The tales (mostly written in verse, although some are in prose) are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.
Why are the characters traveling to Canterbury?
Many devout English pilgrims set off to visit shrines in distant holy lands, but even more choose to travel to Canterbury to visit the relics of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, where they thank the martyr for having helped them when they were in need.
Why are pilgrims telling tales on their way to Canterbury?
Chaucer himself is one of the pilgrims. That evening, the Host of the Tabard Inn suggests that each member of the group tell tales on the way to and from Canterbury in order to make the time pass more pleasantly. The person who tells the best story will be awarded an elegant dinner at the end of the trip.
Where were the characters travelling to in The Canterbury Tales?
The tales (mostly written in verse, although some are in prose) are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.
How many characters will be making the journey to Canterbury?
Answer and Explanation: Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories, most in verse and a few in prose, told by a group of fictional pilgrims travelling to Canterbury in order to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. The collection has a total of 32 characters.
What are 3 reasons The Canterbury Tales are important?
The Canterbury Tales is considered Chaucer’s masterpiece and is among the most important works of medieval literature for many reasons besides its poetic power and entertainment value, notably its depiction of the different social classes of the 14th century CE as well as clothing worn, pastimes enjoyed, and language/
What was the main reason for the popularity of The Canterbury Tales?
1345–1400) was enormously popular in medieval England, with over 90 copies in existence from the 1400s. Its popularity may be due to the fact that the tales were written in Middle English, a language that developed after the Norman invasion, after which those in power would have spoken French.
What is the purpose and message of the Prologue to the Canterbury?
The General Prologue is the first part of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. It introduces the frame story, in which a group of pilgrims travelling to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury agree to take part in a storytelling competition, and describes the pilgrims themselves.
What kind of journey are the travelers in The Canterbury Tales taking?
The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late fourteenth century, is the original road trip story. Twenty-nine strangers hit the road in London and tell stories to pass the time along the way to Canterbury.
Where did the pilgrims start their journey in The Canterbury Tales?
south London
The pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales start their journey together in south London and aim for Canterbury Cathedral, roughly seventy miles away. The Canterbury Cathedral houses the shrine of an English saint: Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, who was martyred in the 1100s.
Why are there only 24 stories in Canterbury Tales?
Sadly, The Canterbury Tales remained unfinished at Chaucer’s death in 1400. Due to this, only 24 of the pilgrims’ stories were completed and the return journey from Canterbury is not included in the work (“The Canterbury Tales”).
What are 3 themes found in The Canterbury Tales?
Class, lies, and religion are prominent themes in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, a fifteenth-century English poem considered one of the most important books in English literature.
Why do the travelers agree to tell stories during their journey?
Why do pilgrims agree to tell tales during the journey? To pass time and win a contest.
What is the message of The Canterbury Tales?
One of the main lessons throughout all of the tales and main story is that honor and honesty is valued. In stories like the Physician’s Tale, we see that the lying Appius who lusts after a young girl, is eventually caught for his lies and thrown in jail where he kills himself.
What has the journey been like for the characters of The Canterbury Tales?
They are well-off and seem to be traveling for pleasure, not necessarily piety. We assume that they are riding and walking as they tell stories, but we are not told. The journey from London to Canterbury Cathedral is not very difficult, and not incredibly long, so we can assume it goes easily.
When did the Pilgrims begin their journey to Canterbury?
Pilgrims first started making the journey from AD1172 from Winchester to Canterbury, where Thomas Becket was buried after his martyrdom two years before.
When did the Pilgrims begin their journey to Canterbury Tales?
circa 1390
The action begins at a tavern just outside of London, circa 1390, where a group of pilgrims have gathered in preparation for their journey to visit the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury.
Why do pilgrims travel from place to place?
pilgrimage, a journey undertaken for a religious motive. Although some pilgrims have wandered continuously with no fixed destination, pilgrims more commonly seek a specific place that has been sanctified by association with a divinity or other holy personage.
Who are the 31 pilgrims in Canterbury Tales?
The Pilgrims
- The Narrator. The narrator makes it quite clear that he is also a character in his book.
- The Knight. The first pilgrim Chaucer describes in the General Prologue, and the teller of the first tale.
- The Wife of Bath.
- The Pardoner.
- The Miller.
- The Prioress.
- The Monk.
- The Friar.
Why are The Canterbury Tales banned in the US?
The Canterbury Tales was once banned in the United States by the U.S. Postal Service. It refused to mail copies under the Comstock Act of 1873, stating that the work contained obscene, filthy and inappropriate material.
Where are the 30 pilgrims headed in The Canterbury Tales?
Geoffey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, written between 1387 and 1400, is a long poem concerning a group of thirty pilgrims on their way from Southwark, in south London, to the shrine of St Thomas Becket in Canterbury.