Geoffrey Chaucer ( 1343-1400) was an English author, philosopher, diplomat, and poet, and is best known and remembered as the author of The Canterbury Tales. He is sometimes credited with being the first author to demonstrate the artistic legitimacy of the English language.After the overthrow of his patron Richard II, Chaucer vanished from the historical record. He is believed to have died of unknown causes on October 25, 1400, and there is a theory that he was murdered by enemies of Richard II. He is buried at Westminster Abbey in London. In 1556 his remains were transferred to a more ornate tomb, making Chaucer the first writer interred in the area now known as Poets' Corner.
In Medieval Europe, life was very organized. There were four main classes of people. This was called the Feudal System. The four classes were: Kings, Nobles, Knights, and Peasants. Each had their own rights and responsibilities.
For safety and for defense, people in the Middle Ages formed small communities around a central lord or master. Most people lived on a manor, which consisted of the castle, the church, the village, and the surrounding farm land. These manors were isolated, with occasional visits from peddlers, pilgrims on their way to the Crusades, or soldiers from other fiefdoms.
The Friar has become impatient with waiting his turn to tell a story, and so he asks for his turn, and insults the summoner. The summoner retaliates by vowing to tell a story to insult the friar when he is able to tell the next story. The Friar begins.
The Tale begins by the means by which summoners blackmail and extort people, but does not attack the church system that allows this to happen. He attacks the men who represent this system and exploit these workings of the church.The main character of the Friar's Tale is an representation of all summoners and the fate they deserve.
The twist to the Friar's Tale is when he meets the devil, the summoner is neither shocked nor overcome with fear.The narrator seems to hold a higher opinion of the devil than of the summoner. When the devil leaves the summoner, the devil tells him that they shall hold company together until he forsakes him. This was a chance for redemption that the devil offers the summoner when he visits the old crone, but he does not take it.
In the end, the Friar returns to his diatribe against summoners, leaving the specific tale that he has told for a more broad attack on their profession.
King- King owned all the land. He made grants of land to his supporters. These supporters had to swear an oath of loyalty to the king.
Nobles- The nobles, barons, and bishops had to provide the knights, money, advice, adnd place to stay while traveling.
Lords- The country was didvided into thousands of knights' fees. Each was supplied with manor and had to provide one knight to the knight.
Villeins- Villeins received land in return for working in the Lord's Manor. They could not sell their land.
Serfs- They had no land but they worked for the Lord.
