Lesson video

Prologue.

"When my April showers me with kisses, I can make her my missus or my mistress, but I'm happily hitched, sorry, home girls, said my vows to the sound of the Bow Bells yet her breath is as fresh as the west wind, when I breathe her, I know we're predestined to make music; my muse, she inspires me, though my mind's overtaxed, April fires me, how she pierces my heart to the fond root till I bleed sweet cherry blossom en route to our bliss trip; there's days she goes off me, April loves me not; April loves me with a passion, dear doctor, I'm wordsick and I got the itch like I'm allergic but it could be my shirt's on the cheap side; serenade overnight with my peeps wide, nothing like her, liqueur, an elixir, overproof that she serves as my sick cure, she's as strong as a ram, she is Aries, see my jaw-dropping jeans, she could wear these, see my jaw dropping neat Anglo-Saxon, I got ink in my veins more than Caxton and it flows hand to mouth, here's a mouthfeast verbal feats from the streets of the South-East but my April, she blooms every shire's end, fit or vint, rich or skint, she inspires them from the grime to the clean-cut iambic, rime royale, rant or rap, get your slam kick on this Routemaster bus: get cerebral Tabard Inn to Canterbury Cathedral, poet pilgrims competing for free picks, Chaucer Tales, track by track, here's the remix from below-the-belt base to the topnotch; I won't stop all the clocks with a stopwatch when the tales overrun, run offensive, or run clean out of steam, they're authentic 'cause were keeping it real, reminisce this: Chaucer Tales were an unfinished business.

May the best poet lose, as the saying goes.

May the best poet muse be mainstaying those on the stage, on the page, on their subject: me and April, we're The Rhyming Couplet I'm The host for tonight, Harry Bailey, if I'm tongue-tied, April will bail me, I'm MC but the M is for mistress when my April shows me what a kiss is.

." So there was your first taster or "mouthfeast" from Patience Agbabi's Prologue that introduces her "Telling Tales".

Now, before we begin this lesson on the prologue, make sure that you have a pen, a piece of paper, and that you've cleared away any distractions.

And ensure that you turn off the notifications on this device that you're viewing in this video from.

Take a moment to pause the video and make sure that you have your equipment and that you are ready to start the lesson.

Let's get started.

In this lesson, you will master an understanding of the prologue of "Telling Tales".

And we're also going to find out who Harry Bailey is.

Firstly, we're going to have a quick catch up on the knowledge that you need for this lesson.

Now "The Canterbury Tales" is an epic poem written by Chaucer about pilgrims sharing stories.

"Telling Tales" is a revoicing of "The Canterbury Tales", and it has transported "The Canterbury Tales" into the 21st century.

Robert Knightley is from "Telling Tales", and he is our 21st century knight who was heavily influenced by Chaucer's knight.

Pilgrims is our key word.

A person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons is a pilgrim.

We have many pilgrims within our stories.

The new word you're going to learn for this lesson is prologue, pronounced pro-log.

Say it with me.

Pro-log, prologue.

Prologue comes from the Greek word "prologos".

Pro meaning before, logos meaning word.

It is an introduction to a book, film, play, or poem.

So prologue is an introduction to a book, film, play, or poem.

In a moment, you are going to pause the video, and you're going to write down the key definition, filling in the missing words as you go.

You can pause the video in three, two, one.

Excellent.

By now you should have paused the video, and I have filled in the missing words for us.

So prologue comes from the Greek word "prologos".

Pro meaning before, logos meaning word.

So prologue literally means before word.

It is an introduction to a book, film, play or poem.

Now I'd like you to rewrite the definition.

If you can, try and cover your previous definition as an extra challenge.

Fill in the missing words as you write your definition.

You can pause the video in three, two, one.

Perfect.

So by now, you should have written down your definition.

So prologue comes from the Greek word "prologos".

Pro meaning before, logos meaning word.

It is an introduction to a book, film, play or poem.

The lower section is the part we need to remember.

It is an introduction to a book, film, play or poem.

That's the really important part.

Now we're just going to recall what a frame narrative is.

Now a frame narrative is when our main story or narrative contains one or more smaller narratives as part of the overall story.

Now our main story, or our main narrative, is "The Canterbury Tales", and our smaller narratives are the Knight's Tale, the Friar's Tale, the Cook's Tale, the Miller's Tale.

And these smaller narratives feed into our main narrative.

So another way of framing our narrative is through the use of a prologue.

Now a prologue provides the reader or audience with further context.

The prologue prepares the reader.

We know what will happen.

And the prologue encourages the flow of the narrative.

So by using a prologue, we provide the reader and audience with context.

Now that might be the setting, introducing our characters, introducing what year or country a story is set in.

A prologue prepares the reader.

We know what will happen.

Sometimes in prologues, we're already told the ending.

Therefore, the reader is fully prepared on what will happen, but we don't know the journey to get there.

The prologue encourages the flow of the narrative.

For example, in the "The Canterbury Tales" and "Telling Tales", we are introduced to a character, the host.

Without being introduced to the host, we would then not know why our pilgrims are sharing their stories along their journey.

Otherwise we just have a load of random pilgrims telling us lots of strange, wonderful stories, and we wouldn't know why, or what they were competing for.

So the prologue serves a purpose of information-giving.

I'd like you to answer these questions on your piece of paper.

What is a prologue? Where do we find prologues? Why did Chaucer use a prologue? Remember to write in full sentences and use capital letters for names.

You can pause the video in three, two, one.

By now, you should have paused the video and written down your answers to these questions.

I'm going to go through the answers, but don't worry if your wording is slightly different.

That's okay.

What is a prologue? Well, a prologue is an introduction to a book, film, play or poem.

Well done if you've remembered the definition to a prologue.

Excellent work.

Where do we find prologues? We always find prologues at the beginning of a text.

We always find prologues at the beginning of a text, because it's an introduction to our text.

Well done if you remembered that a prologue goes at the beginning of a text.

Why did Chaucer use a prologue? Well, Chaucer used a prologue to provide the reader with context, or to prepare the reader for what will happen.

Either of those answers are absolutely fine.

Now I'm going to talk through the general prologue from "The Canterbury Tales".

The general prologue provides us with context, such as setting and characters.

The general prologue tells the reader what's going to happen.

It prepares us.

The general prologue also encourages the flow of the narrative.

For example, we know that the pilgrims are going on a journey.

We're told about characters.

We're told about setting.

And we're going to look at what we're further told.

Now, we're going to look at what Geoffrey Chaucer prepares us for in the prologue.

He informs us that it is April.

Now, that's important, because in April there is new life.

We have lambs being born.

New chicks are being born.

New life is breathed into the world.

Flowers begin blooming.

It's warmer.

There is a new generation of life beginning.

And at this time, it was common for people to feel like they should go on a pilgrimage.

So the pilgrims need to go on a journey.

Now this journey begins at the Tabard Inn, where our narrator begins his journey.

The narrator is also heading to Canterbury, and he meets pilgrims in the Tabard Inn.

And the pilgrims welcome him into their circle.

Within the general prologue, the narrator describes each pilgrim to us.

How about the general prologue for "Telling Tales"? Because of this, it is believed that the narrator is in fact Geoffrey Chaucer within his own poem.

The host, who is different from the narrator, and I really must stress this, the narrator is different to the host.

So the narrator describes the host to us, the audience, the reader.

Now the host is Harry Bailey.

Be sure to look at the way that Bailey is spelled within Chaucer's poem, "The Canterbury Tales".

B-A-I-L-L-Y.

So Chaucer's Bailly is B-A-I-L-L-Y.

Now Harry Bailly suggests that the pilgrims take part in a storytelling game.

He suggests that they take part in order to compete for a prize, and that prize is a meal at his Tabard Inn.

However, this meal will be paid for by all of the pilgrims collectively for the winner.

So Harry Bailly isn't offering the prize himself.

He wants the meal to be paid for by the pilgrims. Not sure whether that's really a prize or not.

The next day on the journey, all of the pilgrims draw straws.

The knight draws the shortest straw, and he begins telling the tales.

So here is our prologue.

The prologue has given us context on character and setting.

The prologue has informed us on what is going to happen.

And the prologue has set us up for the rest of the narrative.

It has allowed the narrative to flow smoothly.

Now that is "The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer.

The general prologue here provides us with context.

It too sets the reader up for what is going to happen.

Plus, it also allows for the narrative to run smoothly.

Prologue.

"When my April showers me with kisses, I could make her my missus or my mistress.

But I'm happily hitched, sorry home girls, said my vows to the sound of the Bow Bells.

Yet her breath is as fresh as the west wind, when I breathe her, I know we're predestined to make music; my muse, she inspires me.

Though my mind's overtaxed, April fires me.

How she pierces my heart to the fond root, till I bleed sweet cherry blossom en route, to our bliss trip; there's day's she goes off on me.

April loves me not, April loves me.

With a passion, dear doctor, I'm wordsick, and I've got the itch like I'm allergic.

But it could be my shirt's on the cheap side.

Serenade overnight with my peeps wide.

Nothing like her, liqueur, an elixir, overproof that she serves as my sick cure, she's as strong as a ram, she is Aries, see my jaw-dropping jeans, she could wear these, see my jaw dropping neat Anglo-Saxon, I got ink in my veins more than Caxton, and it flows hand to mouth, here's a mouthfeast, verbal feats from the streets of the South-East.

but my April, she blooms every shire's end, fit or vint, rich or skint, she inspires them, from the grime to the clean-cut iambic, rime royale, rant or rap, get your slam kick.

on this Routemaster bus: get cerebral, Tabard Inn to Canterbury Cathedral, poet pilgrims competing for free picks, Chaucer Tales, track by track, here's the remix, from below-the-belt base to the topnotch, I won't stop all the clocks with a stopwatch, when the tales overrun, run offensive, or run clean out of steam, they're authentic, 'cause we're keeping it real, reminisce this, Chaucer Tales were an unfinished business.

May the best poet lose, as the saying goes.

May the best poet muse be mainstaying those, on the stage, on the page, on their subject, me and April, we're The Rhyming Couplet, I'm The host for tonight, Harry Bailey, if I'm tongue-tied, April will bail me, I'm MC but the M is for mistress, when my April shows me what a kiss is." So there we have the general prologue for "Telling Tales".

Now we're going to look at the Prologue from "Telling Tales".

We are told the setting, the Tabard Inn.

We are told some characters, such as the host, Harry "Bells" Bailet, the MC.

Notice how Bailey is now spelled differently for "Telling Tales".

B-A-I-L-E-Y.

Harry Bailey describes himself as the MC, the master of ceremonies.

He is inspired by his mistress, April.

Harry Bells gives an importance to words and storytelling throughout the prologue.

He expresses the need for words, he explains how he is "wordsick", and he needs a doctor.

He thinks that he is allergic, and he needs to get these words out of his body.

He explains how he is on a Routemaster bus from the Tabard Inn, and he is heading to Canterbury Cathedral.

Here we have a significant change.

Instead of going on a pilgrimage via walking, "Telling Tales" conducts its pilgrimage via Routemaster bus.

The poet pilgrims are competing in remixing the Chaucer tales.

Harry Bailey explains how there is no time limit on remixing these tales.

He explains that when the remix runs its length and course, then we shall stop.

We're going to learn a new word.

The word is personification.

Say the word aloud.

Personification.

Personification is the action of giving human characteristics to something non-human.

The action of giving human characteristics to something non-human is personification.

I'd like you to pause the video and fill in the missing words to this definition.

You can pause the video in three, two, one.

Excellent.

So you should have taken the time to pause the video.

Give yourself a tick for the missing words that you filled in correctly.

The action of giving human characteristics to something non-human.

Well done if you managed to get those words, or at least some of the words, correct.

An example of personification follows.

Lightning danced across the sky.

The human characteristics, dancing or danced, is given to something non-human, lightning.

My alarm yells at me to get out of bed every day, which it actually does.

Human characteristics, yelling, is given to the non-human alarm.

Here we have another example of personification.

Now we're going to annotate some quotations.

You can do this on your sheets of paper or on the worksheet if you printed it out.

Either way, it's absolutely fine.

Make sure you write down the annotations because you might need to refer back to them later.

So taken from the poem, "When my April showers me with kisses I can make her my missus or my mistress." April showers is the expression of springtime.

Just like with "The Canterbury Tales" where Chaucer describes April as being the perfect month to go on a pilgrimage.

Hey, Harry Bailey is also showing an interest in April.

Here April is being personified.

This is an example of personification.

April is our non-human, showers is our human characteristic.

April showers me with kisses.

Here Harry Bailey is showing an appreciation to April.

How April brings life into the world.

I can make her my missus or my mistress.

Here, Harry Bailey is expressing a love towards April.

He is appreciating and admiring April.

The fact that he is prepared to either marry it or wanting to have a physical relation with April suggests that he appreciates and admires it quite a bit.

You might want to note down some annotations on your paper.

Pause the video to do that now in three, two, one.

Moving on, "Dear doctor, I'm wordsick and I got the itch like I'm allergic but it could be my shirt's on the cheap side; serenade overnight with my peeps wide." The word wordsick suggests that Harry Bailey needed to write this prologue in order to cure himself.

He's overcome with words.

There's too many within in his body, and he needs to get them out, either on the page or he needs to perform out loud for performance poetry.

The fact that he has an itch, like I'm allergic, he has something irritating him and he needs to scratch that itch, which is he needs to get those words out on the page in order to release his poem.

"Serenade overnight with my peeps wide." To serenade means to entertain someone either with music or by playing an instrument.

Well, here Harry Bailey is his own instrument.

He produces his own poetry and he will be serenading overnight, telling stories overnight, on his journey towards Canterbury.

You might want to note down some annotations in three, two, one.

Now we move on to the next extract from the prologue.

"See my jaw-dropping neat Anglo-Saxon, I got ink in my veins more than Caxton and it flows hand to mouth, here's a mouthfeast, verbal feats from the streets of the South-East." Here Harry Bailey is mentioning Anglo Saxon.

Now Anglo-Saxon is the earliest English language, and this came before Chaucer.

So Chaucer are wrote in middle English.

Before Chaucer was old English.

Currently, we are in modern English.

By mentioning the language that came before Chaucer, Harry Bailey is essentially appreciating the English language, appreciating how it has changed and evolved, especially here as it has evolved with slang and text talk.

"I got ink in my veins more than Caxton and it flows hand to mouth".

Here Harry Bailey is highlighting the process of writing performance poetry.

The ink is flowing from his veins, and it's flowing from his hand onto the page to his mouth.

So he is able to read his performance poetry aloud an express it further.

The mention of Caxton there, Caxton is a printing press.

So that's important, because remember, Chaucer did not have a printing press available to him.

Within the 21st century, we have the luxury of the printing press, allowing our language to flow from hand to mouth.

He describes this process as a "mouthfeast".

So here, Harry Bailey has an excess of words.

The fact that it's a feast means that he has plenty of words to give.

He must express his verbal feats from the streets of the South-East.

They are overflowing from him.

You might want to jot down some annotations in three, two, one.

Then we move on to the explanation of how the pilgrims are travelling from the Tabard Inn to Canterbury Cathedral.

So our host, Harry Bailey, B-A-I-L-E-Y, is very similar to our other Harry Bailly, B-A-I-L-L-Y.

Both of our hosts begin the pilgrimage with our pilgrims. However, we are on this Routemaster bus, getting cerebral, Tabard Inn to Canterbury Cathedral.

"Poet pilgrims competing for free picks, Chaucer Tales, track by track, here's the remix." So we on a Routemaster bus this time instead of walking to Canterbury.

A Routemaster bus is exactly the same as that big red bus on the right-hand side of your screen.

The typical red bus of London.

This is where our pilgrims will share their tales, on board a Routemaster bus.

They are travelling from Tabard Inn, so the same destination that they start from in "The Canterbury Tales", and they are travelling to Canterbury Cathedral, exactly the same destination as in "The Canterbury Tales".

Then he talks about Chaucer's tales.

They are recalling the Chaucer tales track by track, meaning they are recalling the tales tale by tale, story by story, narrative by narrative.

And here's the remix.

So now Harry Bailey is expressing how he's taking the original and he's reshaping it to make a new form.

He is remixing it.

Just like on the radio when your favourite song is remixed with a song that you don't like, and maybe you're not as keen on that song anymore.

That happens way too many times.

But here, our Chaucer tales are being remixed by Harry Bailey and the rest of our pilgrims in order to create a brand new track, a brand new "Telling Tales".

You might want to jot down some notes in three, two, one.

Up next, we have "when the tales overrun, run offensive, or run clean out of steam, they're authentic, 'cause we're keeping it real, reminisce this: Chaucer Tales were an unfinished business." So the fact that Harry Bailey is drawing attention to the tales overrunning, running offensive or running clean out of steam, he's giving instructions to the pilgrims here on telling the tales.

And he's saying, let the tales overrun, let them run offensive, and let them run clean out of steam, because then they are true.

Then they are authentic.

They run their natural course, and finish whenever they need to.

The tale is at the heart of this journey.

Then he describes Chaucer's tales were an unfinished business.

Hey, Harry Bailey is acknowledging "The Canterbury Tales" were never completed.

The fact that there is a full stop at the end of this line suggests that this time, "The Canterbury Tales" will be a finished business in the "Telling Tales".

You might want to jot down some notes in three, two, one.

Finally, we come to Harry Bailey exposing who he is.

He says, "I'm the host for tonight, Harry Bailey, if I'm tongue-tied, April will bail me, I'm the MC but the M is for mistress when my April shows me what a kiss is." Patience Agbabi has transported Harry Bailly, B-A-I-L-L-Y into the 21st century Harry Bailey, B-A-I-L-E-Y.

We still have our same host, and this is a comforting idea.

Even though "The Canterbury Tales" have been transported to the 21st century, we still have the same host to guide us through "The Canterbury Tales", to guide us through each story told by each pilgrim.

He suggests that he might be tongue-tied.

It's interesting that he talks about being tongue-tied, as this is a performance poem.

He's suggesting that if he becomes lost for words, then he can draw inspiration from April.

April will bail him out.

He describes himself as the MC, so he's the master of ceremonies, which is quite comical.

Drawing on the idea that he is the same Harry Bailey from "The Canterbury Tales" is quite comical.

The idea that Harry Bailey is the master of ceremonies.

He's the master of organising pilgrims in "Telling Tales".

The M being for mistress suggests that April is actually the master of ceremonies.

It's suggesting here that April could actually be the master of the pilgrims coming together in order to share their stories.

April after all, is the month that pilgrims feel the urge to go journeying to a sacred place.

Therefore, is April really the mistress of the ceremonies overall? You might want to pause the video and jot down some notes in three, two, one.

So now we're just going to run back through what occurs in the prologue.

Remember, the prologue is the introduction to our poem.

It sets up the context, it prepares the reader, and it allows for the narrative to flow.

So our Prologue in "Telling Tales" starts at the Tabard Inn.

Now this time, the Tabard Inn appears to be a bus stop, or a bus stop outside of Tabard Inn.

The host, Harry "Bells" Bailey is the MC, the master of ceremonies.

He is inspired by April, who is personified as his mistress.

He gives an importance to words and storytelling, explaining how the pilgrims should tell their stories, expressing his words, explaining how he is wordsick and has a mouthfeast to share.

They are on a Routemaster bus, the big red London bus, from the Tabard Inn, and they are travelling to Canterbury Cathedral, just as in "The Canterbury Tales" with Geoffrey Chaucer, a host goes along with the pilgrims from the Tabard Inn to Canterbury Cathedral.

Our poet pilgrims, again, are competing, competing and remixing the Chaucer tales in order to create "Telling Tales".

He explains how there is no time limit on sharing these tales, and he wants them to run authentically.

We're going to do a true or false quiz on "Telling Tales".

It's really important that you remember that this true or false quiz is on "Telling Tales".

A, the prologue is set in April.

B, the pilgrims are travelling by bus.

C, the host says his veins are filled with ink.

D, Harry Bailly is the host.

You can pause the video to answer these questions in three, two, one.

So by now, you should have recorded whether the statements are true or false.

Let's go through the answers.

A, the prologue is set in April.

That is true.

Remember that April is personified, meaning that April is given human characteristics.

April is personified as Harry Bailey's mistress.

B, the pilgrims are travelling by bus.

This is true.

They are, they're travelling by a Routemaster bus, the big red bus commonly found in London.

C, the host says his veins are filled with ink.

That's true.

He says that he has more ink than Caxton, the printing press.

He is overflowing with ink that he must express.

D, Harry Bailly is the host.

Now that's false.

Why is it false? Well, if you remember, I spelled out the difference between the Baileys.

The Harry Bailly, B-A-I-L-L-Y is our Harry Bailly from "The Canterbury Tales".

B-A-I-L-E-Y is our host from "Telling Tales." Well done if you managed to get D correct, that it was false.

Excellent eye for precision there.

In a moment, I'm going to ask you to pause the video and read the questions on the next page, plus complete the sentence stems. Your questions.

One, who is the host of this pilgrimage? Two, how has Agbabi included a similar host to the one Chaucer created? Three, how is the physical journey to Canterbury different between the poems? Pause the video and answer these questions now.

So by now, you should have written down your answers to the questions.

I'm going to go through the answers, but don't worry if your wording is slightly different to mine.

That's okay.

Question one, The host of this pilgrimage is Harry Bailey.

Make sure and check on your sheet that you've spelled Bailey for this "Telling Tales" Bailey correctly.

It's B-A-I-L-E-Y.

If you've written B-A-I-L-L-Y, you meant the Harry Bailly from the Chaucer "Canterbury Tales".

Agbabi created a similar host to Chaucer's because they have the same name, and same responsibilities as a host.

Brilliant if you were able to say how Agbabi and Chaucer's hosts are similar.

Number three, in Agbabi's poem, the pilgrims travelled to Canterbury by a Routemaster bus instead of walking.

Excellent if you remembered that it was a Routemaster bus.

It's absolutely okay if you just wrote bus.

Thank you for your hard work today.

You've been absolutely brilliant.

It will be great if you can continue this journey towards Canterbury with me when we check out next time the structure of "Telling Tales" and find out why place is so important within "Telling Tales" and "The Canterbury Tales".

Have a wonderful rest of your day.