Canterbury tales

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Canterbury
Cathedral

Became popular pilgrimage site after the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170

Geoffrey Chaucer 

(1340-1400)

known primarily for The Canterbury Tales (1387-1399)

framework narrative about a group of pilgrims who travel to Canterbury

00:22

The story is about the wife of a

1. miller
2. carpenter
3. scholar

01:02

The wife tries to get rid of the parish clerk by

1. pretending to be mad
2. flooding the house
3. showing her buttocks

01:22

The Canterbury Tales are told by

1. 24 people
2. 25 people
3. 26 people

01:39

Old English changing into Middle English started

1. in the 14th century, Chaucer's time
2. in the 11th century, Norman's time

02:07

The Pilgrims started their pilgrimage in

1. Southwark
2. Canterbury

02:17

What can they win?

1. gold coins
2. a meal

02:39

In the feudal system there were three classes:

1. monks, knights and peasants
2. peasants, kings and knights
3. peasants, serfs and monks
4. intellectuals, serfs and merchants

02:56

Chaucer travelled through France, Italy and England because

1. he liked travelling
2. he liked meeting people
3. he worked for the government

03:16

All characters are from different classes and speak their own language. That is how Chaucer can mock all classes.

1. true
2. false

03:42

People like the Canterbury Tales because of

1. the history lessons you get
2. the variation in characters and stories

03:56

The book is apparantly unfinished. You can tell because

1. the prologue promises 29 pilgrims each telling 4 stories
2. the host of the inn never appointed a winner
3. Both A and B

02:17

Why does the host of the Tabard inn propose a competition?

1. Because they all need something to do.
2. Because he is interested in his guests.

The Canterbury Tales

• written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400
• a collection of 24 stories
• tales are part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury

The Canterbury Tales

- One of the few well preserved works in Middle English
- Group of pilgrims from London to Canterbury
- Innkeeper: each pilgrim tells 4 stories to pass the time
- Best story: free supper 
- Chaucer as a narrator introduces each pilgrim
- Various types: rude, moral, humorous, etc. 

Importance

1. Written in English instead of French
            - French was the language of those in power
            - English meant a larger audience
2. The work says a lot about the English medieval society
            - Description of the pilgrims
            - Customs and practices at the time 

Creation of The Canterbury Tales

- Started in 1387 until his death in 1400
- Original work doesn't exist anymore
- More than 80 copies survive
- Must have been very popular
- For many other texts only a couple of texts survive
- Story wasn't complete: only one group of pilgrims
- 29 travellers and 24 tales

How many copies of The Canterbury Tales are there?

1. 80
2. 16
3. 24
4. 50

What is the form of the story in The Canterbury Tales?

1. It is a long prose text.
2. It consists of separate poems from the viewpoint of every individual pilgrim.
3. There is one narrator who tells all the stories of the individual pilgrims.
4. It is a frame narrative (raamvertelling).

How many pilgrims are there in the General Prologue?

1. 19
2. 24
3. 29
4. 34

How many stories was each pilgrim supposed to tell?

1. 1: on their way to Canterbury
2. 2: one on the way to Canterbury and one on the way back
3. 3: one on the way to Canterbury, one in Canterbury, and one on the way back
4. 4: two on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back

What is the prize for the best story?

1. A free meal at the Tabard Inn on their way back
2. A free bed at the Tabard Inn on their way back
3. A horse
4. A free stay in Canterbury

Chaucer lived in the

1. 14th century
2. 13th century
3. 15th century

The Wife of Bath

What do most women desire, according to the Wife of Bath?

1. sovereignty over their husbands
2. perfect beauty
3. true love
4. great wealth

In The Wife's Tale, what does the Knight do to merit punishment?

1. lies to the king
2. rapes a girl
3. steals from the Queen
4. cheats on his wife

What is the Knight's original sentence by King Arthur?

1. beheading
2. banishment
3. imprisonment
4. he has to apologize

Who decided that the Knight should have a different sentence?

1. His victim
2. The knights
3. The Queen
4. An old hag

What quest is the Knight sent on?

1. He needs to find a wife
2. He needs to slay a dragon
3. He needs to find out what women most desire
4. He needs to find a magic sword

Why does he have trouble in his quest?

1. because every answer he receives is different
2. because he is unable to speak to women
3. because the women all lie to him

In exchange for giving the knight the correct answer & saving his life, what does the hag want?

1. money
2. marriage
3. a child
4. nothing

What does the old woman tell the knight she will be if she remains old and ugly?

1. good and faithful
2. rich
3. very wise

What is it that women most desire, according to The Wife of Bath?

1. a wealthy husband
2. a loyal husband
3. master her husband
4. glamour and many lovers

You have two choices, which on will you try to have me old and -1- till I die, but still a -2- , true and humble -3- that neve will displease you all her -4- or would you rather I were young and -5-

1. 1.pretty, 2. loyal, 3. life, 4. wife, 5. ugly
2. 1. ugly 2. pretty, 3. wife, 4. life, 5. loyal
3. 1. ugly, 2. loyal, 3. wife, 4. life, 5. pretty

The wife of Bath's tale is an Arthurian legend about a knight on a quest

1. True
2. False

The Pardoner's Tale

A pardoner

- Speaks to people in churches

- Sells pardons (aflaten)

- Has a lot of possessions that belonged to "saints" (heiligen) = relics

The Pardoner's Tale

- Three (drunk) men go on a search for Death, to kill him

- The three encounter an old man and start shouting at him

- The old man points the men towards a point where they can find Death, instead they find a lot of money

- And then...

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