The stories conveyed in The Canterbury Tales are observations on certain facets of the Church described by Chaucer. ... His concept of the Church is revealed through an array of religious figures and how certain characters deviate from their expected pious responsibilities. ... As they fail to serve the Church he speaks of the differences between the impressions the clergy's describe with their true character. ... Chaucer does not reveal the characters completely in "The General Prologue". He instead wittingly divulges a brief description of each to express an unambiguous app...

• Word Count: 676
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In The Knight's Tale many of the characters are affected by outside forces beyond human control. It seems as though when one character has fallen on good fortune, another character experiences misfortune. Through the use of idealistic images, diction and figurative language Chaucer shows that outside forces influence the character's lives. ... Fate has seemingly separated the two by a window "(thick with many an iron bar as large and squared as any beam)" Ironically enough, however, this aside in parentheses serves to foreshadow that the fortune of one of the character's may c...

• Word Count: 651
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate