Discuss The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales as a picture gallery of the 14th century English Society.

Answer

Discuss “The General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales” as a picture gallery of the 14th century English Society. 

Or, Discuss Chaucer as a representative poet. 

Or, How does Chaucer portray contemporary society in the General Prologue?

Or, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales” as a Picture of Contemporary Society. Discuss.

Or, Chaucer represents his age not in fragments but almost completely. Discuss.  

Literature contains the contemporary tendencies of an age. A literary artist, through the quality of his literary work, becomes the mouthpiece of his age. Pope represents the eighteenth century, the Age of Neoclassicism (1660-1785), Tennyson to the Victorian era (1837-1901), and Wordsworth the Romantic age (1798-1832). Like Wordsworth, Pope, and Tennyson, Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) represents his age through his authentic literary work “The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales.” He is truly the social chronicler of England in the late fourteenth century. His poetry reflects fourteenth-century England not in fragments but as a complete whole.

Other poets of his age had limited knowledge and attention to their time. But Chaucer was different. In his works, he presents a picture of corruption in the Church, religious hypocrisy, the frivolity of women, a materialistic outlook, political conditions, trade, and so on, making him the representative poet of his time.

Political Landscape: In the “General Prologue to Canterbury Tales,” Chaucer realistically presents the political conditions of his times. He refers to the “Peasant’s Revolt” of 1381 in the Clerk’s Tale and again in the Nun’s Priest’s Tale. In the Clerk’s Tale, he refers to the ‘stormy people’, their levity, untruthfulness, indiscretion and fickleness, talkativeness, and foolishness. 

Religious Apostasy: Through the ecclesiastical or religious characters in “The General Prologue to Canterbury Tales,” Chaucer vividly represents the church’s condition and its ministers in his age. Instead of devoting their time and energy to religious meditation, the clergymen have shown their love for money, corruption, and a materialistic outlook.

There are seven wicked ecclesiastical characters in “ The General Prologue to Canterbury Tales.” Chaucer could not tolerate their growing corruption, so he satirized them. Among them, the monk enjoys a life of luxury. He enjoys hunting and owns many excellent horses. Here are few words from the poem to clarify his activities. 

“A manly man, to been an abbot able.

Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable,

And whan he rood, men myghte his brydel heere”

Expansion of Trade and Rise of Merchants: For the first time in the history of England, the trade and merchants’ section of society was coming in literature in the age of Chaucer. The fourteenth century in England witnessed the rise of prosperous merchants and tradesmen.  Chaucer represents five guildsmen. Small traders and handicraftsmen grew into power and became solvent. Chaucer refers to the rise of trades and merchants during his times, and his Merchants were the type of merchants gradually becoming prominent. The picture of the average merchant has a familiar ring about in:

“Wel koude he in eschaunge sheeldes selle.

This worthy man ful wel his wit bisette;”

Representation of the Lower Class: Chaucer faithfully represents the voice of the lower class that they made for better conditions of life. And he also represents the rise of the lower classes. In the Clerk’s Tale, Chaucer refers to the “stormy people” and their untruthfulness and fickleness. The laborers shouted for their rights. Chaucer’s Ploughman faithfully represents the class of conservative laborers who were devoted to their masters and faithfully performed ordinary activities.

Condition of Table Manners: Chaucer also portrays the conditions of the pilgrims’ table manners. In the Prologue, we can see that inns were situated at some distances, and beer was also served in places other than these inns. There is also a long discussion on table manners of that age in the Prologue. Each guest brought his knife. At the beginning and end of dinner, everyone washed their hands. The Prioress displays impeccable table manners. She always ensures no food or sauce falls from her lips.

“She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle,

Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe.

Wel koude she carie a morsel and wel kepe

Thát no drope ne fille upon hire brist;”

Representation of the Medical Profession: Chaucer’s portrait of the Doctor of Physic fairly represents a medieval medicine man. Doctor of Physic practices herbal remedies. Here, his knowledge of astronomy and astrology is also traceable. He was so busy in his profession that he had no time to read the Bible. Chaucer rightly said,

“His studie was but litel on the Bible.”

Situation of Women: Chaucer represents the situation of a woman through the characters The Wife of Bath, The Prioress, and The Second Nun. Women of the 14th century were so much passionate and serious about love. They were also hard-working. They were associated with household chores and cloth making. They were a little bit shy and careful about chastity. They were fond of fun and merry-making. That is revealed through The Wife of Bath in “The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales.”

“Of remedies of love she knew per chauncé,

For she koude of that art the olde daunce.”

To sum up, The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue represents the vivid socio-political condition of 14th-century England in Chaucer’s age. Each of the pilgrims in the prologue is from a different walk of life and represents different parts of society. So, it can be said that Chaucer is a chronicler of his age and reflects his century almost completely, not in fragments.