Abstract
This paper discusses the theme of idealism as reflected in the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare. In particular, the paper examines Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" and Shakespeare's Sonnets 18, 116 and 130. The discussion and analysis demonstrates how both authors' works illustrate the prevalence of their ideals: for Chaucer, his ideals on what religion and expression of faith should be, and for Shakespeare, how love is and should be.

From the Paper
"Influenced by the ideology of idealism during his time, Chaucer reflected his ideals of Christianity and its followers through The Pardoner's Tale of "The Canterbury Tales." Like the other tales in "Canterbury," the Pardoner's tale is a satire meant to criticize the society that Chaucer lived in during his period. While in some of the tales, Chaucer did not explicitly expressed his disagreement with and criticism of the rampant corruption and hypocrisy within the Church and among its elements (the clergy and the lay), in the Pardoner's tale, these issues were addressed and made explicit through the persona of the Pardoner."

Tags:William, Shakespeare, love, sonnets, Geoffrey, Chaucer, The, Canterbury, Tales

Abstract
This paper discusses five different aspects of Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales.' It includes views on marriage and Chaucer's approach to humor. The 'Tales' referred to are the 'Prologue', 'The Friar's Tale', 'Parliament of Foules', 'Wife of Bath' and the 'Knight's Tale.'

From the Paper
" 'The Miller's Tale' shows marriage as a comedy of errors, credulous older husband, beautiful and sneaky and unworthy wife and plenty of others to complicate the relationship. His tale takes the form of a dirty joke but instead of the farmer's daughter it is the carpenter's wife ,Alison, who is the object of the affections of Nicholas, a yeoman and Absalom a parish clerk. For his..."

Tags:canterbury tales, plot, Chaucer, parliament of foules, narrative, troilus & creyside

Abstract
This paper compares the character of the Parson in Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" to other ecclesiastical figures relating Chaucer's views on the Church. The author discusses Chaucer's portrait of the Parson as the ideal priest. The paper stresses the social commentary in the 'Prologue' to the "The Parson's Tale".

From the Paper
"Although the tales written by Geoffrey Chaucer were for entertainment, he also used them as subtle social commentary on the world he lived in. The prologue to "The Parson's Tale" is considered to be one of ..."

Tags:Parson, Monk, Pardoner, Friar, Canterbury Tales

Abstract
This paper divides Shakespeare's sonnets into two groups: 1 - 126 are addressed to a young man, and 127 - 152 are addressed to a dark lady.
The paper describes how an analysis of the sonnets show his feelings towards these two people. The writer provides examples from several sonnets in order to illustrate the different relationship Shakespeare appears to have with the young man and the dark lady. Another issue discussed in this paper, is Shakespeare's frequent use of time as an enemy.

From the Paper
"Shakespeare's sonnets can be divided into two parts. The first 126 are addressed to a young man, while from 127 to 152 are addressed to a dark lady. While Shakespeare does not express who these two people are or his relationship with them, an analysis of the sonnets does show his feelings towards the two people. Shakespeare appears to genuinely love and care for the young man. In contrast, he loves the dark lady but in a lustful way, which at the same times makes him despise her."

Tags:young, man, dark, lady, time, enemy, love, lust

Abstract
This paper explores the satirical tone of the Miller's Prologue in "Canterbury Tales" and how it represents class conflict. The paper also explains how the Miller's Tale "quites" the Knight's tale.

From the Paper
"The Miller's story of the foolish carpenter and his wife illustrate the Miller's personal views on jealousy and infidelity. According to the Miller, whether or not a man's wife is cheating is of no business to him. Furthermore, the Miller claims that men should never question God's will in matters of love."

Tags:knight, tale-telling, chaucer, monk, drunk, courtly, love

Abstract
This paper studies the following thesis that Chaucer used sex only for comedy despite the suggestions that he was a voyeur in his book "The Canterbury Tales." It studies Chaucer's personality, diction and medieval customs that do not support the idea that he was a voyeur and because of that included sex in his stories. Finally, it concludes that Chaucer was not a voyeur.

From the Paper
"Sex is a word that easily gains attention in today's society. Today, marketing strategists will tell you that sex sells. Movies, sitcoms, commercials all employ sex to gain the attention of an audience. How much of a role, though did sex play in selling or gaining attention in the late 1300s when The Canterbury Tales were written? Did Chaucer use sex within The Canterbury Tales to add humor and intrigue his audience, or was he just a lonely man expressing his sexual desires within his work? The idea that sex was so proliferate within the Tales because Chaucer was a voyeur has long been debated. There seems to have been no conclusion over the years as to whether Chaucer really was a voyeur or whether or not he included sex within the tales for comedic purposes. Two of Chaucer's pilgrims, the Miller and the Reeve, both tell stories that center around sex. According to Root, "the point of strongest resemblance between the tales of the Miller and the Reeve is their extreme indecency?" (175). When one examines Chaucer's personality, his diction within these two tales, and how sex was viewed in Chaucer's time, it is clear that Chaucer's indecency was only for comedic purposes."

Tags:Canterbury, Chaucer, comedy, literature, Medieval, sex, tales, voyeurism

Abstract
This paper discusses "The Canterbury Tales" and the character of the Parson, who is a perfect example and holds every quality a devout church leader is expected to have. His life is contrasted with that of Monk and Friar who are the exact opposites of the Parson as their lives consist of greed, gluttony and lustfulness. The current church leadership, and Mother Teresa are used as modern day examples of goodness and greed.

From the Paper
"The First way the Canterbury Tales is relevant to a modern audience is through the powerful characterization of the Parson. He is a perfect example and holds every quality a devout church leader is expected to have. The purpose for his journey to Canterbury is to enhance his own spirituality, the ideal reason for going on this pilgrimage. The Parson is an educated man and, unlike many of the others, he is very honorable. He practices what he preaches and knows that he is an example for others to follow."

Tags:canterbury, chaucer, tales, today, church, corrupt, sprirtuality

Abstract
In this paper, a connection is drawn between Shakespeare's Sonnets 57 and 58, which are one of a number of thematic pairs that occur within the larger sequence of poems, to show that the Sonnets not only function as a pair, but that the order in which they occur in the Quarto of 1609 is essential to their meaning.

From the Paper
"Shakespeare's Sonnets 57 and 58 are one of a number of thematic pairs or small groups that occur within the larger sequence and subsequences of poems. Indeed the similarity between them is significant enough that one might wonder on first reading if one does not render the other redundant. But close reading of the poems shows that they not only function as a pair but that the order in which they occur in the Quarto of 1609 is essential to their meaning."

Tags:sequence, of, the, Sonnets, thematic, connection

Abstract
This paper analyzes Chaucer's use of humor in "The Canterbury Tales" and considers the way in which the comedy serves to provide social commentary. It also examines Chaucer's use of humorous characters to highlight the beauty and ugliness of human nature.

From the Paper
"When analyzing The Canterbury Tales, many critics take issue with Geoffrey Chaucer's use of humor and his failure to seriously address the major ills of his day. Chaucer's references to the Black Death, the Peasant's revolt and the labor disputes of the ..."

Tags:Chaucer, humor, Canterbury, fabliaux, summoner, miller

Abstract
Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" provide us with a glimpse of what medieval romance, love, and courtship might have been like in the 14th century. This paper shows how, by skillfully employing the stylistic technique of specific detail in each of his characters, Chaucer is able to demonstrate various viewpoints about love and marriage.

From the Paper
"One tale that allows us to get a very different opinion of love and marriage is the Wife of Bath's Tale. Told from a woman's perspective, this tale might have invoked a wide array of responses in its time. Partly because it is humorous and partly because the Wife of Bath could be considered the first feminist. For instance, she openly admits to hating he idea of being controlled by a husband. In addition, she drinks "sweete wyn" and wears "clothing with precious array" despite what her husbands have told her. She likes to have men in her "thrall". The Wife of Bath certainly does not support the idea of the subservient wife. After all, she claims to have had control over all four of her previous husbands. The Wife of Bath was certainly considered at the least to be rebellious, as "certain theologians developed idea of womankind as nothing less than monstrous" (Abrams 133). In a clear and brave voice, we can see how the Wife of Bath is taking what was considered to be an unusual stand against normal conventions for that time. She sees the act of marriage as nothing more than a business arrangement that two people enter into. This is reflected when she says, "and therefore every man this tale I tellle:/Winne whoso may, for al is for to selle" (Chaucer 418). The Wife of Bath did not casually come by her opinion; she has learned what she knows the hard way. In fact, she even tells us that she is an "expert in myn age--/This is to say, myself hath been the whippe--" (180-1)."

Tags:wife, bath, merchant, tale