Fortune and Nature in the Canterbury Tales and As You Like ItThe medieval world was a complicated place, full of "chains of being" , astrological influences, elements and moods. A man's life was supposed to be influenced by all sorts of external elements acting through fate or chance. “Fortune” and “Nature” are two terms that include many of these factors, representing chance and innate qualities. Shakespeare frequently mentions both, notably in a long dialogue between Rosalind and Celia in As You Like It. Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales also provides numerous examples of combinations between Fortune and Nature in human affairs. His Tale of Forgiveness, his Miller's Tale, and his Tale of the Wife of Bath all depend on the effects of these two metaphysical forces. The Army laments that "The gifts of Fortune and Nature / have been the cause of the death of many creatures." (The Tale of Forgiveness, ll. 9-10). And this is what the Tale of Forgiveness literally proves. The three young men, after finding the treasure of gold florins, explain that "This treasure has given us fortune / In joy and the pretty life we ​​live." (ll. 491-2). Fortune has guided them on their quest, whether in the tavern at the time of the funeral or on the road when they encounter the immortal old man who knows the treasure of death; and Fortune, too, causes their downfall, because “it happened to him in one case / To take the bottle where the poison was, / And he drank, and yaf his companion drank too, / For which one year they are both torn off. » (ll. 597-600). However, nature contributes to their disappearance: all the “three riotours” are already recognized as drunkards, so it seems “natural” that they celebrate with the wine brought by their former comrade. The free, physical, lover of life ...... middle of paper ...... and characteristic behavior, or creates a hero by letting his Nature triumph over the Fortune that has determined his previous actions. These interactions could perhaps be seen simply as a clever use of what we moderns would call "character" and "plot." Yet considering them in terms of Fortune and Nature places us more firmly in the medieval vision that characterizes so many Tales and lends them so much of their charm. You may want to start your article with the quotes below. of Fortune and Nature ""Fortune reigns in the gifts of the world, not in the lineaments of Nature... When Nature has created a beautiful creature, cannot she, by Fortune, fall into the fire ? " - As You Like It, I.ii.41-4. "The gains of Fortune and Nature have been the cause of the death of many creatures." -- Pardoner's Tale, ll. 9-10.