Geoffrey Chaucer: Representative of Fourteenth Century
 |
| Pixabay.com |
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 loyalty 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 defense 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 brass ware 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- The Prologue 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.
- The struggle of the House of Lancaster.
- The Wyclifite Movement or Lollardism.
- The Democratization of England.
- The Anglo- French Wars.
- The Peasant's Revolt.
- The Rise of English Nationalism.
- The Black Death
9- In the 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 devised 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)
Related Topics:
Geoffrey Chaucer's Irony