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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