Geoffrey Chaucer:

Representative of
Fourteenth Century
- February 02, 2016
Q-1 "Chaucer's work represents his
14th century completely". Amplify?
Q-2 " Worldly people on an
unworldly journey". How far is this
a correct description of the pilgrims
in the Prologue?
1- The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales is a remarkable
piece pertaining to social criticism.
Like Pope and Tennyson, Chaucer, too, painted the life of his time in
his poetry. The social group of thirty pilgrims covers the entire
range of fourteen century English society, leaving only loyality on
the one hand and the lowest life on the other. Chaucer lived in an
age which was epoch- making in religious, social and political
planes. The victories of the English army in the continent made
Calais an English colony and the nation prosperous. The disasters,
which came after the victories, helped in ripening the English mind.

2- The Renaissance is also known for its humanism, because it

aroused interest in human character. The Renaissance emphasized
the individual traits, which distinguish one man from another.
Chaucer imparts individual traits to his characters. They are not
mere- types, but also individuals. Thus, the individual
characterization in Chaucer is a Renaissance trait. So it is a modern
trait in his poetry.

3- Chaucer presents in The Prologue his different characters from

the various classes of the English society of the time. Leaving aside
the very highest and the very lowest of the English society, his
twenty nine pilgrims represents the whole range of the English
nation. The Prologue is thus the picture- gallery of the fourteen
century England. Chaucer's portraits are quite Realistic. It is with
great tolerance and sympathy that he has given a vivid and true
picture of the English society. Chaucer discarded the fantastic world
of dream and allegory. He painted his society in a realistic manner
and with great artistic detachment. These make his poem a far
greater work of art.

4- Chaucer's age was medieval although new trends were coming to

the surface. He did believe in medieval Chivalry which stood for
love, heroism and religion. Chaucer's knight is an example of
medieval chivalry. He has been a warrior of fifteen battles, fought in
defence of Christian shrines. The Knight's Tales is also full of
medieval chivalry. Thus, The Prologue is a true and comprehensive
picture of Chaucer's age.

5- As Chaucer is aware of the weakness of the Churchmen and their

love of money, corruption and materialism, so The Prologue gives a
vivid picture of the Church. The Monk, the Friar, the Summoner, the
Pardoner, and the Prioress are examples of the corrupt clergy. They
neglect their duties.
The Monk is fond of hunting and opposed to serious study and
penance. The Friar uses the gift of the gab to knock out money from
the people. The Pardoner makes money by selling pardons to the
sinners. The Prioress is modish in her behavior and fastidious in her
manners. All these characters, except the poor Parson, show how
the Churchman had become depraved. These characters indicate
that various drawbacks had crept into the Church.

6- The physicians represents the medical profession of the

fourteenth century. In those times, astronomy or rather astrology
was an important element in the training of a medical man. The
medieval theory of disease was that they were due to the peculiar
combinations of stars and planets, which effected the human body.
The standards of cleanliness and sanitation was very low. So, the
great plague raged for a number of years. The Doctor of Medicine
made a pile of money during a great plague and was keen to keep it
with him. In The Prologue and The Canterbury Tales, we do get an
accurate picture of English social life in the fourteenth century.

7- The trading and artisan classes were gaining prominence in this

age. The new industries of silk and glass making and brassware were
becoming quite popular. This led to expansion of business. A class of
Merchants acquired prominence as the middle-man between
craftsmen and consumers. Chaucer has given an important place to
the Merchant. The Merchant is a typical representative of his class.
He is always talking about the increase in his income, and knows
well how to make money in the market place. The other classes of
craftsmen, namely, the Haberdasher, the Carpenter, the Weaver, the
Dyer, and the Tapicer were also fairly prosperous. Their good
clothes and equipments show that not only were they respectable in
their looks, but also economically stable. Chaucer in The Prologue
has given a vivid picture of the commercial classes.

8- ThePrologue is a Cross-Section of the fourteenth century society

which consisted of three main classes- that of the Knights
representing medieval chivalry, that of the clergy representing the
Church, and that of the workers. In the Prologue, Chaucer paints a
National Portrait Gallery with some of thirty odd characters who, by
and large, constitute the society of his time. Except for royalty and
the lowest step of the ladder of English society. The Prologue is a
complete representative of the ranks and professions of English
medieval society with the Church and the State as its principal
pillars.

9- The Prologue has a documentary value, because it is possible to

reconstruct the life of the fourteenth century society from it.
However, Chaucer has avoided references to any of the following
political and sociological events because he was not writing the
history of his period.

1. The struggle of the House of Lancaster.

2. The Wyclifite Movement or Lollardism.
3. The Democratization of England.
4. The Anglo- French Wars.
5. The Peasant's Revolt.
6. The Rise of English Nationalism.
7. The Black Death

9- Inthe end, we can say that Chaucer is the perfect exponent of his
age and his poetry reflects the fourteenth century.

Critical Remarks:
"Certain features of the plan strike the reader at once and hence
need only be mentioned. The sketches were divised to provide
representatives of the chief classes of English Society under the
higher nobility. No one ever supposed it chance that there are one
knight, one lawyer, one Monk, etc. Moreover, the sketches not only
give typical traits of temperament, appearance and manners but
incorporate the essentials of medicine, law, scholarship, religion, the
theory of knighthood, and also satire on faults in social life; they
summarize the noblest ideals of the time and the basest
practices". (J. R. Hulbert)