Inferno_&_Canterbury_Tales

Inferno & Canterbury Tales The openings to both Dante’s Inferno and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales trace religious journeys; Dante’s narrator explores the afterlife while Chaucer’s characters begin a traditional pilgrimage from London to Canterbury. Both journeys occur during spring, a time of year often associated with growth and rejuvenation. Chaucer begins by describing the season; he writes, “Whatn that April with his showres soote/The drought of March hath perced to the roote/ And bathed every vein in swich licour…” (lines 1-3). Dante’s narrator hints at the setting when he says “…so I was encouraged to face with better hope the beast…by the time of day, the sweetness of the season.” (lines 41-44). Despite these common elements, the journeys have different natures, giving each story a distinct tone; one seems eerie and haphazard while the other is light and straight forward. Unlike Chaucer’s pilgrims, who are equipped with a schedule and established path, Inferno starts with chaos and uncertainty. The narrator describes himself “astray in inferno, canterbury, chaucer’s, tales, narrator, path, lines, journeys, dante’s, wood, while, time, straight, season, pilgrims, one, offer, followers, both, year, writes, will, whatn, virgil’s, very, vein, unexpected, uncertainty, trusting, trip, traditional, trace, torment, tone