The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucers Canterbury Pilgrims (1810) by William Blake.
Engraving.
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Chaucer used the East Midland dialect of Middle English. This
dialect was the most common colloquial language at the time and
became the basis for modern English. The Prologue to The Canterbury
Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
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Chaucer used several metrical forms and some prose in The
Canterbury Tales, but the dominant meter is based on ten syllables,
with an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable. We
call this meter iambic pentameter. It is a rhythm that most closely
matches the way English is spoken. You might hear this rhythm if
you read aloud this line in Middle English. (Bathed is pronounced
with two syllables; swich means sweet. U / U / U / U / U / And
bathed every veyne in swich licour
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Twenty-nine pilgrims are on their way to the shrine of Saint
Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer The time is April, and the place is the Tabard
Inn in Southwark (SUTH erk), just outside London. Canterbury
London
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This yeoman wore a coat and hood of green, And
peacock-feathered arrows, bright and keen indirect characterization
Chaucer uses indirect characterization when he tells how each
character The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Literary Focus:
Characterization looks and dresses Her greatest oath was only By
St. Loy! speaks and acts And gladly would he learn, and gladly
teach. thinks and feels
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The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Literary Focus:
Characterization direct characterization, Chaucer also uses direct
characterization, when he comes right out and tells us what a
characters nature isvirtuous, vain, clever, and so on. There was a
Friar, a wanton one and merry, A Limiter, a very festive fellow. In
all Four Orders there was none so mellow, So glib with gallant
phrase and well-turned speech.
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British Class Structure 1066 Knight Squire MonkFriar
PrioressParson SummonerPardoner MerchantReeve Franklin Doctor
Sergeant at Law Oxford StudentWife of Bath CookGuildsmen Manciple
MillerSkipper Plowman Yeoman King Ruling Class Clergy Class Middle
Class Trade Class Peasant Class
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In The Canterbury Tales, the pilgrims journey is the outer
story. frame story A frame story is a literary device that binds
together several different narratives. It is a story (or stories)
within a story. The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Literary
Focus: Frame Story The tales the pilgrims tell are stories within a
story. The tales themselves also have thematic unity.
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Chaucer had twenty-nine characters to introduce, so he couldnt
develop any one character at great length. Instead, he provided a
few well-chosen details that would make each character stand out
vividly. The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Reading Skills:
Analyzing Style: Key Details
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As you read the Prologue, pay close attention to any details
that help give you an immediate impression of a character. Note
that some details contradict what the characters think of
themselves (or want others to think of them). The Prologue to The
Canterbury Tales Reading Skills: Analyzing Style: Key Details Keep
a pen and notebook handy to jot down key details of dress,
appearance, and behavior.
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CharacterPersonality Traits Outward Appearance Writers Attitude
About the Character Knight Squire Yeoman Nun Monk
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Canterbury Cathedral Canterbury Cathedral from the southwest on
a stormy November day
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Canterbury Cathedral The 15th-century Gothic nave of Canterbury
Cathedral, looking east
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Canterbury Cathedral Stairs to the south ambulatory, worn down
by pilgrim feet and knees
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Canterbury Cathedral The Trinity Chapel, former site of the
Shrine of St. Thomas Becket
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/england/canterbury-cathedral
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Trinity Chapel
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Previewing the Vocabulary agility agility n.: ability to move
quickly and easily. eminent eminent adj.: high-standing; great.
accrue accrue v.: increase over time. arbitrate arbitrate v.:
settle or decide by listening to both sides of an argument. benign
benign adj.: kind; gracious. guile guile n.: sly dealings; skill in
deceiving. The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Vocabulary
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Previewing the Vocabulary obstinate obstinate adj.:
unreasonably stubborn. frugal frugal adj.: thrifty; careful with
money. duress duress n.: pressure. The Prologue to The Canterbury
Tales Vocabulary
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________ _______ 1.It was difficult to _________ the
disagreement because Anna and Joe were both so _________. 2.Because
Pat is _________, she has been able to _________ savings over time.
3.Under _________ the executives admitted that they had made their
profits through _________ and deception. Vocabulary Activity:
Vocabulary Activity: Sentence Completion Fill in the blanks with
the correct vocabulary words. frugal arbitrateguileaccrue
duressobstinate arbitrate obstinate frugal duress The Prologue to
The Canterbury Tales Vocabulary accrue guile
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Geoffrey Chaucer had two careers: He was not only a writer but
also an important government official. Chaucer was so important, in
fact, that when he was captured in France while serving as a
soldier during the Hundred Years War, the king himself contributed
to the ransom. More About the Writer The Prologue to The Canterbury
Tales Meet the Writer