Biography Category
Name :
Geoffrey Chaucer
Date :
Views :
584
Category :
Birth Date :
01/01/1970
Birth Place :
Not Available
Death Date :
October 25, 1400
Not Available
[b]An Enigma[/b][br /]
[br /]
The Chaucer family had moved to London from Ipswich at the dusk of Medieval Era. They originally came from East Anglia. John Chaucer married Agnes de Copton and settled at the Vintry ward of the city of London. This was the second marriage of Agnes to this rich wine merchant and exporter. John Chaucer was a successful merchant and supplied wine to the English Royalty. He was also a member of an affluent and influential mercantile class, and someone whose services to the Crown helped prepare the way for his son’s entry into the royal household. He died in the year 1366. Agnes died in 1381.[br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer's birthdate is enveloped in the mist of mystery. There are no data available either of the marriage of his parents or Geoffrey's birth. The scholars date the event somewhere between 1340 and 1345. The uncertainty of the information is due to unavailability of any authentic evidence.[br /]
[br /]
It was the time of transition. End of medieval age and beginning of modern age. The industrialization had just started off and a new class of society, the middle class, mostly made of rich merchants, was emerging. The merchants held quite a good position in the Royal court and they were quite prominent citizens. The change was not limited to the layers of society only. It affected the mindset and thoughts of an average Englishman.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Education[/b][br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey was born in a puritan family that followed the religious routines very regularly. The little boy was delighted to see the Thames flow nearby and often enjoyed rides in one of the private barges. He also enjoyed ice-skating on the Moorfields. The language spoken was medieval English. But Geoffrey learned his lessons at school in French. Not much details are available of his early education except that he might have joined a grammar school at the age of seven, as was customary of his times. At school the teaching took place almost one way. No curiosity or inquisitiveness of a student was entertained and books were not easily available. He learned Latin, grammar, rhetoric, logic and other subjects at the school. Geoffrey had good memory as most of the teaching was done orally. He also
learned music, though it is not certain whether he had any formal education in music.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Into The World Of Royal[/b][br /]
[br /]
On completion of the education, John Chaucer did not force young Geoffrey to join his wine business. Instead, he worked as a page for Elizabeth de Burgh, Countess of Ulster and daughter-in-law of the King of England, around 1357. He also participated in the war against France in 1359. He was captured by the French army but was released against ransom of 16 ponds. Back home, he underwent his first diplomatic mission as a letter-bearer across the channel.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Marriage[/b][br /]
[br /]
Eversince his employment at the royal household he had been a respected and loyal member of king's array. In 1368 he was made an esquire of the king. He also received higher education during this period, but where and in what measure is not clear from the data available.[br /]
[br /]
A king's esquire normally married one of the inmates of the Queen. Geoffrey Chaucer married Philippa Roet, a lady-in-waiting in the Queen’s household, sometime around 1374. Philippa left her work and both of them resided in London. He had two sons, Thomas and Lewis. She died in 1386.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Diplomatic Missions[/b][br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer was very frequently employed on diplomatic missions to the continent. During his early life, he used to follow the French trends in writing, but he was greatly influenced by Italian authors, mainly Boccaccio. He was greatly impressed by Dante and Divine Comedy though he never tried to imitate his style.[br /]
[br /]
Chaucer's first impression of France was a satisfactory one as he admired the French inns for their quick service and clean pillowcases. His visit to Florence introduced him to a totally new style of literature, which is considered to have influenced his writing to quite an extent.[br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer was made the Comptroller of Customs at Aldgate in 1382 or 1383. He and Philippa moved into their Aldgate house which gave him, for the first time, some time and space to pore over books. He could devour upon book after book tirelessly. As soon as he finished his daily work, he would rush home, not to, in his own words, 'rest and newe thynges' but to read 'another book'. This included histories, stories, poems and scientific treatises. He treasured world classics too.[br /]
[br /]
In 1389 he became the Clerk of king's Works. He was to lookafter the financial side of maintenance and repair of the Royal buildings. He was paid two shillings a day and various allowances, as well as rent-free house. Chaucer left the position two years later as it was too time consuming and he could not find enough time to write.[br /]
[br /]
[b]The Author[/b][br /]
[br /]
He was immediately offered the position of a deputy forester for the forest of North Petherton in Somerset in 1391.[br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer was made the Comptroller of Customs and later Clerk of Works. His these positions and his contacts with the courts of France and Italy can be credited for the literary flourishing in Geoffrey Chaucer. He was in contact of both laymen and merchants, and international statesmen. This gained him insight into human psyche which helped him make his characters more human and convincing. Chaucer weaved his stories around realistic settings rather than some supernatural theme or the world of Troy. Chaucer is considered one of the most impersonal poets. He had the sense of humor and had an eye for detail. He was considered to be one of the greatest poets of the English nation. His poetic works are unique for its variety, grace, humor, and realism. His poetry and style deferred from his predecessors and even contemporaries. He had access to the French modern poems. He deviated from the set rules of literature of his time and formed few of his own. He combined the French and Italian styles into his poetry and innovated many stanza forms and various meters.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Death[/b][br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer always felt the guilt of not obeying his inner self and not giving his entire existence to writings. Year 1400 was the year a plague year. Chaucer died on October 25, 1400, perhaps of plague. Even his burial paved a new path. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, in the Poet's Corner. He was the first one to be buried there.[br /]
[br /]
On his deathbed, Chaucer could not get rid of a sense of sin as he felt that his poetry dealing with love of man and woman was against his moral code. He wanted all of his works to be called back from circulation and destroy them. Till his last breath he was longing for peace of mind.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
The Chaucer family had moved to London from Ipswich at the dusk of Medieval Era. They originally came from East Anglia. John Chaucer married Agnes de Copton and settled at the Vintry ward of the city of London. This was the second marriage of Agnes to this rich wine merchant and exporter. John Chaucer was a successful merchant and supplied wine to the English Royalty. He was also a member of an affluent and influential mercantile class, and someone whose services to the Crown helped prepare the way for his son’s entry into the royal household. He died in the year 1366. Agnes died in 1381.[br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer's birthdate is enveloped in the mist of mystery. There are no data available either of the marriage of his parents or Geoffrey's birth. The scholars date the event somewhere between 1340 and 1345. The uncertainty of the information is due to unavailability of any authentic evidence.[br /]
[br /]
It was the time of transition. End of medieval age and beginning of modern age. The industrialization had just started off and a new class of society, the middle class, mostly made of rich merchants, was emerging. The merchants held quite a good position in the Royal court and they were quite prominent citizens. The change was not limited to the layers of society only. It affected the mindset and thoughts of an average Englishman.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Education[/b][br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey was born in a puritan family that followed the religious routines very regularly. The little boy was delighted to see the Thames flow nearby and often enjoyed rides in one of the private barges. He also enjoyed ice-skating on the Moorfields. The language spoken was medieval English. But Geoffrey learned his lessons at school in French. Not much details are available of his early education except that he might have joined a grammar school at the age of seven, as was customary of his times. At school the teaching took place almost one way. No curiosity or inquisitiveness of a student was entertained and books were not easily available. He learned Latin, grammar, rhetoric, logic and other subjects at the school. Geoffrey had good memory as most of the teaching was done orally. He also
learned music, though it is not certain whether he had any formal education in music.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Into The World Of Royal[/b][br /]
[br /]
On completion of the education, John Chaucer did not force young Geoffrey to join his wine business. Instead, he worked as a page for Elizabeth de Burgh, Countess of Ulster and daughter-in-law of the King of England, around 1357. He also participated in the war against France in 1359. He was captured by the French army but was released against ransom of 16 ponds. Back home, he underwent his first diplomatic mission as a letter-bearer across the channel.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Marriage[/b][br /]
[br /]
Eversince his employment at the royal household he had been a respected and loyal member of king's array. In 1368 he was made an esquire of the king. He also received higher education during this period, but where and in what measure is not clear from the data available.[br /]
[br /]
A king's esquire normally married one of the inmates of the Queen. Geoffrey Chaucer married Philippa Roet, a lady-in-waiting in the Queen’s household, sometime around 1374. Philippa left her work and both of them resided in London. He had two sons, Thomas and Lewis. She died in 1386.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Diplomatic Missions[/b][br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer was very frequently employed on diplomatic missions to the continent. During his early life, he used to follow the French trends in writing, but he was greatly influenced by Italian authors, mainly Boccaccio. He was greatly impressed by Dante and Divine Comedy though he never tried to imitate his style.[br /]
[br /]
Chaucer's first impression of France was a satisfactory one as he admired the French inns for their quick service and clean pillowcases. His visit to Florence introduced him to a totally new style of literature, which is considered to have influenced his writing to quite an extent.[br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer was made the Comptroller of Customs at Aldgate in 1382 or 1383. He and Philippa moved into their Aldgate house which gave him, for the first time, some time and space to pore over books. He could devour upon book after book tirelessly. As soon as he finished his daily work, he would rush home, not to, in his own words, 'rest and newe thynges' but to read 'another book'. This included histories, stories, poems and scientific treatises. He treasured world classics too.[br /]
[br /]
In 1389 he became the Clerk of king's Works. He was to lookafter the financial side of maintenance and repair of the Royal buildings. He was paid two shillings a day and various allowances, as well as rent-free house. Chaucer left the position two years later as it was too time consuming and he could not find enough time to write.[br /]
[br /]
[b]The Author[/b][br /]
[br /]
He was immediately offered the position of a deputy forester for the forest of North Petherton in Somerset in 1391.[br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer was made the Comptroller of Customs and later Clerk of Works. His these positions and his contacts with the courts of France and Italy can be credited for the literary flourishing in Geoffrey Chaucer. He was in contact of both laymen and merchants, and international statesmen. This gained him insight into human psyche which helped him make his characters more human and convincing. Chaucer weaved his stories around realistic settings rather than some supernatural theme or the world of Troy. Chaucer is considered one of the most impersonal poets. He had the sense of humor and had an eye for detail. He was considered to be one of the greatest poets of the English nation. His poetic works are unique for its variety, grace, humor, and realism. His poetry and style deferred from his predecessors and even contemporaries. He had access to the French modern poems. He deviated from the set rules of literature of his time and formed few of his own. He combined the French and Italian styles into his poetry and innovated many stanza forms and various meters.[br /]
[br /]
[b]Death[/b][br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer always felt the guilt of not obeying his inner self and not giving his entire existence to writings. Year 1400 was the year a plague year. Chaucer died on October 25, 1400, perhaps of plague. Even his burial paved a new path. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, in the Poet's Corner. He was the first one to be buried there.[br /]
[br /]
On his deathbed, Chaucer could not get rid of a sense of sin as he felt that his poetry dealing with love of man and woman was against his moral code. He wanted all of his works to be called back from circulation and destroy them. Till his last breath he was longing for peace of mind.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
A soldier, a civil servant, a diplomat - Geoffrey Chaucer has been busy all his life on many more fronts besides being a pioneer of the world of literature. Chaucer was the first poet to use many meters and stanza forms, and to blend the French and Italian styles of writings with English. He, for the first time in history of English literature, brought into words the contemporary English world. Canterbury Tales is set on the road between London and Canterbury. He dealt with realism and humanism extensively and produced some masterpieces like Troilus and Criseyde, Romance of the Rose and Canterbury Tales. [br /]
[br /]
Chaucer is admired the most for alleviating the English consciousness from the streets into the volumes of classics. He drew his characters with such a fine pointed brush, filled them with such realistic energy and life, revealing their inner selves, that the reader could immediately identify themselves with them. [br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer and his works have been the epitome of English literature ever since 14th century, and still continue to be.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
Chaucer is admired the most for alleviating the English consciousness from the streets into the volumes of classics. He drew his characters with such a fine pointed brush, filled them with such realistic energy and life, revealing their inner selves, that the reader could immediately identify themselves with them. [br /]
[br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer and his works have been the epitome of English literature ever since 14th century, and still continue to be.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[b]1340-45[/b][br /]
The supposed period of birth of a great poet, Geoffrey Chaucer.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1357[/b][br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer became a page in the household of Elizabeth de Burgh, Countess of Ulster.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1359[/b][br /]
Chaucer served in the retinue of Prince Lionel in the war of France.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1360 [/b][br /]
In March, Geoffrey Chaucer was ransomed for Pounds by the Crown. In October, Chaucer was paid in order to carry letters from Calais to England by Prince Lionel.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1366[/b][br /]
Chaucer had a setback with the loss of his father, John Chaucer.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1368[/b][br /]
Chaucer married Philippa Roet, a lady-in-waiting in the Queen’s household.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1369 [/b][br /]
Chaucer served with John of Gaunt’s army in France.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1370 [/b][br /]
Chaucer again served with the army in France.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1372[/b][br /]
Chaucer traveled to Genoa and Florence, Italy, on a diplomatic mission.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1375[/b][br /]
Chaucer and Otho de Graunson both received grants from John of Gaunt.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1378[/b][br /]
Went on his diplomatic mission to Italy.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1380[/b][br /]
Chaucer was released from all actions in the case of the rape as Cecily Chaumpaigne signed a document. [br /]
Chaucer wrote The Parliament of Fowles.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1381[/b][br /]
Death of Chaucer’s mother, Agnes Chaucer.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1382-83[/b][br /]
Chaucer was granted a gallon pitcher of wine for life. Chaucer appointed as the Comptroller of the Customs.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1386[/b][br /]
Resigned from customs and gave up this house in Aldgate.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1387-92[/b][br /]
Began The Cantebury Tales.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1389[/b][br /]
Appointed Clerk of Works at Westminster, Tower of London, and other royal estates.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1391[/b][br /]
Resigned from the post of Clerk of Works and was employed as forester for the forest of North Petherton in Somerset.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1394[/b][br /]
Chaucer was given an annuity 20 Pounds a year by King Richard II.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1399[/b][br /]
Chaucer took on lease a tenement for 53 years in the garden of the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1400[/b][br /]
Death of Geoffrey Chaucer on 25th October.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
The supposed period of birth of a great poet, Geoffrey Chaucer.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1357[/b][br /]
Geoffrey Chaucer became a page in the household of Elizabeth de Burgh, Countess of Ulster.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1359[/b][br /]
Chaucer served in the retinue of Prince Lionel in the war of France.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1360 [/b][br /]
In March, Geoffrey Chaucer was ransomed for Pounds by the Crown. In October, Chaucer was paid in order to carry letters from Calais to England by Prince Lionel.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1366[/b][br /]
Chaucer had a setback with the loss of his father, John Chaucer.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1368[/b][br /]
Chaucer married Philippa Roet, a lady-in-waiting in the Queen’s household.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1369 [/b][br /]
Chaucer served with John of Gaunt’s army in France.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1370 [/b][br /]
Chaucer again served with the army in France.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1372[/b][br /]
Chaucer traveled to Genoa and Florence, Italy, on a diplomatic mission.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1375[/b][br /]
Chaucer and Otho de Graunson both received grants from John of Gaunt.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1378[/b][br /]
Went on his diplomatic mission to Italy.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1380[/b][br /]
Chaucer was released from all actions in the case of the rape as Cecily Chaumpaigne signed a document. [br /]
Chaucer wrote The Parliament of Fowles.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1381[/b][br /]
Death of Chaucer’s mother, Agnes Chaucer.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1382-83[/b][br /]
Chaucer was granted a gallon pitcher of wine for life. Chaucer appointed as the Comptroller of the Customs.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1386[/b][br /]
Resigned from customs and gave up this house in Aldgate.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1387-92[/b][br /]
Began The Cantebury Tales.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1389[/b][br /]
Appointed Clerk of Works at Westminster, Tower of London, and other royal estates.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1391[/b][br /]
Resigned from the post of Clerk of Works and was employed as forester for the forest of North Petherton in Somerset.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1394[/b][br /]
Chaucer was given an annuity 20 Pounds a year by King Richard II.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1399[/b][br /]
Chaucer took on lease a tenement for 53 years in the garden of the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey.[br /]
[br /]
[b]1400[/b][br /]
Death of Geoffrey Chaucer on 25th October.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
Chaucer led a busy official life as he pursued many occupations during his life. He was a soldier, an intelligence officer, a construction supervisor, comptroller of the customs for the port of London, a participant of the diplomatic mission, and a Member of Parliament. He gave a list of his own works to date in the "Prologue" which exist in two versions, labeled ‘F’ and ‘G’.[br /]
[br /]
He is a lively presence in his works. The reader who knows Chaucer very well knows about his work also. The character of Chaucer in his works shows a certain consistency and his occasional biographical passages such as this from The House of Fame. [br /]
"Wherefore, as I seyde, ywys, Jupiter considereth this, And also, beau sir, other thynges :That is, that thou hast no tydynges Of Loves folks if they be glade, Ne of noght elles that God made;[br /]
[br /]
One traditional categorization of Chaucer’s works has been to divide them into three periods :[br /]
[br /]
1). An early French period [br /]
2). The Italian period[br /]
3). The final English period[br /]
[br /]
During his first phase the works he wrote, he may have even read his works aloud to a select audience, to fellow courtiers and officials, which sometimes did include the members of the royal family. The culture of the English upper class was still predominantly French, and his earlier works were influenced by French poets Guillaume de Machaut and Jean Froissart. He was also influenced by the great 13th century dream allegory Le Roman de la Rose by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun.[br /]
[br /]
His first important original work was The book of the Duchess. It is an elegy for John of Gaunt’s first wife, Blanche, who died in 1369. In this work, he comes across a grieving knight, Gaunt, who recounts his love and loss of his "good fair white", Blanche.[br /]
[br /]
He was also influenced by the works of Dante and Giovanni Boccaccio as he wrote The House of Fame and The Parliament of Fowles during his first journey to Italy. His unfinished work The House of Fame gives a humorous account of the poet’s frustrating journey in the claws of a giant golden eagle to the palace of the goddess Fame.[br /]
[br /]
During this period, he also translated and adopted religious, historical, and philosophical works. Troilus, a poem of more than 8000 lives, is Chaucer’s major work besides The Canterbury Tales. It was a tragic love story of the Trojan prince Troilus who wins Criseyde (Cressida) and then loses her to the Greek Warrior Diomede. His characters used to be so psychologically complex that the work has been called the first modern novel.[br /]
[br /]
The Canterbury Tales was composed of more than 18,000 lines of poetry. It was made up of separate blocks of one or more tales with links introducing and joining stories within a block. The genius of Chaucer lies in the dramatic interaction between the tales and the framing of the story.[br /]
[br /]
These are some of the lines from his major works :[br /]
[br /]
[i][b]CANTERBURY TALES[/b][/i][br /]
[br /]
• Whanne that April with his shoures sates. The drought of March hath perced to the rate.[br /]
• He was a veray parfit gentil knight.[br /]
• Nowhere so besy a man as he thern’ as, And yet he seemed besier than he was.[br /]
• His studie was but litel on the Bible.[br /]
• And yet he had a thomb of gold parde.[br /]
• Min be the travaille, and thin be the glory.[br /]
• To maken virtue of necessity.[br /]
[br /]
[b]TROILUS AND CRISEYDE[/b][br /]
[br /]
• Right as an aspen lefe she gan to quake[br /]
• One ear if heard, at the other out it went.[br /]
• I am right sorry for your heavinesse.[br /]
• Go, little bookie ! Go, my little tragedie ![br /]
[br /]
[i][b]THE REEVE’S TALE[/b][/i][br /]
[br /]
• The greatest clerkes ben not the wisest men[br /]
• So was hire joly whistle wel ywette[br /]
• In his owen grese I made him frie.[br /]
[br /]
[i][b]THE PARLIAMENT OF FOWLES[/b][/i][br /]
[br /]
• The lyfe so short, the craft so long to lerne Th’ assay so hard, so sharpe the conquering.[br /]
Nature, the vicar of the Almightie Lord.[br /]
[br /]
If his works had to be listed in some format, it could have been listed in this order :[br /]
[br /]
[i]CANTERBURY TALES[br /]
[br /]
CANTERBURY TALES STUDY RESOURCES :[/i][br /]
[br /]
-The Knight’s Tale[br /]
-The Miller’s Tale[br /]
-The Reeve’s Tale[br /]
-The Cook’s Tale[br /]
-The Wife of Bath’s Tale[br /]
-The Friar’s Tale[br /]
-The Man of Law’s Tale[br /]
-The Parson’s Tale[br /]
-The Nun’s Priest’s Tale[br /]
-The Pardoner’s Tale[br /]
-The Prioress’s Tale[br /]
-Troilus and Criseyde[br /]
-Book of the Duchess[br /]
[br /]
[b]OTHER MAJOR POEMS[/b][br /]
[br /]
[i][b]The House of Fame[br /]
The Parliament of Fowles[br /]
The Legend of Good Women[/b][/i][br /]
[br /]
[b]SHORT POEMS[/b][br /]
[br /]
[i][b]The Complaint of Chaucer to his Purse[br /]
The Boethian Short Poems[br /]
The Former Age[br /]
Fortune[br /]
Truth[br /]
Gentilesse[br /]
Merciles Beaute[br /]
Lake of Stedfastness[br /]
Against Women Unconstant[/b][/i][br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
He is a lively presence in his works. The reader who knows Chaucer very well knows about his work also. The character of Chaucer in his works shows a certain consistency and his occasional biographical passages such as this from The House of Fame. [br /]
"Wherefore, as I seyde, ywys, Jupiter considereth this, And also, beau sir, other thynges :That is, that thou hast no tydynges Of Loves folks if they be glade, Ne of noght elles that God made;[br /]
[br /]
One traditional categorization of Chaucer’s works has been to divide them into three periods :[br /]
[br /]
1). An early French period [br /]
2). The Italian period[br /]
3). The final English period[br /]
[br /]
During his first phase the works he wrote, he may have even read his works aloud to a select audience, to fellow courtiers and officials, which sometimes did include the members of the royal family. The culture of the English upper class was still predominantly French, and his earlier works were influenced by French poets Guillaume de Machaut and Jean Froissart. He was also influenced by the great 13th century dream allegory Le Roman de la Rose by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun.[br /]
[br /]
His first important original work was The book of the Duchess. It is an elegy for John of Gaunt’s first wife, Blanche, who died in 1369. In this work, he comes across a grieving knight, Gaunt, who recounts his love and loss of his "good fair white", Blanche.[br /]
[br /]
He was also influenced by the works of Dante and Giovanni Boccaccio as he wrote The House of Fame and The Parliament of Fowles during his first journey to Italy. His unfinished work The House of Fame gives a humorous account of the poet’s frustrating journey in the claws of a giant golden eagle to the palace of the goddess Fame.[br /]
[br /]
During this period, he also translated and adopted religious, historical, and philosophical works. Troilus, a poem of more than 8000 lives, is Chaucer’s major work besides The Canterbury Tales. It was a tragic love story of the Trojan prince Troilus who wins Criseyde (Cressida) and then loses her to the Greek Warrior Diomede. His characters used to be so psychologically complex that the work has been called the first modern novel.[br /]
[br /]
The Canterbury Tales was composed of more than 18,000 lines of poetry. It was made up of separate blocks of one or more tales with links introducing and joining stories within a block. The genius of Chaucer lies in the dramatic interaction between the tales and the framing of the story.[br /]
[br /]
These are some of the lines from his major works :[br /]
[br /]
[i][b]CANTERBURY TALES[/b][/i][br /]
[br /]
• Whanne that April with his shoures sates. The drought of March hath perced to the rate.[br /]
• He was a veray parfit gentil knight.[br /]
• Nowhere so besy a man as he thern’ as, And yet he seemed besier than he was.[br /]
• His studie was but litel on the Bible.[br /]
• And yet he had a thomb of gold parde.[br /]
• Min be the travaille, and thin be the glory.[br /]
• To maken virtue of necessity.[br /]
[br /]
[b]TROILUS AND CRISEYDE[/b][br /]
[br /]
• Right as an aspen lefe she gan to quake[br /]
• One ear if heard, at the other out it went.[br /]
• I am right sorry for your heavinesse.[br /]
• Go, little bookie ! Go, my little tragedie ![br /]
[br /]
[i][b]THE REEVE’S TALE[/b][/i][br /]
[br /]
• The greatest clerkes ben not the wisest men[br /]
• So was hire joly whistle wel ywette[br /]
• In his owen grese I made him frie.[br /]
[br /]
[i][b]THE PARLIAMENT OF FOWLES[/b][/i][br /]
[br /]
• The lyfe so short, the craft so long to lerne Th’ assay so hard, so sharpe the conquering.[br /]
Nature, the vicar of the Almightie Lord.[br /]
[br /]
If his works had to be listed in some format, it could have been listed in this order :[br /]
[br /]
[i]CANTERBURY TALES[br /]
[br /]
CANTERBURY TALES STUDY RESOURCES :[/i][br /]
[br /]
-The Knight’s Tale[br /]
-The Miller’s Tale[br /]
-The Reeve’s Tale[br /]
-The Cook’s Tale[br /]
-The Wife of Bath’s Tale[br /]
-The Friar’s Tale[br /]
-The Man of Law’s Tale[br /]
-The Parson’s Tale[br /]
-The Nun’s Priest’s Tale[br /]
-The Pardoner’s Tale[br /]
-The Prioress’s Tale[br /]
-Troilus and Criseyde[br /]
-Book of the Duchess[br /]
[br /]
[b]OTHER MAJOR POEMS[/b][br /]
[br /]
[i][b]The House of Fame[br /]
The Parliament of Fowles[br /]
The Legend of Good Women[/b][/i][br /]
[br /]
[b]SHORT POEMS[/b][br /]
[br /]
[i][b]The Complaint of Chaucer to his Purse[br /]
The Boethian Short Poems[br /]
The Former Age[br /]
Fortune[br /]
Truth[br /]
Gentilesse[br /]
Merciles Beaute[br /]
Lake of Stedfastness[br /]
Against Women Unconstant[/b][/i][br /]
[br /]
[br /]
• First he wrought, and afterward he taught.[br /]
[br /]
• In the stars is written the death of every man.[br /]
[br /]
• But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve, He taught; but first he flawed it himself.[br /]
[br /]
• Truth is the highest thing that man may keep.[br /]
[br /]
• Full wise is he that can himself know.[br /]
[br /]
• But all thing which that shineth as the golden is no gold, as I have herd it told.[br /]
[br /]
• One ear it heard, at the other out it went.[br /]
[br /]
• The lyb so short, the craft so long to lerne.[br /]
[br /]
• Young men think old men are fools, but old men know young men are fools.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
• In the stars is written the death of every man.[br /]
[br /]
• But Cristes lore, and his apostles twelve, He taught; but first he flawed it himself.[br /]
[br /]
• Truth is the highest thing that man may keep.[br /]
[br /]
• Full wise is he that can himself know.[br /]
[br /]
• But all thing which that shineth as the golden is no gold, as I have herd it told.[br /]
[br /]
• One ear it heard, at the other out it went.[br /]
[br /]
• The lyb so short, the craft so long to lerne.[br /]
[br /]
• Young men think old men are fools, but old men know young men are fools.[br /]
[br /]
[br /]
