Which famous poet is known as the father of English Literature?
English literature has a long list of famous poets and their masterpieces. Poetry is a genre of literature that brings a man closer to nature. Poetry brings its reader away from the harsh realities of life. A poem is a spontaneous overflow of a poet's feelings. A poet is a visionary person who has the power to express his ideas creatively.The famous poet and the poetry we will discuss today are Geoffrey Chaucer and The Prologue To The Canterbury Tales. The recorded date of birth of Geoffrey Chaucer is 1342.He was born in London. He is one of the famous poets of English literature and known as the "father of English literature."
Works and achievements of Geoffrey Chaucer:
He is also known as the"father of the English language." He was one of the first poets who wrote in English language and established its worth in comparison with French.
He was the first one who used blank verse in his poetry.He wrote many books like 'The Book of the Duchess,The House of Fame, The Legend of Good Women,Troilus and Criseyde and The Prologue To The Canterbury Tales."
The Prologue To Canterbury Tales is considered the masterpiece of Geoffrey Chaucer.
In The Prologue To The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer faithfully depicts the social conditions of his time. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer describes the members of different professions and gives us a fair picture of the food habits, the dress, and the entertainment of his time.
We have twenty-nine pilgrims in The Prologue To The Canterbury Tales with the narrator. They are going to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury, Kent. The pilgrims decide to engage themselves in a storytelling contest for killing time during travel. The pilgrims who set out on the journey are typical and individualistic.
These pilgrims are known as The Narrator, The Knight, The Squire, The Friar, The Prioress, The Monk, The Merchant, The Cook, The Ship man, The Man of Law, The Franklin, The Clerk, The Miller, The Reeve, The Yeoman, The Wife of Bath, The Summoner, The Pardoner, The Clerk, The Physician, The Manciple, The Parson, The Plowman, The Host, The Guilds men, The Second Nun, The Nun's Priest.
The Narrator
The narrator writes down what he feels about the pilgrims.
The Knight
He is worthy and chivalrous. He is a warrior. He has participated in different battles. The Knight is a high-ranked person but very noble and humble. He is the best example of a good human being.
The Squire
He is the son of The Knight. He is twenty years old. He loves to sing songs and dance all day. He is as fresh as May.
The Yeoman
He is a servant.
The Prioress
She is a nun but she is very conscious of her dressing, eating habits, and manners. A nun suppose to be very religious but The Prioress is conscious of worldly matters.
The Monk
The Monks are supposed to live in monasteries, but this monk does not care about this rule.
The Friar
The Friar is worldly. He enjoys his friendship with young women. He also takes bribes.
The Merchant
He is a trader. He is the representative of the upper class of society.
The Clerk
He is the representative of the lower strata of society.He likes to study philosophy. He loves to purchase new books rather than clothes.
The Sergeant of Law
He is a lawyer by profession and remains busy in his affairs. He knows all the judicial matters and the law of England very well.
The Franklin
He enjoys his life to the fullest. He is an Epicurious. His table remains filled with the best food all the time.
The Five Guilds men
They use to live together and work together to earn their living.They are happy and contented.
The Cook
He is a very good cook. He makes delicious recipes. No one can beat him in the art of cooking.
The Ship man
He is an expert ship man and knows the condition of the sea very well.
The Physician
He is the best doctor. He knows about all the ailments and their cures.
The Wife of Bath
She loves to enjoy worldly life. She got married five times and still has affairs with different men. She is a seamstress.
The Parson
He is a good nobleman. He leads his life in poverty. He is a very kind-hearted person and loves to help the less obliged people. He is the pastor and preaches the lessons of the Gospel.
The Plowman
He is Parson's brother and equally good. Here he represents peasants.
The Miller
He has a strong body and face. He is a wrestler. He likes to drink and tell the tales of carpenters, clerks, and women.
The Manciple
He is not educated but he is very smart and feeds more than thirty lawyers.
The Reeve
He is not faithful and loyal to his master. He does not perform his job well. He is habitual of stealing.
The Summoner
He is not eligible for the job he is doing. He is not educated but he knows a few words of Latin and uses these words to impress people. He is lecherous by nature.
The Pardoner
He is not loyal to his profession. He is a fraud and collects donations, not for the church but for himself. He sells fake relics to people.
The Second Nun and The Nun’s Priest tale is not narrated in the prologue.
The Host
The Host is a cheerful and light-hearted person. He helps the pilgrims to continue the flow of the tales.
It is justified to say that The Prologue To The Canterbury Tales is a portrait gallery. The pilgrims who are ready to go on their journey belong to different classes. Each is vivid and life-like. When we read the pages of The Prologue To The Canterbury Tales, we feel that the characters are alive and realistic.Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the most famous poets in the history of English literature.The Prologue To The Canterbury Tales is one of the famous books of poetry.
To sum up, I will quote a critic who says:" He is our Goethe, a great artist who put his whole mind into his art."
