Canterbury Tales The Theme Of Pilgrimage English Literature Essay

In this paper I would like to examine, Pilgrimage as one of the major theme of Canterbury Tales. How Chaucer presents the theme of pilgrimage and how this very idea has been critiqued in this text. Chaucer wrote Canterbury Tales some where between 1387-1400. The Tales describes the journey of twenty-nine people who travel as pilgrims, and the frame narrator weaves the tales of their journey .Initially, it was determined that each pilgrim would tell two tales on their way to Canterbury and two on their way back. However, Chaucer could not finish this enormous project.

Chaucer primarily presents a social overview of pilgrimage through his tales. Fourteenth century England cannot be separated from a Christian worldview. Though, it is interesting to note, how Chaucer presents a text which is completely out of a Christian order. My argument in this essay focuses on the question: Is Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales a text on Pilgrimage or not?

The setting of Canterbury Tales is almost like a “carnivalesque” setting. There is clear subversion of social order in the Tales. Through out the Tales, we get to see a blurred view on the idea of pilgrimage. We find a subverted order, celebrations, mirth and play. It is only the Parson’s Tale which provides a treatise on “seven deadly” sins and “penance”, instead of “merry” tales. The Tales ends with Parson’s Tale were he proposes to speak something “virtuous” and not “fables”. For fables where seen as wretched lies; as St. Paul has mentioned in letter to Timothy. On the other hand what Chaucer gives us is a descriptive account of a worldly journey. We never get to know, whether the pilgrims ever reach Canterbury or not. Even within the Tales there is only a minimal reference to prayers or penance. The Tales just end with Chaucer’s Retraction. In his retraction Chaucer asks pardon for those works, which project worldly vanities. Instead he thanks God for his grace bestowed on him in making him complete his moral works and translations. He confesses for his worldly works and seeks for true penance.

To begin with my argument, I would like to quote Bloomfield’s essay on ‘Chaucerian Realism’.In this essay he refers Canterbury Tales to a “religious genre” which catered to “human curiosity about other lands and strange places”. My point is then: is pilgrimage is thus to seek “other” strange places, and not to seek repentance? A reference to Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart will apparently be a lucid example. The White Man’s “Burden” is perhaps, then a Eurocentric notion of pilgrimage! The point that I shall like to emphasize is the concept of “burden” with reference to pilgrimage in Canterbury Tales. Chaucer’s representation of Knight’s campaigns to Alexandria, Lithuania and Russia…etc can be seen in the light of early imperialism.” He had raided in Lithuania and Russia” (General Prologue, lines 50-55), the idea behind the early campaigns in the Medieval England was to fight for the “Christian” faith. Christ in his teachings referred to sufferings and miseries as a worldly “burden” that every Christian has to carry in order to enter kingdom of heaven. He said to carry one’s own cross as a symbol of a true burden in a way to seek salvation. However, what has been represented through out the ages is mere a sham representation of Christian values. Chaucer in his every attempt tries to deconstruct the very notions of these false representations. He constantly questions and criticizes the church order.

Chaucer highlights the burden of the sins, carried over by the pilgrims. As he often exaggerates the propensity of their vices to a comic level. Ironically, the pilgrims even fail to understand the purpose of their journey.

There is no doubt that Chaucer had a religious dimension in his mind when he chose pilgrimage as the frame narrative for his tales. Indeed the entire medieval century, presented pilgrimage as a major theme of their works. For instance, William Langland’s ‘Piers Plowman’ presents the theme of a spiritual journey in order to seek truth. However, Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, though it is set in a religious Background of a pilgrimage, but it only remains in the background. The frame narrative is not the actual mover of the tales. Kittredge points that the pilgrims do not exist for the sake of the stories but vice versa. But then stories could have existed even if there weren’t any “pilgrims” to narrate the Tales. There is no religious outlook in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Even if we remove the outer frame work of pilgrimage out of Canterbury Tales, still the tales will have relevance. My emphasis is that Chaucer never attempts to give moral idea of pilgrimage. Even within the tales he parodies the traditional belief of visiting the relics of saints. Ironically, Chaucer’s narrator is also a fellow pilgrim.

In the pardoner’s Tale, the pardoner asks the host to kiss the Pardoner’s relics first, to this the host refuses and replies that the pardoner may even keep his “old breeches” as relics.

Moreover, the tales are not about pilgrimage and prayers. We never get to see Monks preaching or nun’s praying. Interestingly, in the General Prologue Chaucer very carefully satirizes the religious hierarchy. Jill Mann refers to General Prologue to the “estate satires”. The Canterbury Tales begins with the introduction of each of the piligrims.They include a knight, his son a squire, the knight’s yeoman, a prioress accompanied by a second nun and the nun’s priest, a monk, a friar, a merchant, a clerk, a sergeant of law, a franklin, a haberdasher, a carpenter, a weaver, a dyer, a tapestry weaver, a cook, a shipman, a doctor of physic, a wife of Bath, a parson, his brother a plowman, a miller, a manciple, a reeve, a summoner, a pardoner, the host, and a portrait of Chaucer himself. The pilgrims are introduced in a social order, describing the nobility in front, the craftsmen in the middle, and the peasants at the end. A canon and his yeoman later join the pilgrimage and tell one of the tales.

Although the main idea of this text is that of the pilgrimage, and this is the reason why all the characters get together: the pilgrimage to Canterbury, however the narrator seems to underline some other aspects. The way he describes certain details, and the story that every pilgrim tales tend to point something more than a journey.

In my opinion, Chaucer tries to reveal more about the society and the way it is organized using this whole idea of pilgrimage. His characters, which are carefully chosen, express a different level of socialization.The frame narrator provides the readers with a “sincere” representation of the pilgrims in their way to Canterbury; he begins with describing the mannerism and appearances and extends to a larger commentary of the fourteenth century. Leicester, perhaps reads the General Prologue not merely as a “traditionally conceived gallery of neutrally observed ‘portraits'”, but as the “psychological self revelation” of narrator/author. Chaucer creates three dimensional figures; he presents the colour, texture and the actuality to the setting. There is a clear “cross-section” of the fourteenth century human scene. Yet, the pilgrims manage to showcase a communal feeling. The pilgrimage is viewed similar to carnival. Just as fun and frolic is the part of carnival. Chaucer’s pilgrimage also carries a parallel feeling.

The recurring image in Tales is imagery of carnivalesque. The pilgrims indulge in worldly pleasures of eating, drinking and enjoying themselves talking about sex and bodily functions. The pilgrimage is seen as a “diversion” rather than a religious journey.

A pilgrimage by definition is religious in character, however what is offered by Chaucer is a true celebration of life. The “piercing” of April showers into the “drought” of March, in a way is an imagery of birth and new life. The eschatological aspect of Canterbury Tales is transcended. There is a larger meaning of life, where people are true to their desires and feelings. The banquet imagery is a popular imagery in a carnivalesque literature. Similarly, in Canterbury Tales, the banquet at the tabard inn subverts the ostensible goal of this pilgrimage.

It is thus to say, there is a shift from the spiritual goal of attaining salvation, to the physical bodily desire. There is a transformation from the spiritual aspect to the materialistic desire. The emphasis is laid on attaining the pleasures of life. The imagery of supper as the prize at the end of the tales is juxtaposed to the Christ’s last supper. Jesus Christ’s last supper with his disciples, is a symbolic gesture of his soul’s journey to heaven. Similarly, Chaucer too attempts to give a symbolic meaning to their worldly journey to the shrine of Canterbury with the prize of supper at the Tabard inn. However, the difference is Christ’s journey is complete, but Chaucer’s journey is incomplete. Unfortunately, we never get to know who won the competition at the end.

However, what accounts in the interpretation by the critics, is that there is deviation from the “religious” concept of pilgrimage to a “literary” concept of pilgrimage. The entire idea of pilgrimage is shifted to the theme of story-telling. The juxtaposition of tales to the dramatic framework of the pilgrimage is the larger counter of Chaucer’s style. The five day pilgrimage to Canterbury is seen in the light of five – act structured play in a drama.

The stages of the journey represents, deepening dramatic effect as seen in a drama.

The first day opens with a strong representation of chivalric ideal in love and war.

The Knight’s tale is full of noble characters placed in a classical setting, with an elevated theme. The tale is set in the mythological Greece. Chaucer’s main source for this Tale was Boccacio’s Teseida. Chaucer transforms Boccacio’s classical epic and love story into a chivalric picture of medieval knighthood. Then it is followed by Miller’s and Reeve’s Tale.

Chaucer in both the tales manages to fuse in grotesque elements. He strikes a balance between bawdiness and vulgarity. Both the tales are well received by audience.

The cook’s tale is an incomplete tale. The second day is seen more literary in sense; The Man of Law raises several critical questions. He presents a Christian theme of faith. The moral is that the good Christian must always be true to his faith. In the tale Constance suffers poverty, sorrow, defeat and also prosperity, happiness and victory, but through all these stages, her faith remains constant. She epitomizes all the Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity, and the reader is impressed with her humility. The wife of Bath’s tale is a tale regarding the theme of marriage. However as stated by Prof. Kittredge it was Wife of Bath’s tale that initiated a debate between the fellow pilgrims. She begins a group of new act in the drama. The wife of Bath is seen to some extent a parody of the faithful ‘Constance’ in the Man of Law’s tale.

The Friar and the Summoner’s tale is a subtle commentary made by Chaucer on the Catholic Church order. The Clerk’s tale is juxtaposed to the Wife of Bath’s tale. The Clerk concludes his tale, saying all women should be chaste like Griselda, who has passed all the tests laid down by her husband. The Merchant’s tale too, reiterates the theme of marriage. The Squire’s Tale is interrupted by Franklin. Interestingly, Franklin’s Tale is one such tale which ends with happy note. The Physician’s tale end with a sad note, with the death of Virginia .Chaucer has taken this tale from Titus Livius, a Roman historian, but it has been greatly embellished by Chaucer in his Tale. The Physician certainly dramatizes the situation by having the father cut off his daughter’s head for the sake of the honor of his family. The host was upset by the Physician’s tale, in particular the treacherous behavior of the judge. He turns to the Pardoner requesting that he should tell a more agreeable story.  The Pardoner, before commencing his tale, gives information to the Pilgrims concerning the methods he uses in preaching. He uses as his text “Radix malorum est cupidatis” which is “love of money is the root of all evil”. He carries with him a variety of relics which are available for sale. He encourages the Pilgrims to be unselfish. However, he then confesses that he himself is a worldly man and likes money, rich food and fine living.

The Pardoner’s tale is a moral story. The moral of his tale was that root of all evil is money. Chaucer intentionally gave this tale to the Pardoner. Here again Chaucer takes the opportunity to highlight the hypocrisy of the Medieval Church, through his portrayal of the Pardoner. It is the old story of the Pardoner not practicing what he preaches. The Pardoner sells Pardons and Indulgences to sinners by the authority of the Pope, and it is no coincidence that Chaucer depicts him as the most evil of the Pilgrims. Again in the Shipman’s tale he launches another attack on the Ecclesiastical community, at the same time there is dual theme of gender politics.

Later in the day, Chaucer’s narrator presents a parody of Sir Thopas. This is followed by Monk’s tragedy and Nun’s priest’s mock heroic tale.

The third day carries a religious note on the martyrdom of St. Cecilia. But the mood is soon interrupted by an unexpected tale by the Canon and his Yeoman. The next day is followed by the cook’s and the Manciple’s prologue and tale. He narrates on the theme of marriage. The theme of marriage is recurred later even when the pilgrims pass through Sittingbourne. And, lastly then we have the concluding tale by the Parson. The Parson advises that it is God’s desire that all men should travel to the celestial city and not perish in the fires of hell. There are many ways in which to travel to paradise.  One way is through penitence and lamenting for one’s own sins. He then gives in a greater detail on the seven deadly sins, these sins man should avoid, such as envy, sloth, gluttony, and lechery. Interestingly, all of which have appeared in the tales told by the Pilgrims. 

He urges that those present should confess their sins and obtain satisfaction and God’s grace .The five act structure of this dramatic pilgrimage is concluded by Chaucer the author. The frame narrator is taken over by Chaucer himself. In his Retraction he concludes his work. However, critics question the reliability of this retraction. Nonetheless, the retraction befits the theme of storytelling more than his theme of reaching the shrine. As David Knapp clearly points out there is “indeed a profound thematic irony in the structure of the Tales”. Even though Chaucer ends his pilgrimage to Canterbury with the religious note, yet the pilgrimage is seen as a social excursion.

The metaphor of a journey is an integral part of the tales. The fictional journey in the ‘Canterbury Tales’ is juxtaposed to the literary journey. The pilgrimage thus can be seen as the literary journey of Chaucer as the poet.

Works Sited

Morton W. Bloomfield, Chaucerian Realism, The Cambridge Chaucer Companion. Ed. Piero Boitani and Jill Mann (1986).

Jill Mann, Chaucer and Medieval Estate Satire, The Literature of Social Classes and the General Prologue to the ‘Canterbury Tales’ (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973)

H. Marshall Leicester, Jr Structure as Deconstruction: ‘Chaucer and Estate Satire’ in the General Prologue. Or Reading Chaucer as a Prologue to the History of Disenchantment.

Muriel Bowden The influence of Chaucer’s Everyday Life.

Charles Muscatine, The Canterbury Tales: style of the man and the style of the work.

Charles A. Owen, The plan of the Canterbury Pilgrimage

Muriel Bowden, Influence of Chaucer’s Chivalric world

George Lymann Kittredge: Marriage Group

David Knapp: The Relyk of a seint

John .M.Hill, Belief and Truth: Canterbury Tales: To know feelingly, Chaucerian Relief

The poetics of Reverence and Delight

Linda K Davidson, David Martin Gitlitz Pilgrimage: from Ganges to Graceland: an encyclopedia, VOL 1.

www.bookrags.com/notes/ct