Canterbury Tales Company and Friendship Quotes

At nyght was come into that hostelrye
Wei nyne and twenty in a compaignye,
Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle
In felaweshipe; and pilgrimes were they alle,
That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The scene is set here by the Narrator, also called Chaucer, who is staying at the Tabart Inn in Southwark. There he meets twenty-nine travelers on the same journey to Canterbury. They are a diverse group, coming from all walks of life. He speaks of the fellowship that they all share, including himself in this.

With hym ther rood a gentil Pardoner
Of Rouncivale, his freend and his compeer,
That streight was comen fro the court of Rome.
Ful loude he soong "Com hider, love, to me!"
This Somonour bar to hym a stif burdoun;
Was nevere trompe of half so greet a soun.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. When we are first introduced to the Pardoner, the Church representative has come straight from the court of Rome and is singing a bawdy song about lustful love, "Come hither, love, to me." His friend and companion the corrupt Summoner is harmonizing with him in a strong bass. There was no trumpet half as loud, we are told. This passage gives a hint at the shameless immorality of the Pardoner, which we will learn about later on.

Greet chiere made oure Hoost us everichon,
And to the soper sette he us anon.
He served us with vitaille at the beste;
Strong was the wyn, and wel to drynke us leste.
A semely man oure hooste was withalle
For to been a marchal in an halle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. Harry Bailly, the Host of the Tabart Inn where the pilgrims stop on the way to Canterbury, shows great hospitality to the group. He provides them with a supper considering of the best food and strong wine.

"It nere," quod he, "to thee no greet honour
For to be fals, ne for to be traitour
To me, that am thy cosyn and thy brother
Ysworn ful depe, and ech of us til oother,
That nevere, for to dyen in the peyne,
Til that the deeth departe shal us tweyne,
Neither of us in love to hyndre oother,
Ne in noon oother cas, my leeve brother,
But that thou sholdest trewely forthren me
In every cas, as I shal forthren thee –
This was thyn ooth, and myn also, certeyn.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Palamon is not happy that Arcite has declared his love for the same woman, Emily. He claims that he and Arcite are sworn brothers, who took an oath to never hinder one other in love or in any other case. It would be no great honor for his cousin and brother to be false and a traitor, Palamon warns his friend and love rival.

And now thow woldest falsly been aboute
To love my lady, whom I love and serve,
And evere shal til that myn herte sterve.
And ever shall until my heart dies.
Nay, certes, false Arcite, thow shalt nat so.
I loved hire first, and tolde thee my wo
As to my conseil and my brother sworn.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Palamon tells Arcite that he has first claim on Emily, simply because he loved her first and told his sworn brother and confidant Arcite "my wo." He accuses Arcite of falsely preparing to love his lady, whom he is pledged to love and serve until his heart dies. He warns Arcite that he will not do so, foreshadowing the bloody feud that later happens between the two.

"Thow shalt," quod he, "be rather fals than I;
And thou art fals, I telle thee outrely,
For paramour I loved hire first er thow.
What wiltow seyen? Thou woost nat yet now
Wheither she be a womman or goddesse!
Thyn is affeccioun of hoolynesse,
And myn is love as to a creature.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Arcite disputes Palamon claim that he loved Emily first. He says Palamon’s affection for Emily is as to a goddess, it is a feeling of holiness and spirituality. Arcite is adament that he loved her first as a mistress, his love "is love as to a creature" not a goddess. He says Palamon is the false one in their sworn brotherhood.

For in this world he loved no man so,
And he loved hym als tendrely agayn.
So wel they lovede, as olde bookes sayn,
That whan that oon was deed, soothly to telle,
His felawe wente and soughte hym doun in helle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. The bond of love and friendship between Theseus and Perotheus runs very deep that they would follow each other to hell! And it is about to have an important impact on how the tale develops. It turns out Perotheus also knows and loves Arcite and he intercedes on his behalf with Theseus.

Arcite, false traytour wikke,
Now artow hent, that lovest my lady so,
For whom that I have al this peyne and wo,
And art my blood, and to my conseil sworn,
As I ful ofte have told thee heerbiforn,
And hast byjaped heere duc Theseus,
And falsly chaunged hast thy name thus!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Palamon says that his sworn friend and confidante Arcite is a traitor. Palamon feels he saw Emily first and has the rightful claim to her love. He accuses Arcite "that lovest my lady" of betraying him. He also says he broke Theseus’s condition of his release that he stay away from Athens and deceived everyone by changing his name and appearance.

But for as muche thou art a worthy knyght
And wilnest to darreyne hire by bataille,
Have heer my trouthe; tomorwe I wol nat faille,
Withoute wityng of any oother wight,
That heere I wol be founden as a knyght,
And bryngen harneys right ynough for thee;
And ches the beste, and leef the worste for me.
And mete and drynke this nyght wol I brynge
Ynough for thee, and clothes for thy beddynge.
And if so be that thou my lady wynne,
And sle me in this wode ther I am inne,
Thow mayst wel have thy lady as for me.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Arcite challenges old friend and love rival Palamon to a duel to the death the next day, the survivor and winner getting Emily as the prize. In keeping with the code of chivalry, Arcite offers to bring armor, and Palamon can choose the best, and also bring food, drink and bedding so that his rival can have sound night’s sleep before the battle.

And certeinly a man hath moost honour
To dyen in his excellence and flour,
Whan he is siker of his goode name;
Thanne hath he doon his freend, ne hym, no shame.
And gladder oghte his freend been of his deeth,
Whan with honour up yolden is his breeth,
Than whan his name apalled is for age,
For al forgeten is his vassellage.
Thanne is it best, as for a worthy fame,
To dyen whan that he is best of name.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Theseus gets philosophical here over Arcite’s death. He says a man has more honor when he dies in the flush of youth, at the height of his fame and reputation. Palamon ought to more pleased with Arcite’s death when he died with honor, having brought no shame to his friend or himself, rather than if he died when his name and deeds were faded with age.

Allas, what wonder is it thogh she wepte,
That shal be sent to strange nacioun
Fro freendes that so tendrely hire kepte,
And to be bounden under subjeccioun
Of oon, she knoweth nat his condicioun?
Housbondes been alle goode, and han ben yoore;
That knowen wyves; I dar sey yow na moore.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. The Man of Law at first sympathizes with Constance’s weeping about leaving her family and friends and being sent to a foreign nation to be bound to a man she doesn’t know. But then he says she has little to complain about because husbands are all good, have been for years and wives know that. In Chaucer’s time women were considered subject to male authority and protection and were seen as the weaker sex.

Poverte a spectacle is, as thynketh me,
Thurgh which he may his verray freendes see.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath’s Tale. There’s probably something in what the Loathly Lady says when she uses the metaphor that poverty is an eye glass through which one may see your true friends. For a person who sticks by you when you’re poor is the real friend, not the fair-weather variety. A similar theme is echoed in the old blues song, "Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out."

If thou be fair, ther folk been in presence,
Shewe thou thy visage and thyn apparaille;
If thou be foul, be fre of thy dispence;
To gete thee freendes ay do thy travaille;
Be ay of chiere as light as leef on lynde,
And lat hym care, and wepe, and wrynge, and waille!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Chaucer’s Envoy gives his final piece of advice after the Clerk’s Tale. He tells the beautiful wives to show their faces and clothes in the presence of other folk. And the ugly wives he advocates to spend lavishly, work hard to gain friends and be light as a leaf on a tree. And let the husband worry, weep, wring his hands and wail, he adds!

Thou spak right now of thilke traytour Deeth.
That in this contree alle oure freendes sleeth.
Have heer my trouthe, as thou art his espye,
Telle where he is or thou shalt it abye,
By God and by the hooly sacrement!
For soothly thou art oon of his assent
To sleen us yonge folk, thou false theef!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. One of the drunken rioters accuses the Old Man of being Death’s spy and being in league with him. Taking God’s name in vain, he warns the Old Man to reveal the whereabouts of the traitor Death who has been killing all their friends or the Old Man will pay for it.

Looke whan that he is set, that right anoon
Arys as though thou woldest with hym pleye,
And I shal ryve hym thurgh the sydes tweye
Whil that thou strogelest with hym as in game,
And with thy daggere looke thou do the same;
And thanne shal al this gold departed be,
My deere freend, bitwixen me and thee.
Thanne may we bothe oure lustes all fulfille,
And pleye at dees right at oure owene wille.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Pardoner’s Tale. Greed is the dominant theme in the Pardoner’s Tale. After the youngest rioter has left to fetch bread and wine, one of the two remaining persuades his companion and "dear friend" that they should stab to death the youngest on his return. Then they would only have to share the gold they found two ways, and not three. So they can fulfil all their bodily desires and gamble away to their heart’s content. Ironically the two rioters are unaware that the youngest is also planning to kill them with poison and keep the gold for himself.

This faire wyf acorded with daun John
That for thise hundred frankes he sholde al nyght
Have hire in his armes bolt upright;
And this acord parfourned was in dede.
In myrthe al nyght a bisy lyf they lede
Til it was day, that daun John wente his way.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Shipman’s Tale. The monk returns with head and beard all fresh and newly shaved to receive payment from the merchant’s wife for their sexualized business transaction. For the hundred francs loan, the monk demands sex with her all night. Both of them eagerly fulfil the agreement. The corrupt monk is breaking his vows here – having forbidden sex, giving money for sexual favors, and engaging in the sin of adultery with his best friend’s wife.

This Chauntecleer, whan he gan hym espye,
He wolde han fled, but that the fox anon
Seyde, "Gentil sire, allas, wher wol ye gon?
Be ye affrayed of me that am youre freend?
Now, certes, I were worse than a feend,
If I to yow wolde harm or vileynye!
I am nat come youre conseil for t’ espye,
But trewely, the cause of my comynge
Was oonly for to herkne how that ye synge.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale. Pretending to be his friend, sneaky Russell the Fox lies and smooth talks the rooster. He tells him he is not there to do him harm or villany, but to hear him sing. The smart Fox employs a simile to overstate the quality of Chauntecleer’s voice in a bid to dupe the easily flattered rooster. As merry as has any angel in heaven, he describes his voice. He appeals to Chauntecleer’s ego and pride. The rooster’s vanity and gullibility ensures that he doesn’t flee, as he should, and instead falls into the Fox’s trap.
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