Geoffrey Chaucer

The miller in "The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer is a character who tells a bawdy and humorous story, adding comic relief to the collection of tales told by pilgrims on their journey to Canterbury. He is portrayed as a boisterous and crude individual, often causing trouble and disrupting the group with his antics.

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In Geoffrey Chaucer's time, around the late 14th century, the population of England was estimated to be around 2 to 4 million people. This number varied due to factors like epidemics, wars, and famine.

Chaucer started as a Page and then a Valet, he was in the army and taken prisoner whilst with Edward lll. Later ramsomed. He was appointed Comptroller of Customs for the port of London, Justice of the Peace in Kent, he was elected to Parliament and also was Deputy Forester in Somerset

Geoffrey Chaucer is known for his innovative use of the English language in his works, particularly in his creation of poetic form and verse. One of his most notable contributions was popularizing the use of the vernacular in literature, helping to establish English as a literary language.

Post Chaucer: Art of Characterization

What the General Prologue offers is a brief, often very visual description of each pilgrim, focusing on details of their background, as well as key details of their clothing, their food likes and dislikes, and their physical features. These descriptions fall within a common medieval tradition of portraits in words (which can be considered under the technical term ekphrasis), Chaucer's influence in this case most likely coming from The Romaunt de la Rose.

Immediately, our narrator insists that his pilgrims are to be described by 'degree'. By the fact that the Knight, the highest-ranking of the pilgrims, is selected as the first teller, we see the obvious social considerations of the tale. Still, all human life is here: characters of both sexes, and from walks of life from lordly knight, or godly parson down to oft-divorced wife or grimy cook.

Each pilgrim portrait within the prologue might be considered as an archetypal description. Many of the 'types' of characters featured would have been familiar stock characters to a medieval audience: the hypocritical friar, the rotund, food-loving monk, the rapacious miller are all familiar types from medieval estates satire (see Jill Mann's excellent book for more information). Larry D. Benson has pointed out the way in which the characters are paragons of their respective crafts or types - noting the number of times the words 'wel koude' and 'verray parfit' occur in describing characters.

Yet what is key about the information provided in the General Prologue about these characters, many of whom do appear to be archetypes, is that it is among the few pieces of objective information - that is, information spoken by our narrator that we are given throughout the Tales. The tales themselves (except for large passages of the prologues and epilogues) are largely told in the words of the tellers: as our narrator himself insists in the passage. The words stand for themselves: and we interpret them as if they come from the pilgrims' mouths. What this does - and this is a key thought for interpreting the tales as a whole - is to apparently strip them of writerly license, blurring the line between Chaucer and his characters.

Thus all of the information might be seen to operate on various levels. When, for example, we find out that the Prioress has excellent table manners, never allowing a morsel to fall on her breast, how are we to read it? Is this Geoffrey Chaucer 'the author of The Canterbury Tales' making a conscious literary comparison to The Romaunt de la Rose, which features a similar character description (as it happens, of a courtesan)? Is this 'Chaucer' our narrator, a character within the Tales providing observation entirely without subtext or writerly intention? Or are these observations - supposedly innocent within the Prologue - to be noted down so as to be compared later to the Prioress' Tale?

Chaucer's voice, in re-telling the tales as accurately as he can, entirely disappears into that of his characters, and thus the Tales operates almost like a drama. Where do Chaucer's writerly and narratorial voices end, and his characters' voices begin? This self-vanishing quality is key to the Tales, and perhaps explains why there is one pilgrim who is not described at all so far, but who is certainly on the pilgrimage - and he is the most fascinating, and the most important by far: a poet and statesman by the name of Geoffrey Chaucer.

"The Canterbury Tales" includes various references to Christianity and the practices of the Catholic Church, reflecting the religious beliefs prevalent in medieval England. The stories and characters in the work often grapple with questions of morality, sin, and virtue within a Christian context. Chaucer weaves religious themes throughout the tales to provide social commentary and explore the diverse beliefs and practices of his time.

Geoffrey Chaucer shows a lot of knowledge about the medieval English society, particularly the social classes and their interactions, in his works such as "The Canterbury Tales." He provides detailed insights into the customs, beliefs, and behaviors of various groups, including nobility, clergy, and commoners.

Geoffrey Chaucer's political views are not explicitly known from his works, but as a courtier and diplomat, he likely navigated the political landscape of his time carefully. Some scholars suggest that his works, such as "The Canterbury Tales," reflect a nuanced understanding of power dynamics and social hierarchy in medieval England.

Geoffrey Chaucer lived during the time of the Black Death, a devastating plague in Europe in the 14th century. The experience of this pandemic likely influenced his writings, including "The Canterbury Tales," which provides insight into various aspects of medieval life during this tumultuous period. The plague's impact on society, culture, and the human experience can be seen reflected in Chaucer's works.

The friar was called a limiter in The Canterbury Tales because he had the authority to grant licenses to beg within a specific geographic area, known as a "limit." This allowed him to regulate the begging activities of other friars and maintain control over their activities.

Geoffrey Chaucer lived during the 14th century, from approximately 1343 to 1400. This period is known as the Late Middle Ages in English history.

In his sketch about the pardoner, Chaucer comments on the corruption and hypocrisy within the Catholic Church during his time. The pardoner is depicted as greedy, manipulating people's faith for personal gain, highlighting the moral decay and exploitation prevalent in medieval society. Additionally, Chaucer critiques the effects of materialism and greed on spiritual values, warning against the dangers of hypocrisy and deception.

The king during Geoffrey Chaucer's time was King Edward III of England (ruled 1327-1377).

In Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales", the pardoner is portrayed as a sexual deviant based on his appearance. Jokes are made about his sexuality such as questioning whether he is a "mare or gelding" or "Eunuch or homosexual". With the introduction of the pardoner, the tales go from light hearted to dark.

Geoffrey Chaucer's diverse job titles suggest that he was a versatile and multi-talented individual who was able to succeed in various roles. This may indicate that he had a broad range of interests and skills, which likely influenced the breadth and depth of his literary work.

During the period of 1343-1400, various rulers were in power around the world. Some notable rulers during this time include King Edward III and Richard II of England, Emperor Go-Kameyama of Japan, and Tamerlane in Central Asia. It was a period marked by significant political events and power struggles in different regions.

he was buried in westminster abbey in london

Geoffrey Chaucer was an influential English poet of the Middle Ages, known for works such as "The Canterbury Tales," a collection of stories told by pilgrims. He is often referred to as the "Father of English literature" for his significant contributions to the development of English poetry.

Geoffrey Chaucer likely traveled to Spain as a diplomat on behalf of the English king. It is documented that he made several trips to the country on diplomatic missions. Additionally, Spain was an important political ally of England during Chaucer's time, and diplomatic exchanges between the two countries were common.

It was considered good fortune for Chaucer to work for the nobility because it provided him with access to a higher social status, financial support, and opportunities to advance his career through networking and exposure to influential figures. This allowed Chaucer to establish himself as a prominent writer and secure various positions within royal service.

Geoffrey Chaucer (1343? - October 25, 1400) was influenced by two great Italian authors whose lifetimes overlapped with his: Giovanni Boccaccio (1313? - July 19, 1374) and Francesco Petrarca (July 20, 1304 - July 19, 1374). He additionally was influenced by a great Italian author whose post-humous impact never has stopped on the world's writers: Dante Alighieri (1265 - September 14, 1321).

Chaucer's decision to write in Middle English, rather than French, helped to popularize English as a literary language and played a key role in the development of the English language. This choice made his works more accessible to a wider audience and contributed to the growth of vernacular literature in England during the Middle Ages.

Chaucer worked for McDonalds as a Bell Boy, he tolled the bell to warn the beer guzzlers "Gentlemen time"

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The first moral lesson is not to act recklessly

The second is never tell a man that his wife is sleeping with another man because he will hate you for it.

The third is to always think before you speak

The forth is that once you've said something you cannot take it back and you must accept the consequence

"Keep well thy tonge, and thenk on the Crowe"