The Canterbury Tales are a prime example of the Middle English time period. The stories start with a Prologue that introduces the reader to all the different characters throughout the story. The Prologue introduces us to the Knight, the Pardoner, the Friar, the Monk, and others. The Prologue shows the religious journey many of them are searching for. It also explains how the tales is a giant collection of character stories and their journey. The best story would win a free dinner, while the host is the judge.
In the Pardoners Tale, we learn about the Pardoner and three men. Three men search out looking for “death”. The men think of death as a person who kills people. The three men encounter an old man that when asked where death was told it was under a tree towards the grove. The men go to the tree and find a large pile of gold. The brothers try to cheap out their brothers from a share of the gold. The brothers kill each other with greed for more gold. This portrayed the theme that greed is the root of all evil.
In the Wife of Bath’s we learn about the character and a knight. A knight had raped a woman and had been given a challenge to do within a year and a day by the queen. The knight had been requested to find what woman really want in life. The knight searched all throughout and couldn’t find the answer. The knight eventually finds an old woman that tells him she knows what woman truly want, but won’t tell him unless he promises to marry her afterwards. The woman tells him that women want to be treated with self same sovereignty. The queen approves of the answer and the knight is forced to marry the old woman. The knight hates being married to the woman and complains to her. She was a perfect wife, but the knight didn’t like how old she was. The wife told him she could be young and unfaithful for him if he pleased. The knight agreed to which the woman turned herself into her younger, beautiful self revealing that she is a witch.
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