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Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales

c.1387-1400

Chaucer, Canterbury Tales

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    The Canterbury Tales is one of the best loved works in the history of English literature. Written in Middle English, the story follows a group of pilgrims who are travelling the long journey from London to Canterbury Cathedral. Setting off from a London inn, the innkeeper suggests that during the journey each pilgrim should tell two tales to help pass the time. The best storyteller, he says, will be rewarded with a free supper on his return.

     

    Chaucer introduces us to a vivid cast of characters, including a carpenter, a cook, a knight, a monk, a prioress, a haberdasher, a dyer, a clerk, a merchant and a very bawdy miller. These characters come from all corners of 14th century society, and give Chaucer the chance to speak in many different voices. Some of the characters' tales are humorous, rude and naughty, while others are moral and reflective.

     

    One of the reasons Chaucer is so important is that he made the decision to write in English and not French. In the centuries following the Norman invasion, French was the language spoken by those in power. The Canterbury Tales was one of the first major works in literature written in English. Chaucer began the tales in 1387 and continued until his death in 1400. No text in his own hand still exists, but a surprising number of copies survive from the 1500s – more than 80. This suggests the tales were enormously popular in medieval England. This early and handsomely ornamented manuscript copy, from c.1450, was made within a generation of Chaucer’s death.

     

    Shelfmark: Harley 1758, f.1

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    Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales

    Prologue to the Canterbury Tales

     

    Prologue

     

    Ere begynneth the book of tales of Canterburye compiled by Geffraie Chaucer of Brytayne chef poete

    Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote

    The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,

    And bathed every veyne in swich licour

    Of which vertu engendred is the flour,

    Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth

    Inspired hath in every holt and heeth

    The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne

    Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne,

    And smale foweles maken melodye,

    That slepen al the nyght with open ye

    (so priketh hem Nature in hir corages),

    Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,

    And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,

    To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;

    And specially from every shires ende

    Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,

    The hooly blisful martir for to seke,

    That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.

    Bifil that in that seson on a day,

    In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay

    Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage

    To Caunterbury with ful devout corage,

    At nyght was come into that hostelrye

    Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye,

    Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle

    In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle,

    That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde.

    The chambres and the stables weren wyde,

    And wel we weren esed atte beste.

    And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste,

    So hadde I spoken with hem everichon

    That I was of hir felaweshipe anon,

    And made forward erly for to ryse,

    To take oure wey ther as I yow devyse.

    But nathelees, whil I have tyme and space,

    Er that I ferther in this tale pace,

    Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun

    To telle yow al the condicioun

    Of ech of hem, so as it semed me,

    And whiche they weren, and of what degree,

    And eek in what array that they were inne;

    And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne.

    A knyght ther was, and that a worthy man,

    That fro the tyme that he first bigan

    To riden out, he loved chivalrie,

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