Three Characters from the Canterbury Tales Notes
Sophie Smith
Nun
Lines 2-3
Prioress: a nun who
ranks just below the
abbess (head) of a
convent
Line 125
Line 126-128
Line 132-133
Lines 136-138
Courtliness: refined
behavior/elegance
Line 147-149
Solicitous: anxious
or concerned;
attentive
Line 154
Line 156-159
Why do they use the
fact that her
forehead is a good
size to describe her
beauty?
Line 163
Line 166
“There was also a Nun, a Prioress.” Prioress is a high ranking nun
“She was knows as Madame Eglantyne”
She had a good voice that she sang with in church service and she spoke
“dantily” in French. What do they mean by “dantily”?
 Quietly and sweetly
 With a sweet, nonaggressive accent/tone
“No morsel [of meat] did she let fall [while she was eating], nor dipped
her fingers in the sauce too deep.”
 She had splendid manners
“For courtliness she had a special zest, and she would wipe her upper lip
so clean that not a trace of grease was to be seen.”
 She had a talent of being very well-mannered, sophisticated, and
maintaining “courtliness”
“She was so charitably solicitous, she used to weep If she saw but a
mouse caught in a trap…”
 She had very tender feelings and would cry at something so
simple as a mouse caught in a trap
 A way to understand the character is by comparing her to
MYSELF because I cry at the smallest of things TOO!!!
“She was all sentiment an tender heart” – the exact words my parents
use to describe me!
She was pretty, with glassy-gray eyes and small, red lips, and a forehead
that was a good size. Why do they use the fact that her forehead is a
good size to describe her beauty?
“She has prayer beads, and the larger ones are “tricked in green”.
Shining green color?
“Armor vincit omnia”
Latin for “love conquers all things
was engraved in her brooch
this
Summary: The Nun is a very formal, very sweet, high class woman. She is very well-respected
and very well-mannered. She was known for being very tender, sentimental, and kind-hearted.
A way for me to better understand the character is to compare her to myself, because we are
very similar in person… except my manners may not be perfect like hers…
Friar
Line 279
Like Friar
Lawrence from
Romeo and Juliet;
Friar Lawrence
means Father
Lawrence
Line 218
Line 224
Line 225-230
What does it mean
when it says “It’s a
sure sign when gifts
are given to a poor
Order that a man’s
well-shriven.” It’s a
good sign when gifts
are given to a man
that is forgiven?
Lines 240-241
His name is Hubert
*Line 212: “There was a Friar wanton one and merry.”
 Joyful and happy all the time
*Line 215: “so glib (?) with gallant phrase and well-turned speech”
 Glib= fluent, persuasive, and slick
 People liked to listen to him speak, he was a good speaker, and
he was very persuasive and people would do almost anything he
would tell them to do
“He was a noble pillar to his order, highly beloved and intimate was he.”
He was of high rank, but everyone loved him and he was a good man.
“He had a special license from the pope”
 He was obviously so HIGHLY qualified, because the pope has
given him a special license
“Sweetly he heard his penitents at shift (confection) with pleasant
absolution, for a gift.”
 He listened well and innocently to the people who were
confessing their sins to him
“He was an easy man in penance-giving where he could hope to make a
decent living. It’s a sure sign when gifts are given to a poor Order that a
man’s well-shriven.”
 He’s good at forgiving
 It’s a good sign when gifts are given to a man that is forgiven?
“For he sang well… he was the champion of the hour”
 He had a good singing voice (similar to the Nun)
Lines 248-253
It says a man of his dignity should not have been working with
“wretched lepers” but with the rich and victual sellers.
 He’s a very respected guy who people think should not work
with poor people who are disgraced, because they think it will
hurt his dignity/reputation
Summary: The Friar is a trusted man who has a special license to listen to sinner’s
confessions. He is a good person, who has a very persuasive and smooth way of speaking. He
gives money to the charity and forgives everyone. He has a good singing voice, as well as a
good singing voice. In a way, he is the male version of the Nun.
Sergeant at the Law
Sergeant at the Law
Line 320
St. Paul’s: the
cathedral of London
A lawyer appointed by the monarch to serve as a judge
“Wary and wise, for clients as St. Paul’s”
Line 324
Line 326-327
Line 333-340
“he often had been Justice of Assize”
 Justice of Assize: a judge who traveled about the country to hear
cases
“His fame and learning and his high position had won him many a robe
and many a fee”
 Because of his rank/fame, he had won a lot of money (many a
robe=metaphor)
“He knew of every judgment, case and crime ever recorded since king
William’s time. He could dictate defenses and draft deeds.”
 He was highly professional, of high rank, and the best at what he
did
QUESTIONS
1. During what month does the group take their pilgrimage? April
2. What noble character is mentioned first? The Knight
3. Who will judge the story-telling and what is the prize for winning? The man who owns
the Tabard Inn will judge the story-telling, and the prize is a free meal at his tavern.