In Chapter 3, you learned that the Roman Catholic Church was at
the center of daily life for most people in medieval Europe. Every village and
town had a church building. Church bells tolled out the hours and called people
to worship. Even holidays were related to the church.
During the Middle Ages, religious faith led many people to go on a pilgrimage,
or journey to a holy site. Some traveled to holy places like Jerusalem. Others
visited churches that had holy objects, such as the cathedral at Canterbury,
England. Because robbers were a constant threat, pilgrims often banded together
for safety. Pilgrims from many different social classes would find themselves
traveling together.
Geoffrey Chaucer was an English writer who wrote a book of verse about a group
of fictional pilgrims. His book,
The Canterbury Tales, is actually a
collection of stories that the pilgrims tell to entertain each other as they
travel to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury.
The Canterbury Tales
begins with an introduction of each pilgrim. Below are three excerpts from the
work. What can you discover about each character's social position and
personality?
Excerpts from The Canterbury Tales
The Knight
He was a true, perfect gentle-knight.
Speaking of his equipment, he possessed
Fine horses, but was not gaily dressed.
He wore a fustian [cotton] tunic stained and dark
With some smudges where his armour had left mark;
Just home from service, he had joined our ranks
To do his pilgrimage and render [give] thanks.
The Student Cleric
An Oxford Cleric, still a student though,
One who had taken logic long ago,
Was there; his horse was thinner than a rake,
And he was not too fat, I undertake,
But had a hollow look, a sober stare;
The thread upon his overcoat was bare.
The Wife of Bath
Her kerchiefs were of finely woven ground;
I dared have sworn they must have weighed a good ten pound,
The ones she wore on Sunday, on her head.
Her hose was of the finest scarlet red
And gartered tight; her shoes were soft and new.
Bold was her face, handsome, and red in hue.
A worthy woman all her life, what's more
She'd had five husbands, all at the church door.
Investigating Literature
Using the descriptions from the excerpts of The Canterbury Tales, draw a
caricature of one of the characters. Follow these steps:
- • In the center of a sheet of drawing paper, draw the character. Add clothes and
possessions to your drawing to reflect what the character might have looked
like.
- • Label key parts of your drawing to explain why you included them. For example,
you might draw the student cleric wearing a threadbare coat. You might then
draw a line from the coat and write a short caption that explains why this
character would wear such a worn-out coat.
History Alive! The Medieval World and Beyond, Investigating Literature
