SparkNotes: The Canterbury Tales: Character List The Canterbury Tales Analysis of Major Characters The Pilgrims The Narrator - The narrator makes it quite clear that he is also a character in his book. Although he is called Chaucer, we should be wary of accepting his words and opinions as Chaucer’s own. In the General Prologue, the narrator presents himself as a gregarious and naïve character. Later on, the Host accuses him of being silent and sullen. Because the narrator writes down his impressions of the pilgrims from memory, whom he does and does not like, and what he chooses and chooses not to remember about the characters, tells us as much about the narrator’s own prejudices as it does about the characters themselves. The Knight - The first pilgrim Chaucer describes in the General Prologue, and the teller of the first tale. The Knight represents the ideal of a medieval Christian man-at-arms. He has participated in no less than fifteen of the great crusades of his era. Brave, experienced, and prudent, the narrator greatly admires him. Read an in-depth analysis of The Knight.

The Wife of Bath - Bath is an English town on the Avon River, not the name of this woman’s husband. Though she is a seamstress by occupation, she seems to be a professional wife. She has been married five times and had many other affairs in her youth, making her well practiced in the art of love. She presents herself as someone who loves marriage and sex, but, from what we see of her, she also takes pleasure in rich attire, talking, and arguing. She is deaf in one ear and has a gap between her front teeth, which was considered attractive in Chaucer’s time. She has traveled on pilgrimages to Jerusalem three times and elsewhere in Europe as well. Read an in-depth analysis of The Wife of Bath. The Pardoner - Pardoners granted papal indulgences—reprieves from penance in exchange for charitable donations to the Church. Many pardoners, including this one, collected profits for themselves. In fact, Chaucer’s Pardoner excels in fraud, carrying a bag full of fake relics—for example, he claims to have the veil of the Virgin Mary. The Pardoner has long, greasy, yellow hair and is beardless.

These characteristics were associated with shiftiness and gender ambiguity in Chaucer’s time. The Pardoner also has a gift for singing and preaching whenever he finds himself inside a church. Read an in-depth analysis of The Pardoner. The Miller - Stout and brawny, the Miller has a wart on his nose and a big mouth, both literally and figuratively. He threatens the Host’s notion of propriety when he drunkenly insists on telling the second tale. Indeed, the Miller seems to enjoy overturning all conventions: he ruins the Host’s carefully planned storytelling order; he rips doors off hinges; and he tells a tale that is somewhat blasphemous, ridiculing religious clerks, scholarly clerks, carpenters, and women. The Prioress - Described as modest and quiet, this Prioress (a nun who is head of her convent) aspires to have exquisite taste. Her table manners are dainty, she knows French (though not the French of the court), she dresses well, and she is charitable and compassionate.

The Monk - Most monks of the Middle Ages lived in monasteries according to the Rule of Saint Benedict, which demanded that they devote their lives to “work and prayer.” This Monk cares little for the Rule; his devotion is to hunting and eating. He is large, loud, and well clad in hunting boots and furs. The Friar - Roaming priests with no ties to a monastery, friars were a great object of criticism in Chaucer’s time. Always ready to befriend young women or rich men who might need his services, the friar actively administers the sacraments in his town, especially those of marriage and confession. However, Chaucer’s worldly Friar has taken to accepting bribes. The Summoner - The Summoner brings persons accused of violating Church law to ecclesiastical court. This Summoner is a lecherous man whose face is scarred by leprosy. He gets drunk frequently, is irritable, and is not particularly qualified for his position. He spouts the few words of Latin he knows in an attempt to sound educated. The Host - The leader of the group, the Host is large, loud, and merry, although he possesses a quick temper.

He mediates among the pilgrims and facilitates the flow of the tales. His title of “host” may be a pun, suggesting both an innkeeper and the Eucharist, or Holy Host. The Parson - The only devout churchman in the company, the Parson lives in poverty, but is rich in holy thoughts and deeds. The pastor of a sizable town, he preaches the Gospel and makes sure to practice what he preaches. He is everything that the Monk, the Friar, and the Pardoner are not. The Squire - The Knight’s son and apprentice. The Squire is curly-haired, youthfully handsome, and loves dancing and courting. The Clerk - The Clerk is a poor student of philosophy. Having spent his money on books and learning rather than on fine clothes, he is threadbare and wan. He speaks little, but when he does, his words are wise and full of moral virtue. The Man of Law - A successful lawyer commissioned by the king. He upholds justice in matters large and small and knows every statute of England’s law by heart. The Manciple - A manciple was in charge of getting provisions for a college or court.

Despite his lack of education, this Manciple is smarter than the thirty lawyers he feeds. The Merchant - The Merchant trades in furs and other cloths, mostly from Flanders. He is part of a powerful and wealthy class in Chaucer’s society. The Shipman - Brown-skinned from years of sailing, the Shipman has seen every bay and river in England, and exotic ports in Spain and Carthage as well. He is a bit of a rascal, known for stealing wine while the ship’s captain sleeps. The Physician - The Physician is one of the best in his profession, for he knows the cause of every malady and can cure most of them. Though the Physician keeps himself in perfect physical health, the narrator calls into question the Physician’s spiritual health: he rarely consults the Bible and has an unhealthy love of financial gain. The Franklin - The word “franklin” means “free man.” In Chaucer’s society, a franklin was neither a vassal serving a lord nor a member of the nobility. This particular franklin is a connoisseur of food and wine, so much so that his table remains laid and ready for food all day.

The Reeve - A reeve was similar to a steward of a manor, and this reeve performs his job shrewdly—his lord never loses so much as a ram to the other employees, and the vassals under his command are kept in line. However, he steals from his master. The Plowman - The Plowman is the Parson’s brother and is equally good-hearted. A member of the peasant class, he pays his tithes to the Church and leads a good Christian life. The Guildsmen - Listed together, the five Guildsmen appear as a unit. English guilds were a combination of labor unions and social fraternities: craftsmen of similar occupations joined together to increase their bargaining power and live communally. All five Guildsmen are clad in the livery of their brotherhood. The Cook - The Cook works for the Guildsmen. Chaucer gives little detail about him, although he mentions a crusty sore on the Cook’s leg. The Yeoman - The servant who accompanies the Knight and the Squire. The narrator mentions that his dress and weapons suggest he may be a forester.

The Second Nun - The Second Nun is not described in the General Prologue, but she tells a saint’s life for her tale. The Nun’s Priest - Like the Second Nun, the Nun’s Priest is not described in the General Prologue. His story of Chanticleer, however, is well crafted and suggests that he is a witty, self-effacing preacher. Characters from the Five Tales Analyzed in This SparkNote The Knight’s Tale Theseus - A great conqueror and the duke of Athens in the Knight’s Tale. The most powerful ruler in the story, he is often called upon to make the final judgment, but he listens to others’ pleas for help. Palamon - Palamon is one of the two imprisoned Theban soldier heroes in the Knight’s Tale. Brave, strong, and sworn to everlasting friendship with his cousin Arcite, Palamon falls in love with the fair maiden Emelye, which brings him into conflict with Arcite. Though he loses the tournament against Arcite, he gets Emelye in the end. Arcite - The sworn brother to Palamon, Arcite, imprisoned with Palamon in the tower in the Knight’s Tale, falls equally head over heels in love with Emelye.

He gets released from the tower early and wins Emelye’s hand in a tournament, but then dies when a divinely fated earthquake causes his horse to throw him. Emelye - Emelye is the sister to Hippolyta, Theseus’s domesticated Amazon queen in the Knight’s Tale. Fair-haired and glowing, we first see Emelye as Palamon does, through a window. Although she is the object of both Palamon’s and Arcite’s desire, she would rather spend her life unmarried and childless. Nevertheless, when Arcite wins the tournament, she readily pledges herself to him. Egeus - Theseus’s father. Egeus gives Theseus the advice that helps him convince Palamon and Emelye to end their mourning of Arcite and get married. The Miller’s Tale Nicholas - In the Miller’s Tale, Nicholas is a poor astronomy student who boards with an elderly carpenter, John, and the carpenter’s too-young wife, Alisoun. Nicholas dupes John and sleeps with Alisoun right under John’s nose, but Absolon, the foppish parish clerk, gets Nicholas in the end.

Alisoun - Alisoun is the sexy young woman married to the carpenter in the Miller’s Tale. She is bright and sweet like a small bird, and dresses in a tantalizing style—her clothes are embroidered inside and outside, and she laces her boots high. She willingly goes to bed with Nicholas, but she has only harsh words and obscenities for Absolon. Absolon - The local parish clerk in the Miller’s Tale, Absolon is a little bit foolish and more than a little bit vain. He wears red stockings underneath his floor-length church gown, and his leather shoes are decorated like the fanciful stained-glass windows in a cathedral. He curls his hair, uses breath fresheners, and fancies Alisoun. John - The dim-witted carpenter to whom Alisoun is married and with whom Nicholas boards. John is jealous and possessive of his wife. He constantly berates Nicholas for looking into God’s “pryvetee,” but when Nicholas offers John the chance to share his knowledge, John quickly accepts. He gullibly believes Nicholas’s pronouncement that a second flood is coming, which allows Nicholas to sleep with John’s wife.

The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale The First Three Husbands - The Wife of Bath says that her first three husbands were “good” because they were rich and old. She could order them around, use sex to get what she wanted, and trick them into believing lies. The Fourth Husband - The Wife of Bath says comparatively little about her fourth husband. She loved him, but he was a reveler who had a mistress. She had fun singing and dancing with him, but tried her best to make him jealous. She fell in love with her fifth husband, Jankyn, while she was still married to her fourth. Jankyn - The Wife of Bath’s fifth husband, Jankyn, was a twenty-year-old former student, with whom the Wife was madly in love. His stories of wicked wives frustrated her so much that one night she ripped a page out of his book, only to receive a deafening smack on her ear in return. The Knight - Arthur’s young knight rapes a maiden, and, to avoid the punishment of death, he is sent by the queen on a quest to learn about submission to women.

Once he does so, and shows that he has learned his lesson by letting his old ugly wife make a decision, she rewards him by becoming beautiful and submissive. Read an in-depth analysis of The Knight. The Old Woman - The old woman supplies the young knight with the answer to his question, in exchange for his promise to do whatever she wants. When she tells him he must marry her, the knight begrudgingly agrees, and when he allows her to choose whether she would like to be beautiful and unfaithful or ugly and faithful, she rewards him by becoming both beautiful and faithful. Arthur’s Queen - Arthur’s queen, presumably Guinevere, is interesting because she wields most of the power. When Arthur’s knight rapes a maiden, he turns the knight over to his queen allows her to decide what to do with him. The Pardoner’s Tale The Three Rioters - These are the three protagonists of the Pardoner’s Tale. All three indulge in and represent the vices against which the Pardoner has railed in his Prologue: Gluttony, Drunkeness, Gambling, and Swearing. These traits define the three and eventually lead to their downfall.

The Rioters at first appear like personified vices, but it is their belief that a personified concept—in this case, Death—is a real person that becomes the root cause of their undoing. The Old Man - In the Pardoner’s Tale, the three Rioters encounter a very old man whose body is completely covered except for his face. Before the old man tells the Rioters where they can find “Death,” one of the Rioters rashly demands why the old man is still alive. The old man answers that he is doomed to walk the earth for eternity. He has been interpreted as Death itself, or as Cain, punished for fratricide by walking the earth forever; or as the Wandering Jew, a man who refused to let Christ rest at his house when Christ proceeded to his crucifixion, and who was therefore doomed to roam the world, through the ages, never finding rest. The Nun’s Priest’s Tale Chanticleer - The heroic rooster of the Nun’s Priest’s Tale, Chanticleer has seven hen-wives and is the most handsome cock in the barnyard. One day, he has a prophetic dream of a fox that will carry him away.

Chanticleer is also a bit vain about his clear and accurate crowing voice, and he unwittingly allows a fox to flatter him out of his liberty. Pertelote - Chanticleer’s favorite wife in the Nun’s Priest’s Tale. She is his equal in looks, manners, and talent. When Chanticleer dreams of the fox, he awakens her in the middle of the night, begging for an interpretation, but Pertelote will have none of it, calling him foolish. When the fox takes him away, she mourns him in classical Greek fashion, burning herself and wailing. The Fox - The orange fox, interpreted by some as an allegorical figure for the devil, catches Chanticleer the rooster through flattery. Eventually, Chanticleer outwits the fox by encouraging him to boast of his deceit to his pursuers. When the fox opens his mouth, Chanticleer escapes. CT Tale Orders Proposed Canterbury Tale Orders Scholars generally agree that Chaucer never decided upon a final order for the Canterbury Tales, and common sense suggests that he would vary his tale orders to suit the occasion of the telling.

For instance, you wouldn't tell the "Miller's Tale" to a Prioress unless you knew she has a dirty mind, and you wouldn't tell the Knight's Tale unless you've got a long dinner planned, but you would preserve sequences that work particularly well together like GP-KT-MT-RT-CF, which always are found together and in the same order, perhaps remnants of many long winter weeks' feasting. The best way to use tale ordering as a critical tool involves looking at what tales might precede or follow the one(s) you are working on. For instance, it makes a great deal of difference whether the Squire was following the Man of Law (Hengwyrt order) or the Merchant (Ellesmere or "a" order), given the contents of their tales, and it makes an equally great deal of difference whether the Squire was interrupted by the Merchant (Hengwyrt) or the Franklin (Ellesmere/a). Because the Ellesmere and Hengwyrt orders are the most reliable guides to (at least) fifteenth-century and Renaissance readers' reception of Chaucer, they are the most necessary to consult.

These manuscript orders are the results of scholars who have classified the existing MSS into "families" based on their contents, unique scribal errors they share, etc. Their reasoning is that combinations of information order and unique error establish a "lineage" or "family tree" by which the manuscripts descend to us. Hengwyrt is an unique MS order, and based on paleographic evidence, it is apparently very early. Some scholars believe, because of its origin near the time of Chaucer's death, that it represents the nearest thing to Chaucer's final intentions for tale orders when he died.

It looks like this: MS Hengwrt Order: Fragment I [GP, KT, MT, RT, Cfrag], Fragment III [Wife of Bath's Prologue; Wife of Bath; Friar; Summoner], Fragment II [Intro to Man of Law; Man of Law; Man of Law's Endlink], Squire, Merchant, Franklin, 2nd Nun, Clerk, Fragment VI [Physician; Pardoner's Prologue; Pardoner], Fragment VII [Shipman; Prioress; [Chaucer-the-Pilgrim] Prologue to Sir Thopas; [Chaucer-the-Pilgrim] Sir Thopas; [Chaucer-the-Pilgrim] Melibee; Monk; Nuns' Priest], Fragment IX [Manciple's Prologue; Manciple], Fragment X [Parson's Prologue; Parson; [Chaucer-the-Poet] Retraction] The numbers commonly used to indicate the tale groups (I, II, III, etc.) originated because critics in the middle of the twentieth century formed a general consensus that the Ellesmere MS, which represents the common "a" group, was the best constructed narrative, both complete and relatively coherent

 in terms of tale linkage.

Click here to see a transcription of several of the tales and the GP from MS Hengwrt. "a" Group or MS Ellesmere Order: This order contains the most beautiful CT manuscript, currently on display in a nitrogen-filled case at the Huntington Library, San Marino, California. This is the order followed by Benson in the Riverside Chaucer, but many scholars think it owes much to its scribe's innovations, and that the "MS Hengwyrt Order" (see above) is closer to the order commonly found in MSS composed nearer to Chaucer's own time. I follow the common critical convention of referring to the CT fragments by the roman numerals of the Ellesmere MS order.

Fragment I: General Prologue; Knight; Miller; Reeve; Cook's Fragment Fragment II: Intro to Man of Law; Man of Law; Man of Law's Endlink Fragment III: Wife of Bath's Prologue; Wife of Bath; Friar; Summoner Fragment IV: Clerk's Prologue; Clerk; Merchant's Prologue; Merchant Fragment V: Squire's Intro; Squire; Franklin Fragment VI: Physician; Pardoner's Prologue; Pardoner Fragment VII: Shipman; Prioress; [Chaucer-the-Pilgrim] Prologue to Sir Thopas; [Chaucer-the-Pilgrim] Sir Thopas; [Chaucer-the-Pilgrim] Melibee; Monk; Nuns' Priest Fragment VIII: Prologue to 2nd Nun; 2nd Nun; Canon's Yeoman Prologue; Canon's Yeoman Fragment IX: Manciple's Prologue; Manciple Fragment X: Parson's Prologue; Parson; [Chaucer-the-Poet] Retraction However, the "b," "c," and "d" groups share some common features, especially shifting the Wife of Bath around and changing who interrupts the Squire.

Though a-group manuscripts are the most numerous, taken together the other three families contain many MSS. Here's what they look like: "b" group MSS: --e.g., New College MS 314, Oxford. (divides 4 and 5 around 3, rel. "marriage" theme?; and juxtaposes "moral" with "moral" tales or "immoral" with "immoral" segment boundary tales thereafter) Fragment 1--GP, KT, MT, RT, Cfrag Fragment 2--MoLT Fragment 7--ShipT, PrioressT, "Sir Thopas," "Melibee," MonkT, NPT Fragment 9--ManT Fragment 10--ParsonT, Retraction Of modern attempts to rationalize the CT into a coherent structure, one rarely read variety is The "Chaucer Society 8-Text" order, which attempts to argue that the "eight texts" chosen by the editors (see below) were aesthetically better than the rest (according to what standard?) and must, therefore, constitute our nearest approach to Chaucer's final intentions (i.e., he never would make a MS worse in revision).

It looks like this: Chaucer Society Order (8-Text): I, II, VII, VI, III, IV, V, VIII, IX, X [Based on John Matthews Manly and Edith Rickert's 1940 edition, this set the standard for F.R. Robinson's 2nd edition, the immediate ancestor of RC. By 1985, Benson's revision of RC was treating Manly-Rickert skeptically. In the '90s, the "Canterbury Tales Project" led by Norman Blake and Peter Robinson has reopened the task but has not issued an edition.] Another modern order, the famous "Bradshaw Shift" which produces the order followed by editors Baugh and Pratt, attempts to logically order the tales based on the prologues' and endlinks' references to geographic and time clues appropriate to travelers going from London to Canterbury and back again. "Bradshaw Shift" or Baugh/Pratt Order: I, II, VII, III, IV, V, VI, VIII, IX, X [See RC: 1121.] The Canterbury Tales Characters - eNotes.com The Canterbury Tales Characters The narrator, who tells the story.

The Host, who proposes the storytelling game. The Knight, the first character to tell a story. The Squire, the Knight's son. The Miller, a jolly drunk. The Wife of Bath, a five times widow. link Link The Knight The Knight, a courtly medieval fighting man who has served king and religion all over the known world. Modest in dress and speech, though the highest in rank of the pilgrims to Canterbury, he rides with only his son and a yeoman in attendance. He tells a metrical romance, the first of the stories in the series related by the various pilgrims. His is a tale of courtly love, the story of the love two young Theban noblemen, Palamon and Arcite, have for Emily, the beautiful sister-in-law of Duke Theseus of Athens. The young men compete in a tourney for the girl’s hand. Palamon wins but is killed in an accident, so that Arcite eventually has his love rewarded. The Squire The Squire, the Knight’s son. A young man of twenty years, he has fought in several battles. Like his father, he is full of knightly courtesy, but he also enjoys a good time.

He tells a story of adventure and enchantment in a distant land. The story he leaves unfinished tells of three gifts sent to Canacee, daughter of King Cambuscan. Each of the gifts has magic powers: a ring that enables the bearer to talk to birds, a brass horse that will take its rider anywhere, and a mirror that shows the truth and the future. The ring enables Canacee to learn the story of a lovelorn hawk for the mate who has deserted her. The Yeoman The Yeoman, the Knight’s attendant, a forester who takes excellent care of his gear. He wears a St. Christopher medal on his breast. He does not tell a story. The Prioress The Prioress (Madame Eglentyn), who travels with another nun and three priests as her attendants to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury. A woman of conscience and sympathy, she wears a curious brooch on which appears the ambiguous statement, in Latin, “Love conquers all.” Her story is that of a schoolboy murdered for his religion by Jews. The child’s death is discovered by a miracle of Our Lady.

Like most of the stories told in the collection of tales, this one fits the personality of its narrator. The Second Nun The Second Nun, who accompanies the Prioress. She also tells a Christian legend, that of the martyrdom of St. Cecilia. The story is typical of medieval hagiography. The Nun’s Priest The Nun’s Priest, whose name is John. He tells the beast epic relating the adventures of the cock, Chauntecleer, and the fox. It is a didactic yet humorous story suitable for the Prioress’ father confessor. The Monk The Monk, a fat hedonist who prefers to be out of his cloister. No lover of books and learning, he prefers to hunt and eat. He cites tragedy as being the story of a man fallen from high degree and then offers many examples, including anecdotes of Lucifer, Adam, Samson, Hercules, Balthasar, Ugolino of Pisa, Julius Caesar, and Croesus. His lugubrious recital is interrupted by the Knight. The Friar The Friar, named Huberd. He is a merry chap who knows barmaids better than the sick.

Having the reputation of being the best beggar in his house, he appears to be a venal, worldly man. His story is a fabliau of a summoner who loses his soul to the devil. The story arouses the discomfiture of the Summoner in the group of pilgrims. The Merchant The Merchant, a tight-lipped man of business. Unhappily married, he tells a story of the evils of marriage between old men and young women. It relates how a superannuated husband named January is deceived by his young and hearty spouse named May. The Clerk of Oxford The Clerk of Oxford, a serious young scholar who heeds philosophy and prefers books to worldly pleasures. His tale is an answer to the Wife of Bath’s idea that in marriage the woman ought to have dominion. The Clerk’s tale is of an infinitely patient wife named Griselda who endures all manner of ill treatment from her husband. The Sergeant of Law The Sergeant of Law, a busy man who seems busier than he really is. He makes a great show of his learning, citing cases all the way back to William the Conqueror. The Franklin The Franklin, a rich landlord who loves to eat and keeps a ready table of dainties.

He has been sheriff of his county. His story is an old Breton lay, a tale of chivalry and the supernatural. He apologizes for his story and its telling, saying he is an uneducated man. The Haberdasher the Dyer, and the Tapestry Maker the Tapestry Maker, each a member of a guild and each rich and wise enough to be an alderman. None of them tells a story. The Cook The Cook, named Roger, who was hired by the master workmen to serve them during their journey. He is a rollicking fellow. Pleased by the bawdy tales of the Miller and the Reeve, he insists on telling a bawdy story of his own, one left unfinished. The Shipman The Shipman, the captain of theMaudelayne, of Dartmouth. He is a good skipper and a smuggler. Like others of the company, he tells a fabliau, a bawdy tale. He relates the misadventures of a merchant of St. Denis, in Belgium, who is cheated of his wife’s favors and his money by a sly monk named John.

The Doctor of Physick The Doctor of Physick, a materialistic man greatly interested in money. He knows all the great medical authorities, as well as his astrology, though he seldom reads the Bible. His story, which he attributes to Livy, is the old tale of Appius and Virginia. The Wife of Bath The Wife of Bath, named Alice, a clothmaker and five times a widow. Apparently wealthy from her marriages, she has traveled a great deal, including three trips to Jerusalem. She is well versed in marriage and lovemaking. Her theory is that the woman must dominate in marriage. To make her point, she tells a tale of a loathsome lady who, when her husband is obedient, becomes fair. The Parson The Parson, a poor but loyal churchman who teaches his parishioners by his good example. Refusing to tell an idle tale to his fellow pilgrims, he tells what he terms a merry tale about the Seven Deadly Sins. The Plowman The Plowman, an honest man, the Parson’s brother. He tells no tale. The Miller The Miller, a jolly, drunken reveler who leads the company playing on his bagpipes.

He tells a bawdy story about a carpenter named John who is cuckolded by his young wife, Alison, and her witty lover, Nicholas. The Reeve The Reeve, a slender, choleric man named Oswald. Having been a carpenter, he is incensed by the Miller’s tale. In retribution, he tells a story about a miller cuckolded by two lusty students who sleep with the miller’s wife and daughter. The Manciple The Manciple, an uneducated man who is shrewd enough to steal a great deal from the learned lawyers who hire him to look after their establishments. He relates the old folktale of the tattling bird. The Summoner The Summoner, a lecherous, drunken fellow who loves food and strong drink. Angered by the Friar’s tale about a summoner, he tells a tale about a friar who becomes the butt of coarse humor. The Pardoner The Pardoner, a womanish man with long, blond hair. He tells a tale of three young men who seek death and find it. His story is actually a sermon on the evils of unnatural love of money.

He follows up the sermon with an attempt to sell phony relics to his fellow pilgrims. Harry Bailey Harry Bailey, the host at the Tabard Inn in Southwark. He organizes the storytelling among the pilgrims, with the winner to have a meal at his fellows’ cost upon the company’s return. He is a natural leader, as his words and actions show. Geoffrey Chaucer Geoffrey Chaucer, the author, who put himself into his poem as a retiring, mild-mannered person. He tries to recite the Rime of Sir Thopas, a dreary tale that is interrupted as dull, whereupon he tells the story of Melibee and Dame Prudence. The Canon The Canon, a traveler who joins the pilgrims briefly on the road to Canterbury. He leaves when it is hinted that he is a cheating alchemist. The Canon’s Yeoman The Canon’s Yeoman, who remains with the pilgrim company and tells an anecdote about an alchemist, a canon like his master, who swindles a priest.

The Prologue The Prologue Bookmark this page Manage My Reading List Summary One spring day, the Narrator of The Canterbury Tales rents a room at the Tabard Inn before he recommences his journey to Canterbury. That evening, a group of people arrive at the inn, all of whom are also going to Canterbury to receive the blessings of "the holy blissful martyr," St. Thomas à Becket. Calling themselves "pilgrims" because of their destination, they accept the Narrator into their company. The Narrator describes his newfound traveling companions. The Host at the inn, Harry Bailey, suggests that, to make the trip to Canterbury pass more pleasantly, each member of the party tell two tales on the journey to Canterbury and two more tales on the journey back. The person who tells the best story will be rewarded with a sumptuous dinner paid for by the other members of the party. The Host decides to accompany the pilgrims to Canterbury and serve as the judge of the tales. Analysis The primary function of these opening lines is to provide a physical setting and the motivation for the Canterbury pilgrimage.

Chaucer's original plan, to have each pilgrim tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and two more on the way back, was never completed; we have tales only on the way to Canterbury. In The Prologue are portraits of all levels of English life. The order of the portraits is important because it provides a clue as to the social standing of the different occupations. The pilgrims presented first are representative of the highest social rank, with social rank descending with every new pilgrim introduced. Highest in the social rank are representatives of the aristocracy or those with pretensions toward nobility. First in this group are the Knight and his household, including the Squire. The second group within those of the highest social standing includes the Prioress, the Monk, and the Friar, who ought to be of the lower class, but who, as a pious beggar, has begged so well that his prosperity ironically slips him into the company of the nobles. Of these pilgrims, probably only the Knight and his son, the Squire, qualify as true aristocrats, both outwardly and inwardly. The "gentilesse" — refinement resulting from good breeding — of the Prioress and the Monk is largely external and affected.

Following this class are pilgrims whose high social rank is mainly derived from commercial wealth. Included in this group are the Merchant, who illegally made much of his money from selling French coins (a practice that was forbidden in England at the time); the Sergeant of Law, who made his fortune by using his knowledge as a lawyer to buy up foreclosed property for practically nothing; the Clerk, who belongs with this group of pilgrims because of his gentle manners and extensive knowledge of books; and the Franklin, who made enough money to become a country gentleman and is in a position to push for a noble station. (It is evident both from the relationship of the Franklin's portrait to that of the guildsmen, presented next, and from Harry Bailey's scornful remarks to him, however, that he is not yet of the noble class). The next class of pilgrims is the guildsmen, consisting of men who belong to something similar to specialized unions of craftsmen guilds. Among this group of specialized laborers are the Haberdasher, the Dyer, the Carpenter, the Weaver, and the Tapestry-Maker. None of them tell a tale. A middle-class group of pilgrims comprises the next lower position of social rank.

First presented in this group is the Cook, whom we might consider out of place — ranked too high — but who, as a master of his trade, is greatly respected by his fellow travelers. Also included in this social class are the Shipman, because of his immense knowledge of and travels throughout the world, and the Physician, a doctor of medicine (a career that was less revered in the Middle Ages than it is now). The Wife of Bath, who is the last of this group to be presented, is included in this group because of her knowledge and deportment and her many other pilgrimages. The Parson and the Plowman comprise the next group of pilgrims, the virtuous poor or lower class. Each, although very poor, represents all of the Christian virtues. The last group of pilgrims include those of the immoral lower class. Among this group of pilgrims are the Manciple, who profits from buying food for the lawyers in the Inns of Court, and the vulgar Miller, who steals from his customers. The Reeve tells dirty stories and cheats his trusting young master, and the corrupt Summoner takes bribes.

Last, and most corrupt in this litany of undesirables is the Pardoner, who sells false pardons and fake relics. The Canterbury Tales - The Manciple's Prologue and Tale The Manciple's Prologue and Tale The Canterbury Tales The Manciple's Prologue and Tale The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer The Manciple's Prologue and Tale Next, the Host tries to get the Cook to tell a tale, but the Cook has fallen into a drunken stupor on his horse. The Cook falls from his saddle, and the pilgrims stop and get him back into the saddle. Once they have the Cook in the saddle, the Manciple offers to tell a story. He builds upon a story about how the crow became black, a story which can be found in Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Like many of the stories, it initially appears to be a courtly romance. The protagonist of the story is a man named Phoebus, who is a great warrior, handsome, and kind. Phoebus is married to a wonderful woman, whom he treats well, but he is very jealous.

There is a white crow in Phoebus’s household that can repeat words that it has heard. The white crow reveals to Phoebus that his wife has a lover. Phoebus kills his wife. However, when he calms down, he is distressed by the sight of his dead wife’s body and blames the crow. He plucks all of the white feathers from the crow and replaces them with black ones, renders the crow mostly mute, and then ejects the crow from his household. According to the Manciple, the moral of the story is that people should restrain their tongues and not repeat scandals. ...General Prologue At the Tabard Inn, a tavern in Southwark, near London, the... 10 Pages July 2013 ...﻿The Canterbury Tales Comparative Essay Task: You are to write a... 12 Pages October 2013 ...Canterbury Tales The Journey Begins….. Chaucer uses a religious... 3 Pages February 2014 ...CANTERBURY TALES ESSAY The Canterbury... 2 Pages November 2001 ... The Pardoner. "The Pardoner's Tale" is one of The Canterbury... 3 Pages September 2013

Question: Wife of Bath, Manciple, Man of Law and Nun’s Priest are all stories in which collection?
Answer: The Canterbury Tales