Bring out the thematic
significance of the first 18 lines in the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.
Analyse critically the themes and
ideas presented in the first 18 lines of Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.
What are the themes and ideas
presented in the opening lines of the ‘Prologue’?
A reverdie leads the
story in Chaucer’s Prologue to the
Canterbury Tales for the first eighteen lines and lacks clear order or an
ending throughout the rest of it. The reverdie is a form of poetry which found
great popularity within the Late Medieval period found in many European lyrics
and romances of the time. Perhaps one of the most well-known users of this form
is Geoffrey Chaucer, the 14th-century writer of the unfinished story The
Canterbury Tales, comprised of twenty-four tales.
Geoffrey uses a reverdie in a
rather genius way, essentially turning the awakening and rebirth of spring into
an explanation of the awakening of the pilgrims’ minds and hearts before they
embark on their journey. The poem opens with very strong nature-based imagery,
immediately alerting the reader to the fact that this is, indeed, a reverdie.
“Whan that April with his showres soote
The droughte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veine in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendered is the flower” (lines 1-4).
These first lines address the
very beginning of spring, when April arrives with rain and life, nurturing the
dry winter ground. This is the time of year when pilgrims want to venture out
because Spring is a symbol of renewal, life, and virtue..........................................................................................................
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