Background to John Milton and Paradise Lost

Last book, folks, and this one is a great book; it's the epitome of an epic.  John Milton was born during the time Shakespeare was writing, in 1608.  An important aspect of Milton's life was the fact that his father was a devout Puritan.  He had been shunned by his Roman Catholic family once he turned Protestant.  Milton (the one we really care about) was an excellent student. 

He had private tutors as a child--despite being disowned by his family, his father was a rich merchant.  As a teenager, he went to an affluent, private school, which helped him gain entrance into Christ's College at Cambridge University.  At college, he excelled in writing.  He read classic texts in Greek and in Latin.  Milton became fluent in many languages including Latin, Greek, Italian, French, Spanish, and others.  As a student, his prowess in poetry flourished as he wrote many sonnets.

As for political ideals, Milton voiced his opinions in pamphlets.  He distrusted institutions, which he believed the power of them led to the corruption of humans.  During his lifetime, he challenged the rule of King Charles I.  He believed that the king was not fit to lead the people because he was not apt nor virtuous enough.

As for Paradise Lost, his religious views are important.  In his lifetime, the Anglican Church, or Church or England, had split into high Anglican sects and Presbyterian.  Milton was a Presbyterian.  They called for getting rid of bishops, but Milton felt there needed to be more changes.  He believed that priests should be done away with as well.  The corruption in the Church was a problem for Milton (obviously).  Paradise Lost incorporate many Protestant ideals.

Now, to the good part:  the epic.  At the age of 16, Milton had already been ambitious enough to want to become a great writer like the likes of Homer or Virgil.  He wanted to bring such epics to the English language.  There were earlier ideas:  perhaps using King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, or about Oliver Cromwell executing King Charles.  He wanted to write an epic with a distinctly British topic to unite the people and be a national pride.  In the mid-1650s, Milton had written a drama about Adam and Eve, but decided it wasn't write in play format.  He thought it would be excellent as an epic.  In 1656, Milton (being blind) began reciting the verses to his two daughters.  He dictated the poem and finished it in 1667.  He soon went to revising the poem, splitting it into 12 books, finally publishing it in 1671.  He later made a sequel, Paradise Regained, and to Milton, it was better than the first text, but many scholars disagree.    

The following video is a short summary of Paradise Lost.  Watch it.  Get excited for the week.

Cassy

Why teach The Canterbury Tales?

Kids definitely groan about reading this text.  Maybe it's the Middle English.  Maybe it's hard to relate to.  Maybe kids can be lazy.  Kids do need to be taught this text, though, quite a few reasons, my friends. 

Newsflash:  THE CANTERBURY TALES ARE RELEVANT.  Just look at the structure of this thing.  It has characters that cover the spectra of age, spirituality, morality, and social class, and all of these people are traveling together.  They have all lived vastly different lives, and yet, they're all traveling to the same place.  Each of their stories provide important lessons and serve the text as a hole.  There are stories that are important to dissect and have discussions about.  Think about stories like "The Wife of Bath" and "The Miller's Tale."  These stories deal with gender roles, marriage, fidelity, revenge, social class.  How are all of these not relevant to society today??  The prologues to each character also reveal very human elements.  Each person divulges information about what makes up their identity:  feelings, thoughts, actions, treatment of others, and what they say.  The story has things to say about people's sense of self and what constitutes a self.  There's also something about the text, perhaps it being unfinished, that speaks to enjoying the journey instead of focusing on the destination.

You can easily make a unit plan with The Canterbury Tales where it emphasizes the relevance of itself in our globalized world:  dealing with different people from different walks of life, gender role, social class, morality.  It's an amazing text to work with.   I mean, seriously, look at this video.  A kid rapped the General Prologue IN MIDDLE ENGLISH.  That's a mash up of modern and Middle English that personifies how you can teach this to students. 

Guys, this is our last week.  Paradise Lost is coming up.  It's pretty epic (haha).  This week should be regular schedule.  After this last text, I'll have one post about epics in general and teaching them.  Then, that's it.  Kind of sad.  But I hope you've enjoyed it.  I won't get too sentimental yet. 

Prologue to the Nun's Priest's Tale, The Nun's Priest's Tale, Epilogue to the Nun's Priest's Tale, Prologue to the Canon's Yeoman's Tale, The Canon's Yeoman's Tale, Prologue to the Manciple's Tale, The Manciple's Tale, Prologue to the Parson's Tale, The Parson's Tale, Chaucer's Retraction

Prologue to the Nun's Priest's Tale:  The Knight tells the Monk that his tragedies are, well, too tragic.  He says to stop telling his story because it's too sad.  The Knight thinks that stories that talk about men's rise into fortune is better than fall to misery.  The Host agrees.  He says that the Monk should tell another story.  The Monk doesn't want to play the game anymore.  The Host asks the Nun's Priest to tell a tale.  He begins his tale.

The Nun's Priest's Tale:  Chaunticleer, a rooster, wakes up from a nightmare where he was being chased in a yard.  The creature chasing him resembled a fox.  Lady Pertelote, his wife, tells him to stop being a baby about it.  Later, Chaunticleer sees a fox named Don Russel. Chaunticleer ran away, but the fox calls him over because he wants to hear Chaunticleer's beautiful voice.  The vain rooster shuts his eyes and sings.  At that moment, the fox grabs him by the neck and takes him.  The hens are making such a racket that all the animals see the rooster being carried off.  Chaunticleer suggests to the fox that he turn around and yell insults at the animals.  The fox thinks this is a great idea, and does, dropping Chaunticleer out of his mouth.  The fox tries to lure him out again by compliments and flattery, but he's learned his lesson.

Epilogue to the Nun's Priest's Tale:  The Host loves the tale.  He says that if the Nun's Priest was an ordinary man, he would get a lot of ladies.  The Host wishes the Nun's Priest well.

Prologue to the Canon's Yeoman's Tale:  The group is nearing Canterbury as a man in black comes up to the group.  He says he has ridden very quickly to catch up with them because he wants to hang out with such a happy group.  The man's yeoman (apprentice) is very polite.  He tells that group that he saw them and urged the Canon to join them.  The Host is like, yeah, I know we're pretty cool.  Why don't you tell a story?  The Yeoman says that the Canon can tell amazing stories, and he has talents that would wow the group.  The Host asks the Yeoman if his master is a clerk.  He says nope, but he can make this road we're traveling on silver and gold.  The Host says, cool story, but why are you guys wearing such poor clothes, then?  The Yeoman says that the Canon is too smart, and he never actually completes what he does.  The Host asks where they live, and the Yeoman says they live with criminals in alleys.  The Host asks (he's inquisitive) why the Yeoman looks so pale, to which the Yeoman says, I've been working hard trying to turn things to gold.  He says that they're able to convince people to give them money, promising they can double it but they never give it back.  The Canon gets a little annoyed with the Yeoman telling everyone what they do.  The Host says, no, keep talking.  The Yeoman keeps talking, and the Canon rides away ticked off.  The Yeoman tells the group that he's about to tell a good story.

The Canon's Yeoman's Tale:  This story is a two-parter.  The first part is autobiographical.  The Yeoman explains that once he had fancy clothes and led a comfortable life.  He explains that he and the Canon are alchemists.  He says he's in debt because they can't get anything to turn into gold.  He tries to explain what they do, failures, and their search for the Philosopher's Stone.  Now comes the second part.  A canon who practices alchemy borrows a mark from a priest.  In three days, the cannon returns the mark back to the priest, and says he'll reveal a few things he discovered.  He sends for some quick solver, and by trickery, makes the priest believe that he turned it into real silver.  The priest is impressed, so impressed that he offers to buy the secret from the canon.  The canon promptly disappears after he gets his money.  That's it.

Prologue to the Manciple's Tale:  At a town, the Host says that the Cook is drunk.  He orders the Cook to come forward and tell a tale as a sort of punishment.  The Cook says he's really sleepy.  The Manciple asks the Host if he can tell a story instead.  The Cook is a little offended by this, tries to hit the Manciple, but falls off of his horse instead.  The group helps him back into the saddle.  Eventually, after some arguing, the Manciple is allowed to tell his story.

The Manciple's Tale:  When Phoebus, god of poetry, lived on earth, he was a player (if you know what I mean), an excellent archer, and everyone was jealous of his musical skills.  Phoebus kept a white crow, who could imitate speech as well as sing better than a nightingale.  Phoebus also had a wife, whom he loved, and did his best to treat her well.  Problem, he was a jealous god.  He guarded her closely.  His wife did actually have another man, who wasn't as great at Phoebus.  One day, Phoebus was away, and his wife sent for her lover.  The white crow saw them together.  When Phoebus came home, the crow kept singing, "Cokkow," which means he was actually saying cuckold.  Phoebus didn't quite get the memo, but the crow cleared it up for him.  Phoebus's heart was broken.  He took his bow, planning to murder his wife, but he ended up snapping it in a rage.  Then he got mad at the messenger--the crow.  He pulled out all its white feathers, thinking that the crow was lying to him.  He flung it out of the door, leaving it for the devil.  That's why crows are black, fun fact.  The Manciple then says never tell a man that his wife is cheating on him because he'll be mad at the messenger.  Sweet story, Manciple.

Prologue to the Parson's Tale:  The Host says that the game is almost over, except one more person needs to tell his story:  the Parson.  The Host asks the Parson to tell a fable.  The Parson says he's not going to do that, but he'll try to tell a story that pleases everyone.  The Host tells the Parson to hurry up because the sun is about to set.

The Parson's Tale:  The Parson's tale is more of a sermon than a story.  It's about penitence.  It has been taken as a criticism of the not-so moral characteristics of many of the people in the group.  The Parson splits his story into three parts:  contrition of the heart, confession of the mouth, and satisfaction.  The Parson also discusses the Seven Deadly Sins and offering how to combat them.

Think that's the end of the book?  Nope.  Chaucer had a retraction in his text.

Chaucer's Retraction:  Chaucer tells his readers to give it up to the big man, JC:  Jesus, if they liked something in the book it's all because of Him.  He also asks everyone to forgive him for having to write things that they might not like.  Chaucer says he tried to portray these people to help others.  He thanks Jesus and Mary.

Next, why we should teach. Yay!

Cassy

The Canterbury Tales: The Physician's Tale, The Pardoner's Introduction, The Pardoner's Prologue, The Pardoner's Tale, The Shipman's Tale, The Words of the Host to the Shipman and the Prioress, The Prioress's Tale, The Prologue to Sir Thopas, The Tale of Sir Thopas, The Prologue to the Tale of Melibee, The Tale of Melibee, The Prologue to the Monk's Tale, The Monk's Tale

Sorry for no post yesterday, guys.  The Internet at good, old Jewell was down. 

The Physician's Tale:  The Physician begins his tale with a knight named Virginius.  He was very popular, rich, and had a doting wife and daughter.  The daughter was extremely beautiful.  She was also virtuous.  One day, the daughter went to town with her mother.  In the town, a judge spotted the knight's daughter and wanted her.  He came up with an evil plot to make the girl his.  The judge, who went by the name Appius, got a partner in crime, Claudius.  Claudius made a complaint against Virginius, and the judge called him to court.  Claudius claimed that Virginius was holding one of his servants, a beautiful young lady, against his will, saying that this lady was his daughter.  So, Claudius is saying that this he owns Virginius's daughter.  The judge didn't listen to anything Virginius had to say, but ordered that the girl be taken as a ward of the court.  Virginius goes home despondent.  He tells his daughter that there are two choices:  shame or death.  Virginius chooses to kill his daughter.  He chopped off her head and took it to the judge.  When the judge saw this, he tried to flee and hang himself, but the townspeople knew of his evilness and threw him into prison.  Claudius was sentenced to hang, except Virginius pleaded on his behalf and the sentence was reduced to exile.  The end.  Happy tale, huh?

The Pardoner's Introduction:  The Host, disturbed by the injustice in the Physician's tale, says that his tale is sad and asks God to bless him and his instruments.  The Host asks the Pardoner to tell a tale full off happiness.  The Pardoner agrees but wants beer first.  The nobles in the group don't want the Pardoner to get drunk and tell another raunchy tale.  They ask the Pardoner to tell a tale of virtue not sex.  The Pardoner agrees but needs a drink while he's thinking of a good tale.

The Pardoner's Prologue:  After getting his drink, the Pardoner begins his prologue.  He tells the group about his job--a combination of preaching and selling promises of salvation.  His sermon topics are always about greed being the root of all evil (irony, folks).  He gives similar sermons to every congregation and then has a back of relics, which he admits are fake.  He claims that his relics have magical healing powers.  The people always believe him, giving him money, which he pockets.  The Pardoner confesses that he does his job solely for money, not to correct sin.  He thinks that many sermons are actually the product of evil intentions.  By preaching, the Pardoner can have small revenge on people that have offended him or his family.  In his sermon, he preaches about vices that he upholds, such as envy.  He has finished his drink and he's ready for his tale.
The Pardoner's Tale:  The Pardoner begins by describing a trio of youthful Flemish people who spend their time drinking and being gluttonous.  The Pardoner then goes on to preach for about 200 lines about gluttony and gambling.  He finally comes back to the lecherous Flemish group.  As they're drinking, they hear a funeral going on.  A person says that an old friend of theirs was killed by a mysterious creature named Death.  The group is furious, and head out to find and kill Death.  They find an old man who appears upset.  He says he's old and has been waiting for Death to come and take him for some time.  The group demands where they can find Death, and the old man directs them to under an oak tree where he last saw Death.  At the tree, instead of Death, they find eight bushels of gold coins with no one in sight to claim them.   The slyest of the three says that if they carry the gold into town during the day, they will be perceived as thieves.  They must take the gold in the night, so someone should run into town to get bread and wine in the meantime.  They draw for it, and the youngest of the three has to run to town (seems fitting; that's the youngest person's lot in life).  As soon as he leaves, the sly one turns to the other and tells him his plan:  when the youngest gets back from town, they will kill him so they can get more money.  The second agrees, and they prepare their plan.  In town, the youngest one is having the same idea.  He goes to an apothecary and buys the strongest poison available, puts it into two bottles of wine, leaving himself a third, poison-free bottle.  He returns to the tree, but the others jump out and kill him.  They sit down to celebrate, grabbing the poisoned bottles of wine.  They soon die as well.  The Pardoner ends his story saying that all must beware of the sine of avarice, which only brings evil and death.  The Pardoner realizes he has forgotten his relics and brings out his pardon bag to collect money.  He offers the Host the first chance to see the relics (which are fake, remember?), because the Host, says the Pardoner, has the most sin.  Well, the Host doesn't like that very much.  The Knight settles everyone down.  The Host and the Pardoner laugh and make up.  The Host then asks the Shipman to tell a tale

The Shipman's Tale:  The Shipman's tale is about a merchant who took a beautiful woman for his wife.  She took all his money by demanding clothes and luxurious items to make her more beautiful.  There was also a young monk who was always at the merchant's house.  The monk was generous with his money, and always brought presents for the merchant and his servants.  One day, while traveling, the merchant invited the monk to visit his household before he left.  The monk and merchant had a glorious time, boozing it up and eating for two days.  On the third day, when the merchant was to leave, he went to balance his books.  The monk went to the garden to pray, with the wife following behind him.  The wife was worried about the monk, who was worried about the wife, because she had not slept well; the merchant had sex with her all night.  The wife said she no longer desired her husband.  The monk, thinking there was more to the story, pressed for details.  She complained that the merchant was the worst husband in the world.  She also said that she owes a lot of debt.  She asked the monk for money.  The monk promised to give the wife the money.  He then proceeded to kiss her.  The wife then went to the merchant and told him to stop balancing the books.  That night, the three had dinner together.  After the meal, the monk took the merchant aside and asked for the money.  The merchant gave the monk the money.  After, the merchant left for his travels.  The next Sunday, the monk returned to the merchant's house.  He and the wife made an agreement that for the money, the monk could have sex with her all night.  The merchant came home, discussed his travels with his wife, then went to see his friend, the monk.  The monk told the merchant that he repaid the loan and left the money with his wife.  The merchant and his wife had sex that night.  The merchant then told the wife he was a little angry with her because she didn't tell him that she received the money from the monk.  The wife replied that she had received the money from the monk, and that she should be allowed to keep the money because she was a hospitable hostess.  She said that in return for giving her his money, she would have sex with him.  The merchant had to agree.

The Words of the Host to the Shipman and The Prioress:  The Host calls down a curse upon the monk and warns the group to beware of men like him.  He then proceeds to ask the Prioress to tell her story, and she happily replies that she will.

The Prioress's Tale:  In an Asian town, there was a Jewish ghetto at the end of the street, where usury and other crimes against crime against Christ happened (remember our talk about usury with Dante?).  The small number of Christians in the town opened a school for their children at the other end of the same street.  Among the children in the school, there was a widow's son, who was seven years old.  He was deeply rooted in his faith.  At school, he learned Latin worship songs and prayers.  One day, as he was walking home and singing a song, he crossed a group of Jews.  They hired someone to slit the boy's throat and threw him into a pit.  The widow searched the city all night to find her son, even begging the Jews tell her where her son might be.  They kept their mouths shut.  Jesus gave her the idea to sing in a place where her son had been thrown into the pit:  she called out to him and even though his throat had been cut, he sang.  The other Christians ran to the pit in amazement.  The Jews were then tied up.  The child was then taken to be in a procession, his corpse still singing (yes, he's dead).  The Jews were sentenced to hang.  Before the boy was buried, holy water was put on him, and he spoke.  He said that the Virgin Mary placed a grain on his tongue, allowing him to speak.  An abbot took the grain from his tongue so he could die and go into heaven.  The boy was buried as a martyr.

Prologue to Sir Thopas:  The Host says every man in the group is somber after hearing the Prioress's tale, except Chaucer.  The Host makes fun of Chaucer (the narrator) for staring at the ground all the time, and for being fat.  He says Chaucer rarely talks to anyone.  He asks him to tell a happy tale.  Chaucer says he knows no other stories, but a rhyme he learned long ago.  The Host says that will be fine.

The Tale of Sir Thopas:  Chaucer begins by asking the lords to listen.  Thopas is a knight with a white face, rosy lips, and blond hair.  Thopas dressed very well and was a skilled archer.  Many women were brought to sleep with him, but he didn't have sex with any of them.  One day, he was out riding a gray horse and passed through a forest with many wild animals.  He heard a birdsong and fell into a love-sickness.  Thopas had to rest, and decided he would be in love with an elf-queen.  He set out to find her, but came across a giant.  The giant threatened to kill his horse.  Thopas told the giant that he would meet him tomorrow to fight, and he sped away.  Thopas got to town and told his men he had to fight a giant.  The Host then stops the tale.

The Prologue to the Tale of Melibee:  The Host says Chaucer's rhyme really sucks.  Chaucer asks why the Host won't let him tell his story with the others.  The Host says that his rhyme is a waste of time (not like mine right there, though).  He says that Chaucer should tell a story in prose instead of verse.  Chaucer says alrighty, then.  Chaucer proceeds to tell another tale, asking for no more interruptions. 

The Tale of Melibee:  WARNING:  This story is a little dull.  Probably as payment for being interrupted in his story about Thopas.  There was once a young man named Melibee.  Melibee was rich and had a wife named Prudence.  They had a daughter named Sophie.  One day he walked into the fields, leaving the rest of his family in the house.  Three of his old enemies say he had got and went to his house.  They beat his wife and daughter.  When Melibee returned, he went a little crazy.  Prudence calmed him down, saying that they should call a group of people to listen to their story.  Melibee agreed.  The council said they should attack the men.  Prudence doesn't think this is a great idea.  Prudence thinks the three men attacked them due to man's vulnerability to the world, the flesh, and the devil.  She advises Melibee for peace and forgiveness.  The three men are brought before them.  Prudence suggests forgiving them, Melibee wants to fine them, but Prudence wins.  Melibee forgives them and praises himself for being so generous.  Yep.  That's the story.  Good one, Chaucer. 

The Prologue to the Monk's Tale:  The Host approves of this tale, and wishes that his wife was like Melibee.  When the Host beats his servants, the wife is ready to join in.  The Host is worried that one day, his wife will have him kill a neighbor.  He then asks the Monk to tell a story.  He praises the Monk's appearance, saying he looks more like a lay man as opposed to a poor Monk.  The Host jokes that clergymen are better at sex than regular men.  The Host reminds the Monk he's joking.  The Monk says he'll tell some tragedies.

The Monk's Tale:  The Monk talks about numerous tragedies with one common theme:  remember that Fortune is ever-changing.  He first tells of Lucifer's fall from Heaven.  Adam and Eve's expulsion from Eden is next.  Sampson is next.  The Monk discusses how he fell from grace when he admitted his secret to his wife.  Hercules' story is next.  He was defeated when he was given a poisoned shirt.  The Monk then talks about Nebuchadnezzar (I love saying that name, by the way).  He was too proud.  Balthasar's story is next.  He worshiped false idols.  Zenobia is talked about next.  King Pedro of Spain is the next tragedy.  He was exiled then killed by his brother.  Peter, king of Cyprus, was murdered.  There are other tragedies, including Nero and Holofernes.  All of these stories have the same ring to them:  people of high degree falling into death or destruction.  Finally, the Monk's tale is interrupted.

Since I'm a day off due to faulty Internet connections, I'll make two posts on Sunday:  one finishing up the summaries and the other being my customary finishing-up of the text. 

Have a good weekend!

Cassy

The Canterbury Tales: Introduction to the Man of Law, Man of Law's Tale, The Wife of Bath's Prologue, The Wife of Bath's Tale, The Friar's Prologue, The Friar's Tale, The Summoner's Prologue, The Summoner's Tale, The Clerk's Prologue, The Clerk's Tale, The Merchant's Prologue, The Merchant's Tale, The Merchan't Epilogue, The Squire's Introduction, The Squire's Tale, The Franklin's Interruption, The Franklin's Tale

Introduction to the Man of Law:  The Host, looking at the sun's position, says it's ten in the morning.  He is worried the pilgrims are losing time, but says to continue the game of story-telling.  The Host asks the Man of Law to tell a story.  The Man of Law says that he knows no adequate tale that Chaucer (the narrator) has not already told.  The Man of Law goes on to list Chaucer's works, and praises his writing.  The Man of Law decides to tell a story in verse. 

Man of Law's Tale:  He begins to tell a romance story about a Christian princess named Custance who is betrothed to the Syrian Sultan on the condition that he convert to Christianity.  The Sultan's mother comes up with a plan to prevent this and has Custance taken away to float at sea.  Her journey continues after she is shipwrecked on the Northumberland coast.  This is a pagan country where the King, Alla, eventually turned to Christianity.  Alla's mother intercepts and forges a letter between the couple, which results in Custance being exiled.  Custance must go to sea again and is found by a Senator of Rome.  The Senator takes Custance, along with the baby she has had, back to Italy, where she works as a household servant.  King Alla, who is distraught by Custance's departure, goes to Rome, and finds Custance.  In the end, they return to his land.  Alla dies a year later, and the baby boy is the new king.

The Wife of Bath's Prologue:  The Wife of Bath proposes to speak of marriage, saying that she is an expert on this subject because she's been married five times.  Her speech turns into a defense of the married lifestyle.  It takes the Pardoner to interrupt to get the Wife of Bath back to her story.  She talks about how she controlled her last five husbands.  She got everything she wanted from them by accusing them of cheating, misogyny, and treating her poorly.  She ends her prologue by talking about her last two marriages.  Her fourth husband cheated on her, and she made him think she was cheating on him.  Her fifth husband was the one she liked the most.  She had already made him promise to marry her before her fourth husband was even dead.  When they were married, the Wife of Bath became angry with her fifth husband for reading.  She threw some of his pages into the fire and then he hit her.  She hit him back, giving her a leg up in the relationship.  The Friar interrupts saying she is talking too much.  The Summoner, who doesn't like the Friar, tells him to stop being rude.  They both say they will tell tales that insults one another's careers when it's their turn.  The Host says be quiet, it's the Wife's turn to tell her story.

The Wife of Bath's Tale:  In the time of King Arthur, a young knight rapes a maiden he sees walking from the river.  For his offense, Queen Guinevere (Author's wife) and her ladies say that his punishment is to find out within one year what women desire most, or else he'll be decapitated.  The knight leaves for his quest to find the answer, but he can't find two women who agree on what they most desire.  After a year, the knight returns to the court, not knowing the answer to the question.  On the way, he comes across a ring of 24 fairy ladies dancing.  The fairies disappear and are replaced by an old lady.  The lady tells the knight that she will answer his question if he gives her what she desires most.  The knight, obviously, agrees.  The lady tells the knight what women desire most:  to control their husbands and lovers.  The queen and all the ladies say this is correct.  The old lady now says she wants to marry the knight.  The knight is none too happy about this because the lady is old and ugly, but the queen says he must.  They get married, but the knight doesn't want to consummate their marriage.  The woman asks what's wrong, and he replies that she's so old, ugly, and of low-class that he doesn't want her.  The old lady then says that he has two choices:  he can either have her old and ugly, but good and faithful, or he can have her young and beautiful, but with no guarantee of other good qualities.  He tells her to make the choice.  The old lady sees that he has let her take control, so she tells him the she will be young and beautiful, as well as faithful and good.  They live happily ever after.  The Wife of Bath concludes her story with a curse on husbands who won't be controlled by their wives. 

The Friar's Prologue:  The narrator tells us that the Friar is always glaring at the Summoner.  The Friar tells the Wife of Bath that she has told a great tale, and commends her for talking about subjects that are debated in Universities.  The Friar says he's going to tell a tale about a summoner.  The Friar depicts a summoner as someone who mills around, calling people before the court for adultery, and eventually gets beaten in every town.  The Hose tells the Friar that a man of his social class should be polite.  The Friar begins to tell his tale, leaving the Summoner alone.  The Summoner tells the Host that the Friar can say whatever he wants because when it's his turn to tell the tale, he will have a better story than the Friar.  Speaking facetiously, the Summoner says he will tell a story that exalts the Friar.  The Host calls for peace, and asks the Friar to start his tale.

The Friar's Tale:   The Friar tells a story about an archdeacon who went against the Church's laws against sex, lustfulness, and witchcraft.  The archdeacon had a summoner who was talented at discovering lechers (someone who is lascivious), even though he wasn't very moral.  Friars are out of the jurisdiction of the summoners, and the Summoner disagrees with the Friar.  The Host lets the Friar continue, who starts to insult summoners again.  The summoner in the Friar's tale would only summon those who had enough money to pay the fee to the church.  The summoner would take half of what the person paid.  He was a thief and enlisted the help of prostitutes who would tell the summoner their customers to keep themselves safe, and they offered sexual services.  One day, the summoner was traveling to summon an old widow, he met a yeoman on the way, dressed in a green jacket.  The yeoman was polite to the summoner.  The two travelled together, and the summoner asked the yeoman where he lived, planning to steal his gold and silver.  The summer asked the yeoman how he makes money, and the yeoman confessed to being a thief; the summoner says he does the same thing.  The two chat about their evilness, then the yeoman says he's from hell (i.e. the devil).  The summoner asks the yeoman why he's on earth, and he replies that he comes to earth whenever he wants, and that sometimes devils are used by God.  The devil says that the summoner will meet him again one day and have better evidence of hell than Dante or Virgil (allusion!).  The summoner says they should travel on their way together and help one another.  The summoner says they should visit the widow he was supposed to go to.  On their arrival, the summoner says that she must appear before the archdeacon on the penalty of excommunication, but she claims she is sick and can't travel.  She asks if she can pay the summoner to represent her to the archdeacon.  He says he'll do it, but for a price.  The price is too high for the widow because she feels she hasn't done anything wrong.  The summoner demands her new pan, saying that he paid her fine for making her husband a cuckold (someone who has been cheated on by his/her spouse, usually men cheated on by their wives).  She yells at the summoner, saying that she gives his body to the devil.  The devil hears this and takes him to hell, where, the Friar says, the summoner belongs.

The Summoner's Prologue:  As you might imagine, the Summoner is none too happy hearing the Friar's tale.  He tells everyone that he has one desire:  to tell his story.  The Summoner says that friars and devils are never apart.  The Summoner tells a story-within-a-story about a friar.  The story starts with a friar who has a dream that an angel guides him through hell.  The friar notices that there are no friars in hell.  He asks the angel why.  The angel says there are actually millions of friars in hell, and takes him to Satan.  This part is gross, so be prepared.  The angel asks Satan to life his tail, and in his anus, there are friars, swarming like bees.  The friar wakes up with fear.  The Summoner ends his mini-story and begins his actual one.

The Summoner's Tale:  A friar goes to preach and ask for money in a place called Holderness.  In his sermons, he beseeches for money for the church.  The Friar interrupts, calling the Summoner a liar, but the Host tells everyone to be quiet and for the Summoner to continue.  This friar goes from house to house, until he came to the household of Thomas, a townsman who usually gave money to the friar, but he was sick.  The friar tells Thomas of his sermon, saying how he glossed the Bible, and demanded Thomas's wife to  make him a meal.  She tells the friar their child died a little over two weeks ago.  The friar says the child died and entered Heaven.  He says that fellow friars had seen the same thing.  The friar says that among the entire clergy, friars are closest to God.  He tells Thomas he remains sick because he doesn't give enough to the Church.  Thomas mentions that he actually has paid a lot of money to various friars.  The friar is perturbed that Thomas is giving money to other friars, too.  He proceeds to lecture Thomas.  Thomas gets annoyed by the hypocrisy of the friar when the friar asks for money to build a cloister.  He tells the friar he has a gift for him but he is sitting on it, and that the friar must promise to split it equally between the friars.  The friar agrees and gropes behind Thomas's back to find the gift, but Thomas farts.  The friar gets angry.  He promises to repay Thomas for this, but the servants push the friar out of the house.  Enthralled, the friar finds the lord of the village and tells him of the incident, wondering how he's supposed to divide a fart amongst friars.  The lord's squire devises a plan so all the friars can smell a fart.  And, thankfully, that's the end.

The Clerk's Prologue:  The Host says that the Clerk has been very quiet.  He tells the Clerk to be happier, and tell them a cheerful tale, something about adventures.  The Clerk should speak in layman's terms so the entire group can understand.  The Clerk says that he will tell a tale that he learned from a clerk in Padua called Francis Petrarch.  The Clerk tells the group that Petrarch wrote wonderful poetry about Italy, but he died too early.  He begins his tale.

The Clerk's Tale:  The tale is about a marquis of Saluzzo in Piedmont in Italy named Walter.  Walter is a bachelor, who is asked by his people to marry so he can have an heir.  He decides he will marry a peasant named Griselda.  Griselda is poor.  She has had a life of manual labor, and promises to honor Walter's wishes in all things.  Griselda and Walter have a daughter, and Walter plans to test Griselda's loyalty.  He has an officer take the baby, pretending it will be killed, but he actually takes it to Bologna.  Griselda, having promised Walter to always obey him, only asks that the baby be buried properly.  When Griselda has a son, Walter does the same thing.  Finally, he has one last test.  He has an annulment forged so he can leave Griselda.  He tells her he plans to remarry.  As part of the rouse, he has Griselda prepare the wedding for his new wife.  Meanwhile, he has brought the children back.  He tells Griselda of the tests, and introduces her children to her.  They live happily ever after.

The Merchant's Prologue:  The Merchant says that everyone who has a wife, endures a lot of crying and sadness.  The Merchant says his wife could outmatch Satan if she were married to him.  The Clerk's story about Griselda makes him think about the difference between Griselda and his own wife.  He says that if he could do it over, he wouldn't marry.  The Host says that he has been married for only two months.  The Merchant says that he's about to tell a really sad story about how terrible his wife is.

The Merchant's Tale:  Januarie, an old knight, decides that he wants to marry, mostly because he can have sex whenever he wants and to make an heir.  He talks to his two brothers, one says he doesn't really care while the other opposes the idea.  Januaries marries May, a young girl who isn't even 20, mostly because he desires her.  He chooses her almost out of the blue.  It isn't said why May accepts the marriage, but she probably did it to make herself better socially and for the money, since Januarie is rich.  A squire of Januarie's, Damyan, falls in love with May.  He writes a letter professing his love for her.  He says it was Venus's fault he fell for her.  May feels the same way about Damyan and plans to have sex with him.  Januarie makes a walled garden, where he has sex with May.  He is immediately struck blind, probably because of his vanity, lust, and immorality.  One day, Januarie and May go into the garden, while Damnyan has snuck into the garden as well.  May, implying she's pregnany, asks for a pear, and Januarie, who is blind and old, can't reach the fruit.  He allows May to climb onto his back.  Guess who's in the tree?  Damyan.  They have sex.  Pluto and Proserpina are watching the adultery.  Pluto says women are immortal.  He will give Januarie his sight back.  Proserpina will give May the ability to talk her way out of the dilemma.  Januarie gets his eyesight back and sees May and Damyan having sex.  May talks her way out of it, saying his eyesight isn't fully back to normal.  The tale ends abruptly.  Januarie and May live happily ever after, although ending ambiguously, suggesting that May will continue to cheat on Januarie. 

The Merchant's Epilogue:  The Host is disgusted with May.  He says that women are always lying and deceitful.  The Hot says he has a poor wife who has many faults.   He isn't very happy being married to her.

The Squire's Introduction:  The Host asks the Squire to tell a story about love, because he thinks the Squire certainly knows about love.  The Squire answers that he doesn't know much about love, but he will tell a romance story because he doesn't want to go against the Host's wishes. 

The Squire's Tale:  Genghis Khan rules with two sons, Algarsyf and Cambalo, and a daughter, Canace.  At the twentieth anniversary of his reign, he has a celebration.  A strange knight comes with gifts, which include a brass horse with the power of teleportation, a mirror which can reveal the minds of the king's friends and enemies, a ring with will give the wearer an understanding of birds, a sword that deals wounds only it can heal.  That's the first part of the story.  The second starts with Canace and the ring.  She goes on a walk the next morning and sees a falcon who seems upset.  The falcon tells Canace that she has been left by her lover, a male hawk, for a kite.  The second part of the story ends with a promise of a story involving Genghis Khan's sons and the quest of Cambalo to win Canace as his wife.  The tale ends here with the Franklin interrupting.   

The Franklin's Interruption:  The Franklin interrupts the Squire, commenting that he has spoken very well considering he is so young.  He says that no one in the group could match the Squire in eloquence.  The Franklin wants his own son to be as great as the Squire.  Instead, his son gambles and spends all his money.  The Host reminds the Franklin to tell them a tale.   

The Franklin's Tale:  Arveragus, a successful nobleman and knight, wants a wife.  He marries a young lady named Dorigen.  The two promise they will always respect one another.  A little after the wedding, Arveragus leaves for England for two years.  Dorigen cries while her husband is gone.  She sits on the shore, anxious about her husband's safety.  One day, Dorigen agrees to join some friends on a picnic where there is a dance.  At the dance, a handsome and rich man, Aurelius, tells Dorigen he has loved her for two years.  Dorigen denies him.  He's so depressed that, half jokingly, says she will agree to his love if he moves all the rocks from the coast of Brittany.  This task is impossible, and Aurelius goes home depressed.  He's so distraught that he is sick for two years.  Finally, his brother, who has been caring for him, comes up with a way to solve the problem.  He remembers a student who claimed to have been able to read magic.  Aurelius goes to the student and promises to pay him 1,000 pounds if his magic can clear the rocks away.  The student agrees, and clears the rocks.  Aurelius reminds Dorigen of her promise.  Dorigen contemplates suicide.  Arvergas returns home to find Dorigen in a bit of a pickle.  Arvergas says that Dorigen must keep her promise, although it pains him.  Aurelius learns of Arvergas's noble sacrifice, and sends Dorigen back to Arvergas.  Aurelius gets all his gold, but realizes he can only pay half of what he owes to the student.  The student hears of Dorigen's relief to be back to her husband and cancels Aurelius' debt.

Okay, that's it for today, I think.  Tomorrow, we'll start off with the Pardoner, who is a real treat.  Happy reading!

Cassy

The Canterbury Tales: The Prologue, The Knight's Tale, The Miller's Prologue, The Miller's Tale, The Reeve's Prologue, The Reeve's Tale, The Cook's Prologue, The Cook's Tale

The Prologue:  The General Prologue starts with a detailed account of how April's showers make flowers bloom, crops grow, birds sing, and people want to take journeys to holy places--pilgrimages.  In England, people like to go to Canterbury to pray at the shrine of a saint who healed them while they were sick.  The narrator tells how, in April, he is at a tavern in Southwark, preparing his pilgrimage to Canterbury.  At the tavern, he runs into a large group of travelers also going to Canterbury.  Soon, he has talked with each person and has become a member of their group as well.  The narrator describes the physical and internal characteristics of each person in the group in great detail.  The narrator promises to detail what happens to them that evening and throughout the rest of their pilgrimage.  He asks the reader for forgiveness if he offends anyone (and back then, he probably offended some people).  He says it's not really his fault because it's his job to detail the pilgrim's words and events exactly as they occur, even if they are offensive.  The host serves dinner.  The narrator describes the host.  The Host says the group has been the happiest he has seen in a long time.  He tells the pilgrims they should tell two tales on the way to Canterbury, and two on the way back.  Whoever has the best story, as judged by the Host, wins a free dinner when they get back to his tavern.  Whoever argues with the Host's decision has to pay for the entire trip.  The pilgrims promise they'll abide by his rules.  They all go to bed.  In the morning, they start their journey.  Along the way, the Host says they should draw straws to see who tells the first story.  The Knight draws the shortest straw, so he goes first.

The Knight's Tale:  The Duke Theseus of Athens is heading home from his invasion of Scythia, where he won a wife, Hippolyta, and a sister-in-law, Emily.  Along the way, Theseus and his group come across some crying women.  They beg Theseus to exact revenge on Creon, King of Thebes.  Why?  Creon refused to allow the women to give their husbands' a proper burial.  That's a slap in the face back in the day.  Theseus agrees to help the women.  In the process, he wins two noble Theban hostages:  cousins Palamon and Arcite.  Theseus puts Palamon and Arcite in a tower next to his garden, without ransom.  In early May, Emily walks in the garden to gather flowers.  Palamon sees her from the window and it's love at first sight.  He yells to her.  Hearing this yell, Arcite comes to his cousin's side.  Guess what?  He seems Emily too, and yes, falls for her.  They argue about who gets her (like she's some object).  Arcite eventually says that it's pretty silly to fight over a lady since they'll be in the tower forever.  Lucky for Arcite, he gets out of the tower.  He and Theseus have a mutual friend who got Arcite released on one exception:  he can't come to Athens ever again.  Arcite throws a fit, and thinks Palamon has a better deal than him because he gets to see Emily every day.  Palamon thinks that Arcite has it off well because he can get an army together to fight for Emily.  Arcite comes to Athens disguised as a servant.  He works his way to Theseus's house, become Emily's manservant.  Palamon has escaped from prison.  He hides in a grove of trees close to the palace.  You might have guessed, but Arcite comes by the same grove.  Palamon doesn't recognize him at first, but then when Arcite starts babbling about his love for Emily, Palamon figures it out and leaps out from the trees.  They trash talk.  Arcite challenges Palamon to a duel, saying he'll bring weapons tomorrow for Palamon so it's a fair fight.  The next day, the duel.  Theseus and his gang come across the two men fighting.  Theseus tells them to stop.  When he finds out they're Arcite and Palamon, he wants to order them to be put to death.  But Hippolyta and Emily beg for mercy, Theseus reconsiders.  Theseus says he's done some crazy things for love, too.  Theseus says the each of them will come back in a year with one hundred soldiers and fight a joust and whoever wins gets Emily.  They agree and go home to Athens.  Theseus spends the year building a huge arena for the fight.  The arena is complete and dedicated to Venus, Mars, and Diana.  When it's time for the fight, Palamon and Arcite return to Athens, and everyone is ready to watch what goes down.  The night before, Palamon, Arcite, and Emily visit different temples.  Palamon prays to Venus to grant him Emily, Arcite asks Mars for victory, and Emily prays to Diana for perpetual virginity.  The houst starts and a bunch of guys become POWs.  In the end, Palamon is taken captive, and Arcite wins.  On his victory lap, an earthquakes happens and causes Arcite to fall on the ground headfirst.  Everyone thinks Arcite will recover, and they get ready for the feast to celebrate Arcite and Emily's marriage.  Well, Arcite doesn't recover.  He dies with Emily and Palamon by his side, using his final breath to tell Emily how wonderful Palamon is.  Theseus lets Palamon marry Emily so there can be an alliance between Thebes and Athens.  Theseus gives a long speech about how death is a part of the circle of life (i.e. God's plan).  The story ends with a happy wedding.

The Miller's Prologue:  Once the Knight is done with his tale, the narrator depicts the positive reactions of the pilgrims to his story.  The Host asks the Monk to share his story next.  The Miller, who is drunk, calls out that he knows a better tale that will top the Knight's.  The Host tells the Miller that someone will talk first.  The Miller says he will leave if he doesn't get to talk.  The Host finally lets the Miller talk.  The Miller tells everyone he is drunk and it's not his fault, but the fault of the ale of Southwark.  He proceeds to say that he's going to tell a story about a carpenter and his wife, and how a clerk makes a fool out of the carpenter.  The Reeve (carpenter) tells the Miller it's a sin to make fun of another and to speak badly about wives.  The Miller tells the Reeve that the only people who don't get cheated on are the ones who don't have wives.  Sound advice.  Although, he says, the Reeve hasn't been cheated on because there are also many good wives.  The Miller says that he has a wife, but he believes she's cheated on him.  He says a husband shouldn't question the relationship of God or of his wife.  The narrator interrupts to talk about how the Miller won't stop talking, pretty much that he's rather annoying.  The narrator says not to be mad at him for telling such a raunchy story and that you can turn the pages to find better stories.

The Miller's Tale:  The carpenter, John, lives in Oxford with his much younger wife, Alisoun, who is beautiful.  To make a little more money, John rents out a room in his house to a poor, but smart, scholar named Nicholas, who obviously wants to have sex with Alisoun.  Another scholar, Absolon, the parish clerk, also wants to have sex with her.  John takes a day trip to a nearby town.  While he's gone, Nicholas convinces Alisoun to have sex with him.  The affair begins.  Soon after, Alisoun goes to church, where Absolon is.  He tries to get Alisoun to have sex with him by singing love songs under her window during the full moon.  He even joins the local play to get her attention.  Alisoun says no, no, no, not because she's married, but because she's having sex with Nicholas.  Nicholas wants to spend a whole night with his lady, instead of a few moments when John isn't around.  With Alisoun's help, he comes up with a plan.  He convinces John that God is about to sent a flood, kind of like he did with Noah.  He says that God told him they could be saved by hanging three huge buckets from the ceiling to sleep in.  When the water rose, they would cut the ropes down and float away.  John believes him and climbs into the bucket.  He thinks Nicholas and Alisoun are doing the same thing, but they're obviously not.  They're sleeping in John's bed.  That night, Absolon comes to the window and begs Alisoun for a kiss.  At first she refuses, but then supposedly gives in.  Instead of sticking her lips out the window, she sticks her butt out.  Absolon proceeds to kiss her butt.  Angered, Absolon gets a hot poker so he can brand Alisoun.  When he comes back, Nicholas sticks his butt out the window because he thinks that'd be funny, too.  Absolon brands Nicholas, who yells, "Water!" because he needs something to fix the pain.  John, hearing this and thinking the flood is here, buts the rope, which sends him to the floor.  The townspeople hear the noise and check to see what's going on.  Nicholas recites the story and they laugh at John.

The Reeve's Prologue:  The narrator discusses how everyone is laughing and having a good time because of the Miller's tale, except the Reeve.  The Reeve is upset because he's a carpenter.  He thinks the Miller's tale is an insult to him.  The Reeve says he can top the Miller's tale with a story about how a miller gets tricked, but he's too old for the sexual jokes in his story.  The Reeve talks about how old he is.  He says the four powers of the elderly are bragging, lying, anger, and jealousy.  He says his life is almost over.  The Host tells the Reeve that he's preaching too much and not story-telling enough.  The Reeve asks the others to forgive him because he's going to have a raunchy tale like the Miller's.  The Reeve promises to have a better story than the Miller.

The Reeve's Tale:  A miller named Symkyn lives on some land by a bridge close to Cambridge.  He likes to fight, carry weapons, and wrestle.  Most of the townspeople avoid him, even though he cheats his customers.  Symkyn married the illegitimate daughter of the local cleric, who is a proud woman.  When a worker of a school in Canterbury who grinds its corn and wheat with Symkyn gets sick, Symkyn decides to cheat the school even more.  Two students, Aleyn and John, ask their headmaster if they can ground the corn, thinking they can stop Symkyn from cheating them.  The headmaster agrees.  When they arrive at the mill, Aleyn and John tell Symkyn that they will watch the corn being ground.  Symkyn realizes what they're up to and accepts the challenge.  He unties the boys' horse.  They have to spend the entire day looking for them, giving Symkyn the opportunity to steal flour from them.  His wife bakes it into a cake and hides.  Having spent the day getting their horse, the two boys spend the night at Symkyn's house.  That night, Aleyn decides to have sex with Symkyn's daughter, Malyne.  He thinks he deserves this since he has been cheated.  John does the same thing with Symkyn's wife.  John moves the cradle at the foot of her bed to his so she will mistakenly go to bed with him.  At dawn, Aleyn tries to go back to his bed, but the cradle causes him to go to Symkyn's bed.  Thinking that Symkyn is John, Aleyn brags how he had sex with Malyne all night.  Angered, Symkyn punches Aleyn in the nose, then falls to the bed where John and his wife are sleeping.  When she wakes up, she tries to help Symkyn by hitting the boys, but mistakes Symkyn's bald head for the white caps the boys wear, and hits Symkyn in the head.  The boys proceed to beat Symkyn up, then pick up the cake made of stolen flour, because Malyne told Aleyn where it was.   

The Cook's Prologue:  The Cook loves the Reeve's tale.  He talks about a moral from Proverb which says not to bring stranger's into your house.  The Cook says he's never heard of a miller tricked quite like the one in the Reeve's story.  The Cook says he's going to tell a story about a funny thing that happened in his city.  The Host tells him it better be a good story.  The Host says the Cook has been a part of dishonest cooking practices such as selling old meat pies, giving the travelers food poisoning, and keeping a dirty kitchen. The Host says, "Haha, I'm joking, don't be angry."  The Cook is like, "Actually, everything you say is true, so it's not a good joke."  He then tells a short, unfinished story.

The Cook's Tale:  An apprentice lived in his city and his job was setting food.  He was a short man, with dark skin and black hair.  He was a great dancer.  He loved the bar more than he did his shop, so much so, he would run out of his shop to the tavern and begin dancing, forgetting his work.  One day, his master decided to fire him. The apprentice found a place to stay with a man who loved to do the same things he did.  This man had a wife, who kept a shop, and had sex for a living.  Then, the Cook's tale ends. 
**This is obviously a fragment; it finishes before it really starts.  No one really knows if Chaucer meant to leave it this way, if he didn't complete it, or if the rest has been lost.

Well, that's it for today.  Tomorrow, more fun tales!

Cassy

Background to Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales

A lot can be said about the literary and historical contributions of Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales.  To start with, the epic was written between the years of 1387 to 1400.  The story tells about thirty pilgrims, all from different rungs of society, traveling from Southwark to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral in England.  The Canterbury Tales became historic in that it popularized the English vernacular by being written in the English language instead of French or Italian.   

Chaucer meant for each pilgrim to have two tales on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back from the cathedral (making 120 tales in total), but he never completed the enormous project.  Scholars are uncertain about the order of the tales because the printing press had not been invented yet, making many contemporary translations differ in order of tales.  Many scholars call each section of the tales a fragment.  Although not completely finished or even revised, each character has a tale in which it is representative of moral characteristics as well as societal and economical issues surrounding that specific character's life.

One of the important contributions made to literature by Chaucer was the development of human character.  Before his work, character was hardly developed, making many characters flat.  Plot was more important than character.  If you look at modern novels today, you'll see that Chaucer influenced the writing.  A good story is driven by a character and his or her psychology with whom the audience can somehow relate to--which can be positive or negative--and the story develops around that character.

Besides being one of the first texts written in the English vernacular, The Canterbury Tales held a lot of other important firsts.  Chaucer's work was one of the first to take a critical look at the Church, criticizing priests, monks, and other clergypersons.  Another first was it's focus on the world as opposed to God, Heaven, Hell, etc.  Needless to say, Chaucer's work was integral for the development of Western and English literature.

Hopefully, this background has gotten you ready for the tales themselves, which are humorous and enchanting.  Tomorrow I'll start summarizing!

Until then,

Cassy