The Canterbury Tales:
The Prologue
Review background info, social context, literary
terms (frame tale, characterization, social
commentary, allusion)
Key Literary Devices
Frame Story:
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Narrative technique in which a main story
is written to organize a set of shorter
stories, each of which is a story within a
story.
Chaucer used the design of a frame story
by ‘framing’ the pilgrims’ stories with a
story about a trip to Canterbury. The
Prologue is a way to set the stage for the
stories that follow…..
Social Commentary:
 Writing that makes some statement or
criticism of a larger issue
 By writing about different social classes
and all sorts of people, Chaucer was
making a statement about the way life
was lived during the Middle Ages. He
is writing with irony and with purpose.
Direct characterization:
 The presentation of direct statements about a
character.
 Example: The Knight “followed chivalry,/ Truth,
honor….”
 We are told directly what the knight is like. No
reading btwn the lines here…Reader does not
have to make any sort of inference….
Indirect characterization:
presentation of a character’s
personality through actions,
thoughts, dialogue.
 Example: By saying the Knight “was
not gaily dressed,” Chaucer might
be saying what about the Knight?....
 The
Rhyme, Meter, & Chaucer
When ʹSpike was ʹyoung he ʹate a ʹlot of ʹjunk.
He ate up all my aphrodisiacs.
That stupid dog is on the roof asleep,
And now he barely has the strength to leap.
Rhyme, Meter, & Chaucer
Chaucer, the Father of English Poetry, is one the
one of the first English poets to write in iambic
pentameter. He established it as the gold
standard of English poetic meters and set the
pattern for much of the English poetry-including
Shakespeare’s- that followed.
It sounds like a fancy term- what is it really?
Rhyme, Meter, & Chaucer
An iamb is a two-syllable poetic unit in
which the first syllable is unaccented, the
second accented.
Examples:
“a ˋlone,”
“re ˋturn,”
“pre ˋtend”
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Rhyme, Meter, & Chaucer
iambic pentameter line:
a ten-syllable line in which the first is
unaccented, the second accented, and so on.
When ʹin Aʹpril the ʹsweet shoʹwers fall
Rhyme, Meter, & Chaucer
Rhyming couplets:
Two successive lines of poetry in which the last
word of each line rhymes.
(Every two lines rhymes with the other..)
Pay close attention to the last words in each line
as we begin reading….
Label of the rhyme pattern:
aa,bb,cc,dd,ee,ff, …..
Why the fuss over The Canterbury Tales?
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Written in English versus French or Latin
Made English (Middle English) respectable
Narrator influenced tales
Complex issues told simplistically
Available to all classes
Informative, yet entertaining
Political commentary upon times
Use of iambic pentameter and rhyming
couplets created pleasing cadence—close to
our everyday speech patterns.
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Knight
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most distinguished
pilgrim
highest social class 
followed chivalry
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truthful, honorable
ridden into battle
honored for his
graces
fought in many battles
modest, not boorish
a true, perfect knight
Well-travelled
represents all that is
good about knighthood
and nobility.
“always killed his man”
See notes for previous
examples of
direct/indirect
characterization
Squire
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Knight’s son
*curly locks, average
build, about 20 yrs. old
fought in nearby battles
so he could get home
to see the ladies
sang, danced, wrote
poetry
could “joust and dance”
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“loved so hotly that till
dawn grew pale/He
slept as little as a
nightingale”
was courteous and
serviceable when father
was around
*examples of direct
characterization
Yeoman
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wore coat & hood of
green
was servant to knight,
yet a free man
feathers were perfectly
made in arrows
knew his business as
an archer and did it well
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showed proper
religious respect by
wearing St. Christopher
medal
was a “proper forester”
Good example from the
newly-emergent middle
class
Prioress (Nun)
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coy (falsely modest, flirtatious)
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tried very hard to exude (show)
grace, manners, and
sophistication, but spoke a very
poor quality of French
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“all sentiment”
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“by no means undergrown”(indirect characterization)
Prioress (Nun)
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Wears jewelry with “Amor
vincit omnia” (Love
conquers all) which may
have meant romantic love,
not God’s
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Travels with another nun
and three priests
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Notice the intro into
Chaucer’s social
commentary regarding the
Church…..He starts us off
slow w/ the Prioress…
Monk
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Corrupt, fat (implies
wealth), bald
riding a horse, which
he was not to do
ignored rules of his
order, lazy
owned dogs and
hunted, which he was
not to do
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expensive clothing
(fur on sleeve) when
‘real’ monks are
supposed to be poor
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fat (opposite of his
vows of poverty)
Friar
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Also a corrupt
clergyman
claimed to have
license from Pope to 
hear confessionscharged $ as penance
knew taverns and
barmaids well- indirect
characterization
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“finest beggar of his
batch”
begged money
even from poorest
and most
vulnerable, whom
he was to help
charged money
on “settling days”
Merchant
seemed stately
and wealthy
but...
 was in debt and
no one knew it
from the way he
talked
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Note that the social
commentary here is not
as strong as it was for
Monk, Friar, and
Prioress. Why was the
commentary so
seemingly light for the
middle class and the
nobility, yet so harsh for
religious?
Oxford Cleric (Student)
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lover of learning
an academic/ scholarnote allusion to Aristotle
threadbare clothing,
skinny old horse- horse
is a reflection/extension
of its owner
was too unworldly for
secular employment
“would gladly learn, and
gladly teach”
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was “book smart” but
“life dumb”
Sergeant at the Law
was a superb
lawyer
 paid strict
attention to
detail- quite a
grammarian!
 “knew every
statute off by
rote”
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“But was less busy
than he seemed to
be”- what does this
mean?.....
Franklin
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wealthy landowner (not
member of nobility but
owned land- new social
position)
lived for pleasure,
particularly “Epicurean”
delights (allusion)
Enjoyed his food, had a
table prepared all day
long
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Sheriff
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Big partier
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Notice how his
portrayal ends: “He was
a model among landed
gentry.” – direct
characterization
Haberdasher, Dyer, Carpenter,
Weaver, and Carpet-Maker
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treat these as
single character
the key to understanding them is
their wives
they LOOK great
(new looking gear
which was bought
used)
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• their wives
“declared it was
their due” to rise
in social class
wives wanted to be
called “Madam” and to
be “seen” -- like a queen
Guild membersorganization of
craftsmen/artisans
Cook
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could distinguish
London ale by flavor
(which was quite
cheap – not very
impressive…)
had ulcer on his knee
(probably from
cooking at open pot)
Cook
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made good thick soup
made good
blancmange (yellowwhite, thick, creamy
chicken soup--much
like the color of what
might be in the ulcerhow foul!)
Skipper
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Master of a ship,
commander of a
vessel
stole wine while the
trader slept
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ignored conscience
(“nicer rules of
conscience he
ignored)
made his prisoners
“walk home”
(somewhat ruthless to
prisoners, opponents
like the Knight)
Boat is named The
Maudelaynereference to the
Prioress?.....
Theory of the Four Humors
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The body's state of health--and
by extension the state of mind,
or character--depended upon a
balance among four fluids:
blood, yellow bile, phlegm, and
black bile.
The four basic human
temperaments, phlegmatic,
sanguine, melancholic, and
choleric, were each caused by a
predominance of one of the four
humors. The humors and their
corresponding temperaments
were closely allied with the four
elements (air, fire, water, and
earth) and the dualities of
hot/cold, moist/dry .
Doctor
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grounded in astronomy,
as most doctors in the
Middle Ages were
“All his apothecaries in
a tribe...each made
money from the other’s
guile.”
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did not read the Bibleindirect characterization
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(love of $ as root of all
evil- biblical concept)
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Notice his “special love
of gold.”
Wife of Bath
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tight, red clothing, red
complexion, and gapteeth symbolize her
promiscuity
partially deaf, large hips
had five old husbands
(widow)
large hips- why?....
“knew the remedies for
love’s mischances”
(Indirect
characterization)
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Bold, brash, v confident,
bawdy
Does not have good
relationship w/ other
women- lines 459-462
Parson
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holy-minded, poor,
good reputation
learned
Stark opposite of
Friar, Monk,
Pardoner, Summoner
a shepherd
virtuous, rich in holy
thought, devout, noble
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served the pooraltruistic
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gave away his own $
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practiced what he
preached as seen in
“if gold rust,…”
Plowman
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Parson’s brother
‘honest worker, good
and true’- direct
characterization
followed the Gospel
steadily went about
his work
helped poor purely
out of love
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always paid his
tithes in full when
due- unlike his
brother.
Miller
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great big fellow,
brawny fellow
boasted he could
heave any door off
the hinge or break it
with his head
red beard (fox, sowindirect
characterization)
hairy wart on end of
nose
weighed 224 pounds
told filthy tavern
stories
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“stole” grain with his
“thumb of gold”
played bagpipes
led procession of
pilgrims out of
Canterbury
Manciple
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buyer of food for the 30
Knights of the Temple
(lawyers)
got to market early to
get best values
was illiterate
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wise in practical
matters, though
lived debt free on what
he “saved”
Indirect
characterization- is an
unethical (sketchy)
nature necessary for
financial success?...
IS clearly satirizedattacked with sharp
social commentary
about education and
financial success
Reeve
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Manager of manor,
overseer of peasants
“feared like the plague
he was”
better at bargains
than his lord
hates the Miller (not
made clear in
Prologue)
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carpenter
rode at back of
procession
Summoner
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charges people who
have broken Church
law
pimpled face
ate garlic
limited knowledge of
Latin (speaks it when
drunk)
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took bribes
threatens
excommunication
“knew their
secrets”
Indirect
characterizationv strong hereExample:
“Children were
afraid…”
Pardoner (sells indulgences)
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Travels w/ the Summoner
hair yellow, long like “rat’s
tail” (simile)
carried pardons and relics
from Rome, he said
(Narrator hinting they’re
probably fake ones)
sang “merrily and loud” to
get more $ from poor
What is the significance of
the “gelding”?....
Narrator
Will speak “plainly” (honestly) of
all the pilgrims
 Report every detail exactly as it
happens (lines 747-753)
 31 people are going on the
pilgrimage to Canterbury (29
original pilgrims+ narrator+
Host)
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Host
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served finest food
very hospitable
pilgrims stay at his
Tabard Inn
suggested the taletelling contest
Each pilgrim tells 2 tales
on way there, 2 on way
back (120 tales in all
projected)
Prize: a meal for winner
paid for by others
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he would be sole judge
of tales
“good morality” and
“general pleasure”
disobeys- pay
expenses of trip
accompanied pilgrims
to Canterbury
“man who draws
shortest straw shall
start”
Nature of the Tales
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Chaucer only finished 24 of projected
120 tales
Worked for 10 years on them but died
Stories were interactive with others’
tales Friar told a tale to insult the Monk
and vice versa
 Reeve told a tale to insult the Miller,
etc.
Final Thoughts
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Chaucer placed (juxtaposed) certain characters
alongside one another to emphasize contrasts, to
make his social commentary sharper:
-The foul, corrupt Reeve, Manciple, Miller,
Summoner, and Pardoner travel together and are
introduced immediately after the highly moral
Parson and Plowman….
Who are the only clergy members who are ‘good’? –
Prioress and Parson
Chaucer’s social commentary is sharpest during the
portrayals of the clergy and their behavior. Also,
notice how he was trying to show people from all
walks of life, from all social classes.