Notes On Beowulf

The two tales, told by the Wife of Bath and the Clerk in The Canterbury Tales, have parallel plots. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” begins with a

Beowulf is a great piece of Anglo-Saxon literature that can be, and has been, translated in multiple ways. Of the many outstanding translations, two of which are by Burton Raffel and Seamus Heaney, different ways of writing are portrayed. Grendel’s description is written quite differently in both translations. Heaney’s translation is more similar to the Anglo-Saxon style of writing than Raffel’s translation.

The prologues that link the various Canterbury Tales shift effortlessly from ponderous drama to light comedy. The lamentable tale of Griselde gives way to the Host's complaint about his shrewish wife. This prologue

Although the Nun holds a lower position in society than the Knight, she tries to act similarly to the Knight by attempting to show good manners and a sophisticated attitude. Chaucer writes that the Knight is “ever honored for his noble graces” (Chaucer 146.50), demonstrating how the sophisticated way the Knight acts results in him being liked and honored by many. Chaucer describes the Nun’s usage of manners by writing “no morsel from her lips did she let fall” (Chaucer 148.132). Here, it is made apparent that the Nun did her best to act in an experienced, worldly manner, even though at the time it was unusual for a nun and a knight to have similar manners due to the large hiatus between their positions in the social hierarchy. Chaucer uses both of these characters’ manners to contribute to the overall theme of The Canterbury Tales by giving a specific example of

In the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer introduces a variety of characters with a multitude of personalities. From the despicable Summoner to the abrasive Miller, these characters are created with their own personalities and their own human failings. One common fault that characters share is hypocrisy. From pretending to be wealthy to cheating the poor out of money, hypocritical tendencies are abundant in the Canterbury Tales. Throughout the story, Chaucer ridicules the human criticizes the human failing of hypocrisy through the examples of the Pardoner, the Merchant, and the Friar.

After the Danish coast-guard meets and talks to Beowulf, the guard then begins his next speech with a brief maxim or aphorism:

There is no question that contradictory values make up a major component of The Canterbury Tales. Fate vs. Fortuna, knowledge vs. experience and love vs. hate all embody Chaucer's famous work. These contrasting themes are an integral part of the complexity and sophistication of the book, as they provide for an ironic dichotomy to the creative plot development and undermine the superficial assumptions that might be made. The combination of completely contradictory motifs leads to the unusual stories and outcomes that come to play out in the tales. And these outcomes draw focus on the larger universal issues that in many cases transcend the boundaries of vernacular periods to all of

In his Canterbury Tales, he employs a form of comedy much closer to the modern implications of the word. He depicts himself as a blithering fool, perhaps the most incompetent at story-telling of all the pilgrims, whose “drasty rymyng is nat worth a tord.” In his “Tale of Sir Thopas”, Chaucer gives a highly dramatized parody of the medieval, chivalric romance. Grossly exaggerated and abundant in all the clichés of the romance, the tale is clearly a satire of the genre and all who read it. The tale is so successfully over-done, that the host becomes “so wery of thy verray lewednesse” and interrupts the story, a true romantic burlesque. Particularly after the seriousness of the Prioress’s dark tale which left the group of pilgrims in a somber mood, the comedy of “The Tale of Sir Thopas” becomes even more grotesque by contrast, providing much needed comic

The Canterbury Tales – one of the best-known works of English literature from the 14th century – has been able to retain this title through Geoffrey Chaucer’s phenomenal usage of literary devices to tell a collection of stories. One of the literary devices that Chaucer employed was irony in his characterization which allowed him to incorporate social commentary aimed particularly towards the clergy estate, where hypocrisy was omnipresent. Given that readers are first introduced to the characters through “The Prologue”, it is no surprise that that is where the bulk of the irony can be found. One of the first examples where this is seen is through the narrator’s description of the prioress’ attire: She wore a coral trinket on her arm, A set of beads, the gaudies tricked in green, Whence hung a golden brooch of brightest sheen On which there first was graven a crowned A, And lower, Amor vincit omnia.

“The Miller's Tale” in the Canterbury Tales provides insight into the morality of people of medieval England by showing the Miller’s views on religion, heroic ideals, and common morality. Religion at this time was defined by a religious code outlined in the Bible and the ten commandments. Even though all men were expected to live by these laws, those closely related to the church, like Absalom, were expected to never break from these codes. Heroism involved a set of ideals that were meant to guide men to a heroic state of being. A hero was supposed to seek revenge and never let a crime go unpunished. Common morality was the behavioral code all men were expected to follow and it is essentially what we now call common courtesy. This

It is in the prologues to the various tales that Chaucer comments on the tales that his characters have told. This serves as an internal critique of the tales that Chaucer has written. In this prologue, the

The oral culture of the Anglo-Saxons was the only way tales of their history were passed down through generations. Throughout the epic poem of Beowulf, digressions are presented through the concept of giving advice or remembrance to their ancestors. The digressions within the epic poem are at times ambiguous. However, they play a large role in the underlying perception for the character’s actions. The digression that illustrates the story of King Finn was implemented to uncover the uncertainly of Hrothgar’s Queen, Wealhtheow.

The Canterbury Tales is an important piece of literature that has been studied for years. One of the many interesting details is it narrator. The Host of “The Prologue” to the Canterbury Tales is Geoffrey Chaucer, because the poem’s author, Geoffrey Chaucer and the Host share a respect for people, both the character and the author judge the humans and both Geoffrey Chaucer and the Host are independent and leaders. They have many traits in common that makes many people believe Chaucer was describing himself as the Host, but it was never being proved since Geoffrey Chaucer died and was never conform.

 In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer writes a prologue in which characters are given at face value.  Then, he writes tales that are spoken by these characters.  Perhaps Chaucer is commenting that people should not judge others by their outward appearance because the differences in the outward character of Chaucer’s travelers are often greatly different than the personality that is shown through their tales.

Geoffrey Chaucer, the first author that used English in a major literary work, is the author of The Canterbury Tales. Often referred to as the Father of English poetry, Chaucer, is one of the well-known poets in the English language. “The Prologue” of The Canterbury Tales gives the readers a description and insight into the character's life and looks. The narrator describes all twenty-nine pilgrims, that are going on the pilgrimage by how the travelers’ dresses and looks and how they act. Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales to give readers his ideas of the medieval life and to share his opinion on how corrupt the Catholic Church was in that period. Though Geoffrey Chaucer's “The Prologue” from The Canterbury Tales describes characters by using direct and indirect characterization, Chaucer uses appearance versus reality to tell the readers how the different religious pilgrims either breaks or follows their vows.