Abstract This paper discusses the theme of idealism as reflected in the works of Chaucer and Shakespeare. In particular, the paper examines Chaucer's "CanterburyTales" 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."
Abstract Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 is analyzed in this essay. Metaphors and techniques are explored as a way to understand the meaning of the poem. In this essay, it is determined that through the use of metaphors, Shakespeare shares his conviction that love weathers all storms.
Abstract This paper compares the character of the Parson in Chaucer's "CanterburyTales" 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 ..."
Abstract This paper looks at William Shakespeare's "Sonnet III". It examines the rhythm, vocabulary and verbal images. The author uses several examples to demonstrate the patterns he used in his poetry. The inspiration for this type of poetry is examined, including his upbringing and early influences.
From the Paper "In line two, "form another" means to reproduce. Shakespeare continues to make the point throughout the poem that the young man should have children because he is so handsome and his children would be attractive. He says that this is the way for the young man to preserve ("repair") his good looks ? by passing them on to another generation. In this poem, "beguile" means to cheat or deprive someone of their rights. So to "beguile the world" is to cheat the world. This must have been a very handsome young man."
Abstract This paper explains that William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 130" is his joke, which becomes a true token of love when read between the lines. The author points out that Shakespeare depicts his lover's attributes with very non-traditional and realistic references that come across as very insulting, which undermines the Petrarchan form of love poetry that generally viewed love in an idealized way and often idolized the lover. The paper relates that the joke becomes a rather serious issue with its last couplet when, by recognizing his lover's ordinary characteristics and loving her this much anyway, he reinforces the depth of his love.
From the Paper "With "Sonnet 130," Shakespeare uses this type of comparison but in a very unique and memorable way. Coral lips, rosy cheeks, and eyes the are bright as the sun are mentioned in this poem, but they are a joke that forces us to see real beauty in real life. Love is often blind but it does not need to be and Shakespeare show us how love can be honest and beautiful in its own way. In the end, Shakespeare is suggesting that love and lovers do not need to be as beautiful as these love sonnets make them to be true love."
Abstract This paper examines the history of the Sonnet and how it contributed to English literature. It focuses on Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 in order to detail the characteristics of a sonnet and its special features. It looks at the structure of the sonnet and what makes this form of poetry so unique.
From the Paper "Early in the sixteenth century, a new form of poetry, strict in structure and form, was imported into English from Italy. The sonnet, a word derived from the Italian "sonetto" meaning "little song", became a preferred poetic form, particularly for those who wished to declare their love for another. William Shakespeare, widely known for his dramatic works, is also the most widely known sonnet writer. His sonnet, ?Sonnet 116" like so many others, speaks of his understanding of love. The tone of the poem is one of assuredness, asserting the poets belief that he indeed does know what love is and what it is not. The structure of the sonnet, with its fourteen lines, the rhyme scheme and the iambic pentameter rhythm, echoes the poet's content, further emphasizing his notion that love is unchanging."
Abstract Chaucer's "CanterburyTales" 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)."
Abstract The paper asserts that while Shakespeare's "Sonnet 18" is often confused as a love poem, it is actually just a well structured metaphorical exercise comparing the subject of the poem to a summer's day. The paper analyzes Shakespeare's ability to use every summer-related metaphor he can to discuss this subject of his expression. The paper highlights how the entire body of the sonnet is focused on the delivery of language and, as such, it has no substance.
From the Paper "Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, is an exercise in self-proclaiming metaphoric style. The intent of the sonnet is to show off the writer's skill at turning words and not the expressed topic of the poem, the ability to use every summer-related metaphor he can to discuss not his love, perhaps, but the subject of his expression. While many interpretations of this sonnet assert that it is a love-poem, that it is a dedication or ode to a specific woman, it can be clearly stated that the poem is not about love, but about the central metaphor itself - as though the subject is simply an exercise."
Tags: metaphor, language, summer, subject, affection, love
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 "CanterburyTales" 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
This paper studies "The Knight's Tale and Trecento Italian Historiography" by James H. McGregor and "Desire, Violence and the Passion in Fragment VII of the CanterburyTales: A Girardian Reading," by Curtis Gruenler.
Abstract In this article, the writer introduces, discusses and analyzes two essays on "The CanterburyTales" by Geoffrey Chaucer. Specifically, the writer summarizes and compares the two essays "The Knight's Tale and Trecento Italian Historiography" by James H. McGregor and "Desire, Violence and the Passion in Fragment VII of the CanterburyTales: A Girardian Reading," by Curtis Gruenler. The writer notes that these two essays discuss different aspects of Chaucer's "The CanterburyTales," from what inspired "The Knight's Tale" to his use of violence and history in the work, and what that means for readers. The writer concludes that these essays open up new worlds and ways to explore "The CanterburyTales," and they make the epic poem more interesting and compelling to the reader.
From the Paper "Both of these essays bring up aspects of "The Canterbury Tales" that casual readers might not recognize or understand. They show how the history of the day influenced Chaucer, and how he used other, older works as inspiration for his own tales. They show how events at the time also inspired Chaucer, and that he was writing largely against violence in most of the tales, and that shows in many of them, including the "Knight's Tale." Each of the tales is humorous or satirical in some way, and one essay discusses new fragments of the manuscript that contained differences in the accepted version of some of the stories. All of this information helps enlighten the reader and gives them another layer of understanding the work, and it makes reading it more enjoyable, too, because there is background and foundation for some of the tales and their meaning."
This paper briefly discusses the nature of the overall sequence of Shakespeare's Sonnets and then, based on readings of their structure, proceeds to analyze the thematic connection between Sonnets 57 and 58.
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."
Abstract This paper uses various examples from the text of "The CanterburyTales" to illustrate Chaucer's implied opinions regarding men as the cause of their own destruction. The paper also compares this view of men, as masters of their own demise, with female characters in the text, who are often misjudged as being poor examples of literary feminism. The three tales on which this paper focuses are "The Miller's Tale", "The Pardoner's Tale" and "The Nun's Priest's Tale".
From the Paper "Women are generally depicted in Medieval art and literature as the root of all evil and the source of all man's weakness. Chaucer, being the revolutionary writer that he is, sheds a slightly different light on this commonly-held notion of female wickedness. In his collection of stories, The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer suggests, as opposed to the idea that women tempt men to sin and, ultimately, to self-destruction, that man's own stupidity and moral flaws are the result of his various failures and misfortunes. This radically new approach to writing about the downfalls of male characters is best illustrated in The Nun's Priest's Tale, The Miller's Tale, and The Pardoner's Tale. Each tale demonstrates a different male personality flaw that leads one or more of the main characters to his own demise. The Nun's Priest's Tale illustrates the stupidity associated with the vanity of both Chauntecleer and Randall the Fox (who, although animals, are still male), whereas, The Miller's Tale plays on the jealousy and gullibility of the carpenter. Finally, The Pardoner's Tale focuses primarily on the arrogance and avarice of three, young men."
Tags: ages, medieval, middle, miller, nun, pardoner, priest, tale
Abstract This paper discusses "The CanterburyTales" 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."
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 CanterburyTales". 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."
