Term Papers on Canterbury Tales

Term Paper Title	Canterbury Tales
# of Words	1362
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	5.45

Canterbury Tales

     The  Canterbury  Tales

     The  Canterbury  Tales  is  a  collection  of  stories  set  within  a  framing story

of  a  pilgrimage  to  Canterbury  Cathedral,  the  shrine  of  Saint  Thomas  à  Becket.

The  poet  joins  a  band  of  pilgrims,  vividly  described  in  the  General Prologue,  who

assemble  at  the  Tabard  Inn  outside  London  for  the  journey  to  Canterbury.

Ranging  in  status  from  a  Knight  to  a  humble  Plowman,  they are  a  microcosm  of

14th- century  English  society.

     The  Host  proposes  a  storytelling  contest  to  pass  the  time;  each  of  the  30

or so  pilgrims  (the  exact  number  is  unclear)  is  to  tell  four  tales  on  the  round trip.

Chaucer  completed  less  than  a  quarter  of  this  plan.  The  work  contains 22  verse

tales  (two  unfinished)  and  two  long  prose  tales;  a  few  are  thought to  be  pieces

written  earlier  by  Chaucer.  The  Canterbury  Tales,  composed  of    more  than  18,000

lines  of  poetry,  is  made  up  of  separate  blocks  of  one  or more  tales  with  links

introducing  and  joining  stories  within  a  block.

     The  tales  represent  nearly  every  variety  of  medieval  story  at  its  best.  The

special  genius  of  Chaucer's  work,  however,  lies  in  the  dramatic  interaction between

the  tales  and  the  framing  story.  After  the  Knight's  courtly  and philosophical

romance  about  noble  love,  the  Miller  interrupts  with  a deliciously  bawdy  story  of

seduction  aimed   at  the  Reeve  (an  officer  or steward  of  a  manor);  the  Reeve  takes

revenge  with  a  tale  about  the seduction  of  a  miller's  wife  and  daughter.  Thus,  the

tales  develop  the personalities,  quarrels,  and  diverse  opinions  of  their  tellers.

     After  the  Knight's  tale,  the  Miller,  who  was  so  drunk  that  he  could  barely

sit  on  his  horse,  began  screaming,"  I  know  a  tale  that  can  cap  the  Knight's  tale

off!"    "But  first,  said  the  Miller,  "I  admit  that  I  am  drunk;  I  know  it  by  the  my

voice.  And  therefore  if  I  speak  as  I  shouldn't,  blame  it  on  the  beer,  I  beg  you;

for  I  will  tell  a  life  and  legend    of  a  Carpenter  and  his  wife,  and  how  a  clerk

manipulated  them."

     Here  the  Tale  Begins

     In  Oxford  there  was  a  rich  peasant,  who  was  a  Carpenter,  who  took  guests

aboard.   There  was  a   poor  scholar,  who  had  studied  liberal  arts,  but  all  his

delight  was  turned  to  astrology.  He  knew  how  to  work  out  certain  problems;  for

instance,  if  men  asked  him  at  certain  celestial  hours  when  there  should  be  a

drought  or  rain  he  could  answer  them  correctly.  This  clerk  was  named  Nicholas.

He  had  a   chamber  to  himself  in  that  lodging-house,  without  any  company,  and

he  was  very  sweet.

     The  Carpenter  had  a  newly  wedded  wife,  who  was  eighteen  years  old,  who

he  loved  more  than  his  own  soul.  He  was  jealous  and  he  kept  her  close  to  him.

The  woman  was  fair  skinned  and  her  body  was  slim.  She  wore  a  stripped  silken

girdle.  Her  eyebrows  were  arched ,  black,  and  partly  plucked  to  make  them

narrow.  The  womans  singing  was  loud  and  lively.

     It  so  chanced  that  this  gentle  Nicholas  fell  in  love  with  this  young  wife,

while  her  husband   was  away,  and  suddenly  he  caught  hold  of  her  and

said,  "Unless  you  will  love  me,  sweetheart,  I  will  die."  And  he  held  her  tight

around  the  waist.  she  jumped  back  and  wiggled  away.  She  replied,"  I  will  not

kiss  you  Nicholas!  If  you  don't  let  me  go  I  will  scream  out  Help!"  But  Nicholas

began   to  beg  and  made  offers  to  her  that  at  last  she  granted  him   her   love  and

swore  by  St.  Thomas  that  she  would  leave  the  Carpe...

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