How Canterbury Tales' Prologue Reveals the Narrator's Social Status

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Subject: English Literature/ Canterbury Tales

Question:

B‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‌‍‍elow is an excerpt from the “General Prologue” of the TheCanterbury Tales (In your textbook, the passage begins on page 313, line 725). The speaker is the narrator. Basing your answer on textual evidence, in which estate (class) would you place the narrator? What qualities does the narrator share wi‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‌‍‍th one other pilgrim? You may refer to and quote passages from the text outside of the one provided below. Develop an argumentative point in your answer. Quote and explain textual evidence in your answer. (30 points) The responses to each of the short essay questions must be approximately 300 words ‌‌‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‌‍‍long.

 725 But first I pray yow, of youre curteisye,
726 That ye n' arette it nat my vileynye,
727 Thogh that I pleynly speke in this mateere,
728 To telle yow hir wordes and hir cheere,
729 Ne thogh I speke hir wordes proprely.
730 For this ye knowen al so wel as I:
731 Whoso shal telle a tale after a man,
732 He moot reherce as ny as evere he kan
733 Everich a word, if it be in his charge,
734 Al speke he never so rudeliche and large,
735 Or ellis he moot telle his tale untrewe,
736 Or feyne thyng, or fynde wordes newe.
737 He may nat spare, althogh he were his brother;
738 He moot as wel seye o word as another.
739 Crist spak hymself ful brode in hooly writ,
740 And wel ye woot no vileynye is it.
741 Eek Plato seith, whoso kan hym rede,
742 The wordes moote be cosyn to the dede.
743 Also I prey yow to foryeve it me,
744 Al have I nat set folk in hir degree
745 Heere in this tale, as that they sholde stonde.
746 My wit is short, ye may wel understonde.

Answer: 

Social Class in Canterbury Tales 

            The type of people a character often interacts with can provide hints about their social status. Other indicators of social status in a person include their education status, spending behavior, and their thoughts and value systems. In the prologue to Canterbury Tales, the narrator exhibits noble-background characteristics in his value system, education status, and spending behavior.

Firstly, Chaucer and his audience share similar expectations about modesty with upper-class families, indicating that he has connections with the royalty. Society expects people with royal-family connections to behave modestly; Chaucer, fearing that he might mention things that his audience might perceive as displays of "crudeness," requests them not to blame him for these words (Chaucer, 1948, 46). Moreover, the narrator is happy about Prioresse's table manners: "She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle" (Chaucer, 1948, 9). Therefore, the narrator and his audience share values that typical members of a royal family would hold.

Secondly, Chaucer's education status hints to his upper-class background. During the 14^th and 15^th centuries period, education was very expensive hence only accessible to the rich. The narrator seems well educated; first, he is conversant with "Holy Writ" (Chaucer, 1948,47). Second, he can connect his discussions with other people's writings. For instance, has said, he quotes Plato: "Who-so that can him rede / The words mote be cosin to the dede" (Chaucer, 1948, 47). Moreover, considering the period's information scarcity, Chaucer seems highly aware of recent and historical events, a privilege that only the upper class enjoyed due to their close contacts with the palace. Therefore, the narrator's vast knowledge indicates his affluent, royal background.

Lastly, being able to afford pilgrimage indicates that the narrator has much money. The working class, peasants, and the unemployed would rarely engage in pilgrimage due to its monetary and time costs. Furthermore, the hotel where the narrator spends the first night seems expensive, considering that the people who go there for accommodation are mostly rich. The narrator also says he received only the best treatment at the inn (Chaucer, 1948, 3), further emphasizing his moneyed status. Therefore, Chaucer's spending behavior suggests that he is from a noble family.

In conclusion, the narrator has a noble-family background because his ideas about modesty match with those of people who come from upper-class families. The narrator's education status is also apparent in his knowledge about history and books, further revealing his rich background. Chaucer's expensive lifestyle is also an indicator of his affluence.

Reference

Chaucer, G. (1948). Canterbury Tales: An International Translation. Vincent H.F. (ed.). Barron's Education Series. 1-47.