Characters for Sketches The Knight The Squire The Nun (Prioress) The Friar The Doctor The Parson Woman (Wife) of Bath The Pardoner The Monk

Squire Apparel Clothes show him to be effeminate a lover (red and flowing)

Squire Condition He is always in love with the ladies he is a free spirit, unhindered by social expectation Contrast to knight

Squire Additional Description of service supports his refined skills Not for battle but for loving the ladies (or at least trying to love the ladies)

Nun (Prioress) Apparel Coral—protect from temptation (the nun recognizes fleshly weaknesses) Beads are a rosary— the nun appears concerned about her occupation

Nun (Prioress) Condition The nun’s smile is not boasting or bold, but ‘coy’ (she is shy); suggest that she flirts or plays hard to get Her manners reinforce this idea

Nun (Prioress) Condition 145 The nun’s feelings suggest she is always noble She has a favorable description She is the least favorable of the pilgrims

Nun Additional The nun’s voice matches her description—the nasal quality was considered pleasant Her forehead (9 inches wide) showed her to be well-bred Irony and sarcasm on Chaucer’s part

Friar Apparel Clothes are uncomfortable Show him to display the mark of his profession, though his mannerisms contradict this

Friar Condition Wanton suggests a carefree nature (not typical of a Friar) His speech is “glib,” or always just right for the occasion He always moves in the circles most likely to feed his profession

Friar Condition The Friar is exceptionally good at getting money from the poor Narrator points this out to cause us to wonder at the Friar’s motivation

Friar Additional Voice is pleasant to listen to (compare to the nun, whose intentions were noble) Neck’s whiteness suggests (at the time) an immoral person (probably for his penance gathering)

Doctor Apparel Red is the color of his profession (sometimes this involved blood- letting) Taffeta is a finer cloth than wool—not nearly as hot or itchy

Doctor: Condition 424: the doctor knows his profession; intimate knowledge of the academic side, not the actual physical side 432: he practiced according to the book : the doctor doesn’t over-indulge the meat and drink; nor does he read the Bible—these two statements emphasize the doctor’s worldliness

Doctor: Condition : this tells us that the doctor diagnosed every pestilence correctly, and people had many illnesses The doctor has a love for gold, which is supposed to help the heart The narrator notes how healthy the doctor should appear—commentary on society

Doctor: additional 435 the doctor had his own following, the apothecaries who dispensed the drugs for all his “patients”

The Parson: Apparel 505: this is the only reference to apparel— the stave; it is a staff which reinforces the image the Parson tries to convey to his followers: The Shepherd over the Flock

The Parson: Condition 490: the parson is educated, giving him credit on Chaucer’s part Helps him in his “penance” gathering 496: hated cursing: the only example of his disdain for “sin”

The Parson: condition : this is the most important passage describing the Parson The parson is portrayed as a practitioner of his preachings; The parson is the “gold” and therefore, should not rust, but if he does, what will his congregation do? He leads by example

The Parson: condition : the parson never judges others as lower in status simply because he himself is overly-pious 531: this is the exception to the rule—if you are yourself stubborn or arrogant, then the Parson has a few sharp words for you

The Wife of Bath: apparel : Kerchiefs she makes and wears are better than those made by the French; this is a huge compliment for a woman whose social status is the lowest; the narrator obviously likes her All the clothing of the wife is described as the best

Wife: condition 456: the wife is not easily changed: the deafness means that she won’t listen 471: five husbands—either she is the stronger of the two, or she killed all five of them; maybe she is difficult to get along with

Wife: additional 478: the gap-toothed grin makes a person well-traveled, and especially suited for love This is also the reason the wife had five husbands—to suit her romantic tastes 483: large hips: she was not petite, but bold and forceful

The Pardoner: apparel : the Pardoner is dressed in the latest fashion; he is concerned with appearances : the “wallet” is an open reminder to everyone of his profession—selling pardons

The Pardoner: Condition : the Pardoner is good with words Unlike the friar, he uses his to move people to guilt—this gets him more money for his pardons

The pardoner: additional : hair is long and unkempt “Rat-tails” are not a very savory description: suggests that the Pardoner has less than holy motivation for his profession. 712: the narrator suggests that the Pardoner is not a man, but either a eunuch or a woman (big insult)

The Monk: apparel : the monk has only the finest of clothes The monk is concerned with worldly goods—this is contradictory to his profession and a scathing commentary by the narrator

The Monk: Condition 180: the world’s more spacious way—the monk is forsaking the vows he made when he became a monk : the monk is also lazy, and prefers play over work (worldly vices) 204: he was fat and friendly looking

Monk: additional 171: hunting was his sport—the games are more important to the monk than spiritual salvation The monk is devoted to hunting (sport) and not to God : the grease on his face suggests gluttony; also suggests an unclean person