Set up & Characters Contradictions From the heavenly to the earthly theological to the biological supernatural to the natural From winter to spring sickness to health death to life Pilgrimage as a contemporary practice and spiritual ideal Estates Satire: an analysis of society in terms of its hierarchy. Each class or profession is described to show how it fails the ideal, implying a moral judgment. Satire is the use of humor, sarcasm, irony, or wit to point out vice or human folly to scorn and ridicule in the hopes for change It works to make vice laughable and/or reprehensible and thus bring social pressure on those who still engage in wrongdoing. Criticism! It seeks a reform in public behavior, a shoring up of its audience's standards, or at the very least a wake-up call in an otherwise corrupt culture. Satire usually attacks types or stereotypes -- the fool, the boor, the adulterer, the proud -- rather than specific persons. If it does attack some by name, rather than hoping to reform these persons, it seeks to warn the public against approving of them. Satire is often implicit and assumes readers can pick up on its moral clues. Traditional division of medieval society: Starts at the upper class and goes down from there: upper, middle, low classes Traditional three-fold division of ideal figures: 1. Those who fight (Knight) 2. Those who pray (Parson) 3. Those who labor (Plowman) Aristocracy Knight Squire Yeoman Prioress Second Nun Monk Friar Middle Class Merchant Clerk Sergeant of Law Franklin Guildsmen Cook Shipman Physician Wife of Bath Lower Class & Ruffians Parson Plowman Miller Manciple Reeve Summoner Pardoner Narrator Host/Harry Bailey Not an exact hierarchy, because many will not stay in their respective places! Most of the characters are mentioned by their job titles. To understand the satire of the person, you will need to understand the stereotypes that go with the various job titles. The Characters!!! A warrior who relies on the code of chivalry, this is an out of date position based on the weakening feudal system Knights were most known for their fights in The Crusades, so they are often well traveled. A knight in training, he should have many of the same qualities that we see in the knight Often a younger man of wealth or position He is a forester, and is well-versed in woodcraft and hunting. He would be responsible for helping find food and shelter What would you expect from a woodsman? From high ranking soldiers? A high ranking nun, this is one of the few positions a woman could find power/ authority. It is usually a high born woman who chose to serve the Church instead of getting married Monks are academics that live sequestered in monasteries. They were the male version of a nun (poverty, chastity, humility, etc.) His job would be to copy over texts and tend to the daily tasks of the monastery Friars are homeless. They work to help the sick and the poor Friars are beggars that depend on good will of those they help to live From high ranking members of The Chuch? Merchants were a new class at this time They were the nouveaux riche (newly rich) and often obsessed with wealth They often had more money than the aristocracy and the poor landed gentry. Scholars or students studied at Oxford for two main jobs: to be a lawyer or a clergy man These were men (never women!) of high birth and fortune who could afford the education Hes a lawyer. (Yes, jokes do apply!) This job is very much the same now as it was then He mostly works to draw up contracts- including property buying. A franklin is a free land owner, although not a member of the gentry (upper class) He is more or less a land lord It is a social position that was non-existent until recently in Chaucers society, when the Feudal system deteriorated. From members of the professional or business class? Haberdasher Dyer Carpenter Weaver Tapestry Maker These men are all members of a guild, or a union, which is another recent innovation from Chaucers time. They are specialized craftsmen This union helped to give them more esteem and respect. This is a low level servants position. Cooks normally worked in the kitchen as boys-- untrained Cooks were responsible for obtaining good meat, cooking, and preserving it He is a tough Military man who can navigate an ocean and stand his own in a fight. The expression swear like a sailor applies. They were not normally good at dealing with civil society Not like the professional doctors we have today, they were often quacks at worst or pharmacists at best In the Medieval times, they believed that all disease was due to humors (fluids) that were out of balance. A Housewife Women were not allowed many if any rights during the Medieval Ages: including holding a job or property. They relied on male relatives for that. Their job was to take care of the home and family, so they were often uneducated and illiterate. From un-skilled members of the working class? The lowest level of priest. He is given care of a small parish, and is responsible for all who live there. This is poorly paid position, but he is given a home to live in A migrant worker A poor farmer; a Ploughman is a farmer that does not have his own land. He makes his money through hard, manual labor NOTEWORTHY!! He and his brother The Parson are the only two redeeming characters! Good men in and out of the Church! He runs a mill to grind flour from wheat and grain Often millers cheated the farmers they worked with by overcharging them. Because of that, they were often thought of as thieves. A Manciple is someone that runs a college or business. (Think mid-level manager) Usually these are college educated men that have training as a lawyer A reeve is a servant that runs a rich mans house. (We might think of him as a butler.) He is usually elected from among the servants This servant also has another trade that he is responsible for as well as the run of the home. From skilled servants? Summoners delivered subpoenas for the church court This is a low ranking position in the Church Pardoners sold Indulgences to raise money for the Church. An indulgence was a buy your way out of hell card Like Friars, they did not have a home base, but traveled from town to town as a missive from Rome From low-level church members? An Innkeeper They were usually very jolly to put people at their ease. Inns were a combination of a restaurant and hotel, so the more comfortable the people were, the more money the innkeeper made NOTEWORTHY!! His proposal for the trip is the over arching connection between the characters and their stories. Why does he propose the bet? Chaucer is our Narrator; He is the one passing judgment on the other pilgrims