The Plowman - Makenna Doramus

## Summary

The Plowman[1] is a minor character in Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales[2] who goes on a pilgrimage with his brother, the Parson[3]. He works long, laborious days doing any job he can find including, moving carts of cow manure and he does not make very much money. The plowman is a member of the lower class, meaning that he dresses very modestly and wears what he can afford to make or buy and that will last long days while he is working. The plowman is a man of God and never fails to pay his tithes.[4] If he not have the money for tithes in his pockets he will sell his possessions to get the money to pay them. Like his brother, the Parson, he practices the word of God regularly and is a good and holy men.

## Characteristics

### Physical Characteristics

The Plowman works long days doing the most undesirable manual labor jobs of the time. The plowman is most likely very fit because he has to be strong to work doing the odd jobs around town. He is a member of the lower class so the clothes[5] that he wears is most likely his only outfit. He is a humble man so he wouldn't have posh clothing like a noble or rich man and he most likely wears an apron.

### Class

The Plowman is a member of the medieval lower class.[6] During the medieval times it was hard to be in the lower class. If you were a man in the lower class your day most likely started at three in the morning and ended after the sun went down. You would eat before you went to work and you would eat when you got home. Your day would consist of working in the fields reaping, sowing, and binding the crops. If you were a woman[7] in the peasant class you would go to work the same time as your husband and could possibly work in the fields, but it was more likely that you would work in a house tending to children, animals, food, and the garden.

## Symbolism

In The Canterbury Tales the Plowman[8] symbolizes the lower class that is good and not corrupt like the upper and middle classes. He is the poor man who believes in God and works hard to make it in life. There are other people in the lower class that would resort to blackmail or extortion just to sustain their families, but the Plowman is honest and does things the right way.

## Middle English

When Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales[9] he wrote it in middle English.[10] Chaucer wrote this book for the people to be able to read so he wrote in a way that they were able to read. When Chaucer pronounced letters like e, that are silent in modern English, so words like care would be pronounced with an extra "ae" sound at the end. Soon after Chaucer died, this trend of pronouncing extra letters and sounds no longer occurred. Looking at middle English and modern English next to each other[11] it is noticeable that you are still able to read modern English, but there are some very distinct differences.

## Sources

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/characters.html

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/summary.html

https://www.shmoop.com/canterbury-tales-prologue/the-parson.html

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/tithe

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1300%E2%80%931400\_in\_European\_fashion

http://www.lordsandladies.org/daily-life-peasant-middle-ages.htm

http://www.lordsandladies.org/daily-life-peasant-women-middle-ages.htm

https://www.shmoop.com/canterbury-tales-prologue/the-plowman.html

http://public.oed.com/aspects-of-english/english-in-time/middle-english-an-overview/

http://www.librarius.com/canttran/gptrfs.htm