Prologue to “The Canterbury Tales” by Geoffrey Chaucer

THEME • Church Corruption

• Social Satire The Catholic Church was an

enormously powerful force in medieval
The General Prologue to The
society, and extremely wealthy. The
Canterbury Tales is an estates satire. In the
elaborate, ornate, gilded cathedrals built to
Host’s portraits of the pilgrims, he sets out
enshrine saints’ relics were very costly, and
the functions of each estate and satirizes
the Church also collected regular tithes
how members of the estates – particularly
from its members.
those of the Church – fail to meet their
duties. • Writing and Authorship

• Competition Chaucer is considered to be the

father of English poetry. Even though the
The premise of The Canterbury Tales
premise of the Tales is that they unfold
is a tale-telling competition between
organically throughout the course of the
pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. In the
pilgrimage to Canterbury, Chaucer is highly
General Prologue, the Host introduces the
conscious of the fact that he is conducting a
structure: each pilgrim will tell two tales on
literary project with readers as well as
the way to Canterbury and two on the way
listeners.
home. Many of the tales that the pilgrims
tell are about competition. CHARACTERS

• Courtly Love and Sexual Desire
Courtly love is the medieval concept
of expressing admiration and love in a
noble, chivalrous fashion. This type of love
exists outside marriage: true courtly love
exists on a spiritual, idealized plane, and
does not need to be physically
consummated.
• Friendship and Company
Friendship can be seen on two scales
throughout the Tales: the brotherly
connection between two men, and the ties
that exist among members of a company.
1. Host (Harry Bailey) - the owner of
the Tabard Inn, who volunteers to
travel with the pilgrims. He promises
to keep everyone happy, be their
guide and arbiter in disputes, and
judge the tales.
2. Knight - the most prominent person
on the pilgrimage, epitomizing
chivalry, truth, and honor. He stands
apart from the other pilgrims
because of his dignity and status.
3. Squire - a vain, lusty young man and
a candidate for knighthood. He can
sing, write poetry, and ride a horse
 very well, and considers himself a
lady's man.
4. Yeoman - although not one of the
pilgrims, the Canon appears with his
servant (the Yeoman) but leaves
when his Yeoman begins a tale.
5. Nun - The Prioress (Madame
Eglantine). A very genteel lady who
is coy and delicate. She has precise
manners, eats as an aristocrat
would, and wears a gold brooch with
"Love conquers all" inscribed in
Latin.
6. 2nd Nun - a very devout nun who,
because she believes that idleness
leads to sin, begins her story
immediately.
7. 3 Priests
8. Monk - a man who tends the
property of the monastery. He is fat
and happy, loves good food and
wine, and finds the taverns more to
his liking than the cold, severe
monastery.
9. Friar (Hubert) - a sensual, licentious
man who seduces young girls and
then arranges their marriages. He
loves money and knows the taverns
better than the poor houses.
10. Merchant - a shrewd and intelligent
man who knows how to strike a
good bargain and is a member of the
rich rising middle class.
11. Oxford Cleric - a sincere, devout
student at Oxford University who
loves learning and is respected by all
the pilgrims. He is very poor because
he spends all his money on books.
12. Sergeant to the Law - a lawyer and
one of the high justices of the court.
He is cautious, suspicious, and wise,
and one of the more cultivated men
among the pilgrims.
13. Franklin - a large and wealthy
landowner who enjoys fine living
and good companionship.
14. Haberdasher
15. Dyer Member of a one guild
16. Carpenter fraternity and worthy
17. Weaver burggess. Wore new gear
with pure silver knives.
18. Carpet-maker
Clean and Trim.
19. Cook (Roger) - the Cook Known for
his cooking and characterized by a
chancre sore that runs with pus. His
story is incomplete.
20. Skipper - a huge, uncouth man who
can steer a ship but flounders on his
horse.
21. Doctor - a doctor who can speak
knowingly of medicines, drugs, and
humours, and who knows astrology
as well. He is fond of gold and makes
a lot of money during the plague
season.
22. Woman - The Wife of Bath (Alisoun).
Characterized as gat-toothed,
somewhat deaf, and wearing bright
scarlet red stockings. She has had
five husbands (the last half her age),
enjoys her freedom, and is openly
sensual.
23. Parson - a very poor but very holy
and virtuous religious man who tells
a highly moral tale. He gives his
scant money to his poor
parishioners and tries to live the
 perfect life and set an ideal for
others.
24. Plowman - a minor character in
Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury
Tale, who goes on a pilgrimage with
his brother, the Parson.
25. Miller - a drunken, brash, and vulgar
man who rudely interrupts the Host,
demands that his tale be next, and
warns everyone that his tale about a
carpenter will be vulgar because it is
true.
26. Manciple - the steward for a law
school. Although not as intelligent as
the law students, he is clever and
shrewd enough to be able to put
away some money for himself.
27. Reeve - a very old and irritable man
who was once a carpenter. He
resents the Miller's tale about a
stupid old carpenter.
28. Summoner - an officer of the church
who calls people for a church trial.
He is as ugly as his profession; he
frightens children with his red
complexion, pimples and boils, and
skin infected with scales.
29. Pardoner - the most complex of all
the pilgrims. He is an intellect and
uses advanced psychological means
to gain his objective. Although he is
not a good person, he can preach a
good sermon.
POINT OF VIEW
In the General Prologue, the
narrator speaks in the first person,
describing each of the pilgrims as they
appeared to him. Though narrated by
different pilgrims, each of the tales is told
from an omniscient third-person point of
view, providing the reader with the
thoughts as well as actions of the
characters.
SETTING
The Canterbury Tales were written in the
Medieval Period in England.
Chronological: The late 14th century after
1381
Physical: The Tabard Inn, the road to
Canterbury
PLOT
At the Tabard Inn, a tavern in
Southwark, near London, the narrator joins
a company of twenty-nine pilgrims. The
pilgrims, like the narrator, are traveling to
the shrine of the martyr Saint Thomas
Becket in Canterbury. The narrator gives a
descriptive account of twenty-seven of
these pilgrims, including a Knight, Squire,
Yeoman, Prioress, Monk, Friar, Merchant,
Clerk, Man of Law, Franklin, Haberdasher,
Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, Tapestry-Weaver
(Upholster or Curtain Sewer), Cook,
Shipman, Physician, Wife, Parson, Plowman,
Miller, Manciple (Steward), Reeve,
Summoner, Pardoner, and Host. (He does
not describe the Second Nun or the Nun’s
Priest, although both characters appear
later in the book.)
 The Host, whose name, we find out
in the Prologue to the Cook’s Tale, is Harry
Bailey, suggests that the group ride
together and entertain one another with
stories. He decides that each pilgrim will tell
two stories on the way to Canterbury and
two on the way back. Whomever he judges
to be the best storyteller will receive a meal
at Bailey’s tavern, courtesy of the other
pilgrims. The pilgrims draw lots and
determine that the Knight will tell the first
tale.
CONFLICT
The struggles between characters,
manifested in the links between tales,
mostly involve clashes between social
classes, differing tastes, and competing
professions. There are also clashes between
the sexes, and there is resistance to the
Host’s somewhat tyrannical leadership.
SYMBOLS
• Springtime
Springtime symbolizes a rebirth and
a fresh beginning. This can be appropriately
found at the beginning of Chaucer's work.
Springtime also represents erotic love. This
can be seen when Palamon sees
Emelye gathering flowers in honor of May.
The squire is also a part of this symbolism.
His devotion to courtly love can be
compared to the freshness found during the
month of May.
• Clothing
In the General Prologue, Chaucer
uses clothing to define each character. It
seems that each character's clothing
represents their personality. For example,
the Physician's love of wealth is evidenced
by his silk and fur gown. The Squire's vanity
and shown through the floral brocade and
the Merchant's forked beard could
symbolize his duplicity. The Wife of Bath's
red stockings symbolize her lustful nature
and her large hat shows her love of fashion
and luxury. The clothing of the pilgrims can
symbolize their possession or lack of wealth
in how extravagant or simple it is.
• Physiognomy
Physiognomy was a science that
judged a person's character based on his or
her anatomy. This plays a significant role in
the descriptions of the pilgrims. The
exaggerated facial features are those of the
peasants. The Miller represents
a stereotypical peasant with his round and
ruddy face with a wart on his nose. The
Miller looks rough and therefore is made to
do rough work. Similar to this, the
Pardoner's glaring eyes and limp fair
illustrate his fraudulence.