Category: Geoffrey Chaucer
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A Taming by a Shrew: Levels of Satire in Chaucer’s Wife of Bath
The Wife of Bath, a pilgrim in Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, holds strong views on many topics, such as sex, marriage, men, and the Bible. She speaks her mind clearly and at length, but she is also a manipulative, subtle, and untrustworthy narrator, who strives to control her audience just as she has controlled her…
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Decision Against Possibility: a Boethian Reading of “The Knight’s Tale”
“He who influences the thoughts of his times, influences all the times that follow. He has made his impress on eternity.” –Anonymous, ThinkExist.com Choice Verses Chance: A Boethian Reading of The Knight’s Tale For centuries, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales has entertained audiences worldwide with its eclectic and eccentric gathering of medieval characters. Part of…
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No Friend Like a Sister: Anne and Phaedra in The Legend of Good Women
In The Legend of Good Women, the God of Love predicates his definition of a “good woman” on the actions of surrounding characters rather than the protagonist herself. Being “virtuous” requires no action in these legends. Instead, it insists on a passive and emotional response to the action of a traitorous man. The construction of…
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Biography of Poet Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer is a diplomat and also a royal gardener. In short, he is the master of the day job. Poet was born around 1340 in London, England. In 1357 he became a civil servant for Countess Elizabeth of Ulster and continued his capacity with the British courts throughout his lifetime. The Canterbury Tales became the…
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Chaucer’s Dream Poetry in Context
In Chaucer’s three dream poems, “The Book of the Duchess“, “The Parliament of Fowles” and the unfinished “House of Fame”, universal issues such as love are explored by a narrator recounting a dream. Writing that incorporated dreams was popular in Medieval England as it allowed poets to discuss issues without taking a firm moral stance.…
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Passion and Virtue in ‘the Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale’ and ‘the Rivals’
In both Chaucer’s ‘The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale’ and Sheridan’s ‘The Rivals’, the question of morality is not a straightforward one, as there is tension surrounding the purpose of marriage and traditional social expectations. However, Chaucer’s exploration of passion and whether lust and virtue can co-exist is far more controversial that that of…
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Marriage: The Presentation of Januarie, Placebo and Justinus
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in the late 14th Century, featuring several tales loosely linked together that revolve around typical medieval lifestyles with its many modern day parallels. Marriage was a popular theme for debate during this time, with particular concerns to reasons for and consequences of marriage. Chaucer presents a variation of views,…
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Presentation of Women in Chaucer’s Works
Women in the Middle Ages generally had little opportunity to provide influence either in life or in literature. Little is known of their lives and thoughts because little was written from their viewpoint. Yet in an age and a society dominated by the “male gaze,” certain of Chaucer’s works take a different track, exploring the…
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Color Symbolism in The Miller’s Tale of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
“The Miller’s Tale”, a ribald and bawdy fabliaux about the generation gap, youthful lust, aged foolishness, and the selfishness and cruelty of people towards each other, contains a wealth of color terms which add to and expand the meaning of this rustic tale. The teller, too, the Miller, is described in detail in Chaucer’s “Prologue”…
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Chaucer’s Imagery in The Wife of Bath’s Prologue
Throughout ‘The Wife of Bath’s Prologue’, Chaucer uses imagery to enhance our understanding of the Wife’s character and principles. Chaucer makes use of simple yet powerful metaphors such as fire and nature to augment our understanding of the Wife’s personality. However, some of the more fundamental images throughout the poem – animals and trade, for…