The Canterbury Tales
Prologue Review
Pilgrims
1.The Knight
15. The Wife of Bath
9. The Sergeant at Law
2.The Squire
16. The Parson
10. The Franklin
3. Yeoman
17. The Plowman
4. The Prioress/Nun
5. The Monk
6. The Friar
7. The Merchant
11. The Guildsmen: Haberdasher,
Dyer, Weaver, Carpenter,
and
Carpetmaker
19. The Miller
20. The Manciple
13. Skipper
21. The Reeve
14. Doctor
22. The Summoner
8. The Oxford Cleric
Seven Deadly Sins
Pride/Vanity
Envy
Gluttony
Lust
Anger/Wrath
Greed/Avarice
Sloth
Virtues
Humility
Kindness
Temperance
Purity/Chastity
Patience
Charity
Zeal/Diligence
Directions: Using the chart below, write the meaning of the lines from the selection, match the
description to a Canterbury pilgrim, and identify the sin or virtue revealed by the lines if one is
evident. Use the lists above as references.
Quote from
The Prologue
1.
2.
Meaning of the
Quote
Character
Sin or
Virtue
His head was bald and shone like any glass,
And smooth as one anointed was his face.
Fat was this lord, he stood in goodly case.
His bulging eyes he rolled about, and hot
They gleamed and red, like fire beneath a pot;
White was his beard as is the white daisy.
Of sanguine temperament by every sign,
He loved right well his morning sop in wine.
Delightful living was the goal he'd won,
For he was Epicurus' very son,
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The Canterbury Tales
Prologue Review
That held opinion that a full delight
Was true felicity, perfect and right.
Quote from
The Prologue
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The remedies of love she knew, perchance,
For of that art she'd learned the old, old dance.
9.
In towns he knew the taverns, every one,
And every good host and each barmaid tooBetter than begging lepers, these he knew.
Feared like the plague by those beneath.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Character
Sin or
Virtue
Though so illustrious, he was very wise
And bore himself as meekly as a maid.
He never yet had any vileness said,
In all his life
For gold in physic is a fine cordial,
And therefore loved he gold exceeding all.
He had but little gold within his coffer;
But all that he might borrow from a friend
On books and learning he would swiftly
spend,
And then he'd pray right busily for the souls
At table she had been well taught withal,
And never from her lips let morsels fall,
Nor dipped her fingers deep in sauce, but ate
With so much care the food upon her plate
That never driblet fell upon her breast.
In courtesy she had delight and zest.
Her upper lip was always wiped so clean
That in her cup was no iota seen
Of grease, when she had drunk her draught of
wine.
The nicer rules of conscience he ignored.
8.
10.
Meaning of the
Quote
This worthy man kept all his wits well set;
There was no one could say he was in debt,
So well he governed all his trade affairs
With bargains and with borrowings and with
shares.
Their gear was new and well adorned it was;
Their weapons were not cheaply trimmed with
brass,
But all with silver;
But rich he was in holy thought and work.
He was a learned man also, a clerk,
Who Christ's own gospel truly sought to
preach;
Devoutly his parishioners would he teach.
Now isn’t it a marvel of God’s own grace;
That an illiterate fellow can outpace
The wisdom of a heap of learned men.
And he could roast and seethe and broil and
fry,
And make a good thick soup, and bake a pie.
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The Canterbury Tales
Prologue Review
16.
Broad, knotty, and short-shouldered. He
would boast he could heave any door off
hinge and post.
Answer Key
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The Canterbury Tales
Prologue Review
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Meaning of the Quote
Character
He was bald, fat, and greedy.
He was old, cheerful, and hedonistic.
He was famous, wise, and humble; he
never said unpleasant things.
He loved money.
He was poor, so he borrowed money
from friends to buy books; he repaid
them by praying for them.
She ate very daintily.
He did not allow his conscience to
keep him from doing wrong.
She was an expert in solving love
problems.
He was acquainted with bars and the
people who worked there, but not the
poor people who may have needed
him.
People feared him because he was in a
position to harm them.
He seemed to know all about money
matters, but he was in debt.
This group of men was expensively
dressed in clothes that seemed new.
This educated man, a clerk, lived
righteously and was devoted to
preaching to his people.
It is a miracle that a man who could
not read knew more than educated
men.
He was versatile in his cooking skills.
The short, wide man bragged about
his strength.
Monk
Franklin
Knight
Sin or
Virtue
Greed
Gluttony
Humility
Doctor
Oxford Cleric
Lust
Zeal
The Nun
Skipper
Gluttony
Sloth
Wife of Bath
Pride
Friar
Lust
Reeve
Greed
Merchant
Pride
Guildsmen
Pride
Parson
Zeal
Manciple
Pride or
Sloth
Cook
Miller
Pride
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