The Canterbury Tales Central Characters Flashcards
The first pilgrim Chaucer describes in the General Prologue and the teller of the first tale. Brave, experienced, and prudent, the narrator greatly admires him.
The Knight
A nun who heads a convent. Described as modest and quiet, aspires to have exquisite taste. Her table manners are dainty, she knows French, she dresses well, and she is charitable and compassionate.
The Prioress
Devotion is to hunting and eating. He is large, loud, and well clad in hunting boots and furs.
The Monk
Roaming priest, always ready to befriend young women or rich men. Has taken to accepting bribes.
The Friar
He is studious and spends all his money on books. He is antisocial. 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 Oxford-Cleric
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 Man of Law
An “expert on marriage”, practiced in the art of love. Loves marriage, sex, rich attire, talk, and arguing. Deaf in one ear and has gaped front teeth.
The Wife of Bath
Stout and brawny, with a wart on his nose and a big mouth, both literally and figuratively. He drunkenly insists on telling the second tale. His tale is somewhat blasphemous, ridiculing religious and scholarly clerks, carpenters, and women.
The Miller
A clever fellow. Despite his lack of education, he is smarter than the 30 lawyers he feeds.
The Manciple
The only devout churchman in the company. Lives in poverty but is rich in holy thoughts and deeds.
The Parson
Rides in the very back of the party and is fittingly the most marginalized character in the company. His profession is somewhat dubious. Pockets the penitents’ charitable donations. Highly untrustworthy character. Carries freshly signed papal indulgences and a sack of false relics, including a glass jar full of pig’s bones, which he passes off as saints’ relics.
The Pardoner
An official who brings persons accused of violating Church law to ecclesiastical court. 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 Summoner
The leader of the group. Large, loud, and merry though he possesses a quick temper. He mediates and facilitates the flow of the pilgrims’ tales.
The Host
