![The Dreame of Chaucer Book of the Duchess](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/The_Dreame_of_Chaucer_Book_of_the_Duchess.jpg)
''The Book of the Duchess'', also known as ''The Deth of Blaunche'',
''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 1910. Accessed 11 March 2008. is the earliest of
Chaucer
Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for '' The Canterbury Tales''. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He w ...
's major poems, preceded only by his short poem, "An ABC", and possibly by his translation of ''
The Romaunt of the Rose
''The Romaunt of the Rose'' (''The Romaunt'') is a partial translation into Middle English of the French allegorical poem, '' Le Roman de la Rose'' (''Le Roman''). Originally believed to be the work of Chaucer, ''the Romaunt'' inspired controver ...
''. Based on the themes and title of the poem, most sources put the date of composition after 12 September 1368 (when Blanche of Lancaster died) and before 1372, with many recent studies privileging a date as early as the end of 1368.
Overwhelming (if disputed) evidence suggests that Chaucer wrote the poem to commemorate the death of
Blanche of Lancaster
Blanche of Lancaster (25 March 1342 – 12 September 1368) was a member of the English royal House of Plantagenet and the daughter of the kingdom's wealthiest and most powerful peer, Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster. She was the first w ...
, wife of
John of Gaunt
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...
. The evidence includes handwritten notes from Elizabethan antiquary
John Stow
John Stow (''also'' Stowe; 1524/25 – 5 April 1605) was an English historian and antiquarian. He wrote a series of chronicles of English history, published from 1565 onwards under such titles as ''The Summarie of Englyshe Chronicles'', ''The C ...
indicating that the poem was written at John of Gaunt's request. There are repeated instances of the word "White", which is almost certainly a play on "Blanche". In addition, at the end of the poem there are references to a "long castel", suggesting the house of Lancaster (line 1,318) and a "ryche hil" as John of Gaunt was earl of Richmond (mond=hill) (line 1,319) and the narrator swears by St. John, which is the name of John of Gaunt's saint.
Plot summary
At the beginning of the poem, the sleepless poet, who has suffered from an unexplained sickness for eight years (line 37), lies in his bed, reading a book. A collection of old stories, the book tells the story of
Ceyx and
Alcyone. The story tells of how Ceyx lost his life at sea, and how Alcyone, his wife, mourned his absence. Unsure of his fate, she prays to the goddess
Juno
Juno commonly refers to:
*Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods
*Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007
Juno may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
*Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno''
*Ju ...
to send her a dream vision. Juno sends a messenger to
Morpheus
Morpheus ('Fashioner', derived from the grc, μορφή meaning 'form, shape') is a god associated with sleep and dreams. In Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'' he is the son of Somnus and appears in dreams in human form. From the Middle Ages, the name b ...
to bring the body of Ceyx with a message to Alcyone.
The messenger finds Morpheus and relays Juno's orders. Morpheus finds the drowned Ceyx and bears him to Alcyone three hours before dawn. The deceased Ceyx instructs Alcyone to bury him and to cease her sorrow, and when Alcyone opens her eyes Ceyx has gone.
The poet stops relaying the story of Ceyx and Alcyone and reflects that he wished that he had a god such as Juno or Morpheus so that he could sleep like Alcyone. He then describes the lavish bed he would gift to Morpheus should the god discover his location. Lost in the book and his thoughts, the poet suddenly falls asleep with the book in his hands. He states that his dream is so full of wonder that no man may interpret it correctly. He begins to relay his dream.
The poet dreams that he wakes in a chamber with windows of stained glass depictions of the tale of Troy and walls painted with the story of ''The Romance of the Rose''. He hears a hunt, leaves the chamber, and inquires who is hunting. The hunt is revealed to be that of
Octavian
Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pri ...
. The dogs are released and the hunt begins, leaving behind the poet and a small dog that the poet follows into the forest. The poet stumbles upon a clearing and finds a knight dressed in black composing a song for the death of his lady. The poet asks the knight the nature of his grief. The knight replies that he had played a game of chess with
Fortuna
Fortuna ( la, Fortūna, equivalent to the Greek goddess Tyche) is the goddess of fortune and the personification of luck in Roman religion who, largely thanks to the Late Antique author Boethius, remained popular through the Middle Ages until at ...
and lost his queen and was checkmated. The poet takes the message literally and begs the black knight not to become upset over a game of chess.
The knight begins the story of his life, reporting that for his entire life he had served Love, but that he had waited to set his heart on a woman for many years until he met one lady who surpassed all others. The knight speaks of her surpassing beauty and temperament and reveals that her name was "good, fair White". The poet, still not understanding the metaphorical chess game, asks the black knight to finish the story and explain what was lost. The knight tells the story of his fumbling declaration of love and the long time it took for the love to be reciprocated and that they were in perfect harmony for many years. Still the narrator does not understand, and asks the whereabouts of White. The knight finally blurts out that White is dead. The poet realises what has occurred as the hunt ends and the poet awakes with his book still in hand. He reflects on the dream and decides that his dream is so wonderful that it should be set into rhyme.
See also
*
Middle English
Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English p ...
References
;General references:
*Benson, Larry D., ed. The Riverside Chaucer. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton, 1987.
*Davis, Norman, et al. A Chaucer Glossary. New York: Oxford, 1979.
*Foster, Michael. "On Dating the Duchess: The Personal and Social Context of Book of the Duchess." Review of English Studies 59 (Fall 2008): 185–196.
*
*Vickery, Gwen M. "'The Book of the Duchess': the date of composition related to theme of impracticality." Essays in Literature 22.n2 (Fall 1995): 161(9).
**This article disputes the idea that the poem was commemorating the death of Blanche of Lancaster.
*Watson, Robert A. "Dialogue and Invention in the Book of the Duchess (philosophical interpretation of Geoffrey Chaucer's work) (Critical Essay)." Modern Philology 98.4 (May 2001): 543.
Kittredge, G. L. ''The Book of the Duchess''. Excerpted from: ''Chaucer and his Poetry''
Translations
* Book of the duchesse. In ''The complete works of Geoffrey Chaucer'' (1937),
[Chaucer, G. (1937)]
The complete works of Geoffrey Chaucer
London: Oxford University Press, Humphrey Milford. pp. 83–96. Edited from numerous manuscripts by the Rev.
Walter William Skeat
Walter William Skeat, (21 November 18356 October 1912) was a British philologist and Anglican deacon. The pre-eminent British philologist of his time, he was instrumental in developing the English language as a higher education subject in th ...
(1835–1912).
[Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). " Skeat, Walter William". ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 168-169.]
External links
''Excerpt from Chaucer and His Poetry'' by G. L. Kittredge''The Book of the Duchess'' translated and retold in modern English prose, 2016, by Richard Scott-Robinson
**This article disputes the idea that the poem was commemorating the death of Blanche of Lancaster.
**This link contains Susan Yager's reading of the first 43 lines of the poem.
A. S. Kline
*The text o
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Poetry by Geoffrey Chaucer
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