The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales
Using your notes and the text, fill in this character guide for the pilgrims in Chaucer’s
Tales.
A. Look at pages 106 and 107, and compare the first four lines of the prologue in
Middle and Modern English. What similarities do you see? What changes
occurred as the language evolved? (Draw on specific lines.)
B. Frame Story – At what time and from where does this pilgrimage begin? How
many people are on the journey?
C. Pilgrims
Knight
 Personality Description:


History at War: The Knight’s wars cover forty years and fall into three groups:
(1) against the Moors at the west end of the Mediterranean, (2) against the Turks
at the Mediterranean’s east end, and (3) against Lithuanians and Tartars on the
Russian border. The Knight’s enemies would be considered pagans or infidels—
unbelievers in Christ.
Physical Description:
Squire
 Describe the Squire and compare him to his father:
Yeoman
 How does Chaucer feel about the yeoman?
Prioress (Nun)
 What are the Prioress’s main concerns? What do these concerns reflect about her
commitment to religious ideals?

Describe her physical appearance. Again, what conclusions can you draw from
this about her personality?

What is the significance of her brooch?

Who travels with the Prioress?
Monk
 A monk is supposed to be “cloistered,” meaning that he should be living in a
place of religious seclusion. Monks were meant to devote themselves to the study
of religious texts. How does this compare to Chaucer’s Monk’s common
pastimes?

How does Chaucer feel about the Monk’s behavior?
Friar
 A medieval friar was expected to preach to those unable to make the trip to
churches either because of poverty or disease. Friars typically did not have a
great deal of money, but they did beg for alms to support their brotherhoods.
 How does Chaucer’s friar make his money?

Why does he not spend time with lepers and the poor?

What is the significance of the phrase “Or so he said” in line 223, page 112?
Merchant
 What is the Merchant’s financial circumstance?
Oxford Cleric
 Chaucer’s cleric represents what is expected of him perfectly. Knowing this,
what can you tell me about those expectations?
Sergeant of Law
 Drawing from the text, explain the narrator Chaucer’s opinion of the Man of Law.
Franklin
 Medieval Britons usually ate only two meals a day—a mid-morning dinner and an
early supper. The Franklin also eats sop, a mixture of wine, almond milk, ginger,
sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and mace poured over good bread. What does this tell
us about him?
Haberdasher, Dyer, Carpenter, Weaver, and Carpet-maker
 Summarize what is expressed about these skilled craftsmen:
Cook
 How do you feel about his open sore? 
Skipper
 Dartmouth is known for its piracy and the brutality of its sailors. What does his
imply about the Skipper?
Doctor
 What are the four humors?

Why is it important to note that his knowledge of medicine is “grounded in
astronomy” (line 424)?

What is the narrator’s opinion of him and why?
Wife of Bath
 What is the Wife of Bath concerned about when she goes to church? What does
this suggest about her character?

The Wife of Bath has been married five times in church. Considering the fact that
divorce was not allowed at this time, what can we guess about her husbands, and
what does this say about her?
Parson
 Explain why the Parson is the one religious character the narrator really sees as
devout and pious?
Plowman
 Chaucer’s portrait of the Plowman may refer to the poem “Piers Plowman,”
written in the late 1300s by William Langland. In Langland’s poem, the plowman
is portrayed as an instrument of salvation to his community. Chaucer may be
similarly idealizing his Plowman; this is remarkable, as the writings of Chaucer’s
contemporaries ridiculed peasants.
 Chaucer praises the Plowman, the Parson, and the Cleric. What qualities do these
men share?
Miller
 To what objects and animals is the Miller compared? What do the comparisons
suggest about him?
Manciple
 “Could wipe their eye” means that the Manciple could make fools of his masters
or could outdo them.
Reeve
 The Reeve’s hair is cut straight across the forehead, common for priests’ hair of
the time as a sign of servility.
Summoner
 Reread lines 667-675. Sexual relations outside of marriage were cause for
excommunication, and the summoner’s job was to track down offenders and
deliver them to the Archdeacon for punishment. What do these lines imply about
the Summoner’s handling of offenses?
Pardoner
 “Gentle” refers to his position in the upper class, not his demeanor.
 Long hair was a violation of the rule that men who worked for the Church should
wear their hair tonsured (short with a shaved spot at the top). What other details
does Chaucer mention that suggest that the Pardoner is a less-than-savory
character?
Irony
A contrast or discrepancy between expectation and reality—between what is said and
what is really meant, between what is expected and what really happens, or between what
appears to be true and what really is true.
Verbal Irony occurs when a writer or speaker says one thing but really means something
quite different—often the opposite of what he or she has said.
Situational Irony occurs when what actually happens is the opposite of what is expected
or appropriate.
Dramatic Irony occurs when the audience or the reader knows something important that a
character in a play or story does not know.
(Look for different types of irony as we read “The Pardoner’s Tale” and “The Wife of
Bath’s Tale.”)