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Chaucer's Pilgrims
Canterbury Tales
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Knight | has fought in the Crusades |
Knight | has rust stains on his clothes from his armor |
Knight | is the most admired of all the pilgrims |
Knight | tells his tale first |
Knight | the perfect example of chivalry |
Squire | son of the knight |
Squire | has curly hair |
Squire | good soldier but loves clothes, drink, and women |
Squire | 20 years old |
Squire | doesn’t require much sleep |
Yeoman | expert bowman |
Yeoman | dressed all in green |
Yeoman | peacock feather arrows |
Yeoman | carries a dirk |
Yeoman | does not tell a tale |
Yeoman | assistant (servant) to the Knight and Squire |
Prioress | traveling with pet dogs with whom she is so obsessed that she neglects the poor in her care |
Prioress | her name is Madam Eglantyne |
Prioress | speaks French (badly) |
Prioress | wearing a brooch that says “Love Conquers All” |
Monk | owns greyhounds |
Monk | owns many horses |
Monk | main interest is money |
Monk | favorite food is roast swan |
Monk | plays a hurdy-gurdy |
Monk | doesn’t take his vows seriously |
Friar | his name is Herbert |
Friar | licensed to hear confession |
Friar | marriage broker |
Friar | he lisped |
Friar | played a harp |
Friar | had a reputation for getting girls into “trouble” then finding husbands for them |
Merchant | has a forked beard |
Merchant | motley dressed |
Merchant | smooth talker whose slick demeanor helps hide the fact that he is in debt |
Oxford Cleric | student of the arts |
Oxford Cleric | an intellectual whose main interests are in learning only |
Oxford Cleric | he, along with the Knight and Parson, is admired by Chaucer |
Oxford Cleric | was very thin and rode a thin horse |
Oxford Cleric | wore a threadbare overcoat |
Oxford Cleric | would gladly learn and gladly teach |
Sergeant at Law | member of the most prominent members of the legal profession from whose ranks the king selects judges |
Sergeant at Law | knew every judgment, case, and crime by heart |
Franklin | county landowner |
Franklin | for breakfast, he loved to sop cake in wine |
Franklin | never hesitates to share the fruits of life with others |
Franklin | never found a party he didn’t like |
Haberdasher, Dyer, Carpenter, Weaver, Carpet-maker | members of an impressive guild |
Haberdasher, Dyer, Carpenter, Weaver, Carpet-maker | their wives enjoy the stature their husbands have attained because it earns them social recognition |
Cook | loves to prepare fine dishes |
Cook | suffers from a pus-running ulcer on his leg |
Cook | known for his cream dishes and his most famous dish – creamed chicken pie |
Cook | could identify any wine by taste |
Skipper | able sailor, but very cruel |
Skipper | will drown his prisoners if they cause him any problems |
Skipper | wore a dagger on a lanyard around his neck |
Skipper | owned a ship named the Maudelayne |
Skipper | knows every port of the Mediterranean |
Doctor | believes in astrology as a means of treating illness |
Doctor | lacks spiritual nourishment |
Doctor | knows everything about medicine, but seems to know little about the Bible |
Doctor | apparently made a ton of money during the plague, but never appears to spend any of it |
Wife of Bath | enjoys male companionship |
Wife of Bath | rids herself of husbands by wearing them out – nagging them to death |
Wife of Bath | she is a coarse woman who enjoys dirty jokes |
Wife of Bath | dresses colorfully and is deaf in one ear |
Wife of Bath | has been on religious pilgrimages to Jerusalem three times |
Wife of Bath | has gapped teeth |
Wife of Bath | rides a horse well |
Wife of Bath | has large hips |
Wife of Bath | knows the remedies for love’s “mischances” |
Wife of Bath | has been married five times |
Parson | serves as a contrast to the Pardoner |
Parson | shining example of what a religious person should be |
Parson | tells the final tale |
Plowman | the Parson’s brother |
Plowman | lives in peace and pays his dues to the Church |
Miller | 16 stones heavy |
Miller | rough, coarse, ugly, has a wart with hairs growing out of it on the end of his nose |
Miller | black nostrils |
Miller | tells filthy stories |
Miller | plays bagpipes as the pilgrims leave town |
Manciple | clever man whose job is to purchase goods for a college or law school |
Manciple | is in charge of feeding prospective lawyers |
Manciple | though not as smart as the students he serves, he was smart enough to put away a little money for himself |
Reeve | very quick-tempered |
Reeve | old, choleric, thin |
Reeve | horse’s name is Scott |
Reeve | rides last among the pilgrims |
Reeve | carries a rusty sword |
Reeve | dishonest |
Summoner | sent by the Church to summon persons suspected of breaking Church law |
Summoner | has boils and skin sores |
Summoner | his appalling physical condition may be a result of lechery |
Summoner | has a red face with carbuncles, narrow eyes, black scabby brows, and a thin beard |
Summoner | children were afraid of him |
Summoner | enjoys women of questionable reputation |
Summoner | likes to show off by speaking Latin when he gets drunk |
Pardoner | sells fake relics and “pardons” |
Pardoner | the most corrupt of all the travelers |
Pardoner | has hair as yellow as wax that hangs from his head in thin rat tails |
Pardoner | there are several references to his effeminate nature |
Pardoner | his job is to listen to confessions |
Pardoner | carries a jar of pig bones which he tells people are holy relics |
Pardoner | due to his high-pitched voice and his beardless face, Chaucer refers to him as a “gelding” or a “mare” |
Host | name is Harry Bailey |
Host | owner of the Tabard Inn and travels with the troupe to be the judge of the best tale |