The Canterbury Tales The Prologue

The Knight Physical: Distinguished; possessed fine horses but not gaily dressed; fustian tunic with stains and smudges from his armor Personality: Chivalrous (Truth, honor, generous, courteous); fought in the Crusades; “He was a true, a perfect gentle-knight.”

The Squire Physical: Curly locks; moderate size; bright colors; short gown with long, wide sleeves Personality: Lusty bachelor of twenty; sings and flutes all day; knew how to joust, dance, draw, and write; loved hotly; courteous; doesn’t get much sleep due to all of his lovin’

The Yeoman Physical: Coat and hood of green; head like a nut; brown face; dagger at his side; silver St. Christopher medal; hunting equipment Personality: Probably a good hunter; well-versed in woodcraft and hunting

The Nun, Prioress Physical: Elegant nose; glass-gray eyes; small, soft, red mouth; with forehead; charm that says “Love conquers all;” possibly chubby Personality: Educated, delicate, and sensitive lady; makes every effort to be refined and elegant; Her story, however, it violent and full of blood and sorrow.

Another Nun & 3 Priests Companions of the Prioress The nun and only one priest tells a story. The priest’s story is one of the most famous.

The Monk Physical: Fine clothes; bald; shiny head; robust and masculine; fat (a status symbol); wore gold Personality: Fond of riding horses and eating well; didn’t agree with rules monks were supposed to live by; refused “to leave the world upon a shelf.”

The Friar (Hubert) Physical: Merry White neck Personality: Immoral man concerned with profit; so good at begging that he lived wealthily; liked pretty girls; barmaids and innkeepers knew him; fixed up marriages for girls he possibly impregnated

The Merchant Physical: Forking beard and motley dress; Flemish beaver hat and daintily buckled boots Personality: Expert in current exchange; was in debt but none knew; obsessed with money

The Oxford Cleric Physical: Thin guy with a thin horse; hollow look and sober stare; threadbare overcoat; obviously cares more about his education and books than material possessions Personality: Obviously cares more about his education and books than material possessions; moral; never spoke more than necessary; formal in speech; “Gladly would he learn, and gladly teach.”

The Sergeant at Law Physical: Wore a homely parti-colored coat girt with a silken belt of pin-stripe stuff Personality: Wary and wise; wealthy; busy; knowledgeable about law; a skilled lawyer

The Franklin Physical: White beard; high-colored; has a dagger and purse of silk at his waist Personality: Wealthy (Landowners were sort of new in Chaucer’s time since the feudal system of before was just beginning to deteriorate.); loved simple pleasures such as eating, drinking, and entertaining guests

The Haberdasher, Dyer, Carpenter, Weaver, and Carpet-maker Physical: All in the livery (attire) of their fraternity (union); gear could pass for new; purest silver knives Personality: Wise and rich; their wives enjoyed the money and status their husbands gave them.

The Cook Physical: An ulcer on his knee that oozed white stuff that resembled his best dish blancmange (a creamy chicken dish) Personality: A lewd and vulgar man; has a tendency to be drunk

The Skipper Physical: Rides a farmer’s horse and wasn’t very good at it; woolen gown worn to his knee; dagger around his neck; tanned skin Personality: Expert in sailing; steals his passengers wine; tough; sends his prisoners “home” by making them walk the plank; ship called The Maudelayne

The Doctor Physical: Blood-red garments, slashed with bluish gray and lined with taffeta; kept the gold he’d won in pestilences saying that gold stimulate the heart. Personality: Talked intelligently about medicine and surgery; used astrology to diagnose and treat his patients; used the Bible for nothing.

The Wife of Bath Physical: Finely woven scarves; fine red hose; soft, new shoes; bold, handsome, red face; middle-aged; gap-teeth; large woman; liked to laugh and dance Personality: Cloth-maker; married five times; a worthy woman; had gone on many pilgrimages before

The Parson Physical: Poor Personality: Poor and holy-minded; rich in holy thought and work; learned; “knew Christ’s gospel and would preach it devoutly to parishioners, and teach it”; diligent; patient; hated to ask for money; gave his own; called on people in houses far apart no matter what the weather in sickness and in grief; did his work himself; sought no pomp or glory; an example of how a traditional priest should live in Chaucer’s time, following the life of Christ

The Plowman Physical: Loose jacket; riding a mare Personality: The parson’s brother; honest worker; a model lay Christian; helped others; paid his tithes

The Miller Physical: 224 pounds; stout fellow; good fighter; broad, knotty, and short-shouldered; red beard; a wart with red bristles on the tip of his nose; wide, black nostrils; wore a blue hood and white coat; Scottish Personality: Mouth like a furnace door; like to tell dirty stories; a buffoon; played the bagpipes as the pilgrimage started out of Southwark; a master a stealing grain; shown in an unfavorable light as the Scottish over were

The Maniciple Physical: Personality: A buyer of provisions; not educated but skillful steward in a household of lawyers; they are clever men, but he is cleverest since he cheats them all

The Reeve Physical: Old, choleric, and thin; closely shaven beard; shorn hair that cam abruptly to a stop above his ears; docked on top like a priest; rode a dapple-gray stallion-cob at a slow trot; an long overcoat of blue; rusty dagger; rode at the back of the pilgrims Personality: An estate manager; choleric (bad temper); lined his own pockets with money (rich); trusted; knew lots of tricks (blackmail) to get money; feared like the plague by those beneath him; actually gave his lord loans and gifts; was a carpenter in his youth; disliked the Miller

The Reeve The Summoner

The Summoner Physical: Fire-red cherubinnish face with carbuncles (pimples); narrow eyes; black, scabby brows (some skin disease), thin beard; ate garlic, onions, and leeks and drank strong wine Personality: Lecherous (lustful); Children were afraid of him because of his appearance; outwardly corrupt; gets drunk and jabbers and yells; main motivating factor is money; if the sinner had gold or wine, the summoner would favor the sinner and help pardon him

The Pardoner Physical: Effeminate; hair as yellow as wax, hanging down smoothly like a hank of flax down to his shoulders; thin hair like rat-tails. No hood for fun; wore a little cap; bulging eyes; sewed a holy relic on his cap; wallet on his lap; small voice like a goat; no beard; smooth face; a gelding? Personality: Shamelessly immoral man; intensely self-loathing yet devoted to his task of defrauding people of their money by making them believe that they have sinned and need to buy pardons.

The Host Physical: Bright eyes; large man; manly Personality: Served fine food; bold in speech; merry-hearted; proposed the story-telling (Each pilgrim was to tell two stories on the way there and two on the way back.) He would be the judge, and the winner would receive a dinner.

Narrator Physical: Personality: Acting as a faithful reporter; Chaucer the character has his own opinion of each of the characters, but as an author, he is able to give a more objective view of the entire group.

The Narrator/Chaucer The Pardoner The Host