The beauty of Chaucer's prologue to The
Canterbury Tales, is that he gives us a microcosmic look at the Middle Ages.
When he introduces the pilgrims, he gives us the good, the bad, and the ugly. It is a
cross section of medieval society.
The Knight and Squire
are the picture of chivalry.
The clergy does not fare as
well. Both the Monk and the Friar do not display the values that we associate with
religion. The Nun is seen as vain.
The merchant class is
also represented dressed to reflect their status.
The rest
of the pilgrims are a wonderful cross section of people from the Oxford Scholar to the
Wife of Bath (my personal favorite) to the Pardoner. Some of these people are rude and
crude while others seem to be virtuous and good.
Through
his narration, we are able to get a comprehensive picture of England in the Middle
Ages. Rather than somebody writing about this after the fact, Chaucer is an eyewitness
to the time.
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