Canterbury Tales Foreshadowing Quotes

This Pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex,
But smothe it heeng as dooth a strike of flex;
By ounces henge his lokkes that he hadde,
And therwith he his shuldres overspradde;
But thynne it lay, by colpons oon and oon.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, General Prologue. The Pardoner is repugnant in appearance. His hair is long, greasy, limp and "yelow as wax." It hangs like a clump of wax in small strands down to his shoulders. This negative description of him foreshadows the kind of unscrupulous personality that we will come to learn learn this corrupt seller of Church pardons has.

He conquered al the regne of Femenye,
That whilom was ycleped Scithia,
And weddede the queene Ypolita,
And broghte hire hoom with hym in his contree
With muchel glorie and greet solempnytee,
And eek hir yonge suster Emelye.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. After defeating the Amazons, Theseus takes their queen Hippolyta as his "prize" and marries her. He returns to Athens with Hippolyta and her young sister Emily amid much glory and great ceremony. This foreshadows how Emily will equally become the prize in a deadly battle for her hand between Palamon and Arcite.

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.

Hym thoughte how that the wynged god Mercurie
Biforn hym stood and bad hym to be murie.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Arcite is asleep one night when it seems that the god Mercury stands in front of him, bidding him to be merry and happier. Mercury is a messenger of the Roman gods who sometimes appears in dreams to sleepers. But he is also the god of thieves, responsible for conveying souls to the underworld. His appearance forshadows the death of Arcite on his return to Athens.

Arrayed was this god, as he took keep,
As he was whan that Argus took his sleep;
And seyde hym thus: "To Atthenes shaltou wende,
Ther is thee shapen of thy wo an ende.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Arcite notices that the Roman god Mercury who appears to him in a dream is dressed as the Greek god Hermes. Hermes was sent by Zeus to kill the hundred-eyed giant Argus, making the giant go to sleep and then crushing him with a rock. The god commands Arcite to go to Athens, where he says his woes will end. This is foreshadowing that Arcite will die when he returns to Athens.

Depeynted was the slaughtre of Julius,
Of grete Nero, and of Antonius;
Al be that thilke tyme they were unborn,
Yet was hir deth depeynted ther-biforn.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Knight’s Tale. Depicted at the temple to the god of war Mars are the slaughter of great men in history like Caesar, Nero and Marc Antony. Their deaths were preordained even before they were born by this powerful god. This forewarns of a death among the knights Arcite and Palamon, in the tournament they will engage in in the stadium housing the temple.

Aleyn the clerk, that herde this melodye,
He poked John, and seyde, "Slepestow?
Herdestow evere slyk a sang er now?
Lo, swilk a complyn is ymel hem alle;
A wilde fyr upon thair bodyes falle!

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Reeve’s Tale. With everyone bedded down in the same room, Alan is unable to sleep because of the loud snoring of Symkyn and his wife and daughter. He hopes a wild fire will descend on the bodies of the three. This foreshadows John and Alan’s revenge when have sex with the miller’s wife and daughter and beat him up.

Paraventure in thilke large book
Which that men clepe the hevene ywriten was
With sterres, whan that he his birthe took,
That he for love sholde han his deeth, allas!
For in the sterres, clerer than is glas,
Is writen, God woot, whoso koude it rede,
The deeth of every man, withouten drede.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. This foreshadows that the Sultan’s love for Constance will end in his death – "That he for love sholde han his deeth." The Man of Law suggests that when a person is born, their fate and death is written in a metaphorical book in heaven by God.

In sterres, many a wynter therbiforn,
Was writen the deeth of Ector, Achilles,
Of Pompei, Julius, er they were born;
The strif of Thebes; and of Ercules,
Of Sampson, Turnus, and of Socrates
The deeth; but mennes wittes ben so dulle
That no wight kan wel rede it atte fulle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. When anticipating the death of the Sultan, the Man of Law says that the death of all human beings is written in a book in heaven by God, before they are born. That includes all the great men like Hector, Achilles, Pompei, Caesar, Sampson and Socrates. But mortals are too dull-witted to read and interpret the divine book of fate.

Thanne sawe they therinne swich difficultee
By wey of reson, for to speke al playn,
By cause that ther was swich diversitee
Bitwene hir bothe lawes, that they sayn
They trowe that no "Cristen prince wolde fayn
Wedden his child under oure lawe sweete
That us was taught by Mahoun, oure prophete.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. The Sultan of Syria desires to marry the woman he has fallen in love with but has never seen, Constance, daughter of the Emperor of Rome. But he gets bad news from his advisors, who say that a Christian emperor would never allow his daughter to marry a Muslim. They see the religious and cultural differences between Constance and the Sultan as an insurmountable barrier. Their advice turns out to be right and is foreshadowing of bad things to come from such a marriage.

O firste moevyng! Crueel firmament,
With thy diurnal sweigh that crowdest ay
And hurlest al from est til occident
That naturelly wolde holde another way,
Thy crowdyng set the hevene in swich array
At the bigynnyng of this fiers viage,
That crueel Mars hath slayn this mariage.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Man of Law’s Tale. As Constance begins her dangerous voyage for Syria, the Man of Law says that a cruel "firste moevyng" – God – drives the planets in the opposite way to their natural daily motion, making disaster inevitable. God’s move has set the heavens in such an arrangement that a malevolent Mars has killed this marriage, he adds. There is a sense of foreboding and a foreshadowing of tragic events to come here.

"Lordynges," quod he, "but o thyng I desire;
I yow biseke that, of youre curteisye,
Syn ye han herd this false Frere lye,
As suffreth me I may my tale telle.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Summoner’s Prologue. The Summoner is enraged at the Friar’s tale and its mocking portrayal of summoners. He begs the pilgrims that since they have heard this false Friar lie, they should suffer him to tell his tale. This foreshadows that he is going to get back at the Friar with a story that portrays friars in an unfavorable light.

Thou lovest me, I woot it wel certeyn,
And art my feithful lige man ybore,
And al that liketh me, I dar wel seyn
It liketh thee, and specially therfore
Tel me that poynt that I have seyd bifore,
If that thou wolt unto that purpos drawe,
To take me as for thy sone-in-lawe.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Walter likes to flex his marquis muscles when it comes to demanding complete loyalty and obedience from his subjects. He gives Griselda’s father an offer he can’t refuse. I know for certain that you love me and are my faithful liege, he tells him, and all that pleases me it pleases you. So will you take me for your son-in-law, Walter asks? Now how can poor Janicula refuse? This is forecasting of how Walter will later treat Griselda, expecting her to submit totally to his will in a series of brutal trials of her loyalty.

For which it semed thus: that of hem two
Ther nas but o wyl, for as Walter leste,
The same lust was hire plesance also.
And, God be thanked, al fil for the beste.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Walter seems satisfied beyond any doubt that there is but one will between him and Griselda, and his desire is her pleasure also. God be thanked, he says, foreshadowing the eventual happy ending to the story. So are things going to take a turn for the better for Griselda, now that she has proven her loyalty?

"My lord," quod she, "I woot, and wiste alway,
How that bitwixen youre magnificence
And my poverte no wight kan ne may
Maken comparison; it is no nay.
I ne heeld me nevere digne in no manere
To be youre wyf, no, ne youre chamberere."

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Clerk’s Tale. Griselda tells Walter that she always knew no one could compare his magnificence with her poverty. She deems herself unworthy to be his chambermaid, let alone his wife. This foreshadows her later role as a palace servant, when Walter aasks her to plan his wedding ceremony.

Though I be hoor, I fare as dooth a tree
That blosmeth er that fruyt ywoxen bee;
And blosmy tree nys neither drye ne deed.
I feele me nowhere hoor but on myn heed;
Myn herte and alle my lymes been as grene
As laurer thurgh the yeer is for to sene.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. January blindly refuses to acknowledge his old age and compares himself to a blossoming tree. Though he is white-haired, he fares like a tree that blossoms before the fruit is grown. In fact he boasts that he is old nowhere but on his white head, his heart and limbs are as green as laurel. But he is being dishonest when you consider the aphrodisiacs that he must take on his wedding night and the deep sleep he falls into after sex!

And with hir fynger signes made she
That Damyan sholde clymbe upon a tree
That charged was with fruyt, and up he wente.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Merchant’s Tale. This passage, in which January’s wife May makes a sign with her finger that Damian should climb a tree loaded with fruit, is sexually suggestive. And it is foreshadowing that this tree is the very place they will end up having sex a short while later. The finger signing also shows the premeditated nature of May and Damian’s deceit.

But thilke God that made wynd to blowe
As kepe my lord! This my conclusion…
But wolde God that alle thise rokkes blake
Were sonken into helle for his sake!
Thise rokkes sleen myn herte for the feere.

– Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales, The Franklin’s Tale. Dorigen prays to God to keep her husband Arveragus from perishing on the rocks off the coast of Brittany. She is fearful that the rocks will sink his ship and kill him on his way home from war. She wishes that they were sunken into hell, forshadowing her request to Aurelius to remove the rocks.
    • 1
    • 2
Close