Sahana Premkumaar, Ryan Rahman, Pranav Subramanian

The Life ofGeoffrey Chaucer

Early LifeBorn - c. 1343 to John Chaucer & Agnes Copton

(most likely in London)

Parents were well-off, owned several buildings in London

Dad (John Chaucer) a wealthy wine merchant

Nice education (probably had some exposure to Latin, Greek, and classics)

1357 - Became a page to Elizabeth, Countess of Ulster (wife of King Edward III’s son)

Joined English army’s invasion of France during The Hundred Years’ War Taken prisoner during Siege of Rheims; King Edward III of England paid his ransom in 1360

King Edward III

Middle Life1366 - Married Philipa de Roet, a lady-in-waiting for

king’s wife

1367 – Received life pension from King

Had 4 kids with Philipa (Thomas Chaucer, Elizabeth Chaucy, Agnes and Lewis Chaucer)

Heavily influenced by his dealings in “exotic” places in Genoa

Began writing poems in 1370

Portrait of Chaucer

JobsPage, courtier, member of Parliament (elected in 1386

for Kent), collector of scrap metal, justice of peace, clerk

June 20, 1367- Appointed as valet for the king

1372 & 1378 - Was sent on diplomatic missions to other nations like France and Genoa Exposed to great men like Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio

June 8, 1374 - Appointed as comptroller of customs for wools, skins, and hides for London; a lucrative jobHeld the above post for a dozen years Worked on some of his most famous works

Chaucer on diplomatic missions

Later Years1387 - Wrote The Canterbury Tales

Oversaw royal projects & worked with both Edward III and Richard II (Edward III’s successor)

Death - October 25, 1400

Chaucer’s most famous work

LegacyFather of English Poetry

First poet to be buried in the “Poet’s Corner” of Westminster Abbey

Decasyllabic couplet used in The Canterbury Tales evolved into the heroic couplet, commonly used for epic and narrative poetry in English

Pioneered the regular use of iambic pentameter

Chaucer’s Tomb at Westminster Abbey

BibliographyFleming, John. "College Board." AP Central. CollegeBoard, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014. <http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/homepage/21974.html>.

"Geoffrey Chaucer." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2014.<http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/chaucer_geoffrey.shtml>.

"Geoffrey Chaucer." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/geoffrey-chaucer>.

Laird, Judith. "Biography Of Geoffrey Chaucer." Critical Insights: The Canterbury Tales (2010): 6-10. Literary Reference Center. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=57400606&site=lrc-live>.

Sanna, Ellyn. "Chaucer, Geoffrey." In Harold Bloom, ed. Geoffrey Chaucer, Bloom's BioCritiques. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishing, 2002. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&WID&SingleRecord=True>.

Strohm, Paul. "Chaucer, Geoffrey." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2014. Web.  2 Dec. 2014. <http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar108040>.

Picture Sourceshttp://www.openlettersmonthly.com/issue/wp-content/uploads/2012

/02/KingEdwardIII.jpg

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/5-geoffrey-chaucer-granger.jpg

http://home.gwu.edu/~jhsy/wma-tomb.jpg

http://cdn.rainbowresource.netdna-cdn.com/products/000645.jpg

http://people.umass.edu/eng2/images/auth/chaucer.jpg