Question

Discuss the allegorical content of The Canterbury Tales by examining characters embodying specific flaws of medieval society. How can the characters you encountered so far be considered allegorical?

Answer 1

An allegory is in effect a highly organized protracted metaphor. The New Evidence legend of the winegrower is one: Jesus is talking not about fair pay for farm workers (he was not a union rep) but about entry to Heaven, and every character and incident in his story exactly matches an element of the deeper meaning. Spenser's 'Faerie Queene' is similarly allegorical, and every child will have spotted the Christian
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