“When April’s gentle rains have pierced the drought of March to its root, quenching every vein of earth with life-giving moisture to birth new blooms; when the tender breath of Zephyrus stirs fresh shoots in woods and fields, and the young sun has run halfway through Aries; when little birds, awake through the night, sing out, stirred by nature’s call—then folk long to go on pilgrimage, to seek distant shores and holy shrines in foreign lands. From every shire in England, they journey to Canterbury to visit the blessed martyr, who has offered them aid in times of sickness.
One day, around this season, at the Tabard Inn in Southwark—where I was lodging before setting out on my pilgrimage to Canterbury—a group of twenty-nine travelers arrived at dusk. They came from all walks of life, strangers brought together by chance, bound for Canterbury.”
With these lines begins one of the most significant works of English medieval literature, The Canterbury Tales, penned by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1380 and 1400. Not only is it a cornerstone of world literature, but it also offers a vivid portrayal of 14th-century English society, rendered in the vernacular Middle English—a bold choice in an era dominated by Latin and Norman French.
A journey made out of stories
The narrative revolves around a group of roughly thirty pilgrims traveling from London to Canterbury Cathedral. They meet at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, where the innkeeper proposes a storytelling contest: each pilgrim will share tales along the journey, and the best story will win a prize. Though Chaucer intended to write 120 stories, he completed only 24. Nevertheless, these tales secured the work’s status as a literary landmark.
The stories are remarkably diverse in style and theme. The Knight’s Tale offers an epic, chivalric narrative, while The Miller’s Tale leans into bawdy humor with a sharp, satirical edge. Chaucer’s collection spans fables, religious allegories, and social satires, showcasing a tapestry of medieval life—nobles, clergy, merchants, peasants, and rogues—each portrayed with unflinching honesty, revealing both virtues and flaws.
Why Canterbury? A pilgrimage destination
Canterbury’s prominence as a pilgrimage site was no coincidence. Since the 12th century, Canterbury Cathedral had been one of England’s most significant pilgrimage destinations, owing to the legacy of Thomas Becket.
Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in 1170 within the cathedral itself, following a bitter conflict with King Henry II over the balance of royal and ecclesiastical power. The brutal nature of his death—on sacred ground, no less—shocked the Christian world. In a dramatic act of penance, Henry II himself undertook a pilgrimage to Becket’s tomb.
Canonized as a martyr by Pope Alexander III in 1173, just three years after his death, Becket’s shrine quickly attracted thousands seeking miracles and healing. Pilgrims believed his relics possessed extraordinary powers, and tales of cures attributed to his blood fueled a cult of veneration that spread well beyond England.
By Chaucer’s time, the pilgrimage to Canterbury was both a spiritual and social phenomenon. The route fostered connections among travelers, offered economic opportunities for merchants and inns, and provided a stage for entertainment—a dynamic that Chaucer masterfully captures.
The enduring legacy of the Canterbury Tales
While The Canterbury Tales is a foundation of English literature, its influence stretches far beyond. Chaucer’s decision to write in Middle English helped elevate the language’s literary standing, paving the way for future authors to embrace it as a medium for serious artistic expression.
The work’s narrative structure—a frame tale where individual stories are nested within a larger journey—echoes literary traditions from Boccaccio’s Decameron to The Book of the Knight of the Tower. This format allows Chaucer to weave a rich mosaic of voices, genres, and perspectives, creating an extraordinary window into medieval culture.
Chaucer’s impact is undeniable, resonating through the works of writers like Shakespeare, Dryden, and T.S. Eliot. Yet beyond its historical significance, The Canterbury Tales remains a vibrant, engaging read. Its humor, irony, and keen social insight continue to captivate modern audiences, offering glimpses into the timeless complexities of human nature.
Through the voices of his pilgrims, Chaucer transports readers to a distant past — a world of shifting identities, moral contradictions, and shared dreams. In its pages, we encounter not just medieval England, but reflections of ourselves, navigating the ever-changing pilgrimage of life.
