CATH 330.66 – Catholicism and the Arts
Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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CATH 330.66 – Catholicism and the Arts
Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
Overview:
This lesson traces the “portrait gallery” of Chaucer’s pilgrims depicted in “The General Prologue” to
The Canterbury Tales. We will consider a selection of those pilgrims, identifying their social class
and character traits in order to determine what Chaucer is saying about social and moral life in his
time. We will also try to determine why a group of so-called pilgrims (with many human
imperfections!) have such varying motives for participating in a pilgrimage. We will think, too,
about storytelling and the reason for its basis as a competition for the pilgrims while they walk.
Along the way, we will also are also asked to compare Chaucer’s written portraits with illuminated
manuscripts of the poem, which include visual portraits of each pilgrim. How carefully do the
artists adhere to the poetic account? Do they enrich our understanding of each one?
Objectives:
Literary
 To read a fictional depiction, in poetry, of a Medieval pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral
 To examine, in “The General Prologue,” the range of people that Chaucer includes in his
pilgrimage (a cross-section of society): from very holy, to moderately religious, to primarily
secular, to blatantly sinful.
o To ask what Chaucer is pointing out about religious motives
 To experience reading Middle English literature
 To look at the extraordinary illuminated manuscripts of Chaucer’s work
Readings:
“The General Prologue” (only this part of The Canterbury Tales)
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/webcore/murphy/canterbury/
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
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5.2.1. What is a Pilgrimage?
In Christian terms, a pilgrimage is a journey to a holy place. It may be undertaken for
several reasons: as a form of religious devotion, as an act of penance (the endurance of physical
hardship, including walking the route barefoot), and as a means to seek the intercession of a saint.
The tradition of going on a pilgrimage originates in the Early Christian Church. In those early years
(1st – 4th century), Christians were persecuted by Roman authorities and many were killed. Those
killed were referred to as martyrs: people were willing to stand by their faith even to the point of
death. A number of the Apostles were martyred, including St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. James. Because
of their self-sacrifice, Early Christian martyrs quickly became recognized (canonized by the Church)
as saints because of their exemplary witness to Christian faith. The earliest pilgrimages developed
because people wished to visit the tombs of these martyr-saints. The first and most important
pilgrimage routes were to Jerusalem (tomb of Christ), to Rome (tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul), and
Santiago (tomb of St. James). Throughout the Middle Ages, pilgrimage routes were established all
over Europe, including the route to Canterbury in England, where St. Thomas Becket was martyred
in 1143 for refusing to accept the order of King Henry II to bring the Church under royal
jurisdiction. This is the pilgrimage route that Chaucer uses as his setting for The Canterbury Tales.
During the Middle Ages, pilgrimages were particularly popular; their importance declined
somewhat by the Renaissance and Reformation and more noticeably by the 18th century. Still, even
today, people participate in pilgrimages to countless sites all over the world. For those who are not
able to travel to distant places, the Stations of the Cross in every Catholic Church functions as a
“pilgrimage” route accessible to all, requiring movement from one cross to the next; when situated
outdoors, the route is particularly meaningful as a physical “pilgrimage” on a path through space.
In the painting above, you can see pilgrims journeying to Canterbury. The church is located
in the upper right corner, within the fortified wall, which acted as a protective barrier for the city.
Notice the different types of people in the image. The figure in the white robe is clearly a clerical
figure (perhaps, a priest) , while the two in blue appear to be knights. The hooded man behind
appears to be a monk, in simpler attire (indicative of his vow of poverty). We can imagine
Chaucer’s pilgrims travelling in a similar way, on horseback along this kind of path. Women, too,
participated in pilgrimages, as Chaucer makes clear, with his inclusion of the Prioress and the Wife
of Bath.
In addition to the literal meaning of pilgrimage—the actual physical journey to a holy
place—as Christians, and as human beings, we all participate in a journey through life. Pilgrimage,
then, has a metaphoric meaning too. Life is a journey: it entails movement, growth, ongoing
transformation (we might say conversion). Its pattern is a mystery, but it is a promise in process,
which unfolds gradually towards full realization. To be human is to be a wayfarer. The spiritual
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
journey is part of this—it is the core, we might say: the desire to reach towards something
transcendent and to experience all dimensions of human existence in the most profound way. In
those terms, we see the bigger arc: life takes us through the desert (the harshness of everyday evil
and suffering) and into the promised land. The journey is not made alone, as in an actual
pilgrimage, for we have companions in life, and those who have gone before us in death.
5.2.2. Chaucer’s Pilgrimage
Chaucer was a man of the royal court: he worked
for three different kings, as a clerk, diplomat, and soldier.
Consequently, he travelled widely in Europe and knew
his era well. He observed people carefully, witnessing
their varied professions and appearance, and he
understood human character perceptively, especially the
virtues and vices that are evident in all human beings,
across class, profession, age, and gender.
The poem that we are reading, “The General
Prologue,” has an unusual title, but it signifies that it is
only part of a larger work, which he titled The Canterbury
Tales. The work as a whole concerns 29 pilgrims whom
Chaucer created and brought together in a fictional
pilgrimage. (The types of people, and the journey to
Geoffrey Chaucer (c1600-20)
Canterbury, are based on his observations of real life, but
Unknown Artist
he constructs this particular pilgrimage in fictional
Government Art Collection, UK
terms.) One evening in spring, they gather at the Tabard
Inn, on the edge of London, preparing to begin the journey the next day. That night, they enjoy the
innkeeper’s food, drink, and good hospitality: it is a gathering of great cheer. The innkeeper
decides to join the pilgrims on their journey when it begins the next morning, and he conceives of a
contest to make the journey more enjoyable: each pilgrim will tell four tales (two on the way there,
and two on the way back), and the best tale-teller (the innkeeper will judge) will be awarded a free
dinner back at the Tabard Inn, when the pilgrimage is complete.
The Canterbury Tales, as a whole, is the collection of these tales told by each pilgrim, which
we will not read (because of its length). Instead, we will read only “The General Prologue,” a
shorter poem that is a prelude to the actual journey. Told by one of the pilgrims (as a narrator), it
recounts that first night at the Inn. The narrator carefully describes each pilgrim: his or her
profession, clothing, physical appearance, inner qualities and “estate” (social class). These portraits
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
are fascinating. While the narrator doesn’t judge the pilgrims, he asks us to do that through the
details that he provides. Some are perfectly good (like the Knight, Clerk, and Parson), some are
despicably bad (the Friar, Pardonner, and Miller, for example), and others are ambiguously neither
wholly good or terribly bad (the Prioress, Monk, and Franklin, for instance). We might expect the
pilgrims to be a uniform group of similarly holy people; instead, Chaucer portrays human nature as
remarkably diverse. Think carefully about what Chaucer is saying about human character and
about Christian pilgrimages.
Reading
“The General Prologue” (only this part of The Canterbury Tales)
http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/webcore/murphy/canterbury/
5.2.3. Literary Analysis and Study Questions
Introduction (lines 1 – 42)
a) How is spring described?
b) Why is spring an appropriate time for a pilgrimage?
c) What does the narrator (one of the pilgrims) at the Tabard Inn propose to describe in the
remainder of his “Prologue”?
William Blake, Chaucer’s Canterbury Pilgrims (1809)
Morgan Library and Museum, New York
Blake depicts the pilgrims just as they are leaving the Tabard Inn. You can see London in the
distance. Can you make out any of the pilgrims from “The General Prologue”?
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
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Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
We will concentrate on the narrator’s depiction of the following twelve pilgrims
1. Knight (lines 43 – 78)
 The Knight is the first of three ideal pilgrims. He is a member of the highest social class, the
military, but class, for Chaucer, is not what constitutes human virtue. Instead, it is one’s
inner character. What makes the Knight ideal?
o Notice his great accomplishments as a
knight, fighting to hold onto, and extend,
Christian lands. He devotes himself to his
vocation in a selfless way. How many
battles has he fought and how many places
visited? The list is long. He places this
devotion to his profession ahead of
personal desires.
o It is interesting, then, that, in spite of these
accomplishments, he is a very humble man:
meek and quiet and gentle to everyone.
Even his clothing is barely mentioned and
very simple. He is not showy and bold and
aggressive, as one might expect of a soldier.
o Notice, too, in the final lines of his portrait
that, on returning from his most recent
journey, he goes straight to the pilgrimage
without even changing his soiled clothes
from battle: as a good Christian man, he is
devoted to that journey, too.
The Ellesmere Manuscript is a beautiful
The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA
and elaborately decorated version of
Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
Created between 1400 and 1405, it contains miniature paintings of twenty-two of the fictional
pilgrims who tell stories in order to enliven the journey from London to Canterbury. On this
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
page, the Knight is depicted. Does it replicate the portrait presented in “The General Prologue”?
If so, how?
2. Squire (lines 79 – 100)

The Squire is the knight’s son. He is training to be a knight like his father: however, he is not
as ideal as the Knight. Why not?
o What does he look like? Why do those details come first, now, ahead of personal traits?
As a young courtier, seeking to attract the ladies, is he too concerned with appearance. Is
he, therefore, less devoted to selfless military service? Should we critique him, or just
accept that, as a young man, he is less mature and serious than his father, still vigorously
enjoying his youthful dallying.
o Also, while the Knight is meek like a maid, and therefore quiet, the Squire is quite
expressive, even performative: he likes to sing and dance and make music and dress
colourfully. Is this bad, or just less ideal?
o How should we respond to his escapes at night, in pursuit of love?
3. Prioress (lines 118 – 160)

A Prioress, as head of a convent, is a significant
and holy person. Chaucer’s Prioress, however,
is somewhat puzzling. She is ambiguous: both
holy and worldly. She is not bad (like some of
the other “religious” figures) but she isn’t
ideal, either. How does the narrator portray
that ambiguity?
o
Notice, especially, her fastidious table
manners. Is that necessary for a nun?
After all, life in a convent is one of poverty
and simplicity.
Food—especially, fine
food—is minimized for a holy existence in
austerity. Pleasures are an obstacle to
love of God. This nun, however, is almost
courtly in her table manners, as if she is
dining with the King.
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
From the Ellesmere Manuscript
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Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
o Notice, too, the emphasis on her physical appearance: her smile, grey eyes, small red
mouth, and exposed forehead. Her rosary, too, is prominently displayed, almost like a
piece of jewelry, and she wears another pin.
4. Monk (lines 165 – 207)

A monk, like a prioress, chooses a secluded religious life within a monastery (or convent)
and takes three vows: chastity, obedience (to God and to the religious order), and poverty.
Chaucer’s Monk, however, like his Prioress, while not terribly bad, is clearly not adhering to
his religious vocation with austerity and self-sacrifice. How does he compare to the
Prioress? Is he even more deviant? If so, how?
o
o
o

Notice that the Monk’s real interest is not to read in his cloister quietly and
contemplatively, to follow the traditional monastic rule, and to engage in manual
labour (the agricultural work expected from monks). Instead, his delight in life is to be
a hunter, a “manly” pursuit. Is that acceptable for a monk?
Also, the monk is concerned with his outward appearance: the best fur for his coat, his
gold pin, his soft boots, and his many fine horses and greyhounds. Is this a sign of
poverty? Also, the Monk is “ful fat” because he dines on “fat swans.” This, too, suggests
a lack of reverence for a simple life of frugality and total devotion to God.
Humility, while not a vow, is understood as an aspect of monastic life. This Monk,
instead, draws attention to himself: most blatantly, the bells on his horse jingle as
loudly as the chapel bells do. What does that say about the monk and his relationship
to the church?
The Monk, clearly, is not sinful (as several other pilgrims are) but he does not devote himself
to his vocation in a selfless way, as the Knight does. What judgment should we make: is he
admirable for his vigorous and enthusiastic approach to life and its pleasures; or does he
deserve condemnation for pretending to be a monk without adhering to its expectations?
Chaucer, it would seem, is taking the latter view: integrity to one’s vocation, especially a
religious one, is a sign of virtue.
5. Friar (lines 208 – 269)

If the Monk is less ideal than the Prioress, the Friar is worse than both of them: he not only
disregards the proper behaviour for his calling but also cheats and harms people
shamelessly. Chaucer does not make that judgment for us by stating it directly; instead, his
narrator provides all the details that point us to that conclusion. While the Prioress and the
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)

Monk are ambiguous—not wholly bad or wholly good—the Friar is unambiguously sinful.
His outward appearance, however, tricks people into thinking he is a holy man.
A friar is not like a monk, who lives a cloistered life within a monastery. Rather, a friar lives
in the world—“on the streets,” so to speak, or the countryside—as a beggar. A friar gives up
all worldly possessions to follow Christ’s life as closely as possible. It is an existence that
requires deep faith: survival is possible because God will provide through human acts of
charity. Chaucer’s Friar is a licensed beggar; he is also licensed to hear confessions, for a fee.
The latter is the source of his evil.
o
o
o
o

Whom does he attract? Whom does he avoid? What “pleasant” voice does he use for
his “absolucions”? Why? Is he seeking only those sinners who can pay well and
avoiding those who are too poor to pay at all? Do the wealthy come, in such great
numbers, because his penance is easy?
Why does he hang out with innkeepers and barmaids?
Can we forgive him for his most reprehensible act: hearing the confession of a poor
widow, who has no shoes, and still charging her for his service?
How is he dressed? Does that suggest that his income is quite substantial?
Think carefully about why Chaucer is presenting reprehensible pilgrims, especially the ones
who are, by profession, religious people. So far, the Knight, a secular man, is the most ideal.
What is Chaucer’s point?
6. Merchant (270 – 284)


Now, we have another secular man: a “businessman,” in today’s terms. Interestingly, this
portrait concerns a man’s vocation dealing with money; however, this Merchant is a good
man, in contrast to the Friar, even though he is not religious. The Friar deals with money
dishonestly and greedily; moreover, he has vowed to live in poverty and contravenes that
promise. The Merchant, in contrast, deals with money because it is his profession;
furthermore, he does so honestly. We might say, then, that he is the better man.
This portrait is brief, but it offers details that suggest that the Merchant is true to his calling,
even though it is a worldly one.
o
o
Notice, for example, that he invests well, that he has no debts, and that he seeks
increased opportunities for international trade.
He wears his European beaver hat proudly, but only as a sign of his success in trade,
which is expected.
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
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Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)

The order in which Chaucer places his pilgrims is significant; it enables him to sharpen the
similarities and differences between them; it also functions to dash our expectations, which
is evident in the placement of the Friar by the Merchant. We would expect the moneydealing Merchant to be dishonest and sneaky, and the poor Friar to be honest and selfless;
instead, the opposite is true. What is Chaucer’s point about human nature? What is the
source of true virtue?
7. Clerk (lines 285 – 308)


The Clerk is conventionally viewed as Chaucer’s second ideal pilgrim. Do you agree?
A clerk is a young scholar (a student, like you). In Chaucer’s day, the best students would
study at Oxford, and most graduates would pursue a vocation in the church. Hence, we
understand the word clerk as close to clerical. Chaucer’s Clerk is interested in philosophy,
though, and hasn’t defined a religious vocation for himself. Still, like the Knight, he is very
virtuous and quite holy. How do we know that? What details define his good character?
o
o
o
o
Notice his thinness and his threadbare clothing: he lives in poverty, spending all of his
money on books and refusing to be employed because he desires to be immersed in his
studies. In that sense, he is contemplative, like a monk.
He prays for the people who support him financially: he is grateful, and he uses their
money honestly (unlike the Friar).
He speaks very few words. What does that suggest? Some of the pilgrims are quite
loud and noisy, but the Clerk’s quietness (like the Knight’s) is indicative of humility,
perhaps.
While devoted to his studies, he also serves the world in a deliberate way (unlike the
Monk and the Friar): “And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.” He desires to turn
his own love of learning towards others; Christ, of course, was a teacher, too.
8. Frankelain (lines 331 – 360)

A franklin is a prosperous, land-owning country gentleman. He would have a large, beautiful
home with a significant property attached to it. Chaucer’s Frankelain is distinguished by one
central feature: his hospitality. Again, we have to ask whether or not this is virtuous: being
hospitable is admirable, especially for a country gentleman, but does Chaucer’s Frankelain
take this too far? Does he indulge in pleasure too extravagantly, especially for a pilgrim?
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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CATH 330.66 – Catholicism and the Arts
Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
o
o

Consider his abundance of the best quality food and drink for his guests, and his
attentiveness to changing his menus for every season. Is that too extravagant or fitting
for his very distinguished guests?
Look at all of the superlatives: “always,” “nevere,” “alle,” “many,” which are repeated.
Does he lack anything? Should he live more modestly?
This portrait, like several others, is ambiguous: the Frankelain certainly isn’t bad, but his
character is somewhat questionable. What do you think: is he virtuous in his desire to live
life fully or unholy in his worship not of God but of “delit” and “Epicurus”?
9. Wife of Bath (lines 445 – 476)
From the Ellesmere Manuscript


This pilgrim is the second woman, after the Prioress, which suggests that women did
participate in pilgrimages, although rather rarely (they are the only two in Chaucer’s work).
We are invited to compare the two women. Their differences are quite striking:
holy/secular; dainty/large; quiet/loud; chaste/sexual; cloistered/well-travelled. The Wife
of Bath makes an interesting comparison to other pilgrims, too. Which ones strike you as
similar to or different from her?
Her portrait is very visual: we can see her sharply. What does she wear? Why does she
wear so much (pounds and pounds of material)? What size is she? What is on her head?
What colours does she sport?
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
o

Her second “profession,” so to speak is to acquire men: she has had five husbands. That is
hard to imagine, even today, much less in Chaucer’s day.
o


As a cloth maker, she displays her textiles proudly, which partly explains her
appearance, but we must intuit more about her character. In what ways is she a bold,
competitive woman? Is that attitude reflected in her striking appearance? Does she
want people to notice her?
Does this fact make us
question why she goes on
pilgrimages? She boasts that
she has followed all of the
European pilgrimage routes,
naming each one, but her
motive might be devious
rather than holy, for she
“coude muchel of wandring
by the waye,” or straying
from the path (perhaps, for
men).
What is your view of this bold,
colourful, vivacious woman: is she
admirable or distasteful?
By now, in the poem, we see just
how many different types of
people went on pilgrimages.
Should pilgrimages include secular
people, who seem to have no holy
motives?
We could ask that
question even today. Or, should
pilgrimages be open to all?
Does this image of the Wife of Bath, or
the one above from the Ellesmere
Manuscript, echo the portrait in “The
General Prologue”? Which one is
truer to her character?
The Wife of Bath, Cambridge University, MS GG.4.27
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
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Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
10. Parson (lines 477 – 528)



The Parson, most argue, is the third ideal pilgrim.
In this instance, a perfectly virtuous pilgrim is also
a religious person. Do you agree?
Notice, again, the order: the humble, holy, poor
Parson follows the brazen, promiscuous,
financially successful Wife of Bath. Why has that
order been chosen? What does it say about both
pilgrims?
List, for yourself, the many ways in which the
Parson is ideal:
o Notice the many virtuous adjectives used to
describe his character. What are they?
From the Ellesmere Manuscript
o Why is he characterized as a “shepherd”? What
other metaphors does the narrator use to portray him?
o He rides far out into his parish, in all weather: but does he do that as the Monk does, to
hunt, or to minister selflessly to his people?
o What does he look like—do we even know; is his appearance important?
o Why does he practice the gospel, first, and then
teach it?

Do you agree that he is ideal? Is his companion, the lowly
Plowman, just as virtuous? How?
11. Miller (Lines 545 – 566)


Again, the order is striking: the very humble, holy
Parson is followed (after the Plowman) by the Miller, a
bold, brawny, aggressive man, and a notorious cheater.
We wonder: how could the Miller possibly be a
pilgrim?
The first traits described concern his body. Why?
o What does he look like? Surely, he is the ugliest
pilgrim, so far, with his big red beard, wart on his
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
From the Ellesmere Manuscript
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Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
nose, black nostrils, and mouth as big as a furnace. Exterior ugliness reflects interior
corruptness, it would seem.
o What extraordinary physical strength does he have? Why is that emphasized? Surely, he
would greatly intimidate his customers.
o Think, too, about his mouth: it is as big as a furnace (that simile suggesting that his tales
are hot and dirty) and he blows out so much air that he can play the bagpipes loudly. The
narrator has presented the most ideal pilgrims as quiet: Knight, Clerk, and Parson. In
contrast, the more questionable pilgrims are loud attention seekers: Monk, Wife of Bath,
and the Miller, for example. Is quietness (and with it, humility) a Christian virtue? Is it a
sign of true holiness? Do we need a quiet demeanour to truly hear God’s voice, in our
noisy world?

His profession, as a miller, is to grind people’s grain or corn, which they would carry to the
mill, into flour. In Chaucer’s day, most people lived in the countryside, working on the land.
They relied on local mills; however, millers were notorious cheaters in exacting unfair
payments from their customers. The narrator, here, indicates that this miller not only steals
corn but also leans on the scale to increase the weight and therefore charge more for his
service.
The two pages below from illuminated manuscripts, Belles Heures and Très Riches Heures, are
classic examples of a medieval book of hours. A book of hours was a collection of texts for each
liturgical hour of the day. It would include illustrations of events from Scripture as well as
calendars, prayers, psalms and masses for certain holy days. Being Christian was intertwined with
daily life and, in Chaucer’s time, daily life revolved primarily around the rhythms of agriculture.
Both illuminated pages below depict harvesting activities in July.

Understanding the interconnectedness between daily (and hourly) spirituality and
agricultural life helps us to understand why Christians went on pilgrimages in spring, as the
introductory stanza to “The General Prologue” makes clear: knowing, well, the rebirth that
occurs in nature in spring they could envisage their own spiritual rebirth and renewal as the
outcome of a pilgrimage.

Knowing the connectedness between religious life and agricultural practice also enables us
to see the Miller’s dishonesty, in his dealings with agrarian people, as reprehensible.
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
This calendar page for July depicts the harvesting of wheat. One peasant
cuts the summer wheat with a sickle and the other ties the harvest into a
sheath. Both wear simple white garments to keep themselves cool in the
summer heat. The quatrefoil creates a very small space for their labour, but
the thick vegetative boarder around the script suggests that the harvest will
be bountiful.
Belles Heures (1405 - 1408)
Paul Hermann and Jean Limbourg
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Très Riches Heures (1412 – 1416)
Paul Hermann and Jean Limbourg
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Cloisters Collection
This illuminated page for July includes not only
the harvesting of wheat but also the shearing of
sheep. The Chateau in the background belongs to
Jean de France, Duc de Berry (1340–1416), whose
wealth enabled him to be one of the great art
collectors of his time and the patron, particularly,
of magnificent illuminated manuscripts.
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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CATH 330.66 – Catholicism and the Arts
Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
12. Pardonner (lines 669 – 714)


A pardoner is someone who dispenses papal
pardons for sins: God demands an action from a
sinner to prove repentance for sin. In 1343, Pope
Clement VI formalized a system for granting
indulgences for the partial remission of
punishment due for sins (including those of the
dead, presumed to be in purgatory). In return, the
confessor, in gratitude, would be expected to
contribute money to the Church and its charitable
institutions. With time, however, this system of
selling pardons became subject to abuse. Money
collected was not always directed to charitable
ends and served, instead, to finance other church
operations. Moreover, the system could prey,
unfairly, upon people’s fear of the afterlife—a
central preoccupation in Medieval times,
especially following the Black Death.
Chaucer’s Pardonner is, clearly, corrupt.
From the Ellesmere Manuscript
o Note, again, physical appearance: like the Miller, he is extraordinarily ugly, which
indicates his sin, it would seem. What does he look like?
o His dishonesty is even more unacceptable than that of the Miller. Why? What does he
do?
 Are his pardons from Rome legitimate?
 What false relics does he collect? What does he do with them? How much money
does he make?
 What is the intention of his loud, cheerful singing during the offering?
o Can we begin to even imagine why he would participate in a pilgrimage? Surely, his own
spiritual renewal is not the motive. Do you think that he desires only to “winne silver,”
along the way, as he does in all of his religious tasks?

The Pardonner is the last pilgrim to be presented in “The General Prologue,” which began
with the ideal Knight. Why would Chaucer choose to end the narrator’s account with this
corrupt human being, who is distasteful both inside and out?
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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CATH 330.66 – Catholicism and the Arts
Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
Conclusion (lines 715 – 858)

Like the narrator, the Innkeeper is quite enchanted by the pilgrim guests, proclaiming that
they are the best group he has hosted for some time. He decides to travel with them (not
wanting to part with their good company, it seems), and proposes the storytelling contest,
which will ensure their return to his Tabard Inn at the end of the pilgrimage, for more good
“mirthe” and cheer.

Do you think this is a good idea: to make the journey more entertaining and less arduous
through colourful storytelling?
o Traditionally, a pilgrimage has
been an act of asceticism: giving
up comforts in life to endure the
hardships of the journey. It is
intended to be a sacrifice for a
greater good, directing the
pilgrim’s mind and heart
towards
God.
Chaucer’s
pilgrims,
however,
will
undoubtedly
be
distracted
through
these
secular,
worldly—even
bawdy—tales
that have nothing, we can
presume, to do with God. Is that
reprehensible, as an act that
dilutes the purity of a
pilgrimage?
o Alternatively, is Chaucer quite
realistically suggesting that
people need to be entertained in
order to pursue a pilgrimage?
Without that, perhaps, would
very few go?
Here, we see Chaucer included in his own
work, as one of the pilgrims
Portrait of Geoffrey Chaucer (c1410)
Ellesmere Manuscript, The Huntington Library
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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CATH 330.66 – Catholicism and the Arts
Module Five – The Middle Ages (1050 - 1500)
5.2.4. Questions for Blackboard Discussion
Consider the role of humour in this work. Often, we think of religious devotion as something
serious and heavy and we forget that laughter can be a part of our Christian tradition.
1. Choose ONE of Chaucer’s pilgrims who, you think, most exemplifies humour. Which pilgrim
is it? What are the humorous elements in that person? Why is Chaucer including humour in
his array of pilgrims?
2. Think of an instance in the Bible where humour is portrayed. Share that passage from
Scripture with the class. What are its humorous elements? Does God want us to laugh?
Does God laugh?
Lesson 5.2 – Pilgrimage: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales (1386-1400)
©Continuing & Distance Education, St. Francis Xavier University - 2012
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