canterbury tales essay

The Canterbury Tales

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The Canterbury Tales: Essay Topics & Samples

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Essay Topics

Essay sample.

• The Canterbury Tales – a glance to Medieval England. Explain how Geoffrey Chaucer presents the social system of Medieval England through the characters’ description. What classes does he introduce in the book? Elaborate on the drawbacks of society by providing examples from the text.
• The women’s role in The Canterbury Tales . How does the author portray the women in the book? Investigate the personality of the Wife of Bath . How does she look like, and what does she symbolize? Also, analyze her tale. What is the fundamental idea of the story? How does the Wife of Bath raise the issue of women’s desires?
• The church corruption. Analyze the religious representatives in the book. How do the Monk, the Pardoner, the Summoner, and the Friar’s look like? What clothes and accessories do they have? Elaborate on their lifestyles. How do these characters reflect on the ecclesiastical brunch problems?
• From light humor to harsh satire. How does Geoffery Chaucer mock the flaws of the social classes through humor and satire ? How do you think is such blatant ridicule of certain characters reasonable? Support your claims with examples and quotes from the book.
• The significance of the Knight. Analyze the character of the Knight . How does he behave? What does his clothing tell about him? Compare the Knight to the other characters. To make the contrast more visible, draw a parallel line between the Knight and the Miller . Support your statements with the quotes from the text.
• The Pardoner’s Tale and its relevance in the modern world. Briefly introduce the main characters of the story and their intentions. Why does a greedy nature drive them to commit cruel things? Compare the medieval times with the contemporary world. Is the Pardoner’s Tale still relatable? To make your essay even more dynamic, provide quotes from the text and real-life examples.
• Finding common ground. Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales impress with the vast diversity of archetypes presented in the book. Explain how all the pilgrims manage to find common ground despite all their differences. What is the Narrator’s and the Host’s role in establishing a connection between the travelers?
• Deceit as the core motif of the book. In The Canterbury Tales , the theme of lie and dishonesty appears in the prologue and numerous pilgrim’s tales. Why do the characters lie about their statuses? Explain how the travelers’ dishonesty characterizes the medieval society.
• The Miller’s Tale crudity. Analyze the Miller’s story full of rude and dirty jokes. What is the core idea of the tale? How does The Miller’s Tale reflect his personality? Provide appropriate quotes from the text to highlight Miller’s arrogance.
• The uniqueness of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Explore the distinctive features of the book. Comment on its unusual structure. What literary devices does Chaucer use to connect all the stories into one piece of writing? Explore the significance of the prologue in The Tales .

Even when you have a good idea, composing a good The Canterbury Tales essay can become a struggle. There are too many characters and stories in the book, so getting confused becomes extremely easy. Besides, the paper’s format and reasoning can be tricky to figure out.

Below, you’ll discover the essay samples about Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales that can help you write your own:

• “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales is one of the most well-known collections of tales. The narrator tells a story of pilgrims who are on their way to Canterbury. In the present essay, the creation of characters is explained. The author identifies the instances of irony and humor and discusses exciting words.
• “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” by Geoffrey Chaucer The Wide of Bath’s Tale is one of the best know stories from The Canterbury Tales . Besides an engaging plot, it provides insight into the role of women in that time through the tale. The essay discusses the main characters, the usage of irony, and the setting of the story.
• “The Wife of Bath” and Chaucer’s Antifeminism Essay From The Canterbury Tales , it might seem that Chaucer is a feminist. His stories often portrayed men as immoral creatures. The present essay aims to answer whether Chaucer strived to highlight the topic of feminism in his works.
• Human Issues in Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’ Canterbury Tales is the reflection of people’s daily life in the Kingdom of England in the 14th century. Surprisingly, the majority of topics discussed by Geoffrey Chaucer are still relevant nowadays. What are these issues? Why do we discuss them in the 21st century? Find out in this essay!
• Marriage According to Geoffrey Chaucer and Jane Austen Marriage has always been a hotly debated topic. Therefore, many writers discuss this issue in their works. But what Geoffrey Chaucer’s and Jane Austen’s perspectives on marriage are? Read this essay to compare and contrast the opinions of two of the most outstanding English writers.
• The Canterbury Tales: The Knight’s Tale Analysis What was The Knight’s Tale about? Are there any symbols, hidden context, or undiscovered questions? What’s the moral of this story? Find the answers to these questions in this paper!
• Social Life in Canterbury Tales vs. Pride & Prejudice: Compare & Contrast Essay How do Geoffrey Chaucer and Jane Austen describe social life in their works? The author of this essay considers its aspects in The Canterbury Tales and Pride & Prejudice . Read it and find out some valuable insights.
• Social Satire in The Canterbury Tales Wondering how Chaucer ridicules the flaws of society so masterfully? He applies satire for this purpose! Describing social problems in a satirical way, the author highlights the importance of their quick resolution. Check out this essay to analyze social satire in The Canterbury Tales in detail.
• Character Analysis of the Knight from The Canterbury Tales The Knight is one of the central figures in The Canterbury Tales. Therefore, a clear understanding of his personality is vital for the comprehension of the entire book. Read this essay to get an in-depth analysis of the Knight.
• Analysis of “The Miller’s Tale” from Canterbury Tales Among a wide variety of stories included in The Canterbury Tales , The Miller’s Tale turns out to be one of the spiciest ones. Why would Chaucer have such a story in his book? Search for an answer in the essay! Get a detailed analysis of The Miller’s Tale here .
• A Criticism of the Church in Canterbury Tales Religion has always been a controversial topic. If we talk about its role in 14th century England, the church becomes another intriguing issue to discuss. Examine this essay to find out about the weak sides of the church in Chaucer’s time.
• The Symbolism of Clothes in Canterbury Tales The way you dress up can reflect your personality. This is the case in The Canterbury Tales as well. Chaucer puts an emphasis on everyone’s clothing in the book. That’s why the author of the essay investigates the symbolic meaning of each character’s clothes. Check it out to gain some insights!
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The Knight: Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales Essay

The Knight is the narrator of the first tale in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. The Knight’s character is the complete opposite of the knight in the Wife of Bath’s Tale who rapes a girl. During the group’s pilgrim to Canterbury the Host suggests a story telling competition. The Knight draws the shortest stick and tells his tale first (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013). Getting to tell his tale first is a sign of his social standing in medieval England.

His tale is about a love triangle involving two knights and a woman. The two young knights, Arcite and Palamon, are prisoners of Theseus, Duke of Athens. While locked up in a tower they see Emelye in a nearby garden and fall in love with her. Later Arcite is set free but on condition that he never sets foot in Athens again.

The Knight presents us with the cruelty played by fate. Arcite is a free man but cannot access Emelye while Palamon can see Emelye but is in captivity. Arcite manages to make his way back to Athens in disguise. Palamon eventually escapes and bumps into Arcite singing about love and fortune.

A duel between the two is thwarted by the appearance of Theseus. The Duke organizes a proper duel between the two where the victor gets Emelye’s hand in marriage. Arcite prays to Mars for victory and Palamon prays to Venus to make Emelye his bride. Arcite defeats Palamon but falls off his horse before he can claim Emelye. Before dying he urges Emelye to marry Palamon. The gods had managed to grant both men their prayers (Finlayson, 1992).

Through his tale, the Knight depicts the knightly aspect of courtly love which was common in medieval Europe. Signs of courtly love in the tale include the two knights falling in love with Emelye at first sight and Arcite risking his life by coming back to Athens. Other displays of courtly love include the mass duel to win Emelye’s love. In courtly love easy attainment of love was of little value (Lords and Ladies, 2013).

The Knight is the ideal medieval crusader. He is brave, a man of honor and morally upright. The tale the Knight tells is full of knightly noble ideals. Chaucer describes him as one who has never spoken a harsh word to anyone (Finlayson, 1992). The Knight is also an idealist, demonstrating an aversion to conflict and gloominess.

In the Pardoner’s tale the Knight makes peace between the Host and the Pardoner. He comes across as the voice of reason in the group (Aers, 1980). He takes offence when the Pardoner tries to sell fake relics to the pilgrims. This further illustrates his morally upright character (A Knight’s Tale, 2002).

Despite being a well travelled and wealthy warrior, the Knight is not vain. Like one dedicated to the Christian cause he projects a humble and prudent image. His upright character is a strong contrast with other narrators such as the Miller and the Reeve. Unlike the Knight, the Miller is rude and contemptuous while the Reeve has a temper (Chaucer: The Knight’s Tale, 2013).

The Knight introduces the concept of justice and judgment to his audience. After Arcite is freed he asks the audience to consider the two knights and ponder on who is better off. (The Knight’s Tale, 2013).

The Knight is keen on creating meaning and order in matters that are ruled by passion and chance (Aers, 1980). He stops the Monk from finishing his tale which he reckons is too sad and gloomy. He prefers a story where the fortunes of the characters make a turn for the better.

Aers, D. (1980). Chaucer, Langland, and the creative imagination . London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Encyclopedia Britannica (2013). The Canterbury Tales (work by Chaucer) . Web.

Finlayson, J. (1992). The” Knight’s Tale”: The Dialogue of Romance, Epic, and Philosophy. The Chaucer Review , 27 (2), pp. 126–149.

Lordsandladies.org (2013). Courtly Love . Web.

Pathguy.com (2013). Enjoying “The Knight’s Tale”, by Geoffrey Chaucer . Web.

Public.wsu.edu (2013). Chaucer: The Knight’s Tale . Web.

Sites.fas.harvard.edu (2013). The Knight’s Tale (general note) . Web.

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IvyPanda. (2024, March 26). The Knight: Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-knight/

"The Knight: Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales." IvyPanda , 26 Mar. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/the-knight/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'The Knight: Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales'. 26 March.

IvyPanda . 2024. "The Knight: Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales." March 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-knight/.

1. IvyPanda . "The Knight: Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales." March 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-knight/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "The Knight: Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales." March 26, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-knight/.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Canterbury Tales — An Analysis Of Humor In The Canterbury Tales

An Analysis of Humor in The Canterbury Tales

• Categories: Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales

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Words: 1186 |

Published: Feb 8, 2022

Words: 1186 | Pages: 3 | 6 min read

Works Cited

• Chaucer, Geoffrey. Interlinear Translations of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/tr-index.htm.

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The Canterbury Tales

Satire in the canterbury tales anonymous college.

From corrupt politicians to Real Housewives of Orange County, symbols of hypocrisy in modern day society exude personas that are ripe for criticism. These symbols also exist in Geoffrey Chaucer’s prominent anthropological work The Canterbury Tales, attesting to the endurance of class structure and its affect on human behavior throughout history. To depict his interpretation of society during the Middle Ages, Chaucer satirizes the differences between his characters’ flaws and their perceived propriety, implying that their selfishness impedes their ability to act morally. Specifically, he targets three aspects of society that crumble beneath the power of hypocrisy: expertise, wealth, and religion.

While readers expect the well-educated characters to convey respectable qualities, Chaucer exploits their pretentiousness instead. They concentrate too much on their esteemed image in society and too little on their actual work. The Sergeant of the Law, a supposedly wise man, “was less busy than he seemed to be” (Chaucer 322). He emits an exaggerated air of professionalism to gain respect. Likewise, the Doctor acts extremely knowledgeable in the field of medicine, yet his unscientific methods indicate his fraudulence. Although “he was a...

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