In college, I suffered through a Medieval Literature course and studied not only the Canterbury Tales prologue, but the entire text … in its original Medieval English.
Fortunately, now that I teach my seniors Chaucer, we cover his Canterbury Tales prologue – and that’s it – in a modern English we can actually understand, for the most part.
Now, the question becomes: how can we enjoy it and make it relevant?Keep reading to find out how I teach the Canterbury Tales prologue in a way that’s personalized, fun, and rigorous for my students.
Before You Plan Your Canterbury Tales Prologue Activity
Before jumping right into your Canterbury Tales prologue activity or general introduction to the text, it’s important to have an understanding of the author and the text as a whole. The Canterbury Tales prologue is just a snapshot; the entire text is quite comprehensive.
If you’re new to this text, Canterbury Tales still holds popularity and reverence today thanks to its satire and wit. Quite frankly, audiences who lived alongside Chaucer were quite thrilled to have something to laugh about after a handful of plagues devastated Europe in the 1300s and 1400s.
At the time, Geoffrey Chaucer was well-known and well-renowned for his writing abilities. He was a celebrated author and poet who enjoyed his success and popularity on the English royal court.
Canterbury Tales Overview
Sometime between 1387 and 1400, Chaucer penned a collection of 24 stories, all of which open with the Canterbury Tales prologue.
The general premise of the text is a mishmash of pilgrims (travelers) happens to strike up a conversation in a pub. When they find out they are all traveling to St. Thomas Becket’s shrine, one of the pilgrims has the idea to make the travelers’ journey more entertaining. So he devises a competition. The pilgrim who tells the most entertaining life story wins a free meal at the end of the pilgrimage.
Many factors contribute to the everlasting success of Chaucer’s seminal work. Namely, he wrote in the vernacular, meaning his language was more readily-accessible to a wide range of readers, not just the formally educated.
Additionally, the frame tale he used to structure his work was new. His audiences appreciated this refreshing change of narrative form.
But arguably the most notable reason for wide success is the content and style of his writing. Chaucer wasn’t afraid to make public the lewd, misogynistic, hypocritical, or otherwise shocking behavior of the pilgrims.
Using sharp wit and other satirical devices, Chaucer openly made a mockery of and criticized high-ranking figures like doctors, lawyers, and clergymen (and clergywomen).
Actually, it’s pretty genius in the Canterbury Tales prologue (and throughout the rest of the text) how Chaucer is able to so cleverly hide behind a guise of innocence thanks to sarcasm, hyperbole, and juxtaposition (just to name a few devices).
Introducing the Prologue to Students
Once you’ve familiarized yourself with the text, you’re ready to jump into your Canterbury Tales prologue activity. Here’s a quick glimpse into my classroom and what we did with Chaucer’s text this year.
Canterbury Tales Prologue: Activator
For me, what resonates with students the most in the Canterbury Tales prologue is the satire. I teach the Canterbury Tales prologue in my British Literature course, which is geared mostly towards seniors. The activity I use as my warm-up, though, is one I use with my sophomores, too.
To introduce the text and better situate students within Chaucer’s satirical realm, I use this “Satire Notes and Activity.” When I teach Don Quixote to my sophomores, we approach satire more methodically, taking a lot of time to review the technique and its traits and characteristics. Then we apply what we’ve learned to examples and eventually our text.
With my seniors, who should already know much of this content, we jump right into contemporary media clips that feature various types of satire. It’s more of a review.
A common misconception of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales prologue is that it’s outdated. While some of the pilgrims’ professions might be antiquated (i.e. the knight), Chaucer’s underlying message and techniques are still very relevant. So, to help students better understand this, I like to show modern clips from relevant shows like Saturday Night Live or recently-aired commercials.
I’ll provide my students with a graphic organizer and set up the clips to watch on my screen. You could also easily assign this as partner work or an independent activity. However you approach the task, it’s important to come together as a group to discuss what we learned. Really drive home with your students the underlying messages of criticism since that’s what Chaucer aims to do.
By framing students’ mindsets specifically towards satire, you can then better approach the Canterbury Tales prologue.
The Heart of the Lesson
Now, with a general understanding of Chaucer’s satire, you can dive into the Canterbury Tales prologue. If you have the freedom to do so, I definitely recommend modifying the reading load as opposed to reading the prologue in its entirety.
One part of modernizing texts for our students to better meet their needs can come in the form of how much we read. The British Literature course I teach is only semester-long; so, to try and cram the entire Canterbury Tales or even the whole prologue would absorb a large amount of time we just don’t have.
Plus, part of meeting our students’ needs in a post-covid world means maximizing the short attention spans many learners have. My suggested approach for the Canterbury Tales prologue can do that.
Select the Best Pilgrims
In all, there are 24 pilgrims featured in Chaucer’s prologue. My first recommendation for teaching the Canterbury Tales prologue is to select those you feel are the most entertaining, relevant, or relatable for your students.
While you can certainly read the entire text, in my class, we began with a general overview of the prologue. Pretty much what I shared with you earlier is what I included in my presentation and introduction for my students. Then we highlight two pilgrims specifically.
Start the Canterbury Tales Prologue Together
Admittedly, we go a bit out of order. We start with the Narrator, though his story technically comes at the end of the Canterbury Tales prologue. I find that starting with him can help lay the groundwork for reliability since, after all, we are hearing everyone else’s story through him.
After the narrator, we read about the Knight. For Chaucer, little to no satire is present with this pilgrim. The Knight stands as the emblem of respectability and morality. All others should aspire to be like the Knight but will undoubtedly pale in comparison even with their best efforts.
By reading first about the Knight in the Canterbury Tales prologue, I encourage my students to use him as the standard. It becomes more humorous, then, to see how the other pilgrims so miserably – and laughably – fail to reach that high bar, even if they wanted to.
We’ll read the Narrator’s and the Knight’s tales together. One reason I do this is to help students understand the language. Even though it’s much more modern than, say, the Medieval English of Beowulf (Do you teach that, too? Check this out.), it can still be a challenge for students to encounter the first time.
I also choose to cover these two pilgrims together to better set the tone and expectations for what comes next.
Remaining Pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales Prologue
When we have concluded our large group work, we then move into smaller group tasks. With a small group, they choose from the remaining list of pilgrims to cover. Those include the Prioress, Monk, Friar, Doctor, Wife from Bath, Parson, and the Summoner.
I have a small class – just 16 this semester – so the numbers work out well. Depending on your class size, you could increase the sizes of the groups to four or five.
Each group then receives a worksheet dedicated to their pilgrim. I give them at least the rest of our 84-minute class period (and usually some of the next day) to read their pilgrim’s tale and tackle the tasks that accompany it.
You can see here I’ve put a great deal of time into preparing each pilgrim’s worksheet.
First, I have each pilgrim’s entire tale, with footnotes, on the worksheet. This allows students to read the original text and interact with it in a meaningful way. I require annotations.
Each pilgrim then comes with a variety of tasks. Many require students to defend a statement with textual evidence. Others ask students to find modern examples that resonate with their pilgrim. A lot feature other literary devices like author’s tone and satire.
As students work, I travel the room, pausing to listen in on their interpretations or to offer guidance when needed. I collect the worksheets and assess them at the end of the activity.
My Favorite Pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales Prologue
Though you could tackle any number of pilgrims for the group work, I definitely have a few favorites. These serve as the basis for my Canterbury Tales prologue worksheets.
Religious Characters from the Canterbury Tales Prologue
It’s hard to ignore the heavy criticism Chaucer holds for members of the Church. And, back in the time this was written, it would have been more than just scandalous for him to make such remarks towards an entity that, quite literally, had a hand in everything. But audiences then and now certainly appreciate his hilarious blaspheming.
To start, I included the Prioress. This should-be-pious nun of the Canterbury Tales prologue should be a pillar of humility. Instead, through Chaucer’s hyperbole, she reveals an obsession with her appearance. With my students, I encourage them to look closely at Chaucer’s tone towards the Prioress using textual evidence.
Next, we look at the Monk, who should be another beacon of simplicity in the Canterbury Tales prologue. But, hilariously, he not only enjoys a life of excess, but thrives on hunting to achieve that. The juxtaposition between what should be a peaceful man of God and this ruthless hunter is hard to ignore and fun to discuss.
Another churchly figure we cover is the Friar. Whereas the Prioress puts on blast the hypocrisy of humble appearances and the Monk likewise exacerbates the mockery of gentle natures, the Friar hilariously satirizes how men of God, like himself, should live a life of poverty. What I love about the Friar isn’t just the humorous ways he fills his pockets, but the subtle ways it seems like Chaucer enjoys the Friar. For this pilgrim, I see if students can figure out how we know this.
The final religious character we cover in the Canterbury Tales prologue is the Parson. For me, he’s an interesting inclusion for Chaucer because, when put side-by-side with the Knight, the Parson seems to be the closest to achieving that high status. For this pilgrim, we look at the symbolism of a shepherd and his flock as well as gold versus iron.
Other Favorites from the Canterbury Tales Prologue
I also choose to include the Doctor and the Wife from Bath in my Canterbury Tales prologue activities. To me, it’s hard to pass up the Doctor when we’ve so recently endured a pandemic. It’s fun to assign this pilgrim to my more scientifically-minded students in the room. They have a blast with Chaucer’s doctor’s reliance on astrology for medical knowledge.
And maybe my personal favorite from the Canterbury Tales prologue is the Wife from Bath. She is so bawdy and unabashed, and I think she rocks. It would be a fun activity to start a discussion on who most closely resembles the Knight. I might argue the Wife from Bath is the farthest from him. So one of the tasks I have for students who choose her is exactly how she compares to the Knight.
And last but not least, one of the groups covers the Summoner. If I have particularly artistic students in the room, I give them a little nudge towards the one because the worksheet has students draw him. Why? It’s difficult to decide which is uglier: his inward or outward appearance. Chaucer definitely plays this up in his Canterbury Tales prologue, and it’s fun to be over-the-top with it.
Canterbury Tales Prologue Assessment
As noted before, you could definitely collect students’ work and assess it there only. But if you have the time, your students will love the idea I have next.
For a larger grade, I had students prepare a presentation to be shared with the class on their selected pilgrim from the Canterbury Tales prologue. Using their worksheet and the discussions they had with their group the day prior, they had to share with the class their findings.
I assessed their presentations on the following: a summary of their pilgrim’s tale; how Chaucer uses satire with this pilgrim; their inclusion of textual evidence to show those satirical tools; and the overall presentation in terms of its organization and aesthetics. I’ll also have students try to find a modern day comparison for their pilgrim.
Each group took turns presenting their pilgrim to the class. I love this approach because it allows everyone to hear about the major pilgrims from the Canterbury Tales prologue without having to take the time and risk losing interest if we were to read every pilgrim individually. If desired, you could prepare a note sheet for students to fill out as their peers present.
It also puts the students in the driver’s seat by holding them accountable for learning the material and creatively sharing that with the class.
Other Ideas for Assessing the Canterbury Tales Prologue
Short student presentations certainly are not the only way to assess understanding. Here are some other ideas for wrapping up the Canterbury Tales prologue.
Dress Up Day
You could have students dress the part for their selected pilgrim. Encourage them to come to class in full costume. Their presentation could then be a dramatic reenactment of their pilgrim’s tale.
Or, if you have enough participation, host your own Canterbury party. Stage your room to look like a Medieval tavern and encourage students to mingle with one another while fully playing their parts.
Modern Day Satire
As noted, a major selling point of any piece of literature is making it relevant and modern for your students.
For your Canterbury Tales prologue assessment, you could have students find their own modern day parallel. For example, a student tasked with satirizing the Medieval doctor might choose a modern day astrologer. Maybe your student finds humorous parallels between the Wife from Bath and a spoiled socialite or other celebrity.
How you have students demonstrate their understanding is up to you. You could mirror the earlier-mentioned presentation. You could have students make a poster. Or you could curate a class yearbook, giving each pilgrim their own page spread.
Research Medieval Roles
Another possibility is more research-based: have students engage with more formal research as they learn about their pilgrim’s Medieval role.
So, have the group assigned to the Parson do some digging into what a Parson was expected to do in the 1300 and 1400s. Likewise, have students research the roles of women and government officials.
The upside of this approach is it would foster a deeper understanding of Chaucer’s satire. By understanding the literal role, your students will have a richer comprehension for what Chaucer openly mocks.
Concluding Thoughts
If you had told me, as a college student suffering through an entire course on Medieval Literature, that I would one day teach the Canterbury Tales prologue and enjoy it, I’d have thought you were crazy.
But these creative Canterbury Tales prologue activities are the way to go. Through them, you can spotlight the most memorable pilgrims. Your students will have a ton of fun while engaging with the text in rich, rigorous ways.
If you’re ready to jump into some of my ideas specifically, check out my Canterbury Tales prologue activity. While you’re there, check out some of the other Medieval resources I have, like Dante’s Inferno Teacher’s Booklet, “Canto V” from Dante’s Inferno, or my Don Quixote resource.
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