Geoffrey Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales Web pilgrimage

Introduction

Geoffrey Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales Web pilgrimage

We are all pilgrims, Chaucer says, and all of us have many tales to tell, some finished and others still in the making. And what was true in Chaucer's time is still true today, six hundred years later. We are, all of us, pilgrims on the journey through life.

"This world nis but a thoroughfare full of woe,
And we been pilgrims passing to and fro."

 

  •  The Canterbury Tales is a collection of prose and verse stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century. Chaucer’s stories are embedded in a framework narrative told by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury Cathedral to visit the burial place of St. Thomas à Becket.
  • But if you’ve been paying attention in class, you already know all this! The real question is why should you care (besides the fact that a grade is involved), and why are you being asked to complete a WebQuest?
  • v  To answer these questions, we need to begin with: who is Geoffrey Chaucer, and why do we study The Canterbury Tales? Check out this link to learn all about Chaucer and his importance to literary history: http://www.librarius.com/
Task

Questions

The ultimate goals of this WebQuest are to enrich your experience with The Canterbury Tales, learn a little bit more about life in the Middle Ages, and help you begin to see that as much as things change, they still remain pretty much the same.  Chaucer’s tales could easily be told by any of you in this day and age. 

To complete this WebQuest, you will have to answer a series of questions, research a website or two, and choose your favorite character out of “The Prologue” to complete the Medieval Characterization Poster/Visual Media Project.  Don’t worry; I’ve made sure the information is at your fingertips.

Directions:

Use the links to answer the questions listed below. 

 Please PARAPHRASE (which means put in your own words) your answers rather than copying and pasting information.

 Write your answers on a sheet of paper as you go or type them in a word document and email to me at rcone@ccboe.org or share with me in Google Drive.

 

1.    Chaucer

a)  When was Chaucer born, and when did he die?

b)  What were his links to royalty?

c)  What roles did he fulfill in life?

d)  What was happening in Europe during his lifetime?

2.    The Canterbury Tales

a)  What is a frame story (or frame narrative)?

b)  How does this technique of storytelling apply to The Canterbury Tales?

3.    The Prologue

a)  What season is this?  What are the clues Chaucer gives us? 

b)  Look at the differences between modern English and Middle English.  Make a note of at least 5 Middle English words which are spelled differently but you can still tell what they mean.  Make sure to include what you think they mean.

The Prologue

 When April with his showers sweet with fruit
The drought of March has pierced unto the root
And bathed each vein with liquor that has power
To generate therein and sire the flower;
When Zephyr also has, with his sweet breath,
Quickened again, in every holt and heath,
The tender shoots and buds, and the young sun
Into the Ram one half his course has run,
And many little birds make melody
That sleep through all the night with open eye
(So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)-
Then do folk long to go on pilgrimage,
And palmers to go seeking out strange strands,
To distant shrines well known in sundry lands.
And specially from every shire's end
Of England they to Canterbury wend,
The holy blessed martyr there to seek
Who helped them when they lay so ill and weal
Befell that, in that season, on a day
In Southwark, at the Tabard, as I lay
Ready to start upon my pilgrimage
To Canterbury, full of devout homage,
There came at nightfall to that hostelry

 

The Prologue

Whan that aprill with his shoures soote
 The droghte of march hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour  Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
 Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
 Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
 Tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
 Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne,
 And smale foweles maken melodye,
 That slepen al the nyght with open ye
 (so priketh hem nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
 And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,

To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
 And specially from every shires ende
 Of engelond to caunterbury they wende,
 The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
 That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
 Bifil that in that seson on a day,
 In southwerk at the tabard as I lay
 Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage
To caunterbury with ful devout corage,
At nyght was come into that hostelrye

 

 

Characterization Task: Test Grade

I realize all of you have different talents, and I’d like to give each and every one of you a chance to show off your abilities. You can create this poster on actual posterboard or you can use some type of technological resource such as Prezi, Powerpoint, Emaze, or any other visual media you can come up with.

 

 

Medieval Characterization Poster/ Visual Media Project

 

Chaucer creates extremely vivid characters that we can visualize and even relate to.  Through these descriptions, we get an insight into medieval fashion as well as timeless characteristics of mankind.  Choose a character from The Canterbury Tales to reproduce in a poster or form of visual media.  You may use any materials you can find to make your depiction of the character. The guidelines below must be included in your poster Follow these guidelines:

 

  1.  Find a picture of a celebrity or famous person you think most closely matches your character  or draw him/ her yourself.  Follow the physical description in the book as closely as possible, both in physical attributes, attire, and personality.  (10 pts.)
  2.  Include a paragraph describing the character’s personality.  (20 pts.)
  3.  Provide direct quotations to support your interpretation of the character.  These may be captions to the picture.  (15 pts.)
  4. Include an image that will serve as a symbol for your character with an explanation of why you chose it.It can be an emoticon or any object you feel represents your character    (10 pts.)
  5.  Include an explanation of how readers today can relate to the character.  (15 pts.)
  6. Finally, explain what the character tells us about medieval English society.  (20 pts.)
  7.  (10 pts., includes neatness, effort, and creativity)

 

 

Make your poster as aesthetically pleasing as possible, and use some creativity.  Try not to copy the pictures from the book already assigned to that character (or the internet). Come up with your own fresh representation of your character. Remember, Chaucer did not illustrate his work, so the pictures are someone else’s interpretation of the characters.  I want to see your interpretation.   

Follow this link to see an example of visual media I used to complete the same task I am asking you to complete:

http://app.emaze.com/editor/@AOCCOWIW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Process

Resources

Here are some URLs to help you along the way.  Many of these are single pages within larger websites.  Feel free to poke around in those sites; you might find just what you need, or you might find an idea of where else to go for the information you want.  Don’t be afraid to go beyond the links listed here!  There is so much to be said about this subject and more ways of saying it than you can imagine.  Find the resources that best suit YOUR needs.  

 

Evaluation
Conclusion

Hopefully you have enjoyed your jaunt through the Middle Ages and even learned a little bit along the way.  If you feel like you have a slightly better understanding of the time period and a better feel for The Canterbury Tales, then the goal of this WebQuest has been met.