Selected works with an emphasis on Chaucer and Shakespeare.
The Canterbury Tales BY G. CHAUCER
In the famous works, “Canterbury Tales,” Geoffrey Chaucer tells of twenty-nine pilgrims that are “en route” to Canterbury. On the way there, the band of pilgrims entertains each other with a series of tall tales in order to shorten the trip. Chaucer, (the host) introduces the each of the pilgrims with honest and wholeheartedly descriptions introduce them with their own personality. Throughout the prologue, he finds an unusual uniqueness in their common lives and traits. Chaucer’s characters represent an extremely broad cross-section of all parts of society, except for the nobility. His stories represented the people themselves and touched on all of the social classes that existed.
Chaucer treats all of the subjects as love, humor and death in poetry. In the romantic story of “The Knight’s Tale,” one can notice that the Knight fits loosely into the aristocrats, also known as the upper class. In the story, the Knight’s character reflects on the conclusion, with courage, skill in battle, respect for one’s lord, love for a fair lady, all the marks of chivalry, which are the ultimate experiences to which a nobleman should hope for. The Knight is established as an admirable but very static character. His story tells that People are always changeable, and they always love a winner. As the tales develop Chaucer creates more dynamic characters, which express themselves in “human” fashion.
“The Miller’s Tale” is more than just an entertaining story. It contains a moral to the story but is played off within the comical tale. The Miller is fairly rude and vulgar, however amusing at the same time. His story reflects his personality with his rough and immoral jokes. When the Miller speaks, it is generally bawdy or weird, making his story even more interesting to listen to. In the Shipman’s Tale, The Cook’s Tale, and The Miller’s Tale, each story is told at the expense of a lower class, tradesperson or an outcast from an upper class, educated point of view.
"While The Taming of the Shrew is not one of the Shakespearean plays traditionally taught in English courses, the lively comic plot and appealing characters make it an excellent introduction to the Bard. Because the play deals with relationships between several different "courting" couples, it can capture the attention of adolescents and spark lively debate on the age-old "battle of the sexes."
Less able readers can enjoy the action and intrigue of the story. They will also be able to appreciate the theme of the play: the problems that arise when people are expected to conform to the roles society expects them to play. More able readers will understand the contradictions between plot and subplot and the role of deception. All students will be able to compare the play to modern versions of the story, while more able students can look for parallels in literature. Study of The Taming of the Shrew offers students the opportunity to compare social customs surrounding courtship and marriage from Elizabethan England to those of other countries and to modern America. The play can promote important discussions about the role of respect, deception, romance, caring, and violence in the relationships between men and women."