Inglese

THE MEDIEVAL NARRATIVE POEM
A narrative poem is a poem that tells a story in verse and contains narrative elements, such as the
setting in time and place, the description of characters and the use of a narrator, often in the rst
person. They can be long or short stories. Sometimes short narratives are collected into
interrelated groups.
These collections of stories were very popular in the Middle Ages, and they had the dual aim of
both entertaining and instructing. The narration expressed the moral views of the time, as well as
depicting the changing social structure. The poems provide insight into the lifestyles, psychology
and experiences of individual characters.
The greatest example of a medieval narrative poem in English literature is Geoffrey Chaucer's
masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales. It is not simply a collection of verse tales. It is a long poem,
framed by a General Prologue. Each tale is told by a character. The tale has a meaning in relation
to the character of its teller and to the other characters in the poem, who make up the audience.
GEOFFREY CHAUCER
His life
Geo rey Chaucer was born around 1243, the son of a rich wine merchant in London. His family-s
wealth allowed him to receive a ne education.
Chaucer grew up in close contact with the royal family and often travelled to France and Italy,
where he became interested in Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio.
In 1374 he became Controller of the Customs in the Port of London. He was also. Member of
Parliament for Kent and may have supported the religious views of John Wycli e and Lollardy,
which called for a reform of the established church. In 1386 he was dismissed form all his o ces
and this left him without an income. In this period, he started to work on his masterpiece, The
Canterbury Tales. In 1389, however, the new king appointed him Clerk of the King’s Works at
Westminster.
Chaucer rented a house at Westminster, where he lived until his death. He was the rts poet to be
buried in what is known as poets corner in Westminster Abbey.
His three periods

Chaucer’s works are usually divided into three periods.
1. The French period includes poems modelled on French romance style and subjects, such as
The Romaunt of the Rose and The Boke of the Duchesse.
2. The Italian period shows greater maturity and skill in the use of metre. This period includes
The Parlament of Foules, a bird and beast fable; The Legende of Good Women, the rst
known attempt to use the couplet in English; and Troilus and Criseyde, a long poem adapted
from Boccaccio.
3. The English period is marked by greater realism and included his most famous work, The
Canterbury Tales.
His legacy
Chaucer is know as the father of English literature. He portrayed the English society of his time
and wrote his masterpiece in the dialect of his native London. The language he used went on to
become the basis of Modern English. He coined about two thousand words (plumage, twitter) and
phrases (love is blind, shaking like a leaf).
THE CANTERBURY TALES

Plot
The Canterbury Tales is about thirty pilgrims, including Chaucer as narrator, and a Host.
They are going on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. It is April
and they meet at the Tabard Inn in Southwark. To make the journey less boring, the Host suggests
having a contest where each pilgrim tells two stories on the way to Canterbury and two more on
the way back. The best story will win a prize. All the pilgrims agree, and the group sets o . But
Chaucer died before nishing this work, so the pilgrims never reach Canterbury.
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Frame Narrative
The poem has a “frame narrative”: a story that has other stories within it.
The “frame” is set up in the General Prologue, where the pilgrims meet and are introduced by the
narrator. The “stories within the story” are the twenty-four tales told by the di erent pilgrims. Their
tales deal with di erent topics and are usually preceded by prologue that introduces the theme.
Chaucer as narrator tells us directly, or sometimes ironically, what he sees and thinks, so the
reader is left to decide whether what he is reading is true or not. The tales often have realistic
elements, and they almost always have a strong moralising tone.
Style
The Canterbury Tales is a long narrative poem. Chaucer chose to focus on rhyme rather than
alliteration. The poem is written in heroic rhyming couplets, meaning that every two lines rhyme. It
also uses iambic pentameter: each line consists of ve “feet” of two syllables each, following the
pattern unstressed/stressed. The sound is similar to a heartbeat. This went on to become the
most common metre in English poetry.
Characters: The Pilgrims

Chaucer wanted to give a portrait of contemporary English society, so he used the pilgrimage as a
device to bring together people from different walks of life. He began his descriptions with a knight
who, along with his son, was the only representative of the nobility. Chaucer then moved to the
clergy, describing the character of the prioress and making fun of monks, friars and pardoners.
At Chaucer's time, the Lollardy movement, led by John Wycliffe, was criticising the church for its
power and corruption. Chaucer also portrayed members of the emerging “middle class” of
merchants and craftsmen, including the most famous pilgrim, the Wife of Bath. He did not describe
the high aristocracy, who would not have travelled with commoners, or peasants, who could not
have afforded such a trip.
Characterisation
Realism is the most distinctive feature of the work. Chaucer’s characters move and react to what
happens around them. This is in contrast to thee conventional medieval character portrait, which
was quite static. The descriptions of the pilgrims vary in length, point of view and tone. Some
emphasise the pilgrims’ appearance and clothes, other their action or personality. Their names
refer to their profession or role, and suggest a society in which work or title conditioned one’s
personality and view of the world. Chaucer also uses exaggeration, caricature, and satire when he
wants to expose the vices, aws and corruption in certain parts of society.
Themes
The main theme is that of the journey. Because it is set in spring, the pilgrimage is connected to
the idea of rebirth. It is also a spiritual journey to the holy destination of Canterbury. Thus the
journey of the pilgrims becomes an allegory of the course of human life.
Chaucer and Women

In the General Prologue Chaucer doesn’t follow the social hierarchy of presentation of the time.
Instead, he mixes male and female characters. This underlines the new importance of women
within the growing class of merchants and tradesmen. Some of the women Chaucer knew were
very independent. His wife always had a job with her own salary. He seems to show a real
understanding and respect for women.
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THE MEDIEVAL NARRATIVE POEM

His three periods

THE CANTERBURY TALES

Characters: The Pilgrims

Chaucer and Women

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