Chaucer

Question 1

prologue

Answer 1

The Canterbury Tales begin with the narrator stopping at an inn on his way to Canterbury. That night, a group of pilgrims also on their way to Canterbury arrive at the inn. The narrator then describes each person. The host at the inn suggests that to make the journey more pleasant, each member should tell two tales on the journey to Canterbury, and two tales on the journey back. The person who told the best tale would be rewarded with a nice dinner paid by the other members of the party. Everyone in the party agrees to this. The host decides to accompany them to serve as the judge.

Question 2

knight

Answer 2

Tells the first of the stories in the Canterbury Tales. The Knight has five ideals: chivalry, truth, honor, freedom, courtesy and has a long impressive military history, fighting in the crusades. He is kind and gentle in manner, wanting to hear nice lighthearted stories, instead of ones of tragic falls. The Knight also intervenes when the Host and the Pardoner exchange words, wanting to stop the conflict.

Question 3

theseus (chaucer)

Answer 3

is featured in the Knight’s Tale. He is the duke of Athens and married to Hippolyta. After successfully invading Scythia, Theseus returns home with Hippolyta and her sister Emily. On their way, they meet a group of crying women who tell him that Creon refuses to give their husbands a proper burial and ask that Theseus takes vengeance on Creon. Theseus agrees, heads to Thebes, and conquers. Theseus returns the women’s husbands’ bones and captures two prisoners of war, Palamon and Arcite. Theseus locks Palamon and Arcite in a tower. Later, as Palamon and Arcite fight over Emily, Theseus discovers them and breaks up the fight. He wants to have the two men put to death, but he changes his mind and instead asks them to each get 100 knights and fight over Emily in a year. When Arcite dies, Theseus arranges a fancy funeral for him and recommends for Palamon to marry Emily.

Question 4

Hippolyta (Chaucer)

Answer 4

Theseus won her as a wife in battle. Arcite and Palamon duel and Theseus orders them to stop and threatens to put them to death. Hippolyta and her sister Emily beg for mercy and Theseus reconsiders.

Question 5

palamon

Answer 5

a character from the Knight’s Tale. He is a young, rather dramatic knight who is imprisoned with his cousin Arcite in Athens by the duke, Theseus. One day, Palamon wakes to see the beautiful Emily, the sister of Theseus’s late wife, in the courtyard through the window and falls in love with her. Unfortunately, when Arcite sees her, he also falls in love, and the two men begin fighting over her. Arcite is later released from prison and returns in Athens in disguise as a servant to work for Emily. Palamon is not released, but escapes by drugging the jailer and running away. When Palamon sees Arcite, they begin to duel over Emily. However, Theseus arrives and stops the fight, deciding to give each of them one year to assemble 100 men for a jousting tournament. The winner of the tournament will win Emily’s hand in marriage. Emily, not wanting to marry either of them, prays to Goddess Diana for the one who truly loves her to win, Palamon prays to Venus to marry Emily and Arcite prays to Mars to win the joust. In the end, although Arcite wins the joust after wounding Palamon, he is thrown from his horse. In his final moments, Arcite gives Emily to Palamon, claiming he will be a good husband. Palamon marries Emily, and somehow, everything that the three prayed for is fulfilled.

Question 6

arcita

Answer 6

brother to Palamon
also imprisoned in the tower in the knight’s tale
falls in love with Emily
gets out of the tower before Palamon
Wins Emily’s hand in the tournament
dies because the god creates a earthquake to throw him off his horse

Question 7

emily

Answer 7

sister in law to Theseus. Palamon and Arcite are prisoners of Theseus, and both fall in love with Emily. Arcite leaves prison, and works his way up to be a servant for Theseus. He encounters Palamon again, and the two fight. Theseus sets up a battle for Emily’s hand in marriage. The day of the battle Emily prays to Diana asking her if she does not wed, and if she does to the man who loves her most. Arcite wins the battle, but dies. Palamon and Emily then get married.

Question 8

physician tale

Answer 8

blank

Question 9

appius

Answer 9

A judge in the town that Virginia lives in. She is beautiful and he demands to have her. He then sends Claudius to go capture the girl. In Appias’ court Claudius says that Virginia belongs to him and that Virginius stole her when she was young. Appuis demands her. She chooses to have her father kill her. The father returns the head of his daughter to judge Appias and he charges Virginius with murder. The people rally behind Virginius though once they figure out Appuis was lying. They throw him in jail and exile Claudius.

Question 10

claudius

Answer 10

When the judge, Appius, falls madly in love with the beautiful daughter of Virginius, Virginia, he sends for the most famous guard, Claudius, to capture the girl at any cost. While in court, Claudius accuses Virginius of stealing Virginia, whom he claims was a servant girl in his house many years ago and that he is now pretending she is his daughter. Before Virginius has a chance to defend himself, the greedy judge demands that the girl must be brought to the courtroom. When Virginius goes to get his daughter, he tells her she must accept death or be shamed at the hands of Apius and Claudius. She decides that she wants to die a virgin and her father kills her. Claudius is ultimately sentenced to death but pleads mercy and asks for exile instead.

Question 11

virginius

Answer 11

A rich, amiable knight has one daughter named Virginia who is beautiful beyond compare, gets called to Appius’ court by Claudius (who is actually working for Appius because Appius wants Virginia) and is accused of stealing a servant (Virginia) who rightfully belongs to Claudius; Claudius claims that Virginia is not actually his daughter, with her daughter’s consent, he kills her by cutting her head off to avoid becoming Claudius’ slave and giving herself over to the lustful Appius; hands over Virginia’s head and is then exiled by Appius’ court

Question 12

virginia

Answer 12

blank

Question 13

The miller’s tale

Answer 13

The Miller’s Tale is about a carpenter (John), his beautiful wife (Alison), and two students. John rents a room in his house out to one student (Nicholas). When John is away one day, Nicholas convinces Alison to sleep with him. Also, Absolon, a student at the church, is in love with Alison, but she isn’t interested in him. Alison and Nicholas hatch a scheme so they will be able to sleep together. Nicholas convinces John that God is about to send another flood like Noah’s, and that the only way they will survive is by hanging buckets from the attic ceiling, and sleeping in them. When the waters rises, they will cut the ropes and float away. John climbs into his bucket, not realizing that Nicholas and Alison are spending the night in John’s bed. That night, Absolon comes along and begs for a kiss, and she sticks her butt out the window, and he kisses it. Angry, Absolon gets a hot poker and comes back. This time, Nicholas sticks his butt out the window, and Absolon brands him with the poker. Nicholas cries “Water!” to ease the pain, and John thinks this is the flood, and cuts the rope attaching his bucket to the ceiling. He crashes onto the ground and is hurt. Nicholas and Alison tell the townspeople that gather at the racket that he has gone mad, and they mock him.

Question 14

nicolas the gallant

Answer 14

From the Miller’s Tale. He is a young scholar who lodges in John’s house. Soon he and Alison have an affair. He says that the three of them need to sleep on top of the barn in bathtubs, because a new flood is coming. Instead, when John falls asleep, Nicholas and Alison climb out of the bath and spend the night together. He gets poked by Absalom as revenge for Alison sticking her butt out instead of kissing him. This wakes John, who crashes down and wakes the neighbors. Nicholas and Alison convince the neighbors John is crazy, getting away with their affair.

Question 15

the carpenter

Answer 15

) is featured in the Miller’s Tale. He is married to Alison, who is much younger than him, and rents a room out to Nicholas. One day, when John goes to town, Alison and Nicholas have an affair. Later, Nicholas and Alison decide that they want to spend the night together, so Nicholas tricks John. Nicholas convinces John that another great flood is coming, and that in order to save themselves, they need to tie tubs to the ceiling and cut the ropes away when the water comes. John climbs into his tub and waits. When Nicholas gets burnt by a hot poker and cries for water, John wakes up and cuts his ropes because he thinks that the flood is coming. He crashes to the floor and everyone thinks he’s crazy.

Question 16

alison

Answer 16

She is 18 and married to a carpenter named John. They lived with Nicholas. When John leaves Nicholas and Alison start flirting and eventually she agrees to sleep with him. A clerk also is in love with Alison but she loves Nicholas. He tells her to tell John that he is sick so that they can spend the night together. Nicholas tells John that a flood is coming so they all decide to sleep in bathtubs to survive. After John falls asleep Nicholas and Alison climb down and sleep together again. John tells everyone about the predicted flood but Alison and Nicholas play dumb and pretend he’s gone mad.

Question 17

absalon

Answer 17

a character from the Miller’s Tale. A fussy man of the church who is in love with the young and beautiful Alison, the wife of the Carpenter. Absalon confesses his love for Alison by serenading her outside her bedroom window, but she just finds him annoying. One night, as Alison is having an affair with her lover, Nicholas, Absalon comes to her window and asks for a kiss. As a joke, Alison sticks her butt out the window and tricks Absalon into kissing it and laughs. Enraged, Absalon goes to get a hot poker and returns to the window, promising to give her a golden ring in exchange for another kiss. This time, Nicholas sticks his butt out the window, and he is burned with Absalon’s poker. Needless to say, Absalon does not get Alison.

Question 18

reeve

Answer 18

is like a steward of a manor
steals from his master
but makes sure the other servants don’t steal from the master

Question 19

simpkin

Answer 19

A bellicose miller who steals corn from the Cambridge College. He has a wife, and a daughter. John and Alan try to catch Simpkin’s act, but he lets their horse loose causing them to get distracted. He allows the two students to stay in his home for the night. After confusion during the night the Alan and John slept with the miller’s wife and daughter. Simpkin finds out Alan slept with his daughter and attacks him. His wife tries to help, but hits her husband over the head after mistaking him for Alan. The two students then proceed to gang up on Simpkin and run off with the cake (made from their corn).

Question 20

pardoner’s tale

Answer 20

BLANK

Question 21

death

Answer 21

The three friends mentioned below decide that they are going to kill death. Literally just read the one below this.

Question 22

“three friends”

Answer 22

In The Pardoner’s Tale, three friends start off the tale sitting in an inn drinking far more than they should and swearing things that they should not be swearing. When they pass by a coffin, they ask who has died and a servant informs that the man who died was a friend of his who was stabbed in the back by a thief named Death. The three friends who are fearless decide that Death may be in the next town and that they are going to try and slay him. On the way there, they meet an old man who tells them he must meet someone who is willing to exchange youth for old age. He says that not even Death will take his life so the three friends immediately ask him if he knows where Death can be found. He directs them to a tree where they find gold which they decide to keep. They decide to wait till night to actually take the money and draw straws to see which one of them will have to go into the town to get wine and food. The youngest of the three friends draws the shortest straw, and when he leaves, the other two decide to make a plan to kill him when he returns and split his share of the money. The youngest, however, also wants the money to himself so he buys poison and puts it in the wine he is bringing back for the two others. When he returns they stab him and then drink the wine so ironically enough all three of the friends end up finding Death.

Question 23

John

Answer 23

Wife of Bath’s fifth husband; a scholar who is younger than any of her past husbands; met her while her fourth husband is away; catches Wife of Bath’s eye again while he is carrying her fourth husband’s casket at his funeral (damn she bounces back fast); they get married and he becomes an abusive husband, which the Wife of Bath is not used to; has a “book of wicked wives” that he reads to Alice until she rips out three pages and he hits her on the side of her head (causing her to go deaf in that ear); apologizes and promises to be a good husband if she is a good wife; he burns the book

Question 24

Alan

Answer 24

BLANK

Question 25

Shipman

Answer 25

About a rich merchant with a beautiful wife. A monk, sir John, is very close friends with the merchant. One day, while visiting, the wife tells sir John that she is neglected, and he agrees to lend her 100 francs, so she can buy clothes. He then confesses his love to her, and they kiss. Later that night, Sir John asks the merchant for 100 francs, so he can buy cattle, and the merchant gives him the money. The next day, the merchant leaves on a trip, and Sir John returns to their house with the money, gives it to the wife, and they sleep with each other. Sometime later, the merchant stops by sir John’s abbey, and the monk tells him he repaid the 100 francs to the merchant’s wife. When the merchant gets home, he chides his wife for not telling him, and she tells him she used it to buy clothes, and she will sleep with him to make up for it. The end.

Question 26

merchant (shipman’s tale)

Answer 26

• a simple man whose wife does not love him. She enjoys buying expensive things and tricks the monk into giving her money in exchange for sleeping with him. However, the monk gets this money from the merchant, and when the merchant asks for his money back, the monk insists he gave it to his wife. When the merchant asks his wife, the wife says she spent it thinking it was okay and to make up for it, she sleeps with him. The merchant is easily duped and convinced.

Question 27

merchant’s wife

Answer 27

is a terrible wife who inspires the merchant to tell his story about a deceitful woman named May. The merchant is miserable and claims that it’s because of his wife. The merchant’s wife gives the merchant a negative impression of women.

Question 28

sir john the monk

Answer 28

is invited to spend a few days in the merchant’s home. He talks with the merchant’s wife who asks him for money to buy clothes. He kisses her and professes his love for her. He asks the merchant for money to buy cattle and gives it to the wife in exchange for her spending the night in bed with him. He returns to find his wife in grief.

Question 29

squire

Answer 29

After the merchant’s tale concludes, the guests ask the squire to tell a tale about love since he knows so much about it. He begins to tell the story of a king named Cambuskan who has two sons and a beautiful daughter, Canace. Cambuskan throws a great party in celebration of having ruled the kingdom for 20 years. A Knight of Araby shows up to the party and presents gifts to Cambuskan from his king. Among these gifts was a magical ring, which he gives to Canace, that gives her the power to talk to any living creature. One day, Canace hears a lady flacon crying in grief after being abandoned by the love of her life. Weak form flying all over the world, the falcon suddenly faints and Canace catches her and nurses her back to health. Though the squire has many other stories, possibly involving the other gifts from the knight, he is interrupted by the Franklin as he begins his tale.

Question 30

canace

Answer 30

daughter of Cambushkan
youngest among her two older bothers
her father gives her the ring he received from a knight
the ring grants the power to speak the language of any living thing
she hears a lady falcon crying one morning and learns that she had been wooed and abandoned by a young falcon
she helps nurse the lady falcon back to health

Question 31

wife of bath tale

Answer 31

: the tale that the Wife of Bath tells us is about a lustrous knight who forces a girl to sleep with him. This enrages King Arthur’s people, and they demand for his death. The Queen intervenes, and allows him to live for one year to find what women truly desire. The knight meets an old lady, who is the only one willing to help him out, but only if the knight agrees to marry her. On their wedding night, the old woman asks the knight if he would rather have a beautiful and unfaithful wife or an ugly and faithful wife. The knight says the choice is hers, so the old woman rewards him by turning into a beautiful woman who will also be faithful. The two live happily together.
Goes by Alice. She is a woman who has had multiple marriages. In her prologue we learn the she has been married five times, and that she has had control in the relationship each time. She believes the only way for a relationship to be successful is if the woman is in control.

Question 32

knight/queen

Answer 32

BLANK

Question 33

merchant (merchant’s tale)

Answer 33

opens with his prologue complaining about marriage. Says its the worst thing ever and tells people not to get married. Then he starts his tale about a knight and his marriage/love.

Question 34

January

Answer 34

January is a wealthy, elderly knight who decides he wants to get married. He wishes to do so because he wants to fulfill the deed of man and woman uniting and he wants to have a son that can inherit his belongings. January’s two friends are really of no help to him as one of them warns him of the unfaithfulness of women and the other says that choosing a wife is a decision that only January himself can make. After careful thought, January chooses a beautiful, young girl named May. One of January’s attendants named Damian falls madly in love with May and through notes she tells him that she is also in love with him. When January suddenly goes blind, he asks that May always be by his side and she uses this to try and trick him. She pretends that she has extreme lust for a pear at the top of the tree when really she just wants January’s help in getting into the tree where Damian is waiting. Suddenly, with the interference of the gods, January’s sight is restored and he is outraged that his wife is having intercourse with Damian. In a twist of events, May is able to convince January that when you first get your sight back you see things that aren’t really true and because he loves her so much he believes her.

Question 35

Placebo

Answer 35

one of the knight’s close friends; supports knight in whatever decision he makes, whether it is to marry or not marry;

Question 36

Justinius

Answer 36

BLANK

Question 37

May and Damian

Answer 37

The merchant hates his wife, and after 2 months of marriage, is in agony. A wealthy, elderly knight (January) decides to marry, and marries a beautiful girl named May. One of his attendants, Damian, is also in love with May, so much so that he becomes physically ill. January feels bad for him, and sends his wife and other women to comfort him, and Damian slips May a note, where he expresses his love for her, and she says she loves him back. Then January is blinded, and he says May must remain with him at all times, she can go nowhere unless she holds his hand. However, May gives Damian a copy of the key to January’s secret garden, and he hides in a tree. Meanwhile, the gods Pluto and his wife Proserpina, discuss the situation and decide to take action. Pluto will give January his sight back because he says women are deceitful, and Proserpina says she will give May an excuse, because men are lecherous. May then goes into the garden with January, and says she wants a pear. She stands on his back, has sex with Damian, who is in the tree, while standing on January’s back. Miraculously, January’s sight is restored, and he sees what is going on, and flips out. However, May tells him that when you first get your sight back, you see strange things, and he forgives her.

Question 38

Franklin

Answer 38

a gentry landowner, apart of the nobility. He is generously hospitable, always sharing food and making room for his guests. Known as “Saint Julian” in his area (the patron of hospitality). He tells the story of Arveragus who goes away on a trip and his wife, Dorigen and Aurelius have an affair.

Question 39

Dorigen

Answer 39

is featured in the Franklin’s Tale. She marries the knight Arveragus. Shortly after their wedding, Arveragus goes to England for 2 years and Dorigen is very upset and constantly worries about her husband. One day, Dorigen agrees to go to a dance and meets Aurelius, who has secretly been in love with Dorigen for 2 years. Dorigen jokingly says that she’ll marry him if he can remove all the rocks from the coast. 2 years later, Aurelius’ brother tells him about a magician. Aurelius goes to the magician and promises to pay him 1,000 pounds if he can remove the rocks from the coast. The magician does and Dorigen, horrified, tells her husband and her husband tells her she should keep her promise. Dorigen tries to give herself to Aurelius, but Aurelius gives Dorigen back to Arveragus after seeing how noble he is.

Question 40

Arveragus

Answer 40

He is a knight. He marries a young maiden, Dorigen. After the wedding he goes to England and is gone for 2 years. After finding out Dorigen promised to marry Aurelius if he removes all the rocks from the coast, he tells Dorigen that she must keep his promise.

Question 41

Aurelius

Answer 41

a character from the Franklin’s Tale. Aurelius is a young, wealthy and very handsome man who is in love with Dorigen, the beautiful young wife of a wealthy knight named Arveragus. When Arveragus has to leave for England for a few years, Dorigen weeps as she grieves over his absence. She often goes to the shore to look out at the rocks, worried that Arveragus won’t get home safely. Aurelius confesses his love for Dorigen, who promises her love in return if he removes all of the rocks from the coast. Convinced that Dorigen’s request is impossible, Aurelius returns home and falls ill. His brother then tells him of a student who is also a practiced magician and Aurelius goes to see him. The magician agrees to remove the rocks in exchange for 1,000 pounds. When Dorigen, who only made her promise to Aurelius because she never thought it was possible, finds out what Aurelius had done, she weeps and contemplates suicide. When Arveragus returns, she is forced to tell him what happened, and he tells her to go to Aurelius so that she can fulfill her promise. However, when Aurelius sees what Arveragus has done, he sends Dorigen back to her husband. When Aurelius goes to pay back his debt, he realizes he doesn’t have enough money (only about half). Fortunately for him, after hearing what Aurelius did, the magician forgives Aurelius’s debt.