The Canterbury Tales

by Geoffrey Chaucer
 Background of these tales
Geoffrey Chaucer
wrote this story in
the late 1300s but
never finished it.

He wrote in the
native language or
vernacular of the
Medieval period in
Britain called
Middle English.
The Story
Twenty nine people
that represent all
aspects of Medieval
society go on a
pilgrimage to the
cathedral at
Canterbury in
southeast England.
 The cathedral at
Canterbury is the
main cathedral of
the Church of
England. The
shrine to the
martyr Saint
Thomas a Becket is
located at this
cathedral.
The story format
Chaucers
characters are
going to pay
respects to this
shrine as a part of
a religious
pilgrimage. They
all meet at a
tavern to begin
their journey.
 Saint Thomas a Becket was the archbishop
of Canterbury, and in 1170 he was
martyred by some knights of the king of
England, Henry II, who was overheard
complaining about Beckets loyalty to the
church at Rome over his loyalty to his
king.
 Some of the characters
The host of the tavern
or innkeeper is the
man who suggests
that the pilgrims each
tell a story on the way
to entertain the group.
Chaucer intended for
each to tell 2 stories,
but he only got to
write one apiece.
The following characters are the wife of Bath
and the pardoner,
The following characters are the priest and
the miller
And two more familiar characters are the
knight and his squire
Format of the poetry

The Canterbury
Tales are called a
frame story,
meaning that there
are many stories
framed in the
larger story of the
pilgrimage to
Canterbury.
1: Whan that aprill with his shoures soote
2: The droghte of march hath perced to the roote,
3: And bathed every veyne in swich licour
4: Of which vertu engendred is 8: Hath in the ram his
halve cours yronne,
9: And smale foweles maken melodye,
10: That slepen al the nyght with open ye
11: (so priketh hem nature in hir corages);
12: Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
13: And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
14: To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
15: And specially from every shires ende
16: Of engelond to caunterbury they wende,
17: The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
18: That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
19: Bifil that in that seson on a day,
20: In southwerk at the tabard as I lay
21: Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage
22: To caunterbury with ful devout corage,
23: At nyght was come into that hostelrye
24: Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye,
25: Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle
26: In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle,
27: That toward caunterbury wolden ryde.
 Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
When April with its sweet-smelling showers
2 The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
Has pierced the drought of March to the root,
3 And bathed every veyne in swich licour
And bathed every vein (of the plants) in such liquid
4 Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
By which power the flower is created;
5 Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
When the West Wind also with its sweet breath,
6 Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
In every wood and field has breathed life into
7 The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
The tender new leaves, and the young sun
8 Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
Has run half its course in Aries,
9 And smale foweles maken melodye,
And small fowls make melody,
10 That slepen al the nyght with open ye
Those that sleep all the night with open eyes
11 (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),
(So Nature incites them in their hearts),
12 Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
Then folk long to go on pilgrimages,
13 And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
And professional pilgrims to seek foreign shores,
14 To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
To distant shrines, known in various lands;
15 And specially from every shires ende
And specially from every shire's end
16 Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
Of England to Canterbury they travel,
17 The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
To seek the holy blessed martyr,