Prof. Carla Langella

Sceneggiatura PODCAST The Canterbury Tales - Prologue
Saluti e presentazione del tema
Benvenuti al podcast sulla letteratura inglese di Carla Langella e delle sue classi.
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Oggi parliamo di “The Canterbury Tales”, scritto intorno al 1387 da Geoffrey
Chaucer, e più precisamente di tre personaggi descritti nel Prologo: the Knight,
the Prioress and the Wife of Bath.
Illustrazione del tema: attraverso un’attenta analisi del testo vedremo come
Chaucer costruisce i personaggi: aspetto, comportamento, caratteristiche
personali vengono strutturate dal poeta in modo da produrre sul lettore un
effetto, dal quale possiamo comprendere il giudizio morale che l’autore vuole
esprimere.
[Prima parte: spiegazione e commento di un testo specifico con citazioni]
(Trama o sintesi)
sintesi) The prologue starts with a description of the rebirth of nature
in spring associated with the need people feel of a spiritual rebirth, so they wish
to go on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St Thomas Becket at Canterbury. They
meet at Tabard Inn in Southwark, a suburb of London; one of them is the poet
himself.
The first character Chaucer introduces is the
Knight. The poet uses absolutely positive words in
describing him: worthy, noble, gentleman, strong, brave,
truly perfect knight. Half of the lines dedicated to his
presentation speak about his deeds in wars fought to
defend Christianity, so we understand he is a real warrior,
honored by many kings, but then Chaucer says he is wise
and “meek as a maid”, using sort of an oxymoron; in our
imagination warriors are not kind or shy as young
innocent girls! The poetic image is followed by another
surprising fact about the knight: his horses are good, but
his clothes are far from smart: a simple tunic stained and
discolored by his habergeon (a protective shirt made of
metal used in medieval times). The knight is not rich or
does not care for showing wealth, but his faith is strong: as
soon as he has returned to his country he goes on a
pilgrimage to thank God.
EFFECT AND MORAL
APPRECIATION
Chaucer
structures
the
description so that we imagine a
great warrior, admired and
honored everywhere, an example
of chivalry and of true faith. We
know that the English society was
changing deeply at that time and
the
Knight
represents
the
transforming
feudal
society.
Chaucer shows his unconditioned
admiration for his coherence and
the values he embodies.
The description of the Prioress starts with two
adjectives which could be well appropriate for a
representative of the High Clergy: simple and coy (shy).
But after two lines we are informed about her nickname:
Madam Eglantyne, which strikes us as a contradiction.
Then, for twenty lines, Chaucer details her manners,
typical of a spoilt child of the aristocracy. The best of her
tender heart and charitable feelings she displays with
animals, a mouse caught in a trap or her pet dogs, fed with
fine food. The following seven lines are dedicated to her
physical description and her clothes, a pleasant woman,
elegant and healthy, who takes special care of herself. In
the end five lines talk about the jewels she wears, made of
EFFECT
AND
MORAL
APPRECIATION
Chaucer structures the passage as
a crescendo: the more we read,
the more mundane and less
spiritual the Prioress looks like.
Nothing explicitly negative is told
about her, but all the positiveness
belongs to an aristocratic woman,
not to a member of the High
Clergy, who we could well expect
to be religious and devout,
preaching the Christian faith and
Prof. Carla Langella
coral and gold; even if one is a set of beads, used for
praying the Rosary, the golden brooch hung on it says
“Amor vincit Omnia”, love conquers all: the language
could be appropriate to a Prioress, the meaning could be
misunderstood: spiritual love or earthly love?
helping the poor.
Chaucer
uses
sarcasm
in
describing the Prioress, lets us
understand how vain she is and
how dangerous for the Christian
community, as her example is
totally negative.
The Wife of Bath is described as worthy, an adjective we
found several times in the description of the Knight.
However, her worthiness lies in a completely different
activity: she is an entrepreneur, a skillful weaver who can
compete with the ones from the Flanders, the highest level
of the time. We are told she has to state her social role
again and again to be recognized by her community (she
demands to be first to go to the altar during the Mass). She
loves travelling and has been three times to Jerusalem,
then to Rome, Santiago, Cologne and Boulogne
(pilgrimages were a relatively safe way to travel for a
lonely woman), so we can understand she spends her
money to enjoy life. Her clothes are fine and bright
colored, red is her favorite color, and she is a passionate
woman: she has had five husbands, all married in Church,
Chaucer underlines, as she wants people understand she is
an honest woman, but the poet also says she has had
several affairs, meaning men are her weak point. Dame
Alice, this is her name, is a free and independent woman,
skilful and brave; she likes adventures and the company of
men; she is beautiful, even if no more young; she is
friendly, likes laughing, chatting and talking about love.
EFFECT
AND
MORAL
APPRECIATION
The structure of the description is
quite different from the previous
two: there Chaucer uses a
somewhat
sequential,
incremental technique, for Dame
Alice the technique is as vivacious
and lively as she is. Information
about her is scattered in the text,
the ironic effect springs out of the
virtue/fault sequences.
Chaucer likes this successful
businesswoman and forgives her
weaknesses, which are well
compensated by her merits.
Seconda parte: personal response / discussion
Which of the three characters is more memorable in your opinion, and why?
[students discuss: you can prepare your intervention in advance]
Which of the three characters best represents the changes that were taking place in the English
society of the time?
[students discuss: you can prepare your intervention in advance]
Messaggio conclusivo della trasmissione
Avete ascoltato una lezione su tre personaggi dei “Canterbury Tales” di Geoffrey
Chaucer. Arrivederci alla prossima puntata!
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Prof. Carla Langella