The Canterbury Tales

The story unfolds in the Middle Ages, a time of feudal hierarchies, religious authority, and bustling markets. It presents a mix of street life, courtly behavior, and monastic spaces within England. The mood swings between bawdy comedy and moral critique, reflecting medieval attitudes toward sexuality and power.

Set in medieval England, the film follows a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury from the Tabard Inn. It visits towns and sites like Bath, Cambridge, and Canterbury, with other episodes set in Osney and in Flanders. The pilgrimage framework places the characters in a social map of inns, churches, and markets that define the era.

🎭 Satire

Pasolini uses a frame narrative and interwoven tales to lampoon medieval institutions, from clergy to merchants. The tales expose hypocrisy, power dynamics, and sexual politics with a blunt humor. The structure (Chaucer the writer, the Tabard inn gathering, and the shifting tales) turns storytelling into social critique. This Satire challenges audiences to question appearances and authority while enjoying the bawdy humor.

💘 Desire & Deceit

Desire drives much of the action, from May and January's garden trysts to Alison and Nicholas's schemes and Jenkin's seduction. The tales repeatedly test fidelity, love, and manipulation, often with comic or risqué outcomes. The film treats romance as a force that transgresses social rules, revealing the gaps between social norms and actual desires. Infidelity, attraction, and deception propel the narratives forward.

⛪ Religion & Corruption

Several episodes critique religious figures and institutions, notably the Pardoner and the Summoner, for greed and hypocrisy. The film juxtaposes pious language with corrupt practices, highlighting the gap between preachments and real behavior. Through these tales, faith communities are portrayed as flawed yet influential in daily life. The end frames a reassertion of religious critique mixed with moral ambiguity.