Canterbury Tales, Characters

Knight: Extremely respected because he's ridden everywhere fighting battles. Follows the code of chivalry to the letter.
1. "Truth, honor, generousness, and courtesy" (pg. 4)
2. "He was a true, a perfect gentle-knight" (pg. 5)
Chaucer respects this character a great deal. Chaucer thinks the Knight is noble and good, that he does what he's supposed to. He gets the job done and isn't too "know-it-all" for Chaucer's liking; the Knight is a working man.


Squire: Young and happy, not taking anything too seriously. He dresses nicely and owns fine things mostly because he really likes the ladies.
1. "Singing he was, or fluting all day" (pg. 5)
2. "He loved so hotly that till dawn grew pale, he slept as a little as a nightingale" (pg. 5)
Chaucer also likes this character, though tries to make it obvious that the Knight does not. Even though this character doesn't care too much about being a knight, Chaucer respects him because he wants to please his father. He also likes him because he's merry all the time and has fun talents like singing, writing, jousting, and riding.

Yeoman: Extremely well dressed, maybe too much so for his position. A master of the lands and hunting.
1. "And in his hand he bore a mighty bow" (pg. 6)
2. "He was a proper forester, I guess" (pg. 6)
I don't think Chaucer likes this character. He can't really read the Yeoman, doesn't really know what he's all about. The Yeoman doesn't seem to work very hard but still has a sense of self-importance and power. He is trying to be above his station and I don't think Chaucer likes that very much.

Prioress: She is extremely proper because she's a nun but wants to be a member of the court. She seems to be compassionate because she cries over mice.
1. "For courtliness she had a special zest" (pg. 6)
2. "She used to weep if she saw but a mouse" (pg. 7)
Chaucer respects her attempts to be proper, though I don't know if he really likes her all that well.

Monk: This monk mostly ignores what he's supposed to do at the church because he doesn't like it there. He likes to go hunting and riding instead.
1. "Hunting was his sport" (pg. 7)
2. "He had a wrought-gold cunningly fashioned pin" (pg. 8)
Chaucer likes him because though he doesn't really get his job done, he knows how to have fun. He doesn't spend all day doing boring things, but does what he likes to do. I don't think Chaucer respects him though.

Friar: He is a horrible friar. He accepts money for everything, and from everyone. He gets girls pregnant then marries them off.
1. "He'd fixed up many a marriage, giving each of his young women what he could afford her" (pg 8)
2. "His neck was whiter than a lily flower" (pg. 9)
Chaucer doesn't like the friar because he is a horrible human being. He treats people poorly, even the lepers and the people he's supposed to be helping. He just uses people for his own pleasure and then discards them. I think Chaucer hates him.

Merchant: He thinks highly of himself and though he's in debt, he likes people to think he's well off. We never learn his name, which is kind of sketchy so it leads me to believe he's doing something bad.
1. "He was an expert at dabbling in exchanges" (pg. 10)
2. "He set his wits to work, none knew he was in debt" (pg. 10)
Despite there obviously being something off about this character, Chaucer likes him. I think they may have some sort of friendship because Chaucer is the only one who knows the merchant is in debt. Chaucer likes him because what he does, he does well.

Clerk: He is unemployed, his clothes are threadbare, and he and his horse are starving because he spends all his money on books.
1. "An Oxford cleric, still a student though" (pg. 10)
2. "The thread upon his overcoat was bare" (pg. 11)
Chaucer really, really does not like this guy at all. Chaucer thinks the clerk is too caught up in his learning, that he thinks too much of himself. He is looked down upon because he's unemployed even though he could get a good job. Chaucer thinks he is a bum (which is correct) and that he should get off his butt and do something besides read.

Sergeant-at-law: He is a wise and fair judge, and is said to have made good decisions his whole career. He dresses nicely, but not too nicely. He is just an overall good guy.
1. "Wary and wise, for clients at St. Paul's" (pg. 11)
2. "He knew every statute off by rote" (pg. 12)
Chaucer respects this man's position, and that he does what he's supposed to. Chaucer likes that he doesn't try to be better than everyone.

Franklin: Extremely well-off. Controls his lands well. Likes to have parties and invite everyone on his land.
1. "He lived for pleasure and had always done" (pg. 11)
2. "He was a model among landed gentry" (pg. 11)
I think Chaucer has mixed feelings about this character. He works for his money and is great at what he does, yet he chooses to spend it all partying.

Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, Tapestry Maker: They have new, fine things suggesting they don't get down and dirty too often.
1. "They were so trim and fresh" (pg. 13)
2. "They had the capital and revenue" (pg. 13)
Chaucer doesn't care too much about these characters, which is why they aren't talked about in great detail. He mostly likes and respects them for earning their money and doing well, but he thinks they could be a bit less girly.

Cook: He's kind of disgusting. Despite his horrible hygiene, he's a really good cook and people love his food.
1. "Good thick soup and bake a tasty pie" (pg. 13)
2. "That he should have an ulcer on his knee" (pg. 13)
Chaucer doesn't exactly respect or like this guy, but I don't think he hates him. He's sort of indifferent. He, like everyone else, loves the cook's food, but he's a little disgusted by him.

Shipman: Extremely good at what he does, navigating and sailing well. He's a pirate, and doesn't work too much for his living. He is kind of violent sometimes, but he doesn't fight, instead making his enemies walk to plank.
1. "The nicer rules of conscience he ignored" (pg. 13)
2. "A dagger on a lanyard falling free" (pg. 12)
Chaucer does respect and like him, even though he's a pirate and doesn't obey the law. He's a working man.

Doctor of Medicine: He is a really good physician even though he does his work using astronomy mostly. He likes to distribute drugs, even when people don't need them.
1. "For he was grounded in astronomy"
2. "To send him drugs and all electuaries"
Chaucer respects the fact that this guy's a good doctor. However, he doesn't like the fact that the doctor sells illegal drugs and has no morals at all.

The Wife of Bath: She's ugly, but she likes to think she looks good. She has a bunch of husbands and claims to work them all to death, which means she sexes them to death.
1. "Gap-toothed was she, it is no lie to say"
2. "With five churched husbands bringing joy and strife"
I think Chaucer is amused by this woman. He admires he ability to use what she's got to get what she wants.

Parson: Extremely poor, but he's a great member of the church and a really good man. He does what he's supposed to.
1. "Rich was he in holy thought and work"
2. "There is nowhere a better priest"
Chaucer really respects this man a lot. He doesn't like poor people too much because he believes they can change their circumstances, but he respects that the Parson is always doing what is right and what he's supposed to do.

Plowman: He's a really good person and a really good Christian.
1. "Loving God best with all his heart and mind" (pg. 17)
2. "He was an honest worker, good and true" (pg. 17)
Just like the parson, Chaucer really respects this man and respects his love for God. He likes him because he works hard and is honest, but he isn't too much fun.

Miller: He is huge. He's not a good guy. He's a thief and he's just not too nice to people.
1. "His mighty mouth was like a furnace door" (pg. 18)
2. "He was a master hand at stealing grain" (pg. 18)
Chaucer really doesn't like him. He's a thief, a potty mouth, and just a generally bad guy.

Manciple: Smart even though he's uneducated. He is good at watching the market, at money.
1. "That an illiterate fellow can outpace the wisdom of a heap of learned men?" (pg. 18)
2. "He used to watch the market most precisely" (pg. 18)
Chaucer likes him. He really respects that he's gone beyond his class and is outdoing the people who are better educated than he is.


Reeve: Very thin, but good at his job. He manages a very large estate and he has many talents. He is actually stealing from his lord.
1. "No auditor could gain a point on him" (pg. 19)
2. "No one had ever caught him in arrears" (pg. 19)
Chaucer likes this guy even though he's a thief. He is extremely smart and talented. He believes that the Reeve is foolish for stealing, but he still likes him.


Summoner: He is disgusting and scary looking and gets drunk a lot. He likes to blackmail people for his living. Blackmail is how he controls the church.
1. "Children were afraid when he appeared" (pg. 20)
2. "He knew their secrets, they did what he said" (pg. 21)
Chaucer doesn't like this guy because he has no morals. He isn't too smart and doesn't work for his living. He's also disgusted by him, as it seems like any person would be.

Pardoner: He has feminine characteristics and is a really good singer. He makes some money by singing but makes most of it by showing fake religious relics.
1. "In one short day, in money down, he drew more than the parson in a month or two" (pg. 22)
2. "That's why he sang so merrily and loud" (pg. 22)
Chaucer doesn't like him because he cheats people out of their money to make his living. he doesn't respect him because he doesn't work too hard. I think he's wary of him because he may be either gay or a eunuch as well.

Host: He's really jolly. He gets with the pilgrims just to help his own restaurant and get money. He's the one who instigates this whole story telling bet.
1. "What's more he was a merry-hearted man" (pg. 23)
2. "We bade him issue what commands he would" (pg. 23)
Chaucer doesn't mind him. He thinks he's nice enough and I think he respects him because he's hard working and owns his own business.


Best Pilgrims:
Knight, Parson, Sergeant at Law, Nun, Manciple, Plowman

Worst Pilgrims:
Friar, Summoner, Wife of Bath, Pardoner, Miller, Shipman