Canterbury tales

Conclusion
Compared to other classes, Chaucer paid little attention to the peasantry: the pilgrim plowman in the prologue is practically the only image of the peasant. There is no duality in the image of the peasant, the poet idealizes the plowman, as well as the priest, saying "he was his brother ". The plowman is industrious, merciful, very pious, willingly pays tithes. The peasant is completely devoid of the combat traits of Wat 's followers. Tyler , the leader of the peasant uprising of 1381. Chaucer approached the peasantry from the positions of Wycliffe , he was far from both defending the peasantry and cursing the peasant rebels; for him, social compromise and observance of the class hierarchy were the most acceptable. It is not for nothing that another hero of Chaucer, the priest, in his sermon condemns both the recalcitrant " servants" - the peasants, and the cruel "masters" -lords, because each has different, but inevitable obligations to each other. Chaucer does not speak directly about social conflicts in the stories, however, we find references to other equally important events in the life of England in the 14th century. - for example, the plague - "Black Death" in the years. in the prologue.
Of the three representatives of the medieval secular "intelligentsia" (a lawyer, a doctor and an Oxford clerk), it is worth highlighting a student. The clerk is a beggar, hungry, but strives for knowledge and it would be better to have 20 books than an expensive dress. Perhaps this rather benevolent description of a student is inspired by Chaucer's own love of books and knowledge. The idealized image of a student was rarely seen in life, because Chaucer shows more real clerks, cheerful and resourceful, loving worldly life and love adventures (stories of a miller and a majordomo).
The general realism of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is also expressed in the fact that many of the characters in the book are believed to have had real prototypes in life: the sailor is identified with the pirate John Pierce, and the knight with Henry Lancaster, cousin of Edward III. Moreover, even the Tabard tavern itself and its owner, Harry Bailey , described by Chaucer in the stories, actually existed.
So, the content of The Canterbury Tales is closely connected with the social experience of Chaucer, who came from the urban class and was the bearer of his mental attitudes. Due to his occupations associated with the constant change of professional activity, he had the opportunity to closely contact not only the townspeople, but also the court aristocracy, the clergy and, in part, with the villagers. The stories touched on many issues that were relevant to Chaucer's time, for example, socio-economic issues: the disintegration of the guild system, the growing influence of the merchant class, the formation of the bourgeoisie, and the justification for the pursuit of profit. At the same time, the poet not only captures the events and describes the characters, but also evaluates them to some extent - ironically criticizes the greed of the clergy, reflects on the ideals of chivalry that are fading into the past. That in Chaucer's approach to the estates there is a specific urban worldview is manifested in a realistic and benevolent depiction of the townspeople and in the practical absence of attention to the peasantry, in ridiculing the clergy and in the dual assessment of chivalry.