Name That Pilgrim
The Canterbury Tales
Character Review
Game Rules
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Pick a Team Captain.
Pick a pilgrim of the game board.
Description will be on the screen and three
choices.
Your team’s job-Give the correct name of the
pilgrim being described.
Get it right-earn a point!
A wrong answer-goes to the next row.
Name That Pilgrim!
1-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21-23
Pilgrim 1
Pilgrim 6 Pilgrim 11 Pilgrim 16
Pilgrim 21
Pilgrim 2
Pilgrim 7 Pilgrim 12 Pilgrim 17
Pilgrim 22
Pilgrim 3
Pilgrim 8
Pilgrim 13 Pilgrim 18
Pilgrim 23
Pilgrim 4
Pilgrim 9
Pilgrim 14 Pilgrim 19
Pilgrim 5
Pilgrim 10 Pilgrim 15
Pilgrim 20
Review Info
Pilgrim One
“…..and he would help the poor for the
love of Christ and never a penny…”
 “He paid in tithes in full when they were
due”
 “On what he owned, and on his earrings
too.”
 Plowman, Host, or Physician

Plowman
a simple, honest farmer who lived
in peace and paid his dues to the
church.
Pilgrim Two
“Bold in his speech, yet wise and full of
tact,/There was no manly attribute he
lacked.”
 “What’s more, he was a merry-hearted
man.”
 Miller, Host, or Cleric?
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Host
Accompanies the group and suggests
that each pilgrim tell four tales, a pair
on the way, and a pair on the way
back. The pilgrim who tells the best
tale will be treated to dinner by the
others back at the Tabard Inn.
Pilgrim Three
“Yet he was rather close as to expenses”
 “And kept the gold he won in pestilences.”
 God stimulated the heart, or so we’re told”
 “He therefore had a special love of gold.”
 Miller, Physician, or Franklin?
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Physician
Knows everything about medicine,
but seems to know little about the
Bible. He apparently made a ton of
money during the plague, but never
appears to spend any of it.
Pilgrim Four
“And he was under contract to present”
 “The accounts, right from his mater’s
earliest years.”
 “No one ever caught him in arrears.”
 Miller, Summoner, or Reeve?
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Reeve
a short-tempered, skinny man
who managed an estate.
Pilgrim Five
“A wrangler and buffoon, he had a store”
 “Of tavern stories, filthy in the main.”
 “He was a master-hand at stealing grain.”
 Miller, Skipper, or Cleric
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Miller
A thick-shouldered man who could wrestle
with the best of them. A large wart on his
nose only served to strengthen his
imposing appearance.
Pilgrim Six
“Garlic he loved, and onions too, and
leeks, And drinking strong wine till he was
hazy.”
 “The he would should and jabber as if
crazy, And wouldn’t speak a word except
in latin”
 “When he was drunk, such tags as he was
pat in.”
 Summoner, Skipper, or Franklin?

Summoner
An ugly servant of the church court.
Though he is paid to bring sinners to court,
he quickly accepts bribes to look the other
way. He enjoys women of "questionable
reputation" and lots of wine, occassionally
spouting off some Latin after indulging
himself.
Pilgrim Seven
“As for his skill in reckoning in tides,
Current and many another risk besides”
 Moons, habours, pilots, he had such
dispatch”
 “That from Hull to carthage none was his
match.”
 Miller, Cleric, or Skipper?
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Skipper
A very large man who was at ease on the
water. Though he knew of every port in
the Mediterranean, he looked awkward
sitting on a horse.
Pilgrim Eight
“His house was never short of bake-meat
pies, Of fish and flesh, and these in such
supplies…”
 “It positively snowed with meat and drink
And all the dainties that a man could
think.”
 Reeve, Franklin, or Cleric?
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Franklin
A smooth talker, who knows a good
bargain when he sees it. In fact, his
slick demeanor helps hide the fact
that he is really in debt.
Pilgrim Nine
“…..his horse was thinner than a rake”
 “And he was not too fat, I undertake, But
had a hollow look, a sober stare; The
thread upon his overcoat was bare.”
 Cleric, Plowman, or Host?
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Cleric
A very soft-spoken student of the
Arts. When he did speak, it was with
such eloquence that people readily
listened. He is one of the most
admired pilgrims.
Pilgrim Ten
“He knew of every Judgement, case and
crime”
 “Recorded since King William’s time.”
 “He could dictate defences or draft deeds;
No one could pinch a comma from his
screeds,”
 “And he knew every stateute off by rote.”
 Cook, Lawyer, or Friar?
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Lawyer
A meticulous attorney who could recite seemingly
any judgement to the letter. His abilities earned
him high praise among others, although the
reader gets the sense that their may be more to
him than meets the eye.
Pilgrim Eleven
“He knew the taverns well in every town”
 “And every inkeeper and barmaid too”
 “Better than lepers, beggers and that
crew”
 “He kept his tippet stuffed with pins for
curls, And pocket-knives, to give to pretty
girls.”
 Friar, Manciple, or Lawyer
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Friar
A bad guy. He is licensed to hear confessions
and uses his position to beg people for money,
operating under the assumption that penance
works better through payment than prayers.
He also has the reputation of getting girls into
"trouble", then helping to marry them.
Pilgrims Twelve
“…..so (he) had set His wits to work, none
knew he was in debt…”
 “He was so stately in negotiation, Loan,
bargain, and commercial obligation.”
 Merchant, Guild, or Parson
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Merchant
A smooth talker, who knows a good
bargain when he sees it. In fact, his slick
demeanor helps hide the fact that he is
really in debt.
Pilgrim Thirteen
“Their wisdom would have justified a plan”
 “To make each one an alderman”
 “They had capital and revenue, Besides
their wives declared it was their due.”
 Merchant, Guild, or Cook?
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Guild
Chaucer tells us that the guild is an
extremely vain individual, taking pains to
improve his appearance. The issue of
vanity throughout the Canterbury Tales is
an interesting one.
Pilgrim Fourteen
“He stayed at home and watched his fold”
 “So that no wolf should make the sheep
miscarry.”
 “He was a shepherd and no mercenary.”
 Pardoner, Cook, or Parson?
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Parson
A shining example of what a religious
person should be. A poor man, he
prefers to give what money he has to
others. Appropriately enough, his
tale is the final one told.
Pilgrim Fifteen
“He’d sewed a holy relic in his cap; His
wallet lay before him on his lap”
 “Brimful of pardons come from Rome all
hot. He had the same small voice as a
goat has got.”
 Pardoner, Friar, or Cook?
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Pardoner
One of the most corrupt of the churchmen,
he sells pardons for sins to the highest
bidder. Beardless with a high-pitched voice,
he is referred to by Chaucer as "a gelding or
a mare."
Pilgrim Sixteen
“In company she liked to laugh and chat”
 “And knew the remedies of love’s
mischances, An art in which she knew the
oldest dances.”
 Wife of bath, guild, or nun?
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Wife of Bath
Married five time over she knew everything
there was to know about the ways of love. A
veteran of several pilgrimmages like this one,
she appears to use these trips to meet guys.
Pilgrim Seventeen
“…..he was never rash/Whether he bought
on credit or paid cash.”
 “He used to watch the market most
precisely and got in first, and so he did
quite nicely.”
 Manciple, Pardoner, or Cook
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Manciple
Worked at a law school, where he was in
charge of feeding the prospective lawyers.
Though not as smart as the students, he was
a shrewd enough buyer to put away some
money for himself.
Pilgrim Eighteen
“But what a pity-so it seemed to me, That
he should have an ulcer on his knee. As
for blancmange, he made it with the
best.”
 Cook, Pardoner, or Friar?
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Cook
Knew how to prepare the finest food,
but the oozing sore on his shin looks
decidedly similar to one of his best
dishes, creamed chicken pie. Chaucer
notes the shame of such matters.
Pilgrim Nineteen
“And in his hands he bore a mighty bow.”
 “His head was like a nut, his face was
brown, He knew the whole of woodcraft
up and down.”
 Knight, Yeoman, or Nun?
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Yeoman
An assistant to Knight and Squire.
We know very little about him,
except that he shoots the bow and
arrow well. The Yeoman does not
tell a tale.
Pilgrim Twenty
“…..a most distinguished man, who from
the day on which he first began”
 “To ride abroad had followed chivalry,
Truth, honour, generousness and
courtesy.”
 Yeoman, Knight, or Monk?
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Knight
The reader is given the picture of a
Middle English nobleman. He has fought
in many wars, but is careful not to brag
about his conquests. Clearly, the Knight
is the most admired of the pilgrims, and
not coincidentally, tells his tale first.
Pilgrim Twenty-One
“Her forehead, certainly, was fair of
spread”
 “Almost a span across the brow, I own;
She was by no means undergrown.”
 Nun, Wife of bath, or Guild
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Nun
A character full of contradictions. Though she is a nun
whose duties should be pledged to God, she certainly
considers herself a lady first. She spoke bad French, ate
and dressed very carefully, and wore a brooch that said
"love conquers all." She also cared deeply for animals,
bringing several along with her on the pilgrimage. Her
lady-like demeanor would seem to stand in direct
contrast to the ways of a good Nun.
Pilgrim Twenty-Two
“He liked a fat swan best, and roasted
whole.”
 “His palfrey was a brown as is a berry.”
 Yeoman, Knight, or Monk
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Monk
An outdoorsmen , the Monk loved to ride horses
and hunt. He also ate well and dressed in nice
clothes. He even goes so far as to say that he
prefers the outdoor life, hardly a statement one
would expect from one whose profession entails
sitting inside and copying books.
Pilgrim Twenty-Three
“Singing he was, or fluting all the day; He
was as fresh as is the month of May.”
 Squire, Host, or Guild?
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Squire
Knight’s son, long curly hair, 20
yrs.old, passionate,ladies man,
knight in training, short gown w/
embroidered flower
Need some review help on
the Pilgrims?
All facts found at:
http://webpages.shepherd.edu/m
austin/engl208/canterbury.html