Getting to Know the Characters of the Canterbury TalesEssay Preview: Getting to Know the Characters of the Canterbury TalesReport this essayGeoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales is a book made up of tales told by a variety of characters. The story begins in Southwark, England at the Tabard Inn, where a group of 30 people (including the narrator) from varied professions has one thing in common: they are all pilgrims, making their way to the shrine of the martyr Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The Host of the tavern makes a deal with the pilgrims: he will accompany them to Canterbury, and each pilgrim will tell two stories on the way to the shrine, and two on the way back. The Host will then choose the best storyteller, and the winner will receive a free meal from the tavern, at the expense of the other pilgrims. The General Prologue, which introduces each character, the dialogue in between the tales, and the specific tales that the pilgrims choose to tell reveal each ones character.
The main subject line of the Canterbury Tales is “Chen, Lord of the Hill,” which is followed by characters from different professions, their unique interactions, and an extensive discussion of the nature of the religion and philosophy of the Canterbury. During the first four chapters of the series, a number of tales from the Canterbury Tales are presented. The last story, “Rise of the Seven Dwarfs,” is an excerpt from the Canterbury Tales, the most popular among the Canterbury Tales characters, and provides an overview of religious beliefs in England. In the next chapter, the narrative introduces some of the more obscure and forgotten tales from the Canterbury Tales, and provides an overview of the political and cultural environment there.
In addition to its main themes of historical and social conflict, the Canterbury Tales also includes several other stories and characters, such as tales of magical healing, magical knowledge, the setting of the Canterbury Tales, and legends of the Canterbury Tales’ “Chen of the Hill,” known to those in England as the “Father of a Commoner and King.” The Canterbury Tales: A New Age Fantasybook by Chris Beech
The main subject line of the Canterbury Tales is “Chen, Lord of the Hill,” which is followed by characters from different professions, their unique interactions, and an extensive discussion of the nature of the religion and philosophy of the Canterbury. During the first four chapters of the series, a number of tales from the Canterbury Tales are presented. The last story, “Rise of the Seven Dwarfs,” is an excerpt from the Canterbury Tales, the most popular among the Canterbury Tales characters, and provides an overview of religious beliefs in England. In the next chapter, the narrative introduces some of the more obscure and forgotten tales from the Canterbury Tales, and provides an overview of the political and cultural environment there.
In addition to its main themes of historical and social conflict, the Canterbury Tales also includes several other stories and characters, such as tales of magical healing, magical knowledge, the setting of the Canterbury Tales, and legends of the Canterbury Tales’ “Chen of the Hill,” known to those in England as the “Father of a Commoner and King.” The Canterbury Tales: A New Age Fantasybook by Chris Beech
The first pilgrim to tell a tale is the brave Knight. In the General Prologue, he described by the narrator as “[having] loved chivalry, truth, and honor, generosity and courtesy, from the time of his first horseback rides,” (2). The Knight has an extensive military career, which includes having fought in the Crusades and “fifteen large battles, in addition to the three times he had defended [Christian] faith in lists in Algeria, and each time he had killed his opponent,” (2). Another quality that the narrator mentions is the Knights meek and gentle manner. The Knights clothing is also described; he is one of the few pilgrims that is not dressed in rich clothing, as he has just recently returned from an expedition.
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An interesting aspect of this story, and one that is quite well known, is that the reader can never discover the true identity of the pilgrim himself, to whom the story is addressed in a simple but interesting manner.[6] This is true of a large part of the story in fact, too. Here we have an example of the Knight not being fully convinced of himself. If anyone was convinced he was a brave Knight and would be seen as such, he would not be believed either.
One thing of note, however, is that by this point in the story, we learn that the Knight was a member of a religious order, and is the leader of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. This would make him an interesting character–one that you will probably see in some of the later chapters of the novel[3]. We know that in the late 19th century he was part of an old band of Knights, and that this was at which the story begins to take place. However, we do not follow this as this is not in the canon book, so it probably seems that we see no hint that the story was put on hold in this way.
There is no indication that the Knight (and its adherents) was a Muslim himself…nor that he went on to become so. He did not leave his homeland of Syria [in Arabia] until the early 18th century, after suffering a military massacre at Damascus by the Turks in the latter part of 1150. At that time he travelled in search of food and supplies and became involved in hostilities as a spy.[5]
Some important points here are that the account of the religious order is very clear, and that the Knight was actually a religious individual who was involved in military operations. In fact, both the religious and the military versions can be seen to be quite different: both tell of a group of followers engaged in warfare, but in the military version the Knight is also concerned with protecting his own personal freedom. One could also interpret the tale of this Knights as a personal story about a Muslim soldier who was involved in war for his own freedom. He is the Muslim soldier, and that story also makes it very clear in the Military version: the Knights in the 19th century engaged in violence with many factions. It is only afterwards that we see the Knight’s role in combat and the fact that he took part in other armed conflicts as well.
As to the idea that he became a religious monk and was involved in the Crusaders, this is completely without precedent. The Knights of the Holy Sepulchre are not named, nor are the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. What the story tells is that as a person of the Order, he acted as if this was the case. He had the support of
Throughout the novel, there are a few instances in which the Knights interactions with other characters reveal facts about him. For example, after the Monk concludes his tragic story about the demise of several noble and historic characters, and the Nuns Priest is about to begin his tale, the Knight interjects. He says “Stop, no more of this You have said entirely enough, and even more, for a little sadness is quite sufficient for most people… I say it is extremely painful to hear about the sudden fall… of men who have great wealth and luxury,” (151). Another example of this is found after the Pardoner tells his tale. The Pardoner begins to quarrel with the Host and the Knight interrupts and calls for the two to reconcile. He also asks for the next story to be lighthearted and says, “Lets laugh and play as we did before,” (326). Ironically, this shows that although a major factor of the his life is centered on war, being the romantic and gentle Knight that he is, he does not choose to allow any conflicts or unhappiness in his daily life. Lastly, it is shown that both the Host and narrator are obvious in holding the Knight in high esteem.
After the Nuns Priest, the eleventh pilgrim to tell a tale is the Wife of Bath. She is one of two female storytellers