STUDY GUIDE - PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES
English 12; Carpenter/Bugliaro
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Specific Prologue Facts:
1. What is a pilgrimage?
2. How many stories will each pilgrim tell on the way to Canterbury?
3. How many will each tell on the return trip?
4. What prize will the winner of the best told tale receive?
5. How do they pick who will tell the first tale?
6. In what month are the pilgrims traveling?
7. Who was Thomas à Beckett?
8. Explain why was Beckett killed?
9. Why was Canterbury so important?
10. Where is Southwark (pronounced “suth erk”) and why is it important?
11. What is The Tabard?
12. How many are travelling, including the narrator and the innkeeper?
13. What aspects does Chaucer consider when describing the pilgrims.
14. What title has Chaucer been given in respect to poetry?
15. Chaucer wrote in the vernacular. What does that mean?
16. What is a frame story? Explain how the Canterbury Tales is a frame story.
17. Chaucer’s birth/death? Century in which he lived?
18. Why was Chaucer qualified to write about so many kinds of people in the Middle Ages?
KNIGHT/group
1.
What code does he follow? What 4 aspects does Chaucer specifically mention? What other adjective does
he use to describe the knight?
2. What wars has he been involved in and where? What is his reputation as a soldier/warrior?
3. Describe his dress.
4. Why would “fine horses” be important to the knight?
5. How do you know that the knight is cocky and likes to boast of his accomplishments?
6. State line 71. What does Chaucer mean when he says the knight is “as modest as a maid”? Why might he be using
sarcasm here?
7. How does Chaucer feels about the knight? (See line 74.)
8. What pilgrims are riding with the knight?
SQUIRE/group
1. What relation is he to the Knight?
2. State line 82. Is he a seasoned soldier?
3. What details about him show his vanity?
4. How is he different from his father?
5. What is his age?
6. Name the many activities for which he is accomplished.
7. State lines 99 and 100.
8. What does the squire have in common with most young men his age, even today?
9. How does Chaucer feels about the squire? What is a specific quality that Chaucer respects?
YEOMAN/group
1. Define yeoman.
2. What color coat and hood does he wear?
3. What does he carry?
4. What is the color of his face?
5. What skill does he know well?
7. Why is he wearing a St. Christopher’s medal?
STUDY GUIDE - PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES
English 12; Carpenter/Bugliaro
8. How does Chaucer feels about this yeoman?
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NUN/group
1. What is a prioress?
2. What are the qualities/images we usually associate with a nun?
3. Who is St. Loy? What does her use of it suggest?
4. State line 123. What does “coy” mean?
5. What is her name and what does it suggest about her? (Google the word Eglantyne and see what you find.)
6. How does she sing?
7. Describe her table manners. Why would Chaucer comment on her table manners?
8. When would she weep?
9. How does she treat her dogs?
10. Describe her physical appearance.
11. What type of forehead does she have?
12. What does she wear on her arm?
13. What is the latin phrase on her brooch? What does it mean?
14. How do you think Chaucer feels about the nun?
15. Why is the fact that she is so particular about manners and pet dogs significant in regard to her being a nun?
What might have been her station in life as a child?
MONK/group
1. What is his sport?
2. State lines 171 and 172.
3. What might you hear when he rides?
4. State lines 179 and 180.
5. Describe his sleeves.
6. Describe his physical appearance.
7. Describe his horse.
8. What type of personality do you think the monk might have? Explain.
9. What qualities would a traditional monk most likely have?
10. How does Chaucer feels about this monk?
FRIAR/group
1. Define wanton. Find an archaic definition that has nothing to do with being jolly!
2. State lines 214 and 215, and explain them.
3. State line 218.
4. The friar feels qualified to hear ___.
5. State lines 229 and 230. Explain them.
6. What does he keep in his tippet? Why?
7. State lines 244 and 245. What does this tell you about the Friar?
8. How do you know that not only is the Friar perverted, he also a con-artist? (What is he able to do to a widow?)
9. What speech difficulty does the Friar supposedly have?
10. What is the Friar’s name?
11. What is the job of a traditional (good) friar?
12. How does Chaucer feels about the friar?
OXFORD CLERIC/group
1. What does he do?
2. Describe the cleric’s appearance and clothes.
STUDY GUIDE - PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES
English 12; Carpenter/Bugliaro
3. What does the cleric prefer by his bed?
4. How does he spend his money?
5. State line 318.
6. How does Chaucer feels about the Oxford cleric?
FRANKLIN/group
1. Define franklin.
2. Who is Epicurus?
3. Describe the food and drink in his home.
4. How does Chaucer feels about the franklin?
COOK/group
1. Describe his skills.
2. State lines 395-396
4. How does Chaucer feels about the cook?
SKIPPER/group
1. What does Chaucer’s comment about the skipper’s riding ability infer?
2. Where does the skipper carry his dagger?
3. What does he like to drink?
4. What kind of a sailor is he?
5. How does he treat prisoners when he sinks a ship in battle?
WIFE OF BATH/group
1. What is the color of her hose?
2. How do you know she is agressisve?
5. How many husbands has she had?
6. Describe her teeth.
8. State lines 485-486.
9. What do you think about the Wife of Bath?
9. How does Chaucer feels about her?
PARSON/group
1. State lines 489-491.
2. How does he treat his parishioners?
3. By what proverb does he live? (line 510) Explain it.
4. What image (metaphor) is presented of the parson and parishioners?
5. How is the Parson different from the other pilgrims in the Church group?
6. How does Chaucer feels about the parson?
MILLER/group
2. Describe his physical appearance. What does comparing the color of his beard to a sow or fox suggest?
3.The Miller likes to tell ______.
4. He was a master-hand at stealing grain. How does he cheat?
6. This man leads the _____ out of town by playing ______.
7. How does Chaucer feels about the miller?
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STUDY GUIDE - PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES
English 12; Carpenter/Bugliaro
SUMMONER/group
1. Define summoner.
2. Describe his physical appearance.
3. What food and drink does he love?
5. Define varlet.
6. What would he allow for a quart of wine?
7. State line 683.
8. How does Chaucer feels about the summoner?
PARDONER/group
1. What is a pardoner?
2. Describe his hair.
3. What is in his wallet?
4. Describe his voice.
5. State line 711. What is Chaucer saying about the pardoner?
6. What claim does he make about the pillowcase?
7. For what does he use the pig’s bones?
8. How is he able to con church-going folks into giving him money?
9. How does Chaucer feels about the pardoner?
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