The Celestial Blueprint: Astrology in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
In the tapestry of medieval literature, few works capture the intellectual landscape of their time quite like Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Written in the late 14th century, this collection of stories reveals much about medieval society—its social structures, religious beliefs, and intellectual traditions. Among these traditions, astrology holds a particularly fascinating place, weaving through the tales like a golden thread, both embraced and questioned by Chaucer's diverse cast of pilgrims.
The Medieval Cosmic Order
To truly appreciate astrology's role in Chaucer's masterpiece, we must first understand its significance in medieval thought. Far from being mere superstition, astrological knowledge in the Middle Ages represented a sophisticated understanding of the cosmos that integrated ancient Greek science, Arabic astronomical innovations, and Christian theology.
Medieval people believed in a universe where everything had its proper place in a divinely ordained hierarchy—the Great Chain of Being. The celestial bodies, with their perfect, circular movements, influenced the imperfect, sublunary world below. This wasn't merely an abstract belief; it formed the backbone of medieval medicine, agriculture, and even political decision-making.
As our researchers at Wilfred Hazelwood have documented in our studies of medieval manuscripts, astrology was taught alongside astronomy in medieval universities as part of the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy). Medical practitioners consulted astrological charts before performing surgeries or prescribing remedies, while farmers planted according to lunar phases and planetary positions.
The Franklin's Tale: Astrology as High Learning
Perhaps nowhere in The Canterbury Tales is astrology more prominently featured than in "The Franklin's Tale," where a young clerk from Orleans employs his astrological knowledge to help a lovesick knight win his lady's favour by making dangerous coastal rocks temporarily disappear:
"His tables Toletanes forth he brought, Ful wel corrected, ne ther lakked nought, Neither his collect ne his expans yeres, Ne his rootes ne his othere geres, As been his centris and his argumentz, And his proporcioneles convenientz For his equacions in every thyng."
In these lines, Chaucer demonstrates remarkable technical knowledge of astrological calculation. The "tables Toletanes" refer to astronomical tables developed in Toledo, Spain, which were used to determine planetary positions. "Collect" and "expans yeres" relate to methods of calculating time, while "rootes," "centris," and "argumentz" are technical terms for different aspects of planetary computation.
This passage underscores an important reality: medieval astrology wasn't casual stargazing but a demanding technical discipline requiring mathematical skill and years of study. The clerk's ability to manipulate natural phenomena through astrological knowledge represents the height of natural philosophy—what we might today call science.
The Wife of Bath: Astrology and Character
Astrology in The Canterbury Tales doesn't merely serve as a plot device; it helps define character as well. The Wife of Bath, one of Chaucer's most vibrant personalities, attributes her lusty nature to her birth chart:
"For certes, I am al Venerien In feelynge, and myn herte is Marcien. Venus me yaf my lust, my likerousnesse, And Mars yaf me my sturdy hardynesse."
Here, she claims Venus has influenced her sensual appetite, while Mars has given her boldness and determination. This astrological self-identification serves multiple purposes in the text. It establishes the Wife as knowledgeable about contemporary intellectual traditions, challenges the notion that such knowledge was exclusively male, and provides her with a cosmological justification for her controversial lifestyle.
The Physician's Portrait: Professional Astrology
In Chaucer's description of the Physician in the General Prologue, astrology appears as an essential professional tool:
"In al this world ne was ther noon hym lik, To speke of phisik and of surgerye, For he was grounded in astronomye. He kepte his pacient a ful greet deel In houres by his magyk natureel."
The term "astronomye" here encompasses both astronomy and astrology, which were not distinct disciplines in the medieval period. The Physician uses astrological timing ("houres") to determine the most favourable moments for treatments. This practice, known as iatromathematics, was standard in medieval medicine, with physicians consulting astrological charts to diagnose diseases and determine treatments based on celestial configurations.
The Miller's Tale: Astrology Satirised
Chaucer's attitude toward astrology, however, wasn't one of uncritical acceptance. In "The Miller's Tale," he uses astrological beliefs as an object of satire. When the old carpenter John is tricked by the clever student Nicholas into believing that a flood of biblical proportions is imminent due to astrological calculations, Chaucer is poking fun at the gullibility of those who accept astrological predictions without question:
"'Hastow nat herd how saved was Noe, Whan that our Lord had warned hym biforn That al the world with water sholde be lorn?' 'Yis,' quod this Carpenter, 'ful yore ago.'"
Nicholas claims to have discovered through his astrological studies that a catastrophic flood will soon occur. The irony is that Nicholas, while genuinely educated in astrology, is using this knowledge not to reveal truth but to facilitate his seduction of the carpenter's wife.
This episode reveals Chaucer's complex view: while acknowledging astrology as a legitimate field of study, he also recognises its potential for misuse and the dangers of blind faith in its predictions. It's not astrology itself that Chaucer satirises but its exploitation by the unscrupulous and its uncritical acceptance by the uninformed.
The Man of Law's Tale: Providence vs. Planetary Influence
In "The Man of Law's Tale," Chaucer navigates the delicate theological balance between astrological influence and divine providence. The tale begins with an astrological description of the evil Syrian sultaness:
"O serpent under femynynytee, Lik to the serpent depe in helle ybounde! O feyned womman, al that may confounde Vertu and innocence, thurgh thy malice, Is bred in thee, as nest of every vice! O Satan, envious syn thilke day That thou were chaced from oure heritage, Wel knowestow to wommen the olde way!"
Here, the tale associates the sultaness's wickedness with Satanic influence, yet elsewhere makes reference to the movements of Fortune's wheel and stellar influences. This reflects the medieval Christian attempt to reconcile astrological belief with free will and divine providence—a theological problem that occupied some of the greatest minds of the age.
Medieval theologians like Thomas Aquinas proposed that while celestial bodies might influence human behaviour through their effects on the physical body and passions, they could not compel the rational will, which remained free. This compromise allowed for astrological influence without undermining moral responsibility or divine sovereignty.
The Knight's Tale: Cosmic Order and Human Affairs
"The Knight's Tale" provides perhaps the most sophisticated exploration of astrology's philosophical implications. Set in ancient Athens, this tale of two knights competing for the love of the same woman is saturated with astrological imagery and cosmic significance.
When Arcite prays to Mars for victory in battle, while Palamon prays to Venus for his beloved's hand, their competing prayers create a celestial conflict that requires Saturn's intervention:
"My cours, that hath so wyde for to turne, Hath moore power than woot any man. Myn is the drenchyng in the see so wan; Myn is the prison in the derke cote; Myn is the stranglyng and hangyng by the throte, The murmure, and the cherles rebellyng, The groynynge, and the pryvee empoysonynge."
Saturn's speech emphasises his malevolent influence but also his cosmic authority. The resolution of the tale, with Arcite winning the battle but dying before he can claim his prize, and Palamon eventually marrying Emelye, represents a cosmic compromise that satisfies both Mars and Venus.
This tale portrays the universe as an ordered, hierarchical system where human affairs mirror celestial patterns. Yet it also suggests that this cosmic order, while determining general patterns, allows for complexity and apparent contradiction in individual human lives.
Why Chaucer's Astrological References Matter Today
Six centuries after Chaucer penned The Canterbury Tales, what relevance does his treatment of astrology hold for modern readers? As literary scholars at Wilfred Hazelwood often discuss in our seminar series, Chaucer's nuanced portrayal of astrological belief offers valuable insights into medieval intellectual history, reminding us that periods often dismissed as superstitious in fact possessed complex cosmological frameworks that integrated observation, calculation, and philosophical reasoning.
Moreover, Chaucer's varied treatment of astrology—sometimes respectful, sometimes satirical—demonstrates his remarkable intellectual flexibility and his ability to consider multiple perspectives on controversial issues. In an age of increasing intellectual polarisation, this capacity for nuanced thinking offers a valuable model.
The astrological elements in The Canterbury Tales also highlight the medieval integration of what we now consider separate domains: literature, science, medicine, and philosophy. This holistic approach to knowledge contrasts markedly with our modern tendency toward hyper-specialisation and reminds us of the potential value in cross-disciplinary thinking.
The celestial blueprint that underlies Chaucer's masterpiece reveals a worldview where human lives were understood as part of a greater cosmic pattern—a perspective that, while different from our own, offers a rich alternative way of conceptualising humanity's place within the wider universe. Through his masterful use of astrological motifs, Chaucer invites us to consider how we, too, might navigate between determinism and free will, between scientific knowledge and humanistic wisdom.
In reading The Canterbury Tales with attention to its astrological elements, we gain not only a better understanding of medieval thought but also a mirror in which to examine our own assumptions about fate, choice, and the order of the cosmos. As we continue to grapple with these eternal questions, Chaucer's pilgrims—with their diverse perspectives on the stars above—remain valuable companions on our intellectual journey.
