group, the contest springing from nowhere, with even
the tale-telling order left to chance (the Pilgrims drew
straws). Indeed, the Narrator ends the Prologue with a
fi nal tribute to chance: “and shortly for to tellen as it
was,/were it by aventure, or sort, or cas” (ll. 843–
844)—that is, by chance, luck, or destiny. Despite
these great lengths taken to instill a sense of fortune
into the Prologue, it is clear that the entire text has
gone according to design and has not fallen according
to chance.
The General Prologue also introduces the theme of
ecclesiastical critique, which will return time and again
in the tales. The satiric portraits of the ecclesiastical
pilgrims are obvious examples, but more subtle cri-
tiques are present as well. For instance, the Physician is
highly educated and well read, but “his studie was but
litel on the Bible” (l. 438). Similarly, connections to
LOLLARD beliefs have been attributed to the Parson,
who resembles a Lollard “poor priest,” and the Plow-
man, who may recall WILLIAM LANGLAND’s PIERS PLOW-
MAN. Several allusions to Lollard beliefs—disparaging
the mendicants, stressing the vernacular, and question-
ing authority, in particular—are found throughout The
Canterbury Tales, but more orthodox beliefs (including
the idea of pilgrimage) prevail consistently, and schol-
arly debates continue in this regard.
Finally, the General Prologue is also sometimes
referred to as Chaucer’s “London work,” as it takes
place at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, which was just
across London Bridge. A number of the pilgrims are
either from London (e.g., the Cook) or have clear con-
nections to the city (e.g., the Manciple). Chaucer the
Narrator may also be assumed to be a Londoner, as the
poet clearly composed his masterpiece upon his return
to the city. However, city life and city values do not
pervade the work as a whole, and London serves as yet
another piece of the frame on which the entire collec-
tion rests, which is, ultimately, the function of the Gen-
eral Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.
See also FRAME NARRATIVE; “FRANKLIN’S TALE, THE”;
“MAN OF LAW’S TALE, THE”; “MILLER’S TALE, THE”; “NUN’S
PRIEST’S TALE, THE”; “PARDONER’S TALE, THE”; “PRIORESS’
TALE, THE”; “REEVE’S TALE, THE”; “WIFE OF BATH’S TALE,
THE.”
FURTHER READING
Benson, C. David. “The Canterbury Tales: Personal Drama or
Experiments in Poetic Variety?” In The Blackwell Guides to
Criticism: Chaucer, edited by Corinne Saunders, 127–142.
Oxford: Blackwell, 2001.
———. “Historical Contexts: London.” In Chaucer: An
Oxford Guide, edited by Steve Ellis, 66–80. Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2005.
Cookson, Linda, and Bryan Loughrey, eds. Critical Essays
on the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. London:
Longman, 1989.
Mann, Jill. Chaucer and Medieval Estates Satire: The Literature
of Social Classes and the General Prologue to the Canter-
bury Tales. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1973.GEST OF ROBYN HODE, A ANONYMOUS (ca.
1508) Variously described as a folk BALLAD, tale,
ryme, or talking, A Gest of Robyn Hode was, in its origi-
nal form, orally recited or chanted by a minstrel. The
poem survives in seven printed editions of the late
15th and 16th centuries, the most famous of which is
the London edition by WYNKYN DE WORDE (ca. 1508).
No manuscript survives, if one existed at all, and some
scholars speculate that one of the early printers (per-
haps RICHARD PYNSON) may have composed the present
text from preexisting literary and historical materials,
including a miracle of the Virgin Mary, CHRONICLEs,
ROMANCEs, and other ballads. Also uncertain is the his-
torical time depicted in the poem. Although the king
in the last two parts is identifi ed as “Edward our comly
king,” four different King Edwards reigned between
1272 and 1483. Some of the sources and analogues
suggest the time of Edward II (1307–27), while others
point to Edward III (1327–77) and possibly even to
Edward IV (1461–83).
The 1,824-line poem is composed of 456 four-line
STANZAs, rhyming abcb, arranged in eight parts, or
fyttes. The tale consists of three interwoven episodes of
Robin Hood: the protagonist with a knight, with the
sheriff of Nottingham, and with the king. A short epi-
logue describing Robin’s murder by a prioress con-
cludes the poem.
In the fi rst episode, Robin helps a knight, later called
Sir Richard at the Lee, to recover his mortgaged lands
by lending him 400 pounds. After redeeming his lands208 GEST OF ROBYN HODE, A