Historical Context
What language was The Canterbury Tales written in?
Middle English
The Canterbury Tales takes place in spring, representing rebirth and new beginnings. In this context, spring is a...
Symbol
What are some characteristics of the Pardoner?
Greedy, manipulative, sweet-talker, scammer, deceitful
What are some characteristics of the Wife of Bath?
Confident, outspoken, bold, intelligent, extravagant
These two knights fall in love with the same woman while imprisoned in Athens.
Arcite (Arcita) and Palamon
Draw the feudal triangle and place the classes in their correct places.
God at the top, followed by the King/ Queen, powerful nobles and clergy, knights, and the peasantry at the base.
In "The Wife of Bath's Tale," the moral lesson that women desire equality in relationships exemplifies the story’s universal message, known as the...
Theme
Who directs the gamblers to the tree where they eventually find the gold?
The old man
The queen gives the knight one year and a day to discover the answer to this question that will save his life.
What is the thing that women most desire?
This Duke of Athens captures Palamon and Arcite and later organizes the tournament to settle their conflict.
King Theseus
What century was The Canterbury Tales written in?
The late 14th-century (1387-1400)
Many of the tales in The Canterbury Tales are written in rhyming pairs of lines, a poetic structure known as this.
Rhyming couplets
Despite preaching against greed, the Pardoner is guilty of this behavior when selling fake relics and indulgences, showing that he is a...
Hypocrite
After the knight allows his wife to choose for herself, she transforms into this.
A young, beautiful, faithful woman
This woman becomes the object of both knights’ desire when they see her walking in the garden.
Emily
Why did Chaucer write The Canterbury Tales in Middle English, and not the language of nobility (French)?
Chaucer wanted to make his work accessible to a broader audience.
The Pardoner is greedy and sells fake relics, yet he still preaches that greed is the root of all evil; this literary device occurs when a character’s actions contradict the message they promote.
Irony
The Pardoner famously states that this type of desire is “the root of all evil.”
Greed (avarice)
According to the old woman, what women most desire in their relationships and marriages is this.
"A woman wants the same self-sovereignty over her husband as over her lover." Women desire equality and self-governance, not to be ruled by their partners.
What does Theseus announce before the tournament?
That no one shall die in this tournament. The winner is decided whenever Arcite or Palamon is captured or injured.
What was Geoffrey Chaucer's main purpose in writing The Canterbury Tales?
Chaucer wanted to critique the injustice and inequality he saw in Medieval society.
Chaucer uses irony, humor, and exaggerated characters to criticize corruption in the medieval church and expose society’s flaws; this literary device is called this.
Satire
Describe the scheme of the two oldest gamblers and the scheme of the youngest.
The two oldest plan to stab the youngest in the back, while the youngest plans to kill them with poisoned wine.
What three topics does the wife rebut (argue) against to convince the knight that he should be happy to marry her?
Gentility (social superiority due to class and manners), poverty, and old age
Before the tournament, who do Palamon, Arcite, and Emily pray to?
Palamon prays to Venus (Goddess of love), Arcite prays to Mars (God of war), Emily prays to Diana (Goddess of chastity).