Scribd
Upload
138 views5 pages

Chaucer's Characterization in Prologue

After the fall of Greek and Roman empires, Europe entered a period of turmoil known as the Middle Ages dominated by the Catholic Church. During this time, English literature began to flourish with works in local languages rather than Latin. Geoffrey Chaucer was influential as one of the first major English writers during this period. In his most famous work The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer used characterization to vividly portray 29 pilgrims from different social classes, bringing 14th century English society to life. His realistic depictions of an array of characters, including both virtuous and corrupt figures, demonstrated his masterful skills in characterization that were unmatched for centuries.

Uploaded by

S Shree
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
138 views5 pages

Chaucer's Characterization in Prologue

After the fall of Greek and Roman empires, Europe entered a period of turmoil known as the Middle Ages dominated by the Catholic Church. During this time, English literature began to flourish with works in local languages rather than Latin. Geoffrey Chaucer was influential as one of the first major English writers during this period. In his most famous work The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer used characterization to vividly portray 29 pilgrims from different social classes, bringing 14th century English society to life. His realistic depictions of an array of characters, including both virtuous and corrupt figures, demonstrated his masterful skills in characterization that were unmatched for centuries.

Uploaded by

S Shree
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

After the fall of the Greek and Roman Empires, significant changes took

place in the world. The European continent and England in particular


entered a period of tumultuous time called “The Middle Age”. This
Middle age was described as a period of religious tyranny, during which
the Church is the sole authority in the Western part of Europe. It was a
period in which England faced uncountable hardships; it was the era of
failure with the spread of contagious diseases such as the Black Death,
which affected a third of the population.

In the twelfth century, however, literature started to prosper in England


with vernacular languages instead of Latin. In the fourteenth century, a
writer like Geoffrey Chaucer in England is influenced by these
humorous tales. The high development of English medieval literature is
due to Chaucer’s contribution. He is considered the father of English
literature. When we study English literature in depth, we come to know
that there had been many great writers who also presented their works
of literature by using their excellent and unique art of characterization.
Characterization is the process by which the writer reveals the
personality of a character. . If there had not been these characters in
any literature then the action of these mentioned literary works would
not have been shaped into a live presentation.

in the case of Geoffrey Chaucer, who is next to Shakespeare and the


greatest delineate of character in English Literature. Chaucer has such
kinds of traits in his art of characterization which makes his art so
unique. his great quality of presenting of characters had often been
compared with Dickens but the fact is different because Dickens had his
specialization in presenting abnormal characters while Chaucer’s
characters were supremely normal human beings.
It is the greatness of Chaucer that in the Prologue his twenty-nine
characters drawn from different classes of society represent the
fourteenth-century society as vividly and clearly as Pope represented
early eighteenth-century life in his poems such as The Rape of the Lock
and Dunciad. In the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales Chaucer's England
comes to life. We meet the Knight travel-stained from the war and as
meek as a girl in his behavior; the Squire with curly locks 'embroidered'
like a meadow full of fresh flowers, white and red; the Yeoman clad in
coat and hood of green; the Prioress, earnest to imitate the manners of
high society; the jolly Monk; the wanton and merry Friar; the drunkard
Cook; the Merchant; the Oxford Clerk; the Lawyer; the Doctor; the
Dartmouth Sailor; the Summoner; the Pardon; the Reeve; the Wife of
Bath, etc.

The very quality or uniqueness which strikes our imagination is that the
Prologue proves to be a veritable picture gallery. In other words, it can
be said that The details of their physical appearance, their social status,
and character are so artistically presented before our eyes that the
whole man or woman comes alive before our eyes. It is also said rightly
by some critics that Chaucer's characters are both individuals and
types.).The Knight was a chivalrous character of all ages. “a verray
parfit, gentil knyght,” was a worthy fellow who loved truth, honor,
freedom, and courtesy. He was a great warrior who had been in fifteen
deadly battles for the sake of the Christian faith. the Knight has been
individualized by his horse, dress, and gentle behavior. The young
Squire stands for the type of warriors who were not always lost in the
dreams of warfare, but are also interested in singing and playing a flute.
But he has been individualized by his curly locks, embroidered clothes,
and his short coat.
The corruption of the church was exemplified by the Friar, Monk,
Pardoner, and Summoner. Chaucer satirizes that the church seems to
place on money and position. As we look at the characters of Reeve and
Miller, we come to know that both of these were individualized by their
dishonesty. However, none of these characters remains merely a
“type”. if we talk about the physical beauty of some of the characters in
which we see that Reeve has long and thin legs, and the Summoner has
a face full of pimples. All these characters are marked as individual
representatives of their own classes. All of these religious characters
are equal partners in sharing the corruption of the church.

It is also one of the best traits of Chaucer's art of characterization that


he always uses contrast in his characterization. To simplify it, we can
say that the good and the bad rub shoulders together. On the one side,
we see that Chaucer presents a paragon of virtue in the characters of
the Parson and the Plowman, and on the other side, we see the
monsters of vice in the characters of the Reeve, the Miller, and the
Summoner.

if we talk about the women characters in the prologue to the


canterbury tales, Out of the twenty-nine pilgrims of The Canterbury
Tales, as already stated, only three were women: the Prioress, the Wife
of Bath, and the Second Nun. The three female narrators are shown as
individuals in a subjective tone, and they are to represent the two basic
roles of medieval women: nuns or wives. But, although the two nuns
imitate the female voices of religion. But the wife of Bath is considered
by many the most controversial character in the Tales.

The very first pilgrim woman is the Prioress, Madame Eglantine, and
she is the fourth character introduced by Chaucer in the General
Prologue, following the Knight, the Squire, and the Yeoman, in this
manner hinting at her nobility. “Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE,”
(I, 118) emphasizes the fact that she is not just a nun but a prioress,
thus pointing at her wealth and generous donation to the convent. Her
character is described as “desport”, “plesaunt”, “amiable”, “charitable”,
full of “conscience” and “tendre herte” to such extent that she would
easily weep if someone dares hurt an animal.

“A good WIF was ther of biside BATHE,” (I, 445). From the very first line
in her introduction, Alison is defined as a wife, and most importantly, a
“good wife”. In the lines from the General Prologue about Alison, two
facts attract attention the most: her five husbands and her habit of
going on pilgrimages. Alison afforded the luxury of going alone on
pilgrimages due to her properties. Yet the main reason Alison had five
husbands is simply that she enjoyed the company of men. Her greatest
talents are cloth-making and knowing the remedies of love. Varied
adjectives such as “deef”, “wrooth”, “fair” face, “worthy”, “gap-
toothed”, and “large” hips define her. All of these descriptions make
Alison appear more like a real woman. She is a wife and a woman who
does not fear men and society’s thinking, especially since she is clever
enough to justify her actions by quoting and counterattacking with valid
arguments. She is not flawless and most of the adjectives are used to
lead the reader to think of a typical woman of the Middle Ages.

Contrary to the other two pilgrim women, the Second Nun is only
mentioned but not described in the General Prologue. She does not
converse with other pilgrims and she only speaks when asked to tell her
story.
To sum up, we can say without any hesitation and fear of contradiction
that like Pope, Shakespeare and Milton, Chaucer is the master in the
portrayal of his characters and above all he is a realist and delineates
his characters as he sees them. We fully agree with the remarks of a
critic who observes: “Never before in English Literature had there been
anything like this company of real, unidealised, contemporary men and
women, and there was to be nothing comparable again until
Shakespeare began to write two hundred years later.”

You might also like