St. Thomas à Becket
Thomas Becket (c. 1118-70) was a royal chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury. He was murdered there in the church by 4 knights of King Henry II.
Soon after his death in 1170, he was canonised as a saint.
Medieval estates
- Aristocracy (fight)
- Clergy (pray)
- Peasantry (labour)
Additionally;
4. Rising middle class
Difference between monks and friars
The Monks follow enclosed orders, which means all 4 vows (St. Benedict).
The Friars follow mendicant (= begging orders). They do not follow the vow of stability of place.
The Medieval ‘clerk’
- Man in minor orders
- ‘Oxbridge’ student
- Regular and secular clergy
- Learned and professional class in general
Estates satire
Medieval literary genre which gives an analysis of social functions and professions;
Monks, physicians, millers
Hence social stereotypes, not of individuals.
‘Non-moral’ Chaucer (professions)
Middle class man employed at court, but trained as a clerk. He was a traveller, cosmopolitan, soldier and a great poet.
Voiced and audiences in the Canterbury Tales
Voices:
1. Chaucer the poet
2. Chaucer the pilgrim
3. The conventional estates satirist
4. The other pilgrims
Audiences:
1. The reader
2. The pilgrims
What are the 5 inward senses?
- Memory
- Instinct
- Imagination
- Fantasy
- Wit
What kind of versification does Chaucer use?
Iambic pentameter
