Geoffrey Chaucers Experiences In the Canterbury Tales Essay

In the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer describes the journeys and life lessons of thirty fictitious pilgrims. Scholars explain that only one of the thirty pilgrims was indeed Chaucer, but other characters in the Canterbury Tales represent the struggles of Chaucer as well. Although the pilgrims’ tales were pretend, they were based on actual events that Chaucer experienced throughout his lifetime. He represents his own insecurities and flaws throughout the array of the characters’ tales. Situation irony of the characters conceals Chaucer’s role while it entertains the audience. Overall, Chaucer actually writes about himself within at least three different character descriptions in the Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath Tale’s knight, the†¦show more content†¦Therefore, Chaucer did not have to suffer legally after his rape case because Chaucer was well known. Also, the knight did not receive cruel treatment after his case. For example, the queen i n the Canterbury Tales excused the knight from his crime because he told her one thing - - the sole thing women look for in a relationship. The knight’s honorable reputation saves him from punishment, which is similar to Chaucer’s case. Despite the fact that Chaucer was never a knight, the Wife of Bath’s tale about the knight emulated Chaucer’s past criminal background. Chaucer also shares the level of intellect with the Oxford Cleric in the Canterbury Tales. Fisher praises how Chaucer writes â€Å"without transition but perfectly coherently† (Fisher 132). Chaucer intelligent organization in his writing allows his to pieces to be adored for centuries. The character that Chaucer created, Oxford Cleric, also demonstrates Chaucer’s concise writing style. Oxford Cleric is known for his â€Å"short, to the point†¦ theme† in the Canterbury Tales (The General Prologue 316). Overall, Oxford Cleric and Chaucer thought on a high level, and were recognized for their intelligence. Also, Hornsby believes that Chaucer possibly studied at Oxford (7). It is probably not a pure coincidence that it is the same school that the Cleric attends, as mentioned in the Prologue. Chaucer and the Oxford Cleric shareShow MoreRelatedThe Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer1321 Words   |  6 Pagesever read the Canterbury Tales? The story behind The C anterbury Tales is enhancing. Geoffrey Chaucer was a revolutionary writer whose life influenced his writing. Geoffrey Chaucer helped the king and stayed at his service for years. Chaucer quit the service to chase his ambitious dream of being a writer and a poet, and hoped to succeed. Chaucer wrote many stories and poems and his most successful and popular was The Canterbury Tales. His stories were revolutionary and successful. 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