Canterbury Tales Pilgrims

1)  Knight: worthy man, chivalrous, truth, honor, freedom, fought a lot of battles, always won for his lord, gentleman, dresses plain

  1. “in 15 noble battles he had been”

2)  Squire: Knight’s son, 20 years old, curly hair, well dressed (fresh cut flowers), always singing/fluting/writing, curteous, humble too

  1. “he was as fresh as the month of May”

3)  Yeoman: Green coat, peacock arrows and bow, cropped hair, tanned face, sword and dagger, a woodsman/forester, wore a Christopher necklace, carries a lot of equpment

  1. “a jaunty dirk, spear shark and well-equipped”

4)  Prioress/Nun (Madame Eglentine): sang services, went to school to learn French and table manners, ate meat, counterfeit of a noble, charitable, pities, bigger but pretty, wears a broach that says “Love conquers all”

  1. “she used to weep if she saw a mouse”

b.  came with another nun and 3 priests

5)  Monk: loved hunting, had many horses, followed new ideas/not old church ones, didn’t study or labor for the church, expensive dogs, wore expensive fur, bald and fat, loved Swan for meal

  1. “Hunters are not holy men”

6)  Friar (Hubert): begged for money, big on gossip, knew all the women, taverns, barmaids of the town better than the sick/poor/lepers, accepted bribes, good at begging – could get a women with no shoes to donate,

  1. “had a special license from the pope”

7)  Merchant: expert in currency and change, dressed well, wore a beavers hat, pompous and only spoke of winning, none knew if he was in debt

  1. “none knew he was in debt”

8)  Clerk/Oxford Student: really skinny, student of moral virtue and logic, spoke little but deeply/intelligently, respected, cared more about his studies than anything else

  1. “His only care was study”

9)  Sergeant at Law/Lawyer: well respected, wise, discreet, memorized every statute and could write an unbreakable document, busy but not as much as he seemed, rich

  1. “had won him many a robe and fee”

10) Franklin: white beard, “live life of pleasure,” minor nobility/wealthy landowner, always had lots of food around

  1. “he was a model among landed gentry”

11) Guildsman (Haberdasher/Dyer/Carpenter/Weaver/Carpet Maker): Fraternity, dressed alike, enough money to be in guild, weapons of silver, good church goers, wives are social climbers

16) Cook: great cook, awful sore on his leg

  1. “that he should have an ulcer upon his knee”

17) Shipman/Skipper: man of the sea, from the far west, dagger around his neck, no conscience (stole man’s wine while sleeping), lots of adventures, boat’s name is Maudelayne

  1. “the barge he owned was called The Maudelayne”

18) Doctor of Medicine: doctor but more concerned with astronomy, star alignment and magic to heal, rarely consults God, friend with the Apothecarist = $

  1. “by his Natural magic”

19) Wife of Bath: a little deaf, makes clot, heavy scarf on head, red hose, new shoes, had 5 husbands, lots of pilgrimages before, big butt and gap toothed, knows about love

  1. “she had gap-teeth, set widely, truth to say”

20) Parson: brother with plowman, rich in holy thought and work, helped whoever he could, set good example for all to follow (even his sheep),

  1. “this noble example to his sheep he gave”

21) Plowman: brother with parson, hard/honest worker, God loved him, paid all his taxes, treated neighbors good

  1. “to thrash his corn, to dig or to maure”

22) Miller: thick, broad, stout, loved to wrestle, knock doors off hinges or with his head, big nose with a hairy wart, hair from his ears, red beard, drunk/obnoxious

  1. “he could heave any door off hinge and post”

23) Manciple: buyers should watch as an example, wise buyer/always ahead of the game, illiterate fellow yet smarter than most,

  1. “all versed in the abstruest legal knowledge”

24) Reeve: short hair like a priest, clean shaven, slender, sly, knows everyone’s tricks so can’t be cheated, cheats others, steals from them and gives a gifts, horse named Scot

  1. “just like a priest in front, his legs were lean”

25) Summoner: leper, full of scabs and pimples, scares kids, speaks Latin when he’s drunk but doesn’t know any, brings people to court, knows young women, rode with the Pardoner

  1. “children were afraid when he appeared”

26) Pardoner: rode with the Summoner, yellow stringy hair, shoulder length, small voice/no beard, fake religious charms/relics, tricks people into buying them, great preacher

  1. “brimful of pardons come from Rome all hot”

27) Host (Harry Bailey(: gives welcome, overseer of service in a palace, agrees to host, idea of all telling stories on the trip

  1. “and fit to be marshall in the hall”