Canterbury Tales Prologue

The characters and their stereotypes: revelations and perceptions*

Summaries borrowed from www.sparknotes.com

The Knight (lines 43-80)

Noble in battleenjoys adventure The epitome of chivalry Strong and brave (especially to have survived so many battles15 plus jousts always killed his man) Wise Modest a true and perfect gentle knight Has fine horses Dresses in natural clothing with smudges
Realistic/humanized

Going on the Pilgrimage to show thanks to God for his talents

Chaucer/the narrator admires the Knight despite the decline of chivalry. Most of his battles are religious leading us to believe he is a crusader.

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The Knight (lines 43-80)

Noble in battleenjoys adventure The epitome of chivalry Strong and brave (especially to have survived so many battles15 plus jousts always killed his man) Wise Modest a true and perfect gentle knight Has fine horses Dresses in natural clothing with smudges
Realistic/humanized

Going on the Pilgrimage to show thanks to God for his talents

Chaucer/the narrator admires the Knight despite the decline of chivalry. Most of his battles are religious leading us to believe he is a crusader.

The Squire (lines 81-102)

The Knights son youthful (20 years old); lover and cadet Curly hair (as if pressed)
Suggests hes a dandy concerned with his looks

Does everything with a passion Destined to become just like his father

Served in the cavalry and done valiantly Likes to sing and write songs

Contrasts with his fatherthe religious chivalric knightthe squire is very romantic. His dress is fancy and there is a lot of social desire. Always out to win his ladys favor in the cavalry. Chaucer is accepting of the squire, but not admiring. He has growing up to do, but will make a good knight

The Yeoman (lines103121)

An attendant of the Squire Dressed in green; carries peacock arrows and a bow and wears a bracelet to protect his arm; a sword; a shield; and a dagger Head like a nut w/brown face
A hunter and woodworkerattends the Squire but has his own personality St. Christophers medal
Patron Saint of Travelers

Chaucer looks at the Yeoman positively and uses no irony in the description; Suggests that like the Knight and the Squire, the Yeoman is a worthy occupation

Prioress (Nun)(lines122168)
Eglentyen/sweetbriar Exceptionally mannerly when eating Animal rights activist should be concerned with?
PEOPLE!

Coral trinket on her arm, green prayer beads, Love Conquers all on her golden brooch suggests
Rich tastes; worldliness

Sentimental and tender & speaks elegant French Smile is simple and coy; elegant nose; glass gray eyes,; small, soft, red mouth suggests
Perfect beauty

Irony of Chaucer: charity should be for needy people, but it is for animals; love is very worldly rather than Amor Dei, godly; expresses a desire to show courtly manners, rather than follow rules of simplicity; expensive jewelry suggests worldliness instead of poverty.

The Monk (lines 169-211)

A Manly Man, fat, prominent eyeballs, supple boots, not pale, Loves hunting & fine food Bridle jingles; garnished sleeves; fine tunic; owns many horses and greyhounds; suggests
Wealth he should not have

Ignores the rules of the monastery

The Monk it Chaucers prologue is corrupt; Loves good food, expensive clothing and hunting violate the monastic views of poverty and simplicity and displays no guilt. Hunting was a big no-no for Monks. Irony: finest sort, suitable to be an abbot, agrees with point of view, fair prelaat

The Friar (lines 212-279)

Brother Hubert has a white Knows the taverns and the neck barmaids well suggests Supports himself through Took confessionsand beggingwell rehearsed and pardons themfor a spoken giftsuggests He manipulates peoples Loved among the rich land desire to be good owners; Only deals with the rich; avoids the poor beggars Arbitrates disputes for a fee and leperssuggests
He is corrupt and only cares about worldly things

Sings and plays hurdy-gurdy and lisps to attract women Fixes up many young womenafter giving them lovely giftssuggests
He has seduced them first

Chaucer paints a picture of the corrupt clergy Irony: strong pillar of the church, calls him merry, sweet, pleasant and worthy

Merchant (lines 280-294)

Split beard, assorted dress, Flemish beaver hat, buckled boots. An expert with money and exchanging money In debt but no one knows because he cooks the books
Representative of the middle class; is in debt but pretends not to be an hides it cleverly; Chaucer says he is a worthy man respects the middle class despite the deception

The Oxford Cleric (lines 295-318)

Still a student Thin horse; thin, hollow, sober staring man; thread bare coat Prefers books to clothes philosophers stone referencemyth of philosophy Formal and extremely respectfulgladly learn and teach
Idealized character- a serious student who cars for little but studying and is so poor he cant even keep clothes on his back or books on his tables; When he speaks, he speaks with a purpose and he always prays for others. Forfeits worldly pleasure for knowledge.

The Lawyer (lines 319341)

Expert lawyer with great import Offers himself as a judge Discreet and cautious Homely parti-colored coat, girt with a silken belt of pinstripe stuff

Irony: Chaucer makes a point to comment on pretending as a part of human nature and the Lawyer believes he is much more important than society really views him.

The Franklin (lines 341379)

Daisy white beard, cheerful Always has food and drink ready at his house Parliamentary representative for the country Had a dagger and a little purse of silkwhite as morning milk Sheriff he checked every entry
The Franklin as a social climber and spends most of his time pretending he is better than he is. He is a hedonist (pleasure is all important). He loves happy people who will eat and drink with him.

The Craftsmen (lines 371388)

Carpenter, haberdasher, dyer, weaver, tapestry maker Dressed more mightily than their rank suggests Wives follow behind with and insist on being called Madam while their mantles are carried like royalty
The craftsmen are treated as a group and none is given of single. Chaucer again is making the point that people like to pretend they are better than they truly are and he seems to satirize them through their wives.

The Cook (lines 389-397)

Good cook who makes thick soup had an ulcer on his knee (a crusty sore) Travels with the guildsman

The Skipper (lines 498420)

Very good at his job Rides well Wears a dagger on his neck Tanned from the summer heat Steals wine from the captain while the captain sleeps Owned the Maudelayne

The Doctor (lines 421-454)

Talks really well about medicine as related to astronomy Practice magic and medicine according to the stars Did not read the Bible but knew all about Greek mythology Wore blood-red garments with bluish-gray lines Had a special love for gold
The doctor knew his art well, which he used to his advantage by making sure he could make a profit by manipulating the facts in cahoots with the apothecaries. Suggests he is very greedy, but is very stereotypical of the doctors of the time.

The Wife of Bath (lines 455-486)

Somewhat deaf Makes wool Gets married a lot (5 times already) Wore scarlet red hose and tight garter; bold, handsome, red face with a gap in her teeth Been on many pilgrimages Knows everything about love
Thinks of herself as the best person and dresses boldly. Gap toothed person in the Middle Ages is very lucky and travels far and wide. She knows how to enjoy herself and brags about knowing the cure for loves. Character appeals for the liberation of womenbut she can be offensive Irony: Amor Remedia rather than Ars Amatoria (remedy over art)

The Parson (lines 487-438)

Rich in spirit, but monetarily poor Gives his own goods to his people and calls on people no mater what Always fair and wise Always follows what is right
Idealized figure: devoid of any irony or satire. The most virtuous of all the pilgrims but serves as a criticism of the priests in the Middle Ages. Opposed to excommunicating poor parishioners who could not pay their tithes to the church and sometimes gives his own money to the poor even though he has very little. Chaucer uses the imagery of a shepherd tending his flock because of his virtue. An ideal stereotype of what priesthood should becontrast to other religious figures

The Plowman ( lines 539555)

The Parsons brother, works hard and honestly for his living Wears a tabard (loose jacket) smock and rode a mare

Idealized characterindustrious and a hard worker who lives in peace and always helps out his neighbors. He loves God and always pays his tithes. Chaucer admires his pride and is calling.

The Miller (lines 561-584)

Robin weighs 224 lbs, very strong and wins at wrestling because he broad, knotty and shortshouldered; can heave a door off its hinges Wart on his nose; nostrils were black and wide; mouth like a furnace door Carries a sword and buckler; wears a hood of blue and a white coat and plays bagpipes (Irish descent)

Representation of a dishonest man; he is a rich and makes as much of his own profits as he can; physical description is representative of his personality: shameless, wordy, quarrelsome, deceitful and lecherous. He steals grain and yet has a golden thumb Irony: golden thumb increases his own profits only

Manciple (lines 585-604)

Buyer of provisions for a college or court Watches the market precisely Illiterate but outwits the educated

As dishonest as the Miller and always makes a profit on his purchases Irony: praise of financial wisdom that enables him to trick the wise of the country professional malpractice

The Reeve (lines 605-640)

Oswaldslender and choleric; closely shaven beard; shorn hair abruptly stops above his ears; docked on top like a priest; chicken legs; Wears an overcoat of blue; has a rusty blade at his side Manages the estates of wealthy land owners Steals from the estate Learned carpentry

Choleric temper and slender legs indicate a lecherous character; inferior position indicated by facial hair; he is deceitful because he cheats his lord and blackmails the others in the county and everyone fears him as a result. He is richer than his lord and lends him money.

The Summoner (lines 641688)

Fire0red cherubinnish face with pus-filled boils all over; has narrow eyes and is lecherous; black scabby brows and a thin beard and his appearance scares small kids Loves garlic, onions and leeks as well as strong wine and only speaks in Latin when he is drunk Blackmails everyone he can Wore garland on his head Allows sinners to keep mistresses for a year in return for winelikely he commits the same sin illiterate
Responsible for summoning sinners before the church courts but Chaucer shows extreme loathing for the character; grouped with the pardoneralso hated by Chaucer; physical deformities represent an awful soul

Sarcasm: approval of the summoner friendlier rascal

The Pardoner (lines 689734)

Compared to Summonertogether they sing a song about lustful love Has yellow waxy hair hanging down on his head thin like rat-tails; has bulging eyeballs; small voice like a goat; no beard Wore a little cap
Personification of evil; sells holy relics and favors to pardon people form all their sins to ensure purgatory; extorts money from people by preaching against having money; has repulsive physical features; special skill is singing at the offertory to extract money.

Sarcastic tone rather than subtle irony

The Host (lines767-803)

Harry Bailey is friendly, agreeable, and sensible very warm and inviting Offers the story telling contest to the pilgrims Joins them on the quest to serve as a mediator

Chaucer
Author and appears as a pilgrim through the narrative Functions as a nave narrator and the guide on the way to Canterbury and we learn about his society through the irony and sarcasm he relates through the tales and stories. His tone requires careful reflection

The Ship of Fools

a boat populated by human inhabitants who are deranged, frivolous, or oblivious, passengers aboard a ship without a pilot, and seemingly ignorant of their own direction.

How can Chaucers Pilgrims be seen as a ship of fools?

Give examples.

Good Guys Knight Squire Yeoman Merchant Oxford Cleric Parson Plowman Host

Bad Guys Nun Monk Friar Lawyer Franklin Craftsmen Cook Skipper Doctor Wife of Bath Miller Manciple Reeve Summoner Pardoner

Good Guys Knight Squire Yeoman Merchant Oxford Cleric Parson Plowman Host

Bad Guys Nun Monk Friar Lawyer Franklin Craftsmen Cook Skipper Doctor Wife of Bath Miller Manciple Reeve Summoner Pardoner

How can Chaucers Pilgrims be seen as a ship of fools?

Give examples.

Feudalism

Orare: those who pray

Pugnare: Those who fight

Labore: Those who work

Chaucers society is
How does this compare to our own? Explain your response by using specific comparisons between our stereotypes and Chaucers