CANTERBURY TALES: PROLOGUE CHARACTERS
The Knight: perfect and genteel man…loved truth, chivalry, freedom, and
honor..distinguished. Never boasted or bored listeners.
The Squire: candidate for knighthood….ladies’ man..proud of his appearance…sings,
composes melodies, writes poetry, and rides with distinction…son of knight.
The Yeoman: servant to knight and squire..dressed in green..expert woodsman and
excellent shot with bow and arrow….humble
The Prioress/Nun: Madame Eglantine…never cursed…fashionable, welleducated…spoke affected French…coy and delicate…good table manners and courteous
and amiable…could not stand pain or to see an animal in distress…had 3 small dogs.
Dressed neatly…wore gold pin..
The Monk: from the monastery..owned several horses with expensive
equipment…loved hunting, fine food and fine life..dressed well, fat , jolly,
bald…shunned the quiet life of a ‘real’ monk in a monastery.
The Friar: wanton merry man who got girls in trouble by seducing with little trinkets;
then helped them find husbands…with confessions, took money from ‘sinners.’ Knew
inns and taverns better than sickhouses. Named Hubert…
The Merchant: member of rich and powerful rising middle class…shrewd..knows good
bargains…looks solemn and impressive but lives in debt.
The Oxford Cleric: student at Oxford…very studious…thin, rode thin horse..wore
threadbare clothes…Quiet, but spoke with dignity and moral virtue.
The Sergeant of the Law: able attorney who could recall every judgment and its
grammatical correctness…made much money with high fees…leads people to think he is
busier and wiser than actually is.
The Franklin: large landowner with amount of wealth..not of noble birth…spent money
freely, enjoying good food and wine and company..house always open…generous and
well-liked.
The Guildsmen: (haberdasher, carpenter, weaver, carpet-maker, dyer )…each dressed in
the manner of his calling…impressed with his membership in the guild..they had the best
cook.
The Cook: master of his trade….knew how to boil, bake, roast, and fry…had a running
open sore on his shin…best dish was creamed chicken pie with white sauce the same
color of the pus from the sore…
The Shipman: huge man…somewhat uncouth…master of a vessel…knew all the coast
of Europe…could read the stars…fought well…did not ride horses well.
The Doctor: knew astrology as well as medicine…could tell the variations of
sickness…thought to be in league with the pharmacist…knew nothing of the
Bible…made much money from the plague but doesn’t spend it readily….prescribes gold
for cures…
The Wife of Bath: somewhat deaf…excellent seamstress and weaver…first at altar or
offering in church…kerchiefs very weighty and fancy…wore red stockings..married 5
times, all at church…gap-toothed…rode a horse easily…enjoyed good
fellowship…laughed at jokes…special talent at remedies of love.
The Parson: very poor but rich in holy thoughts and works…would rather give own
money to parishioners than demand tithes…live a perfect life first…then teach it by
example…
The Plowman: ideal man…small tenant farmer who lived in perfect peace and
charity…loved God…always honest with neighbors and paid his tithes in church.
The Miller: big, brawny man who could outwrestle any man…short-shouldered, broad
and thick set…red beard and wart on his nose with hairs protruding…played
bagpipes…crass and rude…told dirty, bawdy tales.
The Manciple: steward for the law school in London…responsible for purchasing the
food…not as learned as the lawyers…shrewd though to put aside lots of money for
himself.
The Reeve.: manager of a large estate…skinny man with bad temper…close cut
beard…able efficient and shrewd…heaped rewards upon his master…those beneath him
feared him …unrelenting in harassing them for money etc. …reaped profits for himself.
The Summoner: (summoned sinners to church court) has red complexion, pimples and
boils, a scaly infection around the eyebrows, and a moth-eaten beard…children afraid of
his looks. ..treats sores as leprosy…loved garlic, onions, leeks, and strong wine….could
quote Latin to impress others…not above bribery or loose women…so ugly and
gruesome…summons from him is horrible experience…
The Pardoner: church official who could sell pardons and indulgences to sinners…at
great profit to himself…loud, high-pitched voice, yellow, flowing hair, beardless…knew
how to sing and preach to frighten into buying his pardons…one of the most corrupt of
the churchmen…
The Host: named Harry Bailey…a merry man who liked good company and good
stories ….a large jovial person, well-liked by pilgrims….