Chaucer’S “prologue to canterbury tales”

b. Political Conditions 
In the “Prologue to Canterbury Tales”, Chaucer realistically presents the political conditions 
o his times. He refers to the “Peasant‟s Revolt” of 1381 in the Clerk‟s Tale and in the Nun‟s 
Priest‟s Tale. In the Clerk‟s Tale, he refers to the „stormy people‟, their levity, their 
untruthfulness, their indiscretion and fickleness, their garrulity and their foolishness. In the 
Nun‟s Tale, Chaucer says: 

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So hideous was the noise, ah, Bendicte, 
Certes, he Jacke Straw, and his meinee 
Ne made never shoutes half so shrille 
Whan that they wolden any leming kille, 
(The Nun‟s Priest‟s Tale: 573 – 576) 
The very reason why there is only few references to the movement of the people out for 
grabbing power from nobility in “The Canterbury Tales” is that Chaucer had no love and 
liking for the rabblement. Another important national event taking place in the Age is the 
“The Black Death” or the terrible plague of 1384 – 89. The allusion to this event comes in 
Chaucer‟s character-sketch of the Doctor of Physic: “He kepte that wan in pestilence”. 
There is then a latent reference to Lollardism,--The Lollard‟s Movement started by John 
Wyclif in 1377 for the reformation of the church, in the delineation o the “Poor Parson”, who 
like a Lollard, (one of Wyclif‟s disciplines) believed in simple living and high thinking. 
c. Rise of the Merchant Class 
For the first time in history, the trading and artisan section of society were coming to their 
own in the age of Chaucer. The fourteenth century in England witnesses the rise of the rich 
and prosperous merchants and tradesman. They carried profitable business with European 
countries and were laying the foundation of England‟s industrial prosperity. Small traders 
and handicraftsmen grew into power and began to behave like aldermen and well-to-do 
citizens. The importance and self-consciousness of the smaller tradesmen and handicraftsmen 
increased with that of the great merchants. The middle class people contested seats for 
Parliament. Chaucer makes reference to the rise of trades and merchants during his times, 
and his Merchant is the type o the merchants who were gradually coming into prominence. 
The picture of the average merchants has a familiar ring about in: 
A merchant was there with forked beard, 
In motteleye and hye on horse he sat 
Upon hid head a Flaudryssh bevere hat: 
His bootes clasped faire and fetisly. 
(Prologue: 270 – 273) 
With the fast expansion in trade and commerce, merchants had become prosperous and so 
had the craftsmen whose goods they traded in. We are told by Chaucer that the Haberdasher, 
the Carpenter, the Weaver, the Dyer, and the Tapicer were well clothed and equipped. Their 
weapons were not cheaply trimmed with brass, but all with silver. They were so respectable-
looking. They were no longer despised by the nobility. 
A Haberdasher, and a Carpenter, 
A Webbe, a Dyere, and a Tapycer, 
And they were clothed alle in olyveree 

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Of a solempne and greet fraternitee; 
Ful fresh and newe hir geere apiked was; 
Hir knyves were chaped noght with bras, 
But al with silver, wrought ful clene and weel, 
Hire girdles and his pouches everydeel. 
Wel semed each of them a fair burgeous 
To sitten in a yeldhalle, on a days. 
(Prologue: 361 – 370)