Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

Question 1

What is the concept of the Canterbury Tales?

Answer 1

A group of pilgrims traveling to the shrine of Saint Thomas Beckett at Canterbury Cathedral

Question 2

Why are the characters making the pilgrimage?

Answer 2

They sought to lessen time in purgatory

Question 3

What is one interpretation of the tales?

Answer 3

That they show the corruption of the Church and the criticisms

Question 4

How were the original texts published

Answer 4

They were handwritten and copied

Question 5

By the end of the 15th century, how did the Canterbury Tales become so widely popular?

Answer 5

There was the development of the printing press

Question 6

What shows that the criticisms of the Church were very relevant over a long period?

Answer 6

The Tales were still enjoyed, and the corruption recognised, in the 15th century, even when written in the 14th

Question 7

What does the Pardoner do that demonstrates the corruption of the Church?

Answer 7

• keeps money from selling pardons
• displays fake relics and keeps money from people visiting them
• very hypocritical, as he tells them that greed is the root of all evil