Canturbury Tales Essay, Research Paper

In the poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer s, The Canterbury Tales, The General Prologue creates a picture of the medieval era using imagery of its many characters and their lives. In this piece of the literature his descriptions are detailed and allows the reader to draw an image in our imagination of their clothing, religious beliefs, corruption, and the social skills of the travelers. We gain an insight on the life of the medieval era in the 14th Century.

In the General Prologue the reader gains a representation of religion and it s importance to the story as well as gaining an insight to the medieval era beliefs of Christianity. The travelers have all met at a tavern and discovered that they are all on the way to Canterbury. They are on a Pilgrimage to gain forgiveness of their sins, gain health and renewal in their lives. It is important to them to make a pilgrimage in. It is ironic that some of the characters making the pilgrimage have a background and life of corruption and sin. The pardoner is the worst of the sinners and he is heavily involved in the Church. The Parson is very poor but he is rich with holy thoughts and works. He is content with the fact that he only needs his faith to remain happy. He is a perfect example of a Christian Priest. The Plowman also fits into this category; He is very poor farmer content with the church. He does not have a lot of money or materialistic things. His religious virtues like the Parson overpower their desire for more wealth or materialistic things.

The clothing that the travelers are wearing is simple but characteristic to their lives. The medieval travelers life seems very basic but satisfying to them. Most are dressed according to the role in their lives. The clothing represents the job and daily duties as well as their social status. For an example, the knight is dressed of clothing that he would need to fulfill his duties as a knight and his closeness to nobility. The Yeoman is dressed in all green, and is an excellent woodsman. The members of the guild are all dressed to signify their calling in society.

Social skills and morality in the poem allow the reader to see how life was in the 14th century. Their social skills are examined with distinction and pride and we can conclude that a number of travelers have more social awareness than others. In Chaucer s description of the Prioress, we recognize that she is the product of distinguished manners. The vivid illustration her character eating properly, and comparing the Prioress to nobility is a sign that nobility and social class in the medieval period are of great worth. The knight is described as chivalrous and helping everyone that is in need, but never bragging on his accomplishments. Social skills and morality are prevalent in the medieval society.

In contrast to elite social manners, corruption and sin, is also an issue prevailing in their society. The reader can see that Chaucer is using his skill of poetry to bring the habits of some not so good people to light in his poem. The most corrupt by far, is the Pardoner. His job is to sell pardons to individuals that are charged with sins. He uses his authority from the church to make a profit off of the people who are unaware of the fact that he is taking advantage of them. The Summoner, another immoral and corrupt person of the tales, is tasked with the job of finding sinners and bringing them to trial. He often overlooks the criminals for a price . A bottle of wine and he never saw them. Sadly these were not the only corrupt individuals in the tales or more than likely the real society of the medieval era.

The class status of the characters in the prologue of the poem is also important. The social classes are fundamental to their lifestyles. It is evident to all that the class structure is almost an authority in their lives, as is Christianity. All the character s hold many ranks in this poem from the almost nobility to the lowest of the classes. The knight is the character that holds the highest class closest to nobility in these tales. The travelers all show respect to him in turn showing that Chaucer was also showing admiration to the class while writing his poem. The Miller and Plowman as well as some of the other travelers represent the lower class..

After reading the General Prologue, the reader will gain an insight of the many characteristics of the medieval era. They will see an illustration of social manners, religion, clothing and class structure among the characters that were all a major part of the life in the medieval era. I feel that Chaucer described an intrinsic part of the lifestyles of the 14th Century in his poem, The Canterbury Tales.