"Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne,
And smale fowles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye
(So priketh hem nature in hir corages),
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages."
These are the opening lines of The Canterbury Tales, which introduce the context for the overarching narrative of the pilgrims. Here, the narrator explains that in the springtime (April), pilgrims travel to Canterbury to pay homage to saints. These opening lines focus on the natural landscape of springtime and the transition from the cold, lifeless landscape of winter to the sense of rebirth and renewal ushered in by the warmer months. Some of the images included in this opening include rain watering the plants, a breeze blowing, crops beginning to bloom, and animals starting to mate.
"Nowher so bisy a man as he there nas,
And yet he semed bisier than he was."
In the General Prologue of the text, the narrator describes each pilgrim who is in attendance and who will eventually tell a tale. In so doing, the narrator also establishes the theme of balancing "earnest and game," or serious matters with parody and satire. In this brief description of the Man of Laws, the narrator suggests that the man has an inflated sense of self by saying that he was "seemed busier than he was." This is one early instance of irony within the text, which will continue through a number of pilgrims' tales.
"I kan a noble tale for the nones,
With which I wol now quite the Knyghes tale."
Often throughout The Canterbury Tales, one of the pilgrims will interrupt another in order to interject commentary or even to begin telling their own tale. In this particular instance, the Miller interrupts the Knight's Tale entirely to announce that it is his turn to speak. The stark contrast between the genteel and proper Knight and the rude and indecorous Miller foreshadows the scandalous and irreverent nature of the Miller's Tale.
"This Nicholas anon leet fle a fart
As greet as it had been a thonder-dent."
As promised, the Miller's Tale is a wild departure from the propriety of the Knight's Tale, which dealt with themes like courtly love, chivalric honor, and friendship. The Miller's Tale, by contrast, involves adultery and duplicity, along with – as this famous quote illustrates – a significant amount of bodily humor. That the Miller's Tale is only the second tale to be told among the pilgrims is significant because it establishes the irreverence of The Canterbury Tales from the outset while also showcasing how a pilgrim's tale is reflective of their own personality and social status.
"This dronke Miller hath ytoold us heer
How that bigyled was a carpenteer,
Peraventure in scorn, for I am oon.
And, by youre leve, I shal him quite anoon."
In another instance of disruption, the Reeve interrupts the Miller's Tale to express his distaste over what he has heard – not only is the Miller drunk, but his tale depicts the foolishness of a carpenter. The Reeve announces that he, too, is a carpenter, and will therefore put an end to the Miller's Tale by telling his own. This kind of exchange becomes commonplace in The Canterbury Tales as pilgrims vie for the opportunity to speak for their profession, social class, or personal beliefs.
"Experience, though noon auctoritee
Were in this world, is right ynough for me."
The Wife of Bath's Tale is one of the most-studied tales from the text, mainly because of its endorsement of feminist themes (before the concept of "feminism," as we know it today, even existed). Here, in the Prologue, the Wife of Bath insists that life experience can turn someone into an authority. This is an important argument because it suggests that knowledge can be gained through anyone with enough experience – including women. She goes on to detail her rich romantic past, complete with multiple husbands who left her several times widowed.
"Men may devyne and glosen, up and doun,
But wel I woot, expres, without lye,
God bad us for to wexe and multiplye,
That gentil text kan I wel understonde."
The Wife of Bath's Tale is famous for its commentary on men and women, specifically with regard to power dynamics in marriage. In the Prologue, the Wife of Bath calls out men (and male writers in particular) you will use words to manipulate and confuse. By contrast, the Wife of Bath speaks with honesty and straightforwardness, saying that she knows the Bible encourages humans to "wexe and multiply," or to have sex and reproduce. This statement in the Prologue foreshadows the Wife of Bath's frankness as she describes her experience as a perpetual wife and perpetual widow in her tale to follow.
"Thy drasty rhyming is nat worth a toord!"
In yet another instance of interruption, the Host interrupts the fictional Geoffrey Chaucer during his telling of the Tale of Sir Thopas. This is one of the text's most meta-fictional moments, and it showcases how Chaucer (the author) does not take himself or his work too seriously. The Tale of Sir Thopas is generally considered one of the worst tales in the entire book, written with an over-the-top commitment to rhyme and meter and containing little entertainment value. Here, the Host interrupts Chaucer to insult his "drasty rhyming," ushering in a tale from another pilgrim and putting an ironic end to the (fictional) poet's story.
"And if you take a wife into your bed
You're very likely to be cuckolded."
In this quotation, the Merchant expresses what is actually a common motif throughout The Canterbury Tales: unfaithful wives who deceive and embarrass their husbands. This motif also appears in The Miller's Tale and is heavily implied in The Wife of Bath's Tale as well, emphasizing the text's interest in exploring power dynamics between men and women in marriage.
"However, all that glitters is not gold,
And that's the truth as we're so often told."
In this quotation from The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue, the Canon's Yeoman refers specifically to the practice of alchemy – a seemingly magical process of transformation of base metals into gold, by which many thought they could get rich. Here, the Canon's Yeoman announces that one should not be fooled by these alleged transformations, alluding to the fact that things are not always what they seem. This relationship between appearance and reality is crucial for reading The Canterbury Tales, as the subject matter of the pilgrims' tales are often at odds with the reputation they put forth for their audience.
