Canterbury Tales Flashcards
Story that teaches a lesson about good and evil
Moral Tale
Has a goat-like voice, collects money to absolve people of their sins, carries a bunch of fake relics
The Pardoner
When the audience knows something that the characters do not
Dramatic Irony
Number of stories Chaucer intended to write in The Canterbury Tales
120
A story within a story
Frame story
When someone says something but means the opposite
Verbal irony
This character was married and widowed five times
The Wife of Bath
In “The Pardoner’s Tale,” 3 men set out to find…
death
What happens to the 3 rioters in “The Pardoner’s Tale”?
Two of them stab one man to death and then drink the poison he was intending to use to kill them.
The old man in “The Pardoner’s Tale” represents…
Death personified
Personification is
when human attributes are given to nonhuman objects
The knight in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is guilty of
raping a woman
The knight in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is going to be beheaded unless he can find out
what women really want
The Wife of Bath shows her dislike for the Catholic Church at the beginning of her story when she talks about
friars breaking their vows of chastity and attacking women.
The Wife of Bath is deaf because
she was severely beaten by one of her husbands
The pilgrims mentioned in the General Prologue are going on a pilgrimage to
Canterbury to honor Thomas Becket
The most honorable of all of the pilgrims is
The Plowman
What are the terms of the contest involving the pilgrims?
They will all tell 4 stories total (2 on the way to Canterbury and 2 back). Whoever tells the story with the best moral and entertainment value will win dinner and wine provided by the rest of the group.
What is the penalty for not participating in the contest?
Anyone not participating will have to pay for other’s travel expenses
The Wife of Bath ends her story by hoping that God will send to all women husband who are
young and meek towards their wives or who will otherwise die quickly
The message of “The Pardoner’s Tale” is
“The love of money is the root of all evil.”
What does the Pardoner do after telling his tale?
Try to convince people to pay him money to absolve them of their sins.
Why is the Wife of Bath so knowledgeable about the Bible and other religious literature?
One of her husbands used to quote it while beating her.
Cheats people out of grain
The Miller
