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 Literature Notes
The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales

CHARACTERS
a. Knight
  • distinguished
  • chivalrous
  • generous
  • courteous
  • modest
  • did battle in Christian and heathen places
  • involved in 15 battles
  • had fine horses
  • was not gaily dressed
  • irony: noble but has killed so many, what is noble about murder?

b. Squire
  • 20 years old
  • curley hair
  • cadet/soldier
  • moderate height
  • agile and strong
  • handsome
  • doing well in the army in such a short time
  • he could ride and write songs and poetry
  • he could recite, joust, dance and draw
  • he was courteous
  • he enjoyed sex and did it often

c. Yeoman
  • gaudily dresses
  • his face was brown and shaped like a nut
  • he knew woodcraft
  • he wore a medal of St. Christopher; patron Saint of travelers
  • he hunted

d. Nun/Prioress

  • swore by St. Loye
  • sang well
  • spoke French
  • good etiquette re eating
  • entertaining, pleasant and friendly
  • strained for grace and dignified bearing
  • charitable for animals, fed dogs with fine food
  • elegant nose, grey eyes, wide forehead, small, red mouth
  • was not short, wore a lot of jewelry
  • irony very ‘worldly’ for a nun

e. Monk
  • liked hunting, had a lot of horses
  • he was the Prior, but very ‘worldly’
  • did not believe in physical labour
  • showy with his wealth
  • did not wear his monk garments
  • bald headed with a shiny face
  • fat and friendly with big eyes that were always wondering
  • liked food
  • irony he’s very ‘worldly’ for a monk
 
f. Friar
  • very jolly, merry and articulate
  • had exclusive rights to beg and preach within an assigned area: limiter
  • set up a lot of couples for marriage (match maker)
  • gave pleasant confessions when bribed
  • kept gifts in his pocket for pretty girls (tippet)
  • sang well and played an instrument
  • knew the taverns and barmaids well
  • he was courteous anywhere and to anyone that would pay him
  • he was the finest beggar of his batch
  • he did not care if he weaseled money away from the very poor
  • his name was Hubert
  • irony: cares about money and wealth when it should be otherwise

g. Merchant
  • wore a long beard
  • dressed in multi-coloured clothing
  • dressed daintily
  • humble in telling his pursuits/opinions, as well as how he never lost
  • expert at currency exchange, yet was in debt.
  • Irony expert at currency exchange, yet is in debt

h. Oxford Cleric
  • still a student
  • poor; by the state of his horse and attire
  • did not like the church
  • too ‘unworldly’ to seek ways of making money
  • preferred books to clothes
  • preferred studying to conversation
  • he was very formal, lofty and to the point
  • wanted to learn and teach
  • irony would make a bad teacher, filled with so much knowledge and cannot transmit it.
i.Serjeant at Law
  • discreet and reverent
  • well learnt and famous
  • people paid for his expertise
  • honest
  • appeared busy but really was not
  • very knowledgeable about cases of law
  • successful lawyer commissioned by the king
  • spoke intelligently
  • irony he has the characteristics of the man of the cloth

j. Franklyn
  • wealthy land owner, not of the nobility
  • white beard, high coloured
  • lived for pleasure
  • he was confident and cheerful
  • had the best wines and shared it with all
  • house was stocked with seasonal food
  • table was always set and ready for a banquet
  • very organized when it came to his land owning business
  • he was an associate with the serjeant at law
  • irony: he was a model among landed gentry, but was not nobility

k. Guild Fraternity
  • well kept exterior
  • they were wealthy; had capital and revenue
  • there was the harberdasher, dyer, carpenter, weaver, carpet maker
  • intelligent
  • knifes made with the purest silver
  • wise enough to become an alderman (member of a council below the mayor)

l. Cook
  • was the best cook
  • could distinguish London Ale by flavor; good palette
  • could make a variety of dishes
  • had an ulcer on his knee
  • irony: has skin disease (associated with faulty diet/poor hygiene/ sexually transmitted disease) yet is a cook!

m. Skipper
  • came from Dartmouth
  • rode a farmer’s horse as best he could
  • wore a woolen gown and dagger (hanging from his neck)
  • tanned
  • had no conscience; prisoners walked the plank
  • he visited and knew a lot of Ports of call
  • his barge was called the Maudelayne

n. doctor
  • very knowledgeable about medicine and surgery
  • knew of astronomy and used it in his medical practice
  • he was a perfect physician
  • he had his own apothecary that dispensed his remedies
  • he was well versed in medical practices from other lands
  • he was meticulous re his diet
  • did not read the Bible much
  • he was cheap
  • earned his living from pestilences/diseases
  • had a special love of gold
  • irony: earned his money from plagues, he’s a doctor

o. wife of bath
  • somewhat deaf
  • she could sew very well
  • jealous of people who were married 
  • her kerchief was of finely woven ground
  • her hose was the finest scarlet red and gartered tight
  • her shoes were soft and new
  • her face was bold and red
  • she had 5 husbands, not counting company in her youth
  • she was well traveled
  • she had gap teeth
  • could ride a horse well
  • she had large hips and heels
  • she liked to laugh and chat with company
  • she knew the remedies for loves mischances
  • irony: she’s had 5 husband’s, yet claims to know about love

p. parson
  • rich in holy thought and work
  • learned man, a clerk
  • knew Christ’s gospel and taught and preached it
  • diligent and patient
  • disliked extortion for tithe and fee
  • giving and kind to poor parishioners
  • no hypocrite; followed the word before he taught it
  • holy and virtuous
  • was discreet in his teaching and benign
  • only rebuked if some-one displayed obstinacy re God’s word
  • sought no pomp or glory in his dealings

q. plowman

  • carted dung with his brother
  • honest worker, good and true
  • he lived in peace and perfect charity
  • he did as the gospel said
  • he would selflessly help the poor
  • paid his tithe in full
  • irony: he lived a good and honest life, but had no allegiance to a church or the Bible

r. miller
  • he weight 16 stones or 224 lbs
  • he was a stout fellow that was big in brawn and bone
  • he was broad, knotty, and short-shouldered
  • had a red beard
  • had a wart on his nose with a tuft of red hair on it
  • his nostrils were black and wide
  • he had a big mouth
  • he was a mastermind at stealing grain
  • he wore a hood of blue and white coat
  • he cheated with the scales to increase the weight of the grain

s. manciple
  • a minor employee whose major duty was to purchase provisions for a college or law firm
  • prudent shopper
  • he was illiterate but could out pace the wisdom of many learned men
  • could teach many a knowledgeable man to live debt free
  • irony: he was illiterate, but much wiser than learned men in relation to handling money

t. reeve
  • a serf who was the steward of his manor
  • he ensured that the estates work was done and that everything was accounted for 
  • was old and choleric (yellow bile), which made him bad tempered
  • had the hair cut of a priest
  • kept his bins and garners very trim, no auditor could gain a point on him
  • he could predict his yield from seed and grain
  • he managed his masters money and animals
  • he was a good accountant – never in arrears
  • he was feared by those he managed
  • he had a lovely home
  • he was better with money than his lord
  • he was wealthy and even gave subtle loans to his master
  • he was a skilled carpenter
  • he came from Norfolk, near Baldeswell
  • irony: this serf was good at managing his money, even better than his Lord. He even gave his Lord discrete loans.  

u. summoner
  • he presented individuals with summons for infractions of church law
  • he had a face like an angel
  • had carbuncles: pus filled skin inflammation like boils
  • he was hot and lecherous
  • children were scared of his appearance
  • nothing could cure his knobby knees
  • he loved onions, leeks and red wine
  • would only speak in Latin when he was drunk
  • he was wise in the ways of love making
  • he knew the secrets of the young men in the diocese
  • irony: he appears to be very good with women, despite the fact that his angelic face was severely disfigured by acne.  

v. pardoner
  • a minor member of the church who bought pardon for sinners and sold them
  • he had thin, blond, unhealthy looking hair
  • wore no hood
  • he wanted to be in style
  • he had bulging eyeballs
  • sowed a holy relic on his cap
  • he was just back from Rome with pardons
  • beardless chin
  • he had a lot of religious relics
  • used them to get money from the naïve (country parsons)
  • he was a noble  ecclesiast in church, read lessons well
  • irony: he looked respectable (in church and otherwise), but was really dishonest and was not respected by loyal members of the church
w. host
  • he was entertaining
  • liked sports
  • served the best food
  • very striking man
  • had bright eyes and a little chubby
  • bold in speech, but wise and tactful
  • he was very manly and merry hearted


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Contributor: Leisa Samuels- Thomas


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