Geoffrey Chaucer ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’

Geoffrey Chaucer‘The pen is mightier than the sword’

‘The father of English Poetry’

Chaucer The Middle Ages: Born to wealthy, well-connected parents in

London. His exact date of birth is unknown (between 1340-1343)

Mother: believed to have been Agnes de Copton – niece of an official at the Mint.

Father: John – wine merchant

In 1347 his father was called away on business to Southampton. The family went with him and it was during this time that the Black Death arrived in England (killing a third of England’ population) *NB: If it weren’t for his father’s position, he may never have written a word!

The Chaucer's returned to London in 1356 after the outbreak of plague was over.

Education Chaucer would have learnt reading and writing and his

practice of the language would have been based on religious texts.

These subjects would have been taught in French due to William the Conqueror’s invasion in 1066 – some 300 years prior.

Latin would have been high on the curriculum also.

NB: By the end of his lifetime students were being taught in English, which suggests that Chaucer witnessed some substantial changes in the English Language!

Chaucer (aged 14-17 years) In 1357, Chaucer was sent to be a

page in Prince Lionel’s household (the son of King Edward III) * Page: a cross between a job and an education.

He was a household servant but he was taught subjects like languages and grammar.

It was a privilege to hold this position.

Chaucer (aged 14-17 years) ‘The Hundred Years War’ – England had been at war

with France.

Chaucer joined the army in 1359 as a squire (a knight’s assistant) and he was sent to France to fight.

After looking for food and supplies, he was collared by a French man ending up in prison.

He waited in prison for four months before he was ransomed. The English paid £16 for his release and he never went to war again.

Chaucer In approximately 1366 he married

Philippa de Roet, a lady in waiting to the Queen. This position was much sought after.

In the Middle Ages it was common for people to marry for increased wealth or status. Both Philippa and Chaucer had highly acclaimed jobs and it is possible that they married for this reason.

They spent a lot of time apart – Philippa in Lincolnshire and Chaucer in London.

NB: Chaucer did not write poems for Philippa as it was not in fashion to write poems to one’s wife.

Chaucer Philippa and Chaucer had a daughter, Elizabeth. (She

later became a nun in 1381)

A son, Thomas Chaucer, was born in 1367. He followed his parents’ footsteps and held a successful royal job. His own daughter held the title of ‘Duchess of Suffolk’.

They had a second son, Lewis. However, there is no information on Lewis as an adult and consequently, historians assume that he died young.

Philippa died in 1387 – they had been married for 20 years.

Chaucer - Writing Chaucer started his writing

in French. It was considered to be a ‘poetical language’ that was spoken by nobility.

After time, Chaucer began to write in English and it was he that started a ‘fashion’ for it.

He translated the French poem ‘ Romance of the Rose’, which was considered to be quite raunchy and rude for the era.

Chaucer He held the position of Medieval

Royal Diplomat in the service of King Edward III (secret business).

Chaucer was now a wealthy man who owned both rare and not to mention expensive possessions including... Books! *NB: Books during Chaucer’s time were incredibly valuable and they were often chained to library shelves. Books could only be borrowed by paying a large sum as a deposit.

The printing press hadn’t been invented at this stage and each book had been handwritten.

Chaucer’s own works weren’t ‘published’ in the form of a book until after his death.

Chaucer owned approximately 60 books of his own.

Chaucer - Writing By 1380, Chaucer had the

reputation as a poet. He recited his poetry and this was a popular form of entertainment at the royal court.

Chaucer completed a poem titled ‘Troilus and Cressida’ in 1383. It has been labelled ‘the first novel in English’ due to its length and the fact that the characters are complicated and believable.

The poem is about the Trojan War and is considered a tragedy. This term was used for the first time in English by..... You guessed it – Chaucer!

He learnt and read widely in Latin, French, Anglo-Norman and Italian. He became an expert scientist in astronomy, medicine, and physics which was evident in his works and he also quotes freely from the Bible.

Chaucer Chaucer continued writing poems and working for King

Richard II.

In 1385 he was given the position of ‘Justice of the Peace’. This meant that he made judgements on minor crimes.

In the following year he moved to Greenwich and as well as a JP he was made a ‘Member of Parliament’ (MP) for Kent.

The king, in 1389, appointed him Clerk of King’s Works, which involved the administrative work on building works on all of the king’s property. He resigned from the role in 1391.

Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales

‘The Canterbury Tales’ is the last poem Chaucer wrote but it is certainly his most famous.

It’s the first poem about ordinary life written in the English language, although it was never completed.

It consists of approximately 18,000 lines written in Middle English.

The poem starts in London with a group of people who are to set off on a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury. *NB: Religion was a big part of life in the Middle Ages and this was very much the done thing!

Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales The group consists of 30 people with different backgrounds (a

friar, knight, physician and a housewife from Bath – just to name a few!) and it is decided that they each tell two tales on the way and two on the way back to pass the time on their journey.

The person with the best story would have his or her dinner paid for them on their return.

The style of each tale differed and some were rather rude, as ‘respectable’ people in the Middle Ages were allowed to be rude compared to those in today’s society. Laughing at dirty jokes was acceptable and common.

Chaucer interrupts his poem to ‘apologise’ for the vulgarity of his characters. He even goes so far as to state ‘I am a rude man’.

Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales The prologue is ‘a concise portrait of an entire nation’. The

most noticeable thing about the characters is their ‘normality’.

The tales had the common themes of love, marriage and domestic harmony.

A majority of the tales reflect the pilgrims and their personalities and each one ends with a proverb or other wisdom.

The journey appears to occupy five days (16-20 April) and it led to the outskirts of Canterbury.

At this point, Chaucer withdraws from this task with an apology. He only wrote 24 tales – four of which are incomplete. It is made apparent from the works that he didn’t revise as he went.

Chaucer – The Canterbury Tales Collections of stories were common during this time. ‘It was not

considered the function of a teller of stories in the fourteenth century to invent the stories he told, but to present and embellish them... for the purposes of entertainment and instruction’. (The tales come from all over Europe!)

Canon’s Yeoman – his own invention?

‘The Wife of Bath’s Prologue’ and ‘The Merchant’s Tale’ are the most renowned of his tales.

More than 80 copies of ‘The Canterbury Tales’ are still around. *NB: It’s unusual for manuscripts of poems to survive from Chaucer’s time. This suggests that it was very popular with many copies being made.

It has never gone out of print in English!

Chaucer In 1398 – Chaucer returned

to London.

He died on 25 October 1400. He was originally buried in an ordinary grave but some 150 years later he was given a tombstone in Westminster Abbey (usually for kings and queens).

His tomb is in what is now know as ‘Poet’s Corner’. He was the first of many writers to be buried there.