Geoffrey Chaucer
“The Father of English Poetry”
 Knighthood/Nobility: Knight, Squire
 Educated people: Physician, Lawyer
 Religious/Spiritual figures: Monk, Friar, Prioress,
Summoner, Pardoner
 *Chaucer criticizes the corruption/
greed/materialism of religious figures
 *Chaucer praises the Parson
 Toiling Agricultural classes: Middle class,
merchants (cook, miller, reeve, wife of Bath, etc.)
 In Middle Ages, people had to dress
according to social class
 Wealthy men wore long tunics
 Wealthy women wore long, flowing
gowns (not designed for manual
labor)
 Knights (nobility) could wear fur and
gold
 Merchants COULD NOT wear fur
 Poor- Clothes are old looking,
stained, ragged, torn
 Clothing style = personality
 People wore layered outfits since homes were not
warm and many spent time outdoors
 Anyone below the rank of Knight could not wear fur
 Women were forbidden from wearing silk head
coverings
 Members of the Holy Orders (nuns, priests, monks)
wore habits that showed which order they belonged to
 Activity: Working with a partner, describe THREE
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different social groups you notice around Lakeland.
1. Label the social group
Ex: Athletes, Thug, Punk, Emo, Socialite, Scholar
2. Describe how they dress and explain what the
clothing style says about the group’s personality,
attitude, beliefs, regard for rules/authority, etc.
3. Give example of how a person from each social group
could break the stereotype in a surprising way
 Ex: A “nerd” who loves designer labels
Remember, these are stereotypes, so not every person is
expected to behave according to these “social norms” of
how they dress!
 To protect the weak and defenseless
 To fear God and follow rules of the Church
 To serve his Lord with valor and strength
 To live by honor and for glory
 To help orphans and widows
 To fight for the welfare of all
 Never turn down a challenge from an equal
 Always respect the honor of women
 To always speak the truth
 Always protect a fellow knight
 To show disdain for unfairness, rudeness, and meanness
 The Knight is described as a character who is
chivalrous, noble, and virtuous. What
characteristics of “chivalry” do you think
still exist in today’s society?
 Describe some careers or groups of people
who embody “chivalry” in our society.
 What characteristics does Chaucer seem
to criticize most in the characters he
describes in “The Prologue”?
 What characteristics does Chaucer seem
to praise?
 Which character is your favorite so far
and why?
 1. Who does your character remind
you of in
everyday society? (It can be a group of people
or one individual) Explain how/why.
 2. Which character do you think is the most
similar to your character so far in The
Canterbury Tales?
 3. Is you character someone YOU would
befriend? Would you get along with your
character?
 If you had the opportunity to take a
“pilgrimage” to a place that is sacred or
special to you, where would it be and why?
What would you expect to gain from
journeying to this place? (Insight,
knowledge, adventure, etc.) Explain.
 Which character do you like/enjoy the
most? Explain why you relate to this
character or enjoy Chaucer’s description of
him/her.
 What social group would this character fit
into in today’s society if he/she went to
Lakeland? Why?
 a. Have you ever been betrayed after telling
someone a secret? Can you ever trust other
people? Explain.
 Describe the impact of greed in “The
Pardoner’s Tale” using examples from the
text and your own analysis.
 Narratives that have both literal and deeper,
symbolic meanings
 Allegories tell a moral lesson, much like
a fairy tale would
 Can be found in poetry, novels, plays, and
short stories
 Exemplum: Serves as an example about
preventing vices such as greed,
selfishness, deception, etc.
 Pardoner’s Tale is an allegory that acts as
an exemplum about the sin of “greed”
 ALLEGORIES SHARE THE
FOLLOWING TRAITS:
 1. Characters, events, and
other things that come in
threes
 2. A test of characters’ morality
 3. A mysterious guide who
helps point the right way for a
character
 4. A just ending that rewards
good or punishes evil
 Explain how the following traits were seen in “The
Pardoner’s Tale” using examples from the reading.
 1. Characters, events, and other things
that come in threes
 2. A test of characters’ morality
 3. A mysterious guide who helps point the
right way for a character
 4. A just ending that rewards good or
punishes evil
 Appearance: Modestly dressed; wears a
stained tunic with smudges from his armor
 Indirect Char: Noble, respectful,
distinguished, wise, honorable
 Praise of Char: He is an honorable Knight
 Character’s Actions:
 Served nobly in 15 battles protecting England
 Rode in Prussia, Lithuania, North Africa ,
Anatolia, etc.
 Always killed his enemy in battle
 Appearance: Young (20), Curly hair, average
stature, strong, agile. Wears fresh flowers and
colorful attire, short gown with long sleeves
 Actions/Deeds: Fiery, lover, valiantly served
with cavalry in battle in Flanders, Artois &
Picardy ; knows how to joust, dance, and write
 Indir. Char: He is passionate, valiant,
educated, courteous
 Praise/Flaw: Praised for being a good Knight
in training and his father’s helper
 Appearance: Wore a coat and hood of green;
peacock-feathered arrow, gaudy attire; wears
his bow, a medal of St. Christopher, a huntinghorn, etc.
 Actions/Deeds: Good at woodcraft
 Indir. Char: He is very ornate, gaudy, very
prepared for an attack since he is armed at all
times
 Praise/Flaw: He is a good forester and helper
of the Knight
 Appearance: Elegant nose, gray eyes, small
mouth, wide forehead, graceful attire with
trinkets and beads, golden brooch
 Actions/Deeds: High ranking nun, smiles very
coyly, sings sermons well, speaks daintily in
French, good manners and very polite, friendly to
others, charitable to animals
 Indir. Char: Polite, courtly, proper, sympathetic
and sensitive, loving, dainty
 Praise/Flaw: Praises her kind heart and good
nature, but she is also into social status. She likes
material possessions.
 Appearance: Manly, rides his horse with jingling
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bridle, wears fine furs, gold pin, fat, bald
Actions/Deeds: Loves to hunt, manly, doesn’t follow
religious rules, likes to relax, friendly and jolly, rides a
beautiful horse, likes to eat
Indir. Char: Modern, not strictly religious, sporty,
rebellious, fun-loving, rich
Praise/Flaw: Praises his happy, relaxed demeanor.
Flaw: He is not serious enough for a Monk. He is too
interested in sports and leisure rather than prayer
 Appearance: Keeps his hood filled with pins for
curls, white neck, strong, twinkling eyes
 Actions/Deeds: He is jolly and festive as a beggar;
deals with rich people to make deals; carries gifts
to give to women; gets money from rich and poor
people to earn profit
 Indir. Char: Sweet-talker, smooth, friendly to rich
townsfolk; fixes marriages; he absolves people of
sins for a gift; sneaky; wealthy
 Praise/Flaw: Flaw- he is an opportunist and is
money-hungry, selfish, and ruthless.
 Praise- he is the best beggar in town and a good
money-maker
 Appearance: Beard, dressed well, wears a
beaver’s hat and daintily buckled boots
 Actions/Deeds: Acts like he is wealthy but is
poor; brags of his deeds; negotiates well; loans,
bargains, and exchanges currency
 Indir. Char: Cares about appearances; has an
ego; not frugal
 Praise/Flaw: Flaw- he is not frugal and wastes
his money for appearances
 Praise- he is a good merchant
 Appearance: Skinny, hollow looking, serious,
dressed modestly
 Actions/Deeds: Studies diligently; reads
Aristotle; doesn’t talk much; uses money to buy
books
 Indir. Char: Serious, frugal, anti-social; not
given to worldly pleasures or fine things;
respectful and quiet
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- he is dignified and quiet;
devoted to learning and gladly teaches others
 Appearance: Dresses in a homely coat with a
silken belt
 Actions/Deeds: Practices law; draws up deeds
for property ownership; talks wisely; studies
cases of crimes
 Indir. Char: Rich; good talker; smart and
knowledgeable
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- he is smart and retains
facts about law and crime
 Flaw- he can be long-winded and boring
 Appearance: White beard, happy-looking;
 Actions/Deeds: Loves to eat and drink;
pleasure-seeker; opens his home to all; served
as a Parliamentary representative and Sheriff
 Indir. Char: Lives life to the fullest, generous,
friendly, rich, hard-working
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- he is a model citizen and
hard worker and is generous as a host
 Appearance: Dress nicely and are trim and
fresh; knives made of pure silver
 Actions/Deeds: Act wisely, good workers, social
climbers, respect their wives wishes to run for
office
 Indir. Char: Sophisticated, wise, opportunists
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- dignified and hard workers
 Appearance: Has an ulcer on his knee
 Actions/Deeds: Good cook- makes a good,
thick soup and tasty pie
 Indir. Char: Has a good reputation as a cook;
not in good health
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- good cook
 Flaw- his bad knee
 Appearance: Wears a woolen gown and a
dagger on a lanyard; tan skin, beard
 Actions/Deeds: Rides a farmer’s horse poorly;
shows no mercy on prisoners fighting overseas
 Indir. Char: Ruthless, uncompassionate
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- he is wise and never loses
to an enemy; Flaw- he is heartless
 Appearance: Wears blood-red garments and fine
silk taffeta
 Actions/Deeds: Knowledgeable in astronomy,
surgery, medicine; uses stars/astronomy to cure
illnesses; prescribes medicines to cure the
humors; loves gold
 Indir. Char: Good doctor; knowledgeable; not
religious; somewhat corrupt; wealthy, but stingy
with money
 Praise/Flaw: He uses stars and voodoo to cure
patients, but doesn’t look at their condition; He is
sinful and loves gold
 Appearance: Gap-toothed, large hips, and
partially deaf
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wears nice fabric garments
wears a kerchief on her head
nice shoes
bold and attractive looking; red face
 Actions/Deeds: Makes cloth skillfully; had 5
husbands; has travelled to Jerusalem, Rome, and
other pilgrimages; dances; gives advice on love
 Indir. Char: Adventurer, bold, saucy, loves men,
friendly, talkative
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- she is fun-loving and bold
 Flaw: Hot-tempered; married many times
 Appearance: Poor looking,
 Actions/Deeds: Preaches God’s gospel; kind-
hearted; very giving to parishioners; doesn’t
like taking money from others; visits people in
need; never judges people for their sins; a
shepherd who watches over his flock
 Indir. Char: Religious; good person; not
materialistic and cares little for money; honest;
good role model of piety and devotion
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- he is the best parson/priest
around. He is a perfect example of a virtuous,
religious man
 Appearance: Wears a loose jacket, not
dressed well; dirty from working the land
 Actions/Deeds: Helps his brother, the Parson
and is a good worker; follows the Gospel; loves
God and others; helps the poor
 Indir. Char: Honest and virtuous
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- he is a good man who
follows his religious beliefs and serves as a
good example for others
 Appearance: Heavy; stocky man; strong and
brawny; red beard; nose has a wart; wide
nostrils; wears a sword and buckler; big mouth
 Actions/Deeds: He steals grain; likes to show
off his strength- breaking down door hinges;
wrestles well; tells stories of his corruption;
plays bagpipes often
 Indir. Char: He is a trouble-maker; prone to
fighting; show-off; tough guy
 Praise/Flaw: Flaw- he is corrupt and
mischievous
 Appearance: (he’s not wealthy)
 Actions/Deeds: In charge of buying/storing
books and provisions for Court of Law; can’t
read, but is not foolish; good decision-maker;
frugal with money
 Indir. Char: Very meticulous; careful; frugal;
wise; good decision-maker
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- he knows more than the
educated people
 Appearance: Old, sickly, thin; short hair and
beard; looks like a priest; thin legs
 Actions/Deeds: Runs his master’s land; Stores
grain neatly; judges crops/grain from rainfall;
better bargainer than his lord; knowledgeable
about farming
 Indir. Char: Good farmer; hard-worker; smart
and can’t be outwitted by others; serious/tough
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- good worker and smart
 Appearance: Red-faced; face has boils; narrow
eyes; thin beard; scary looking; wears a medallion
and head wreath
 Actions/Deeds: Lecherous, dirty man; loves to
get drunk; talks in Latin when drunk; loud; likes
garlic and wine; brings people to court for sins,
but lets people pay him wine to absolve them of
sleeping with concubines/girlfriends (sinful!)
 Indir. Char: Immoral; doesn’t follow rules of
order or law; indulgent/lavish; obnoxious
 Praise/Flaw: Flaw- he is corrupt and dishonest
 Praise- he is easy-going and nice to people
 Appearance: Long hair as yellow as wax;
bulging eyes; doesn’t wear a hood; wears a holy
relic on his cap; no facial hair
 Actions/Deeds: Rides with Summoner; just
visited Rome; absolves people of sins for a fee;
carries around false versions of Our Lady’s veil
and a goblet of St. Peter’s and religious relics
 Indir. Char: He is a liar; sneaky; loves money
 Praise/Flaw: Flaw-he is corrupt and a liar
 Praise- he acts like a nobleman and tells good
stories
 Appearance: Bright eyes; heavy set;
 Actions/Deeds: Serves fine food and wine;
speaks boldly; talks of sport and funny things
 Indir. Char: Friendly; warm to others; bold and
blunt; merry; likes to be entertained; good
leader
 Praise/Flaw: Praise- he is a good host; likes to
be amused and merry