffrey Chaucer

Everything you need to understand or teach The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

The Canterbury Tales Summary & Study Guide
33 Student Essays
2 Encyclopedia Articles
7 Literature Criticisms
1 Book Notes
...and more

30 The Canterbury Tales Lessons
20 Activities
180 Multiple Choice Questions
60 Short Essay Questions
20 Essay Questions
Pre-Made Tests and Quizzes
...and more

The Canterbury Tales Summary

Geoffrey Chaucer began writing The Canterbury Tales sometime around 1387; the uncompleted manuscript was published in 1400, the year he died. Having recently passed the six hundredth anniversary of its publication, the book is still of interest to modern students for several reasons. For one thing, The Canterbury Tales is recognized as the first book of poetry written in the English language. Before Chaucer's time, even poets who lived in England wrote in Italian or...

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Study Pack

The The Canterbury Tales Study Pack contains:

The Canterbury Tales Study Guide

Introduction

Author Biography

Plot Summary

Themes

Style

Criticism

Adaptations

Topics for Further Study

What Do I Read Next?

Further Study

Bibliography

Encyclopedia Articles (2)

The Canterbury Tales

8,386 words, approx. 28 pages

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer is by far the best-known poet of the English Middle Ages, and it is primarily in The Canterbury Tales that his fame rests. His lifetime (c.... Read more

Canterbury Tales

3,597 words, approx. 12 pages

Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Born in London, England, sometime between 1342 and 1345, Geoffrey Chaucer was the son of a successful wine merchant. As a result of his father's affluence, Chau... Read more

Geoffrey Chaucer Biographies (3)

Geoffrey Chaucer

2,197 words, approx. 8 pages

The English author and courtier Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. 1345-1400) was one of the greatest poets of the late Middle Ages and has often been called the father of English poetry. His best-known works are ... Read more

Geoffrey Chaucer

10,957 words, approx. 37 pages

Perhaps the modern reader must first realize what a curious phenomenon it is that Geoffrey Chaucer became the first English author. It would have been surprising in the fourteenth century for anyone t... Read more

Geoffrey Chaucer

11,802 words, approx. 40 pages

Biography EssayPerhaps we must first realize what a curious phenomenon it is that Geoffrey Chaucer became the first English author. It would have been surprising in the fourteenth century for anyone t... Read more

Essays & Analysis (40)

Critical Essay by Norman Knox

7,677 words, approx. 26 pages

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Critical Essay by Ian Robinson

5,522 words, approx. 19 pages

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Lecture by J. M. Manly

6,485 words, approx. 22 pages

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Critical Essay by W. H. Clawson

2,095 words, approx. 7 pages

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Critical Essay by Charles A. Owen, Jr.

6,905 words, approx. 24 pages

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Critical Essay by E. Talbot Donaldson

4,210 words, approx. 15 pages

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Critical Essay by S. H. Rigby

27,272 words, approx. 91 pages

1,775 words, approx. 6 pages

In The Canterbury Tales, most of the pilgrims that are in the clergy are symbolic of the clergy of the time, aside from the Parson. As Chaucer was writing The Canterbury Tales, the church and its memb... Read more

Comparison of Characters in "The Canterbury Tales"

726 words, approx. 3 pages

One would like to hope and believe that, in this world, there are more compassionate and kindhearted people than there are selfish, helpless individuals. The medieval masterpiece "The Prologue" of Th... Read more

Canterbury Tales

592 words, approx. 2 pages

Canterbury Tales Chaucer Representation of Marriage, Christianity, and Class At a time when society seemed unchangeable and taken for granted, Geoffrey Chaucer questioned. His cunning Canterbury ta... Read more

The Doctour of Physik

1,280 words, approx. 5 pages

Among the pilgrims in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales we find a "Doctour of Physik" (line 413). This doctor is the twenty first character mentioned in the General Prologue. He comes after a ... Read more

The Canterbury Tales

809 words, approx. 3 pages

Geoffrey Chaucer was a great satirist of his time. It turned out to be a plus in his writings considering he had quite a bit to say about people in power and their abuse of it. He uses satire in his... Read more

A Moral Contrast between the Preacher's Teachings and His Actions

1,103 words, approx. 4 pages

A pardoner is a layman who sells indulgences, certificates from the pope, and most importantly pardons. Being members of the Church, pardoners and other members of the clergy are normally viewed with... Read more

Corruption in the Medieval Churches: The Summoner's Tale

620 words, approx. 3 pages

Chaucer presents corruption in the medieval churches through "The Summoner's Prologue" and "The Summoner's Tale" by discussing a friar's actions of deceit, disobedience, and dishonesty toward compassi... Read more

Milling the Wife's Bath

1,128 words, approx. 4 pages

The characters of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales are very memorable. Chaucer's prologue introduces several characters. The Pardoner, Miller, and Wife of Bath stand out from the crowd. These characters are... Read more

Marriage and What It Should Be

1,238 words, approx. 5 pages

Chaucer believes that marriage should be a mutual love and respect for one another; however he uses stories in the novel The Canterbury Tales to show that this is not the case in all marriages. The ... Read more

A Critique of Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales"

566 words, approx. 2 pages

The unifying idea and quite obviously, the central theme of the poem is pilgrimage. Thirty travelers are off to give thanks to the martyr who helped them in their times of need. All acquainted charac... Read more

The Canterbury Tales- How It Has Endured Centuries

1,819 words, approx. 7 pages

In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer does not provide insight into the major events of his time. We are not given statistics of how many people died from the plague, and we are not given informat... Read more

The Hypocritical Church

1,678 words, approx. 6 pages

In the medieval literary masterpiece The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, not only does Chaucer provide the reader with an entertaining story about a group of approximately thirty pilgri... Read more

Chaucer's Concept of `The Good Man'

1,445 words, approx. 5 pages

The Age of Chaucer was an age of unrest and decay in all the fields of life. The corruption and decay was particularly reflected in the Christian Church of that age which ... Read more

The Canterbury Tales - A Comparison

819 words, approx. 3 pages

The Miller's Tale, the second tale introduced to us in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales brings us the saga of a carpenter named John, and his young wife Alison, whom he is very possessive of, afrai... Read more

Two Strong Women Pilgrims from The Canterbury Tales

543 words, approx. 2 pages

In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, thirty pilgrims journey to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. During their voyage, each tells stories that make up "The Canterbury Tales." Each tale holds ... Read more

The Use of Humor in The Canterbury Tales

691 words, approx. 3 pages

It is often hard to point out obvious humor and satire in English literature. It may seem as though the narrator is diligently describing a certain character with positive aspects and whatnot. Such i... Read more

Characterization in The Nun's Priest's Tale

425 words, approx. 2 pages

In the Nun's Priest's Tale, every character is satirized in the story except for the single ideal character, the widow. All the other characters such as Chanticleer, Lady Pertelote, and the fox were a... Read more

The Canterbury Tales: Examining Chaucer's Views on the Church

688 words, approx. 3 pages

In the story the Canterbury Tales," Geoffrey Chaucer regards the church as corrupt and profligate. Members of the Church show a particular belief in exoneration, upon where their sins are vindicated... Read more

Literary Genres of Canterbury Tales

941 words, approx. 4 pages

Within William Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, many familiar medieval literary genres may be found. A very common tale that Chaucer uses is the fabliau, which is best portrayed in "The Miller's Tale." A... Read more

Character Analysis of The Monk in The Canterbury Tales

551 words, approx. 2 pages

One most likely views a monk of only praying, studying and helping the community with manual labor. The Monk in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is the complete opposite of what a sincere monk should be and... Read more

Characters of the Canterbury Tales: How Are They Alike/different?

1,014 words, approx. 4 pages

When asked to compare and contrast two characters of a story, one must first read the story. Then, after reading the story and finding that the two characters are almost nothing alike, one must `dig-d... Read more

Characterizations of the Canterbury Tales

748 words, approx. 3 pages

Honors English 11 9/27/04 Characterizations In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer constructs the characteristics of his characters in various ways. He demonstrates the character acting or spe... Read more

The Multi-dimensional Characters of Chaucer

785 words, approx. 3 pages

In The Canterbury Tales, the author, Geoffrey Chaucer, gives the characters multi-dimensional qualities. Chaucer creates a sense of complexity, or giving the characters two or more different traits, w... Read more

Classically Written

555 words, approx. 2 pages

Mark Twain once asserted, "a classic is a book that nobody reads." Geoffrey Chaucer's renowned classic The Canterbury Tales is a collection of short stories that is read the world over, yet still has... Read more

Garmentology in the Canterbury Tales

1,568 words, approx. 6 pages

The narrator of "The Canterbury Tales", by Geoffrey Chaucer spends a good amount of the General Prologue discussing the dress of the people upon the pilgrimage to the shrine of the martyr Saint Thomas... Read more

English Society in the 14th Century

1,203 words, approx. 5 pages

English Society in the 14th Century The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is recognized as the first book of poetry written in the English language. This is because poetry was often w... Read more

Characters in the General Prologue to "The Canterbury Tales"

1,718 words, approx. 6 pages

The Canterbury Tales are essentially a Chaucerian satire; the author sets out to deliberately upset the social order present at the time and proceeds to mock the faults innate in the characters. Chauc... Read more

Middle Vs. Modern English in the Canterbury Tales

1,186 words, approx. 4 pages

Middle vs. Modern English in The Canterbury Tales As its name suggests, Middle English is the language that was spoken in the country of England around the 12th to 15th centuries. Middle English bec... Read more

What a Story Reveals about the Story Teller

1,986 words, approx. 7 pages

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales from the view of a pilgrim journeying with many other travelers who all had tales to tell. I believe that the stories told by the characters in Chaucer's b... Read more

The Marriage Debate in The Canterbury Tales

886 words, approx. 3 pages

The Cost of Marriage In Geoffrey Chaucer's work, The Canterbury Tales, many travelers gather together to begin a pilgrimage. During their quest, each of the pilgrims proceed to tell a tale to enter... Read more

Irony in "The Pardoner" in "The Canterbury Tales"

802 words, approx. 3 pages

In the epic poem The Canterbury Tales, author Geoffrey Chaucer presents the stories of several men and women on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. One of these tales is the Pardoner's Tale. In this tale th... Read more

Social Hierarchy in The Canterbury Tales

543 words, approx. 2 pages

Social hierarch is an aspect that is a highly stressed in Geoffrey Chaucer's, The Canterbury Tales. Social hierarchy is a rank of all the people that live in a society. The United States has a defined... Read more

The Canterbury Tales & the Middle Ages

823 words, approx. 3 pages

The Middle Ages were the period between the end of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance period. The feudal system is what governed the people at this time and was made up of kings, k... Read more

Free Book Notes (1)

The Canterbury Tales

22,108 words, approx. 74 pages

The Canterbury Tales Book Notes is a free study guide on The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Browse the summary below:   Author Biography / Context of the Work   One-Page Plot Summ... Read more

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