Between 1340 and 1400: Geoffrey Chaucer
Between 1340 and 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, an English author and poet, resided. Chaucer, who was raised as a commoner, eventually interacted with the nobility and rose to become a powerful figure in the community. The Canterbury Tales, one of his best-known works, was composed between 1340 and 1400. The tales were written in Middle English, a dialect of the language that is close to modern common English. The Canterbury Tales are well-known not only for their resemblance to contemporary English but also for their internal and exterior rhymes, which is a poetic and musical beauty. This paper seeks to dissect the content and message of two texts The General Prologue (pg. 237) and The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale (p 251). In these paper we will examine notable words in the two text, examine the meaning of the words and context. This word analysis will help in forming new understanding about the text as well as explore predominant themes.
Gentleman: A Person of Privileged Lineage
Gentleman (Greenblatt, p234), from the oxford English dictionary the word is believed to have emanated from the phrase gentilz hom in Old French. The primary meaning of the word is used to denote a person of privileged lineage, or one having the same rank as that of a privileged lineage properly. In the medieval era gentlemen were entitled to bear arms, although they were not considered nobility. The term can also apply to an individual of distinction, who demonstrated likeable and acceptable qualities such as chivalry and fine living. Today, the world may be used to courteously refer to a man without regard to their profession or status in society.
Chaucer's Satire on Social Hierarchy
In Chaucer’s time society was divided in to three castes; the church, the nobility and the commoners. However, Chaucer was of a rare caste one which was not associated with any of the three. Born as a commoner, Chaucer would warm his way into the hearts of the nobility through education and interactions. This rare type of people were referred to as gentlemen. The use of this word in the first section of the poem clearly helps in depicting the social classes and status prevalent at the time. Chaucer uses social satire to criticize and ridicule this rigid hierarchy. Although, this work is fiction it seeks to establish the position of people like him given the existing hierarchies. Critics have argued that through the satire Chaucer aims at breaking down the existing hierarchies.
Pilgrimage as a Symbol of Church Corruption
Pilgrimage (Greenblatt, p232), the word has French origins, coming to prominence in the 10th century. Meaning in both the oxford English dictionary and the LEME definitions are similar and identical. The most common meaning is: the act or practise of taking a long distance journey to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion. Pilgrimage can also be used to denote the period of travelling or wandering from place to place in search of asylum. Pilgrimage might also be used metaphorically to refer to the progression of life as an avenue to heavenly abundance and spiritual nourishments. Today, the meaning of the word is mainly that of a journey to a sacred place in the sense of religious devotion.
The use of the word "pilgrimage" by Chaucer proves significant when helping to explain and demonstrate the theme of church corruption. The Church was an immensely powerful force and wealthy in Chaucer’s society. However, people were beginning to develop suspicions over the Church’s ostentatious wealth. Everybody seems to be on pilgrimage to Canterbury. A closer look, however, shows that not everyone is a pious pilgrim. For most of the pilgrims, the pilgrimage is a tourist expedition rather than a devout religious quest.
The Richness and Vitality of Spring
Spring (Greenblatt, p231), it is a word used of a liquid to flow suddenly or violently, esp. in a jet or stream; to pour or spurt out; to gush. Also of fire, flame, sparks: to leap or fly out. Chiefly with forth, out, or from. and in figurative or simulative contexts. To flow or gush. It can also be used to denote fame, news, a rumor, that are spreading rapidly and being known to many.
The mention of spring is lengthy and formal compared to the language used in the whole of the general prologue. The narrator celebrates the richness and vitality of spring in a celestial and cyclic manner. This tactic gives the opening lines a dreamy, timeless, unfocused quality. There is an element of surprise when the narrator divulges that the text is going to narrate a pilgrimage taken by himself instead of narrating a love story.
Sexuality and Gender: Quoniam
Quoniam (Greenblatt, p270), this word is used in referring to the female genitals. The use of such a word in the text is aimed at portraying the theme of sexuality and gender in the Wife of Bath prologue and tale. In Chaucer’s time, the church maintained a strong antifeminism stance. Women were viewed as sexually insatiable, lecherous, and shrewish monsters. In that period, there were numerous issues of sexual purity. In her observation, Bath’s wife ridicules the church insistence on the importance of virginity over life. The Wife of Bath departs from the scriptures by maintaining that besides proliferation, sex organs ought to be used for satisfaction and pleasure. She confesses to be an energetic woman who unashamedly enjoys sex. She further contravenes the belief that women should be submissive in sexual affairs. The use of sensitive words like "quoniam" explicitly and insistently helps to set the tone on these significant issues of gender and sexuality.
Misalliance: Unsatisfactory Marriages
Misalliance (Greenblatt, p266), this word is believed to emanate from the French word mésallier meaning to join inappropriately. In the context of the Wife of Bath, this word is used to depict various marriages to many men. The state of marriage is presented as unsatisfactory where even the mutual agreement of Alison and Jankin is only achieved after "muchel care and wo". The Wife reveals the "wo that is in marriage" where the partners are unequal. The thematic and contextual implications of the word can be construed to mean that women were expected to enjoin into marriages that were not suitable to them without bearing in mind the consequences.
Exploring Middle English Vocabulary in the Canterbury Tales
Finally, it is evident that the Canterbury tales by Geoffrey Chaucer use various Middle English vocabularies that if closely examined can lead to a deeper understanding, which might not be possible in the context of modern English. The vocabulary range in the texts the General Prologue and the Wife of Bath Prologue and Tale is wide and far-reaching. This paper has thus set out to examine a few words that, in our opinion, have significant thematic and contextual applications. However, they are not exhaustive, and continuous examination is encouraged.
Work cited
.Stephen Greenblatt, The Norton anthology of English literature W. W. Norton & Company,
Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110 (2006)
Appendix
Gentleman. A man of gentle birth, or having the same heraldic status as those of gentle birth; properly, one who is entitled to bear arms, though not ranking among the nobility, but also applied to a person of distinction without precise definition of rank.
Misalliance. An improper alliance, association, or union; esp. an unsuitable marriage.
Pilgrimage. A journey made to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion; the action or practice of making such a journey.
Quoniam. The female genitals.
Spring. A place where water emerges naturally from the ground; the source or head of a stream or river; the supply of water forming such a source.
