For Canterbury Tales , Geoffrey Chaucer drew on an existing tradition of storytelling—most notably, The Canterbury Tales’ frame story is the tale of a group of 30 people who tell stories to each other as they travel together on a pilgrimage from London to Canterbury in fourteenth-century England. The Canterbury Tales consists of both manifest and latent content. Chaucer used certain characters to access two levels of meaning. In its simplest form, this story is a “road trip” where the narrator and his readers journey Canterbury from different perspectives.
On one level, The Canterbury Tales describes a pilgrimage, an event in contemporary life that would have been familiar to almost all of Chaucer’s original audience. However, pilgrims also symbolize a spiritual quest—one that can be undertaken at any time in a person’s life. This symbolism begins with the Canterbury pilgrims themselves: Giles and Alison Hausknecht write that “The Canterbury pilgrims are neither wholly good nor evil; they represent human nature itself.
In addition, the Canterbury Tales contain symbolic numbers: 30 passengers on a pilgrimage represents the number of years the human race was supposed to spend wandering in exile. There are also seven deadly sins (or types of sinners), three aspects of life, and four humours represented by the Canterbury pilgrims. The Canterbury tales frame story is about a group of 30 people who tell stories to each other as they travel together from London to Canterbury, but not all these tales have been passed down through history because some Canterbury Pilgrims died on their way back from Canterbury.
This collection of stories is called “Canterbury Tales” and it must be noted that Geoffrey Chaucer wrote this collection yet he doesn’t feature in any of the tales except for being a pilgrim himself who takes part in storytelling sessions with his fellow pilgrims along the journey. Canterbury Tales is the story of a group of pilgrims who have been summoned from all walks of life to set out for Canterbury by way of Canterbury, and while they are on their way back from Canterbury they reach an inn where they all gather to eat dinner.
Here Geoffrey Chaucer starts telling stories to entertain everybody and thus Canterbury tales begins. The pilgrims eventually gather in the courtyard before dinner, there, Chaucer or one of his characters tells them entertaining or racy anecdotes which he claims were heard at a storytelling competition held annually in London. It’s important to note that these were actually written after Canterbury tales . Chaucer intended Canterbury Tales as entertainment for people that traveled with him on a pilgrimage from Southwark to Canterbury Cathedral in England.
Canterbury Tales can be interpreted on several levels, which has made it one of the most challenging Canterbury Tales was written in Middle English during the 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury tales frame story is about a group of people who have decided to go on pilgrimage together from London to Canterbury and while they are on their way back from Canterbury, one of them re-tells some stories that he heard at an annual storytelling event held in London every year.
The Canterbury tales frame story begins when a group of 30 pilgrims gather at an inn to have dinner before they start their journey again towards Canterbury). During the course of this meal, one man entertains everyone after another with his witty stories and anyone who wishes to contribute a tale, does so by telling their own story. Canterbury tales frame story is the first Canterbury tales that Chaucer ever wrote and there are many Canterbury tales that he actually wrote after Canterbury tales frame story but they are all part of Canterbury tales which include both manifest and latent content.
The Canterbury Tales were intended as entertainment for upper class people who had gone on a pilgrimage from London to Canterbury. The pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales represent the lower classes during this time period. Traveling was an integral part of society, because it allowed groups to socialize, exchange ideas, share information, and learn about other cultures. One of the most popular forms of travel at this time was on foot with a group of people called “pilgrims,” who sought redemption for their sins by traveling to Canterbury.
Canterbury Tales frame story is about how pilgrims traveled on a pilgrimage from London to Canterbury and while they were returning back to London, one of them starts telling stories that he heard at an annual storytelling event held in London. Canterbury tales frame story begins when Chaucer (or one of his characters) tells everyone gathered in the inn some entertaining stories which he claims he heard at an annual storytelling event held annually in London.
In fact, his avarice is revealed early on in the Canterbury Tales through his “gift” of absolution. The pardoner’s tale makes a statement about how greed affects people and magnifies evil traits to a larger degree than they would be if there were not an aspect of greed involved. The Pardoner’s tale displays what can happen when one is consumed by greed. In addition to detailing how greed can have an overall negative impact on those influenced by it, the Canterbury tales as a whole presents messages that are applicable even today.
In Geoffrey Chaucer’s frame story Canterbury Tales , the theme of avarice is further revealed as evident through interwoven aspects between this character his tale. The Pardoner’s Prologue in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales is a lengthy passage that provides much insight into the character of the pardoner. The beginning of this passage reveals much about the pardoner’s greed by establishing his motive for being so deceptive. “He [the Pardoner] was a gentil harlot and a kynde… For gold in phisik is a cordial, / Therfor he loved gold in special. ”
This tells us that the pardoner had an obsession with money and that it was not simply a desire to acquire wealth for its own sake but instead a craving to find remedies for illnesses at all cost, even if it meant selling false relics to gain money. While the pardoner does seem to be very self-amused in his lies and mischief, we can see that he is also very concerned about making a profit.
In Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales , this character is easy to identify with because of his greed and how it has caused him to become so unapologetically greedy. The Pardoner’s Preface provides insight into the fact that there are no limits to the pardoner’s avarice: “And if yow lakke oght of my preyere, I preye God yeve yow right good chaunce” This quote brings up questions regarding whether or not people should trust this character at all.
