Priya Kapoor
Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories built around a frame tale and is considered one of the most famous works of medieval literature. It recounts the journey of a group of pilgrims travelling from London to Canterbury Cathedral and the shrine of St Thomas Becket. The painting Chaucer's Canterbury Pilgrims by William Blake, published on October 8, 1810, depicts Chaucer and 29 pilgrims departing the Tabard Inn in Southwark for this pilgrimage.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | William Blake |
| Date | 8 October 1810 |
| Medium | Fresco, engraving |
| Subject | Geoffrey Chaucer and 29 pilgrims |
| Location | Departing the Tabard Inn in Southwark |
| Destination | Canterbury Cathedral |
| Purpose | Pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket |
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What You'll Learn
The painting's artist, William Blake
William Blake (1757-1827) was an artist whose work spanned the literary and visual arts. He is best known for his engravings, poetry, printmaking, and paintings. Blake's work often reflected his perception of the political and social climate of the time, and he was recognised as an engraver by the age of twenty-five.
Blake's painting, "Chaucer's Canterbury Pilgrims", is a romantic portrayal of the pilgrims in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The painting depicts 29 pilgrims, including Chaucer himself, departing the Tabard Inn in Southwark on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Blake's work was influenced directly by Chaucer's poem, with the artist claiming that the pilgrims represented "eternal attributes, or divine names, which...ought to be the servants, and not the masters of man, or of society".
Blake's painting is one of the largest prints he produced, and he added watercolour to this work—one of only three known impressions where he did so. The engraving emulates the styles of early printmakers Albrecht Dürer and Lucas van Leyden, reflecting the character of Chaucer's poetry.
Blake's work on "Chaucer's Canterbury Pilgrims" was also influenced by, and an influence on, other artists. Blake was the first artist to conceive of painting the pilgrims all together on horseback, but his idea was stolen by Robert Cromek and Thomas Stothard, whose painting was finished before Blake's. However, Blake's work inspired a group of young artists, who called themselves the Ancients, to follow him, thus perpetuating his influence for generations.
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The painting's subject, Geoffrey Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer, born in 1342 in London, was the son of a wealthy wine merchant. Chaucer joined the court of King Edward III, who appointed him Controller of Customs, where he was responsible for the taxes on wool, sheepskin, and leather coming into the Port of London. Chaucer is the author of the famous 'Canterbury Tales', a collection of stories built around a frame tale, recounting the journey of a group of pilgrims travelling from London to Canterbury.
The 'Canterbury Tales' is considered one of the most paramount works of English literature. It is written in the form of a series of individual tales connected within a framing device of the pilgrimage and interludes describing the pilgrims' behaviour. Chaucer's work differs from most other story "collections" in this genre, chiefly in its intense variation. Most story collections focused on a theme, usually a religious one. Chaucer's poem, on the other hand, takes advantage of the fact that a pilgrimage would bring together a diverse collection of people from different classes and places, and his storytellers reflect this diversity.
The 'Canterbury Tales' is thought to have been incomplete at the end of Chaucer's life. According to the General Prologue, Chaucer's intention was to write four stories from the perspective of each pilgrim, two each on the way to and from their destination, making for a total of about 120 stories. However, the poem was left in fragments, and the pilgrims only make it to the outskirts of Canterbury in the poem as it survives.
The work was soon regarded as a masterpiece, and later medieval writers attempted to continue the tales with descriptions of the pilgrims' behaviour in Canterbury. Chaucer's work has also inspired other writers to use a pilgrimage as a frame story to introduce a collection of tales, such as the Italian Giovanni Sercambi's 'Novelliere'.
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Chaucer's work, The Canterbury Tales
"The Canterbury Tales" is a revered work of English literature written by Geoffrey Chaucer in Middle English between 1387 and 1400. It is a collection of stories framed by a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury, Kent. Chaucer's framing device brings together a diverse group of characters from various walks of life, including a knight, a prioress, a monk, a merchant, a man of law, a miller, a reeve, a pardoner, and the famous Wife of Bath, among others.
The story begins with the General Prologue, where Chaucer introduces thirty pilgrims who gather at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, London. They decide to engage in a storytelling contest during their journey, with Harry Bailly, the host of the Tabard Inn, serving as the master of ceremonies. The pilgrims' tales encompass a wide range of literary genres, including religious legends, courtly romances, racy fabliaux, saints' lives, allegorical tales, beast fables, medieval sermons, and alchemical accounts.
The work is considered innovative due to its structure and content. Chaucer set his collection of tales within the framework of pilgrims on a pilgrimage, a device that had not been used before. While he borrowed portions of his stories from earlier works and was influenced by the literary world of his time, the structure is mostly original. The multiplicity of social types and the storytelling contest allowed Chaucer to present a varied collection of narratives and explore complex depictions of his characters.
The question of whether "The Canterbury Tales" is a finished work remains unanswered. Chaucer did not complete the full plan for the book, as the return journey from Canterbury is not included, and some pilgrims do not tell their stories. There are 84 manuscripts of the work, with 55 believed to have been originally complete and 28 being too fragmentary for certain conclusions. The two earliest known manuscripts, the Hengwrt and the Ellesmere Manuscript, were likely copied by the same scribe, possibly someone who worked with Chaucer and knew him personally.
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The pilgrims' journey to Canterbury Cathedral
Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales' is a collection of stories built around a frame tale—a common genre in the 14th century. Chaucer's work, written between 1387 and 1400, is considered one of the most famous works of medieval literature. It recounts the journey of a group of pilgrims travelling from London to Canterbury Cathedral, specifically to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket.
The work introduces around thirty pilgrims in the General Prologue, including Chaucer himself, who take turns to tell stories and entertain each other on their journey. The pilgrims depart from the Tabard Inn in Southwark, with some travelling from nearby and others from further afield. Chaucer's intention was to write four stories from each pilgrim's perspective, two each on the way to and from their destination, making a total of about 120 stories. However, it is generally thought that the work was incomplete at the end of Chaucer's life, and the pilgrims only reach the outskirts of Canterbury in the poem.
The idea of a pilgrimage bringing together a diverse group of people from different classes and places was an innovative literary device used by Chaucer. The association of pilgrims and storytelling was a familiar one, and the competition among the tales adds an element of variation and encourages readers to compare the stories. Chaucer's work differs from other story collections, which typically focused on a religious theme, and showcases his skill in various genres and literary forms.
The painting 'Chaucer's Canterbury Pilgrims' by William Blake, published on October 8, 1810, depicts Chaucer and the pilgrims departing the Tabard Inn. It captures the diverse group of pilgrims, including the Reeve, Clerk of Oxenford, Cook, Miller, Wife of Bath, Merchant, Parson, and many others, as they embark on their journey to Canterbury Cathedral.
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The pilgrims' diverse backgrounds
Geoffrey Chaucer's 'The Canterbury Tales' is a collection of stories built around a frame tale, a common genre in the 14th century. Chaucer's work, however, differs from most other story "collections" in this genre due to its intense variation. Most story collections focused on a theme, usually a religious one.
The work recounts the journey of a diverse group of pilgrims from London to Canterbury, and their tales on the way to and from their destination. The pilgrims come from different walks of life, with varying social classes and backgrounds, including a knight, a monk, a friar, a nun, a physician, a merchant, a lawyer, a miller, a cook, a shipman, a ploughman, a pardoner, a manciple, a parson, a clerk, a franklin, a haberdasher, a squire, a yeoman, a prioress, and a nun.
The idea of a pilgrimage to gather such a diverse collection of people together for literary purposes was unprecedented at the time, though the association of pilgrims and storytelling was a familiar one. Chaucer's work reflects the reality of pilgrimages, which brought together people of different classes and backgrounds, and showcases the breadth of his skill in different genres and literary forms.
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Frequently asked questions
The painting by William Blake depicts Geoffrey Chaucer on a horse, leading a group of pilgrims on their journey to Saint Thomas Becket's shrine at Canterbury Cathedral.
Geoffrey Chaucer was the author of The Canterbury Tales, a well-known work of medieval literature. He was born in 1342 in London to a wealthy wine merchant and joined the court of King Edward III.
In Chaucer's time, Canterbury Cathedral was a major pilgrimage site, drawing pilgrims from diverse backgrounds and locations. The shrine of Saint Thomas Becket was particularly significant, with pilgrims travelling to see relics associated with Becket, such as a piece of his scalp.
The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories within a framing device, recounting the journey of a group of pilgrims travelling from London to Canterbury. Chaucer intended to write four stories from the perspective of each pilgrim, two each on their way to and from their destination.
Yes, storytelling was the main entertainment in England during Chaucer's time. The structure of The Canterbury Tales, with its diverse storytellers and intense variation, showcased Chaucer's skill in different genres and literary forms.
