Researching the Canterbury Pilgrims in Late 1300s England

Erika Pinter
LIT/235
Professor Colette Wanless-sobel
7/22/19
The Canterbury Pilgrims
In any work of fiction, writers use different characters to convey their ideas as well as evolving the story. A story cannot progress without characters and their development. In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer presents various ideas in the context of medieval society. Chaucer’s work is a collection of 24 stories told by individuals who are going on a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral from London to Canterbury. Most of what can be said about any of the characters are provided in the Prologue, where the narrator manages to describe most of the members of the group. Here, the narrator introduces all the characters who participate in the imaginary journey and who will tell the tales. Other information about any of the characters can be obtained from gleaning the tales themselves via what the characters say, act, or how others act towards themselves. The Knight is one of the major characters that Chaucer has used to develop the story and convey the theme of love, honor, adventure, and chivalry.
Chaucer presents the Knight as an admirable character. To begin with, the Knight is the most prestigious individual in the pilgrimage. In the past, the Knight had participated in many battles and also served as his king in a noble way. Chaucer, however, wants the reader to understand that the Knight has not been fighting secular battles, rather all his battles have been religious in nature. He has not been fighting for selfish gain. Instead, the Knight has spent his life fighting for a good cause.. Indeed, the Knight is the epitome of gentility. He is an individual who wants people to live in freedom and love. The Knight does not believe in oppressing others, instead he works to ensure that individuals live in freedom and love. As a result, the other characters in the tale look up to him and respect him. The other characters admire his actions and seek to emulate them. Furthermore, while the Knight has an elevated position in the tale, Chaucer considers him to be filled with humility. The Knight does not participate in quarreling or any form of complaining. He has, in the past, dist...