Chaucer, Shakespeare and Spenser, Essay Example

Laughter as a Lens: Seeing Chaucer’s England in “The Canterbury Tales”

The collected writings in The Canterbury Tales offer significant insight into the ear in which Chaucer lived and wrote. The Tales are a dense and complex series of stories arranged as if they had been recounted by a group of travelers on a pilgrimage. This structure allowed Chaucer to speak through the voices of a wide variety of characters from varying stations in life and with varying personal histories and backgrounds. Such an approach further allowed Chaucer to explore a number of different writing styles and literary themes. Chaucer’s Tales is an often-satirical and even condemnatory look at life in 14^th-century England, though much of the work is infused with comedic wit. While Chaucer allows readers –both then and now- to laugh at the absurdities of life, The Canterbury Tales also reveals some of the fundamental issues shaping English society in Chaucer’s day.

From the first prologue, in which Chaucer introduces the knight, it is impossible not to wonder to what extent Chaucer is exaggerating his descriptions for comedic effect. As he begins to list the accomplishments of this chivalrous knight, it becomes apparent that the knight was involved in every major and minor military action and conflict of the time, from Ruce to Pruce and from Algezir to Belmartye “when they were wonne.” This knight just “hadde to be”- happened or chanced to be- at “many a noble arrive.” On the surface, Chaucer appears to be simply describing the illustrious history of the knight, though it does not require readers to look much deeper to see that he is also satirizing some aspects of knighthood.

The tale that follows The Knight’s Tale is much more overtly humorous; the Miller’s Tale is the story of several men from different stations in life who are all in love with the same young lady, Alison. Each of the men plans or schemes in his own way to win or keep the affections of this woman; John, the carpenter to whom she is married, keeps her locked up in his house; the young student Nicholas convinces her to trick her husband; and Abalon, who swings incense for the Church also attempts to woo her away from her husband. There are moments of low comedy, such as when readers are told about Abalon’s squeamishness over farting. For the most part, though, The Miller’s Tale is a farce involving the overlapping efforts and plans of these three men and the indignities they all suffer as a result. By the end of the story Abalon has planted his lips directly on Alsion’s “arse;” Nicholas has suffered a serious burn on his own arse; and John has not only broken his arm but is now the laughing stock of the entire town. With only a few minor changes, The Miller’s Tale could be adapted into a contemporary film comedy. The fact that the events and characters in the Miller’s Tale are so recognizable is a testament to Chaucer’s ability to cut to the core of human nature.

A moiré biting satirical approach is taken in The Pardoner’s Prologue. The Pardoner, who sells indulges for the Church, explains that “in Latyn I speke a words fewe, to saffron with my predicacioun.” Chaucer is, in essence, mocking the actions and words of the pardoner, describing how he dazzles men with the Latin words in his sermon to “stir heme to dovocioun.” Chaucer goes on to mock the empty and meaningless relics and other objects the pardoner carries around with him. These relics are intended to provoke awe and worship, but Chaucer is decrying them as ultimately worthless. Chaucer was writing at a time when the Church was mired in corruption, and when pardoners and summoners abused their privilege and power to extract bribes and other payments from those who feared they would be excommunicated or banished to hell.

There are, of course, just a few examples of the many ways that Chaucer’s characters and stories are used to satirize or provoke laughter over the society of his time. What makes The Canterbury Tales so compelling is not just that it offers such insight and context into life in 14^th century England, but that it is also filled with people and events that resonate so effectively for contemporary readers. The old saying that “many a truth is said in jest” is never more applicable than in the truths to be found in The Canterbury Tales.

Exploring the Sonnet Form: Spenser and Shakespeare

The sonnet form originated centuries before the time of poets such as William Shakespeare and Edmund Spenser, though for contemporary readers it is Shakespeare who is perhaps most closely associated with the sonnet. It was Petrarch who was perhaps the most influential and well-known of the earliest poets to write sonnets, and it was also Petrarch who is credited for his influence on the most common thematic elements of the sonnet form. These elements typically involve the poet describing his great love for another, and Shakespeare and Spenser both wrote sonnets based on this theme. Spenser’s “One day I Wrote Her Name upon the Strand” and Shakespeare’s “Shall I compare Thee to a Summer’s Day” each contain this thematic element, though the two sonnets also reflect how each of these poets used the sonnet form in their own individual ways.

In “Summer’s Day,” Shakespeare exemplifies the classical thematic elements of the sonnet as developed by earlier poets such as Petrarch. This sonnet is an ode to a beloved figure, though Shakespeare does not offer any details about the object of his devotion; instead, he compares her favorably to various elements found in nature. A “summer’s day” is presumably pleasurable and beautiful, yet Shakespeare also notes that nothing about a summer’s day is eternal. Such a day is “lovely and temperate,” but the object of his poem is even more lovely and temperate. In the line “summer’s lease hath all too short a date,” Shakespeare is lamenting that, despite how wonderful the summer may be, it does not last forever. And no matter how wonderful a summer’s day is, “sometimes too hot the eye of Heaven shines;” even the most beautiful time of year can sometimes be too hot for comfort.  Against these comments, Shakespeare contrasts that the beauty of his beloved, asserting that “thy eternal summer shall not fade.” While the physical beauty of a young woman is no more eternal than the beauty of a summer’s day, Shakespeare ends the sonnet by claiming that the poem itself will immortalize her beauty.

From a thematic standpoint, Spenser’s “One Day” is notably similar to “A Summer’s Day.” In “One Day,” Spenser offers a medication on the subject of immortalizing the physical beauty of a beloved figure by capturing it in poetry. He begins by writing her name –which, like the name of the beloved figure in “Summer’s Day” is not revealed- “upon the strand,” meaning in the sand on a beach. This named is quickly washed away by the waves, and in vain the poetry writes it again, only to have it washed away once more. Unlike the unseen figure in “Summer’s Day,” Spenser’s beloved speaks, or is at least quoted, noting that his efforts are in vain. Spenser argues against this, insisting that while he will “die in dust,” his poem “your virtues shall eternize.” He is telling her that he will be forgotten, wiped away like the words he scrawled in the sand, but that his poem will keep the beauty of her spirit alive for eternity.

Not only do Shakespeare and Spenser each incorporate a remarkably similar theme –the idea that their sonnets will capture the beauty of their beloved figures for all time- each poet also incorporates several techniques to accomplish their task. Aside from the sonnet form itself, each poet makes references to elements of the natural world, though Shakespeare’s are more overt. Where the two poets diverge to the greatest extent is in the technical construction of their sonnets. Shakespeare uses the following rhyme scheme: a-b-a-b, c-d-c-d,e-f-e-f, g-g; Spenser uses this variation:  a-b-a-b, b-c-b-c, c-d-c-d, e-e. Shakespeare also adheres to the sonnet form that sets up a question to be answered at the end of the poem, while Spenser provides a less overt version of this structure. In the end, though, the two sonnets have more common elements than differences, as each sonnet utilizes a slight variation of rhyme scheme and structure while offering readers classic explorations of the thematic form.