gradesaver provides access to 678 study guide pdfs and quizzes, 3586 literature essays, 1193 sample college application essays, 118 lesson plans, and ad free surfing in this premium content, ldquo members only rdquo section of the site! membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders. the prioress wears a brooch of gold ful sheene / on which ther was first write a crowned a, / and after amor vincit omnia general prologue, l.159 162. Might love conquers all be the moral of the tales? this question asks you to consider the tales as a whole work, and to trace the theme of love conquering all throughout the work. Remember that with a question like this, it is just as possible to disagree as to agree: just make sure you justify your answer with examples from the text. Useful tales to look at might include the miller 39 s tale, the merchant 39 s tale, the prioress 39 tale, the manciple 39 s tale, the wife of bath 39 s tale.

choose one word and its variants , and use it as a key to the interpretation of any one tale. this question asks you to follow the fortunes of a single word through any tale, and structure your argument around the repeated uses of this single word. You should start by highlighting all the moments in the tale that the single word appears, and talk about how its meaning changes or deepens as the tale progresses. Useful tales to look at might include the miller 39 s tale suggested word: pryvetee , the wife of bath 39 s tale suggested word: clooth , the franklin 39 s tale suggested word: trouthe , the shipman 39 s tale suggested word: tail or the merchant 39 s tale suggested word: corage . what do women most desire in the tales? this question asks you to look at the characterization and presentation of the female characters in the tales which could include characters within tales as well as female pilgrims. Useful tales to look at might include: the wife of bath 39 s tale, the miller 39 s tale, the merchant 39 s tale, the shipman 39 s tale, melibee. Do you agree? this question asks you to compare the characterization of the wife of bath to any of the other characterizations in the tales. Do you think the wife is completely drawn? if so, why? if not, why not and which character is better fleshed out? useful tales to look at must include the wife of bath 39 s tale.

men in the tales are largely depicted as idiots, blindly and foolishy adhering to outdated, impractical codes of chivalry and honour. Do you agree? this question asks you to consider the presentation of men in the tales. Look at examples which support the quotation 39 s argument, but also remember that chaucer includes a variety of presentations and that there is certainly justification in the text for taking the opposing view to the quotation. Useful tales to look at might include the knight 39 s tale, the merchant 39 s tale, the physician 39 s tale, sir thopas, the franklin 39 s tale.

Do you agree? this question asks you to consider the structure of the tales, and consider whether each tale has a pair. It would be a good idea to examine some tales which do fall naturally into pairs, but also to consider some that do not or perhaps, even fall into threes. Useful tales to look at might include the miller 39 s tale with the knight 39 s tale or the reeve 39 s tale. the shipman 39 s tale with the wife of bath 39 s tale and the manciple 39 s tale with the nun 39 s priest 39 s tale. Can we read the tales as a religious work? this question asks you to consider the theme of religion in the tales.

It is a difficult subject to precisely consider, and would be helped by some knowledge of the religious context of the later 1300s when chaucer was writing. Useful tales to look at might include: the miller 39 s tale, the wife of bath 39 s tale, the summoner 39 s tale, the prioress 39 tale, the second nun 39 s tale, the parson 39 s tale. Write an essay about the presentation of women in the tales. this question asks you to consider the presentation of women across the tales as a whole. Remember to include contradictory facets: there is nothing to say that chaucer 39 s writings are consistent from tale to tale. It might be best to choose two entirely contradictory examples say, cecilia in the second nun 39 s tale, and the wife of bath and try and find some points of similarity.

Useful tales to look at might include the wife of bath 39 s tale, the prioress 39 tale, the miller 39 s tale, the reeve 39 s tale. at what point does a joke become cruel? write an essay about one tale of your choice. this question asks you to look at the comedy of the tales and to decide whether you find it funny or cruel or a combination of the two. Consider whether physical harm is funny, whether cruelty and comedy depend on events depicted or on presentation, and on how dissimilar tales are which you find very funny, and very cruel. Useful tales to look at might include the miller 39 s tale, the reeve 39 s tale, the summoner 39 s tale, the manciple 39 s tale, the physician 39 s tale, the wife of bath 39 s tale and the merchant 39 s tale. chaucer, though he features himself in the tales, is adept at vanishing completely. Write an essay about the persona e of chaucer. this question asks you to focus on what you learn about chaucer himself: remember that there are two chaucers, one a character, one the author. Useful tales to look at might include sir thopas, melibee, the man of law 39 s tale, the general prologue, the retraction.

what nedeth wordes mo? is language worthless in the canterbury tales?. This question asks you to write an essay about language in the tales, and analyse whether or not you think it is presented as having value, as being worthless, or more likely that it is some combination of the two. Useful tales to look at might include the reeve 39 s tale, the manciple 39 s tale, the nun 39 s priest 39 s tale, the knight 39 s tale, chaucer 39 s retraction. Cite this page 1. an exemplum is a story or parable told to illustrate a point. Are there other characters to whom this might apply? 5. the friar's tale about a summoner prompts the summoner's tale about a horrible friar.

What similarities and differences are there in these two tales? previous full glossary for the canterbury tales why is the knight first in the general prologue and first to tell a tale? the knight is first to be described in the general prologue because he is the highest on the social scale, being closest to belonging to the highest estate, the aristocracy. The knight rsquo s nobility derives from the courtly and christian values he has sworn to uphold: truth, honor, freedom, and courtesy. The knight rsquo s tale comes first because he has drawn the shortest straw of the group, although the narrator rsquo s comment that the knight drew the shortest straw ldquo were it by aventure, or sort, or cas whether by chance, luck, or destiny rdquo seems to suggest that he feels that it was not by chance at all that the knight tells his tale first general prologue, 844. What makes the pardoner so offensive? the pardoner is the most controversial of all the pilgrims for four reasons: his work, his sin greed , his unrepentant pride, and his sexuality. The pardoner rsquo s job mdash giving people written absolution from sin mdash was a dubious profession in medieval europe. As he reveals in his prologue, the pardoner is well aware that he himself is covetous, which is the very sin against which he preaches in order to con people into giving him money. What makes him so distasteful to the other characters, especially the host, is that fact that he is so proud of his vice.

Discovering Books Essay

In the general prologue, the narrator suggests that the pardoner rsquo s sexual orientation is ambiguous, which means that he occupies an even further marginalized position in fourteenth century society. Compare the miller rsquo s tale with either the reeve rsquo s tale or the summoner rsquo s tale. What are the different characteristics that make each tale a fabliau? consider comic timing, plot intricacy, and the cast of characters within the tale. Is the wife of bath meant to contradict the misogynist woman hating ideas of her time, or to uphold them? use the text to back up your argument.